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</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Fox News dangerously declares war on teachers: Calls for violence, accusations of 'inclination' to pedophilia</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">David Badash and The New Civil Rights Movement April 11, 2022</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">   </div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">From Tucker Carlson to Laura Ingraham to Mark Levin, Fox News propagandists have declared war on public school teachers. The dangerous attacks follow the right’s misleading claims – fueled by</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">– about children inappropriately being taught about sex, homosexuality, bisexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity starting as early as kindergarten.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Last month, just days after Florida Republican<b> Governor Ron DeSantis</b>’ spokesperson Christina Pushaw charged that anyone who opposed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill was “probably” a “groomer” – essentially, a pedophile, pedophile enabler, or pedophile supporter, Fox News propagandist Laura Ingraham jumped into action.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“When did our<b> public schools, </b>any schools, become what are essentially grooming centers for gender identity radicals?” Ingraham asked, as Media Matters reported. The <b>chyron was less ambiguous: “Liberals are sexually grooming elementary students.”</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>In fact, on Monday Media Matters’ Matthew Gertz wrote, “With Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, Republicans have weaponized their Fox News base against teachers.”</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sunday night Fox News’ far-right “fringe” host Mark Levin hosted award-winning playwright David Mamet, who has no degree in childhood development, education, or sexual studies, to discuss public schools. He declared that teachers, especially male teachers, are “sexual predators.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>“Teachers are inclined, particularly men because men are predators, to pedophilia,” Mamet charged, pointing to no study that proves his claim.</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That claim came just days after Fox News’ top propagandist, Tucker Carlson, called for men to engage in verbal or physical abuse of school teachers, as Media Matters reported.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“I don’t understand where the men are. Like where are the dads? You know, some teachers pushing sex values on your third grader why don’t you go in and thrash the teacher? Like this is an agent of the government pushing someone else’s values on your kid about sex, like where’s the pushback?</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But Insider reports that Carlson was “repeating calls for violence he has made previously.” And The Daily Beast apparently agreed: “The Fox News host yet again suggested that violence against educators is called for.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Rather than apologize for its hosts and guests, Fox News is doubling down. </b>Monday morning the conservative outlet published an article claiming: “CNN, Washington Post, Vice and more fret that Republicans are worried about child grooming, pedophilia.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">On Twitter, Media Matters Matthew Gertz adds to points he made in his article.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>“Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law effectively deputizes the most Fox-News-and-Facebook-addicted members of the GOP base to act on frenzied smears that LGBTQ teachers are ‘grooming’ children,” he writes.</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“This vague law is then enforced by parents suing their school districts</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Suits will inevitably come from the most anti-LGBTQ parents, and school districts will chill discussion of a wide range of topics to try to avoid getting mired in lawsuits,” Gertz adds.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>“These baseless accusations that the right’s political opponents are actually pedophiles overlap with – and at times become indistinguishable from – the QAnon conspiracy theory,” he concludes, “which is moving ever closer to the GOP mainstream.”</b></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">4 22</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her family have donated more than $280,000 to back Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' re-election effort amid his crackdown on discussions of race and sexual orientation in schools.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DeVos, who served four years as former President Donald Trump's education chief, personally contributed $5,500 to a super PAC backing DeSantis' re-election bid last month, according to state <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/567317054/Screen-Shot-2022-03-30-at-2-17-05-PM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">campaign finance records</a>. Her husband, Dick DeVos, the former chief executive of Amway, contributed more than $80,000 to the Friends of Ron DeSantis super PAC last year. Their son, Rick DeVos, contributed $2,500 directly to DeSantis' campaign, as did their grandson Dalton DeVos and niece Olivia DeVos. Dick DeVos' brother Daniel and his wife Pamela also kicked in more than $70,000 to the Friends of DeSantis super PAC and his other brother Douglas also contributed more than $60,000. Dick DeVos' sister Suzanne Cheryl DeVos added another $50,000.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The DeVos family, which also owns the NBA's Orlando Magic, donated more than <a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/betsy-devos-family-donates-to-floridas-ron-desantis-10832488" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">$200,000</a> to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC during the Florida governor's 2018 campaign. The Michigan-based DeVos clan, with their extensive conservative connections, have <a href="https://www.transparencyusa.org/fl/candidate/ron-desantis-can/donors?cycle=2018-election-cycle&page=5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">showered far-right Republicans</a> with campaign cash for years, contributing more than $82 million to political causes since 1999, according to an analysis by the <a href="https://mcfn.org/node/6178/devos-family-has-made-at-least-82-million-in-political-contributions-since-1999-according-to-campaign-finance-disclosures" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Michigan Campaign Finance Network</a>, though some estimates put that number at closer to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2017/01/17/devos-says-its-possible-her-family-has-donated-200m-to-republicans/?sh=41e39d9bac91" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">$200 million</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The former secretary and other members of her family have been deeply involved in the "school choice" movement</b>, pushing to shift public education funds to private and charter schools, and have promoted efforts to use the country's schools to <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/betsy-devos-christian-schools-vouchers-charter-education-secretary/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">"advance God's kingdom."</a> DeSantis, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/2019/02/15/gov-ron-desantis-reveals-plan-to-eliminate-scholarship-wait-list/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">quickly pushed</a> for a plan to use taxpayer money to fund private and religious school tuition to expand "school choice" options shortly after taking office in 2019. DeVos touted the plan while part of the Trump administration, <a href="https://twitter.com/BetsyDeVosED/status/1096470845264986115" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">tweeting</a> that she "completely" agrees.</font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">DeSantis also appointed former state House Speaker Richard Corcoran, an <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/04/04/congressman-matt-gaetz-endorses-richard-corcoran-for-governor/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">ally</a> of far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who had no background in education, as the state's education commissioner.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Fedrick Ingram, the president of the Florida Education Association, a statewide teachers union, decried Corcoran as a </span><a href="https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/education/2018/12/16/local-union-leader-school-board-member-concerned-over-corcoran-appointment/6601731007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">"Betsy DeVos clone"</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> after he spent his time in the legislature</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> pushing school choice and charter school funding and decried teachers' unions as <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/227720-cruz-organizational/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">"repugnant" and "evil"</a> for objections to shifting taxpayer funds from private schools to charter schools. </b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Critics also accused Corcoran of a conflict of interest because his wife Anne is the chief executive of a charter school who has <a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2019/08/22/the-legislature-inserted-groups-tied-to-right-wing-donors-into-floridas-new-law-on-civics-education/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">worked with</a> conservative groups like <a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/03/17/the-far-rights-national-plan-for-schools-plant-charters-defund-public-education/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Hillsdale College</a> to influence the state's education curriculum.</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After the pandemic hit, DeVos and Trump pushed for a rapid reopening of schools in the summer of 2020. DeSantis and Corcoran jumped at Trump's demand, <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/158394/desantis-florida-trump-devos-schools-coronavirus-death-march" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">issuing an order</a> to keep all schools open five days a week. The state last year <a href="https://www.wlrn.org/news/2021-08-17/state-education-board-takes-formal-step-toward-punishing-school-district-leaders-who-mandate-masks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">sought to punish</a> school districts that required students to wear masks in the classroom.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Critics say DeVos is seeking to expand her successful effort to shift money away from public schools to for-profit and private schools in Michigan, where her family has donated more than $58 million at the state level as the state's education rankings have <a href="https://midwest.edtrust.org/michigan-achieves-state-of-education/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">plummeted</a>. John Austin, the former president of the Michigan State Board of Education, previously told <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/betsy-devos-just-bought-herself-a-trump-cabinet-position-193072/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Rolling Stone</a> that the family's efforts have done "tremendous damage to learning outcomes, particularly for poor and minority kids in Michigan."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Since then, DeVos has turned her focus to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/betsy-devos-parents-rights-education-politicians" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">"parental rights"</a> — a catchall that covers conservatives' fight against "wokeness," "critical race theory," and the "1619 Project." The effort has led to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/10/us/texas-critical-race-theory-ban-books.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">bans on books</a> on race by authors of color and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/30/1089462508/teachers-fear-the-chilling-effect-of-floridas-so-called-dont-say-gay-law" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">discussions</a> of sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms, as well as the firing of school administrators and librarians.</font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">DeSantis has been among the Republican Party's leaders in pushing so-called "academic transparency" legislation touted by DeVos. The governor just signed into law legislation critics decried as a <a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/03/19/disney-desantis-and-the-dont-say-gay-bill-a-florida-showdown-over-money-power-and-equality/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">"Don't say gay" bill</a>, which bans schools from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in some classrooms and allows parents to sue school districts over potential violations.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Two LGBTQ advocacy groups, as well as students and parents, on Thursday <a href="https://www.kaplanhecker.com/sites/default/files/ECF%201_Complaint_Equality%20Florida%20et%20al%20v%20Desantis%20et%20al_22cv00134.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">filed a federal lawsuit</a> arguing the Florida law is an "unlawful attempt to stigmatize, silence and erase LGBTQ people in Florida's public schools." The lawsuit alleges that the law violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments and Title IX protections.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"It seeks to do so by imposing a sweeping, vague ban covering any instruction on 'sexual orientation and gender identity,' and by constructing a diffuse enforcement scheme designed to maximize the chilling effect of this prohibition," the lawsuit says.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This effort to control young minds through state censorship -- and to demean LGBTQ lives by denying their reality -- is a grave abuse of power," the complaint said. "The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that LGBTQ people and families are at home in our constitutional order. The State of Florida has no right to declare them outcasts, or to treat their allies as outlaws, by punishing schools where someone dares to affirm their identity and dignity."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DeSantis' office pushed back on the lawsuit, arguing that the complaint erroneously claims that a person has a right to instruct another person's child about sexuality or gender and that state employees can craft their own unique curriculum for elementary school classrooms. DeSantis' communications director Taryn Fenske said the law "does not chill speech – instead it returns speech on these topics to parents."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"This lawsuit is a political Hail-Mary to undermine parental rights in Florida. Unsurprisingly, many of the parties to this suit are advocacy groups with publicly stated political agendas," Fenske said in an email to Salon. "This calculated, politically motivated, virtue-signaling lawsuit is meritless, and we will defend the legality of parents to protect their young children from sexual content in Florida public schools," she added.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>DeSantis last year also <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-desantis-voucher-bill-signing-20210511-jly7bxcudjeqxen4zlgqu3hsvu-story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">signed a law</a> further expanding the state's school vouchers program,</b> directing $200 million to allow tens of thousands of families with incomes upwards of $100,000 to qualify for income-based scholarships intended to help children living in poverty. The law also weakened oversight for the program. The Florida Education Association said after the signing that "draining money from public education to fund unaccountable private institutions is a betrayal of the 90 percent of students who are in public schools." DeSantis defended the bill as a way for "working families" to "have the ability to get their kids into the school of their choices."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>DeSantis is also pushing a bill titled the "Stop W.O.K.E. Act," which aims to ban the teaching of so-called "critical race theory,</b>" which DeSantis described as teaching "our kids to hate our country or hate each other." Though there is little evidence that critical race theory, which examines systemic racism in law and society, is actually being taught in public schools in Florida or elsewhere, conservatives like Devos and others have <a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/01/15/evangelicals-do-battle-with-critical-race-theory-in-new-online-video-course/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">sought to crack down</a> on certain race-related education. DeVos last year decried critical race theory as <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/12/devos-lets-liberate-kids-from-race-indoctrination-with-school-choice/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">"indoctrination."</a></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Critics linked DeSantis' education crackdown to donations from the DeVos clan and other deep-pocketed conservatives ahead of his re-election battle.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"While millions of Floridians are struggling to make ends meet from rising costs and a pandemic that Ron DeSantis has ignored, he is focused on his quixotic presidential bid and pleasing his billionaire backers," Aidan Johnson, a spokesperson for the Democratic PAC American Bridge, said in a statement to Salon. "He cares more about catering to extremists within the Republican Party than keeping Floridians safe."</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">split w/ trump?</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/04/gird-your-loins-for-battle-put-on-the-full-armor-of-god-desantis-running-as-a-biblical-anti-lgbtq-warrior/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/04/gird-your-loins-for-battle-put-on-the-full-armor-of-god-desantis-running-as-a-biblical-anti-lgbtq-warrior/</a></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Florida Republican <a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Ron+DeSantis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><strong>Governor Ron DeSantis</strong></a> appears to be using the <strong>“<a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Florida+%22Don%27t+Say+Gay%22" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Don’t Say Gay</a>“</strong> legislation he signed into law with barely any notice Monday as the new flag of his bible-based anti-LGBTQ re-election campaign.</font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Gird your loins for battle. We are going to fight. You put on the full armor of God,” the Florida Republican running for re-election says in a video posted to social media this week, with the state flag behind him and a poster reading, “Keep Florida<b> Free.</b>”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“You take a stand against the Left’s schemes. Yeah, you’re gonna face flaming arrows, but if you stand for truth, you and we will prevail.”</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Former federal prosecutor Ron Filipkowski weighed in, saying: “Desantis gets sexual and biblical on the campaign trail.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The full biblical reference makes DeSantis’ remarks even more disturbing. They come from Ephesians 6:11-18, which mentions the devil and the spiritual forces of evil, It reads in part:</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.</b> For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. … In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watch:</font></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 3 22 ukraine</font></div><div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>On Monday, March 7, the Republican-controlled Florida State Senate sent <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/03/07/florida-lawmakers-vote-to-phase-out-rooftop-solar-incentives/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">House Bill 741</a> — which removes green energy incentives for Florida homeowners — to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for approval.</b> Because MAGA Republicans are dogmatic in their disdain for green energy and love of fossil fuels, DeSantis is almost certain to sign HB 741 into law. But in an <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article259299964.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">op-ed published by the Miami Herald</a> on March 14, Mark Hertling — an Orlando, Florida resident and retired U.S. Army officer — argues that <b>DeSantis should veto HB 741 because it’s the type of bill that helps Russian President Vladimir Putin.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“(DeSantis) is likely to sign HB 741, which would negatively affect the solar industry and eliminate any incentive for individual Floridians to generate their own power at a time when we should be finding ways to expand homegrown energy,” Hertling explains. “To a degree, Florida’s decision to rapidly curtail available and cheaper domestic energy sources gives Putin money in his pockets and leverage over the West.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Only a fraction of the oil and gas used in the United States has been coming from Russia. So, when President Joe Biden banned Russian oil/gas imports, it was a symbolic way to take a stand against Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. But Western Europe gets a lot of oil from Russia, and Hertling argues that European countries have been much too reliant on Russian oil.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“For those of us who spent most of our professional lives in the U.S. Armed Forces, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was not a complete surprise,” Hertling explains. “When I served as the commanding general of the United States Army-Europe, Vladimir Putin’s expansion was something we tracked and reported on daily, given his invasion of Georgia in 2008, his takeover of Crimea and the Donbas in 2014, and his other adventures in Moldova and Azerbaijan. We also understood why the world let Putin get away with it: The Europeans — and to a lesser degree the U.S. — depended on Russian fossil fuel.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hertling adds, “In the last three weeks, we have managed to cripple Russia’s economy, which is almost singularly based on its oil and natural gas industry. In the future, many nations, the U.S. included, must find ways to exploit alternative energy sources.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hertling goes on to explain why solar panels have been beneficial to Floridians.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“When I retired in Orlando eight years ago,” Hertling notes, “we put solar panels on our new house.… When we put solar panels on our home, our electric bills were cut by two-thirds. With tax exemptions, we paid for the panels in just a few years. And returning power to the grid while we were paying less gave us the knowledge that we were contributing to the community and an improved environment.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hertling continues, “In sunny Florida, we always wondered why most of our neighbors didn’t do the same. <b>In all likelihood, HB 741 would significantly reduce the demand for rooftop solar power generation in Florida, taking roughly 1.5 million kilowatt hours of energy offline each year.”</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In light of the crisis in Ukraine, Hertling writes, the last thing DeSantis should do is sign HB 741 into law.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I am not suggesting that HB 741’s proponents support Putin’s criminal actions,” Hertling writes.<b> “I am suggesting that any claim that rooftop solar is regressive — which is a dubious claim, as most Florida rooftop solar users make less than $100,000 a year — is counter-intuitive. </b>Yet impact matters more than intent.… That DeSantis would pick this moment to support this is baffling. If he wants to be on the right side of history, Floridians, and our environment, he must veto HB 741.”</font></p></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">3 22 digby</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">no lnx</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Former president Donald Trump had another of his interminable rallies this weekend. He said the usual things delighting his South Carolina crowd and boring the rest of us into a coma. This time, however, he did add one memorable new line to the script which got people's attention:</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As we watch the horrific carnage unfolding in Ukraine and the repressive crack down in Russia, comments like that are all the more chilling. He truly does want to emulate Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong Un. As the Washington Post reported recently, he has repeated his earlier admiration for Kim's "total control" as well:</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">He espoused praise for North Korea's brutal leader, marveling at how Kim's generals and aides "cowered" when the dictator spoke to them. "Total control," Trump said of how Kim ran the country, describing generals snapping to attention and standing up on command. "His people were sitting at attention," he added. "I looked at my people and said I want my people to act like that."</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">I have little doubt that if he wins another term, he will be much worse than he was in the first. He won't make the mistake of hiring people who might stand in his way a second time.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">However, as we know, Trump isn't really serious about governing and wouldn't know how to do it efficiently even if he were. It doesn't make him any less dangerous, of course. His chaotic narcissism can do as much damage as a serious ideological authoritarian could. But he's laid out a style template for someone who is serious, showing them exactly the attitude that appeals to the MAGA base. And nobody in GOP politics is as ready to seize the mantle as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump 2.0.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The personality and affect have been evident since DeSantis won the governor's seat back in 2018. The Trumpian pettiness, the contempt, the reflexive hostility seem to come naturally to him. He treats the press like dirt and thinks insults are the highest form of humor. If he has any personal warmth or human compassion it's certainly well hidden. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">He even gestures like Trump.</span></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But with DeSantis, it's more than just style. He's got the Republicans in Florida working together like clockwork to enact the most authoritarian agenda in the country, calibrated perfectly to appeal to the base in advance of his re-election campaign --- and a potential presidential run in 2024.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>Florida has been at the leading edge of COVID denialism from the very beginning, but in recent days DeSantis and his hand-picked science-denying surgeon general have taken it to a new leve</b>l. They had already turned masks into a battleground with the governor taking it upon himself earlier this month to scold high school kids for wearing them in his presence, declaring that it's time to end the "COVID theatre." This was ironic since it turned out that many of the kids had been told by their parents to wear them and DeSantis' numerous assaults on education over the past year have been rationalized as a defense of "parental rights." Then last week the surgeon general went even further, defying the CDC and most physicians by recommending that kids not get vaccinated for COVID-19. DeSantis and his medical henchman seem determined to keep the virus circulating as long as they can.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>Meanwhile, the legislative season just coming to a close has produced such an astonishing array of right-wing culture war victories delivering on Desantis' "anti-woke" agenda that it's hard to know where to start</b>. Building on last year's education wrecking ball in which they banned Critical Race Theory from schools despite the fact that they were not teaching it, instituted a requirement that schools teach about the "evils of communism" and passed a higher education law that allows for budget cuts to colleges based on student and faculty surveys about "viewpoint diversity" (which DeSantis defines as "indoctrination") this year they took it to a whole new level. S<b>alon's Amanda Marcotte offered this tart analysis of the "Stop WOKE Act" "</b></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The legislature also passed the "Stop WOKE Act," which bars both schools and businesses from having any training or program that supposedly causes an "individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin." This has been largely covered as a ban on any kind of diversity training, but it's even more expansive than that. As I note in Friday's Standing Room Only newsletter, conservatives can also block anti-sexual harassment trainings by claiming it's guilt-tripping men to tell them that ass-pinching is not allowed in the workplace.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>The "fuck your feelings" crowd sure are sensitive snowflakes, aren't they?</b></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>Maximum leader DeSantis also got his wish for a first in the nation election police force which will report directly to him</b>. I've got a tip for them: it turns out that the Republican Party in south Florida changed the registrations of hundreds of Democrats to Republican without their permission. That's a crime. In fact, DeSantis might end up regretting this one. If the election police are on the level (which is unlikely, I know) it's almost certain they will be putting many more Republicans behind bars than Democrats. Even Trump's Chief of Staff just blatantly committed it in the last election.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>And then there is the grotesque "Don't Say Gay" law which prohibits teachers from discussing the subject in grades K-3</b>. But because it uses the new vigilante system of civil law harassment, and is written so poorly, it will result in a chilling effect on all school districts and will result in small kids with gay parents being treated like aliens and many LGBTQ kids being shoved in the closet. If you doubt their intentions, just listen to DeSantis' vile press secretary:</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Those of you who are of a certain age will hear the echoes of one of Florida's original homophobic crusaders Anita Bryant whose "Save Our Children" campaign was based upon the noxious lie that gays were "recruiting" the nice Christian children of the sunshine state.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Under pressure, the CEO of Disney, the state's largest employer and a major DeSantis donor belatedly objected to the bill and spoke to the Governor about it. DeSantis didn't budge and Disney announced that they will be suspending all political donations in the state of Florida after which the governor had a full blown meltdown:</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Florida Republicans believe these Commie Symp mega corporations have no right to criticize them.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">There was a time when business property rights were sacrosanct in the GOP as a matter of principle. But in the new authoritarian right, if a business doesn't toe their bigoted line, the government "won't stand for it."</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" /></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Donald Trump is still likely to get the nomination and we can only hope and pray he doesn't win. His dictatorial impulses are well known. But Ron DeSantis is the future of the Republican Party and he's figured out how to take all that right-wing hate and grievance and put it into practice. You don't want to know what he could do on a national level.</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">pink pill hype fear conspiracy qanon</font></font></font></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/laura-ingraham/fox-news-chyron-liberals-are-sexually-grooming-elementary-students" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.mediamatters.org/laura-ingraham/fox-news-chyron-liberals-are-sexually-grooming-elementary-students</a></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3 22 </font></font></font></div><div style=""><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">fox News propagandist <a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Laura+Ingraham" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><strong>Laura Ingraham</strong></a> has been called a “monster” by her own brother, who is gay.</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Our father was a Nazi sympathizer, racist, anti-Semite and homophobe,” Curtis Ingraham wrote, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/she-s-monster-laura-ingraham-s-gay-brother-lashes-out-n909456" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">NBC News</a> reported in 2018. “Like father like daughter?”</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last year the highest-ranking Republican elected official in North Carolina came under fire for declaring <b>LGBTQ people are “<a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2021/10/nc-lt-gov-mark-robinson-says-transgender-people-and-drag-queens-are-pure-lunacy-and-want-to-molest-kids/" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">filth</a></b>.” Not only was it vile and anti-American, but it was also done by dredging up an old trope, a disgusting lie, suggesting that gay people are pedophiles.</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, a Christian nationalist, said: “there’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.”</font></font></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Last week the taxpayer-paid press secretary to </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Florida Republican <a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Ron+DeSantis" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><strong>Governor Ron DeSantis</strong></a> went all-in on the pedophilia lie, defending the anti-LGBTQ legislation her boss is expected to soon sign.</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><b style="">“The bill that liberals inaccurately call ‘Don’t Say Gay’ would be more accurately described as an Anti-Grooming Bill,</b>” <a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Christina+Pushaw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><strong>Christina Pushaw</strong></a> announced.<b style=""> “If you’re against the Anti-Grooming Bill, you are probably a groomer</b> or at least you don’t denounce the grooming of four eight-year-old children. Silence is complicity. This is how it works, Democrats, and I didn’t make the rules.”</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The anti-LGBTQ and anti-left lies are back, being promulgated now by some of the most powerful propagandists in the country. Things are getting dangerously worse for LGBTQ people across America.</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://freedomforallamericans.org/legislative-tracker/anti-lgbtq-bills/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Freedom for All Americans</a>, a “bipartisan campaign to secure full nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people nationwide,” lists dozens of anti-LGBTQ bills currently in state legislatures across the country. Their passage becomes increasingly assured when propagandists like Laura Ingraham promote vile, hateful tropes about LGBTQ people, even when they mask them by extending it to “liberals.”</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Wednesday night Ingraham once again proved her brother right.</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“LIBERALS ARE SEXUALLY GROOMING ELEMENTARY STUDENTS” read the chyron on an “Ingraham Angle” segment.</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watch:</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ingraham began by airing clips of two people who viewers likely were expected to believe are school teachers, even though they apparently aren’t. One is just someone on a streaming service who never says she’s a teacher. The other says she’s “in pre-school,” so not a public elementary school teacher.</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Those facts don’t matter to propagandists, like Ingraham, who ran those clips then immediately says:</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“When did our public schools, any schools, become what are essentially grooming centers for gender identity radicals?” Ingraham asks (video below), as <a href="https://mediamatters.org/laura-ingraham/fox-news-chyron-liberals-are-sexually-grooming-elementary-students" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Media Matters</a> reports. “As a mom, I think it’s appalling, it’s frightening, it’s disgusting, it’s despicable. Florida just passed a bill to keep this type of<b> sexual brainwashing out of schools<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">. </span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Democrats, though, claim the bill is bigoted, branding it as the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill.’ Well, nice try. The real controversy, though, isn’t this bill. It’s that schools are peddling gender ideology when our international rankings in math, science, and reading are down across the board.”</span></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As she introduces her guest, the chyron changes to read: “DEMS HAPPY TO RUN ON PRO-GROOMING PLATFORM.”</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">No facts, nothing to back up those claims, just outrageous, dangerous defamation.</font></font></font></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see am oversight on activist suppr hit and run</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/florida-pediatricians-slam-ron-desantis-irresponsible-surgeon-general-for-opposing-vaccines-for-kids/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/florida-pediatricians-slam-ron-desantis-irresponsible-surgeon-general-for-opposing-vaccines-for-kids/</a></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.americanoversight.org/ginni-thomas-republican-connections-raise-ethics-concerns-for-scotus">https://www.americanoversight.org/ginni-thomas-republican-connections-raise-ethics-concerns-for-scotus</a></font></font></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The activism of prominent conservative Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has for years raised questions about partisan influence on the judicial system and ethics in the Supreme Court. American Oversight is actively investigating Ginni Thomas’ connections and influence in right-wing networks and their potential impact on Justice Thomas’ ethics decisions. <b>Records we have obtained through public records requests reveal Ginni Thomas’ ties to the Trump administration as well as evidence of Justice Thomas’ contact with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.</b></font></span></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">As detailed in a recent </span><a href="https://www.americanoversight.org/email-suggests-that-supreme-court-justice-thomas-had-been-in-regular-contact-with-florida-gov-desantis" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">update</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">, emails</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> between Ginni Thomas and DeSantis, obtained by American Oversight and reported on by <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2022/02/04/desantis-supreme-court-connection-00005583" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Politico</i></a>, suggest that Justice Thomas may have been in </span><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/clarence-thomas-ron-desantis-communication-new-emails-1295354/" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">regular contact</span></a></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> with the Republican governor.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> On June 10, 2021, Ginni Thomas </span></span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21197522-florida-office-of-the-governor-communications-with-voting-restriction-activists#document/p179/a2079095" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">reached out</span></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> to DeSantis’ scheduling office to invite him to speak to a “coalition” of “conservative patriots.” Thomas </span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21197522-florida-office-of-the-governor-communications-with-voting-restriction-activists#document/p178/a2079134" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">explained</span></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> that the governor would know her because her “husband has been in contact with him … on various things of late.”</span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ginni Thomas said the “cone of silence coalition” of “about 83 national leaders” was formerly known as </b><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Groundswell </b><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">and included former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows among its attendees</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The group, now called the </span></span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21197522-florida-office-of-the-governor-communications-with-voting-restriction-activists#document/p184/a2079097" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Third Century Group</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> (TC Group), was focused on “the greatest threats and opportunities to constitutional governance,”</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Thomas </span></span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21197522-florida-office-of-the-governor-communications-with-voting-restriction-activists#document/p179/a2079095" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">wrote</span></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in her email</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">, “and admittedly we are weary about the GOP divisions, lack of courage and lack of leadership.” Thomas also wrote that the group met “through the help of [conservative organization] Judicial Watch.”</span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">DeSantis was eventually </span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21197522-florida-office-of-the-governor-communications-with-voting-restriction-activists#document/p181/a2079096" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">scheduled</span></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> to present during the group’s July 21 virtual meeting. According to an </span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21197522-florida-office-of-the-governor-communications-with-voting-restriction-activists#document/p180/a2079098" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">email</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> from a vice president at the Heritage Foundation who was planning to introduce the governor at the meeting,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"> </span><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">DeSantis was invited to speak “about whatever is on his mind</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in terms of national politics” and the attendees were “very concerned about [critical race theory], election integrity and immigration.”</span></b></span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; font-weight: bolder;">The Coalition Formerly Known as Groundswell<br role="presentation" data-uw-rm-sr="" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Formerly known as Groundswell, TC Group is a secretive right-wing strategy group led by Ginni Thomas and others, which has been bringing together conservative activists for </span><a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/07/groundswell-rightwing-group-ginni-thomas/" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">nearly a decade</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">. Members have </span><a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/07/groundswell-rightwing-group-ginni-thomas/" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">included</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> former Trump chief strategist Stephen Bannon and former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton, among others. The network was </span><a href="https://www.americanoversight.org/investigation/trumps-post-impeachment-authoritarian-purges" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">well-connected to the Trump administration</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> — in 2019, Thomas and others </span><a href="https://www.axios.com/trump-memos-deep-state-white-house-ce5be95f-2418-433d-b036-2bf41c9700c3.html" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">compiled lists</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> of anti-Trump officials in executive agencies for the administration to dismiss and replace with Trump allies.</span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Public records obtained by American Oversight show the degree of access Thomas and her coalition had in the Trump administration. A calendar entry from </span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20477798-omb-records-of-senior-staff-calendars-part-3#document/p1574" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">March 5, 2020</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">, shows Russ Vought, then the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, was scheduled to have “Breakfast with Ginni Thomas.”</span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">On </span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6540403-HHS-Records-Regarding-Anti-Abortion-Influence-on#document/p626" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Dec. 10, 2018</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">, Thomas, on behalf of her lobbying firm Liberty Consulting, invited a Department of Health and Human Services official — likely </span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6540403-HHS-Records-Regarding-Anti-Abortion-Influence-on#document/p640" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Steven Wagner</span></a></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">, the director of the Administration for Children and Families — to a “Conversation and Strategic Discussion” with conservative commentator<b> Jordan Peterson</b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>.</b> The invitation noted that the event would be “closed to press and off the record” and that “a primary goal of this meeting is to determine specific action steps/solutions for winning back the next generation.” The reception was hosted by Thomas along with conservative Christian activist Bill Dallas and the Heritage Foundation’s Bridgett Wagner. The </span></span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6540403-HHS-Records-Regarding-Anti-Abortion-Influence-on#document/p633" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">list of participants</span></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> included prominent conservatives.</span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">On </span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20477798-omb-records-of-senior-staff-calendars-part-3#document/p1116" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Aug. 22, 2018</span></a></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">, Neomi Rao, then the administrator of OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, was scheduled to have a “Groundswell Mtg.” It is not confirmed whether this is Ginni Thomas’ Groundswell</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Early in her career, Rao served as a law clerk for Justice Thomas on the Supreme Court, and in 2019, she was appointed by Trump to serve as federal judge in Washington, D.C. </span></span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; font-weight: bolder;">Thomas’ Activism Raises Judicial Ethics Questions<br role="presentation" data-uw-rm-sr="" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Ginni Thomas’ career as a prominent conservative activist, more heavily involved in politics </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/magazine/clarence-thomas-ginni-thomas.html" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">than any other spouse</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> of a Supreme Court justice in history, has for years raised concerns among </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/31/ginni-thomas-clarence-thomas-conflict-jan6-committee/" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">legal experts</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> who note that justices typically avoid even being seen as partisan. Through her activism, Ginni Thomas has taken stances on issues that have come before the Supreme Court, such as on abortion, gun rights, and the </span><a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/07/groundswell-rightwing-group-ginni-thomas/" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Affordable Care Act</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">, and recently took on major role in challenging Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. Justice Thomas’ repeated </span><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/01/31/is-ginni-thomas-a-threat-to-the-supreme-court" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">failure to recuse himself</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> on multiple matters relevant to his wife’s advocacy, especially as the court hears increasingly politically polarized cases, has been the subject of scrutiny. </span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Recently, Ginni Thomas was among the conservatives who </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/31/ginni-thomas-clarence-thomas-conflict-jan6-committee/" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">signed a letter</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> criticizing the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. A month later, Justice Thomas was the only Supreme Court justice to support Trump’s request to block that committee from accessing White House records. </span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Ginni Thomas also played a role in challenging the 2020 election results as a leader of the conservative Council for National Policy (CNP), according to the </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/magazine/clarence-thomas-ginni-thomas.html" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">New York Times</i></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">. Following the November 2020 election, CNP directed its members to </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/briefing/ginni-thomas-clarence-thomas-russia-ukraine.html" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">spread misinformation about the election</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> and pressured Republican lawmakers in Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania to challenge the election results by awarding their states’ electoral votes to Trump. In a newsletter, CNP’s political advocacy arm </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/magazine/clarence-thomas-ginni-thomas.html" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">advised</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">, “</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">There is historical, legal precedent for Congress to count a slate of electors different from that certified by the Governor of the state.” </span><a href="https://www.americanoversight.org/fake-electoral-certificates-obtained-by-american-oversight-draw-renewed-scrutiny" data-uw-rm-brl="false" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline-offset: 0.11765em; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(63, 165, 244);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Fake electoral certificates</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> submitted by Trump allies in swing states to Congress to dispute Biden’s victory were obtained by American Oversight last year.</span></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 25px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">American Oversight continues to investigate Ginni Thomas’ connections and influence. We have filed records requests seeking communications between Thomas and federal agencies during the Trump administration, and in January 2022, we submitted public records requests to attorneys generals and governors across the country for communications with both Ginni Thomas and Justice Thomas.</font></span></font></font></p></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"> =</span></font></font></font></p></div><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">don't say gay ~ = groomers</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/desantis/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/desantis/</a></font></font></font></p><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3 22</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/jack-petocz-florida/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/jack-petocz-florida/</a></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">suspended for handing our gay flag</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></div><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/desantis-teens-masks/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/desantis-teens-masks/</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/bully-ron-desantis-mistakes-bluster-for-bravery-and-is-really-a-coward-journalist/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/bully-ron-desantis-mistakes-bluster-for-bravery-and-is-really-a-coward-journalist/</font></a></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">don't apologize</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/02/joe-rogan-2656597762/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/02/joe-rogan-2656597762/</a></font></font></font></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/02/alarm-grows-as-florida-gop-advances-plan-to-gut-ballot-initiative-process/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/02/alarm-grows-as-florida-gop-advances-plan-to-gut-ballot-initiative-process/</a></font></font></font></div><div><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><strong>citizen initiative process</strong> that gave Floridians the power to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/05/success-15-minimum-wage-measures-huge-win-working-people-florida-and-portland-maine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">raise</a> the<b> minimum wage and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/11/06/repealing-one-countrys-worst-jim-crow-laws-florida-restores-voting-rights-14-million" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">restore voting rights</a> is under grave threat</b> after the state's House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday advanced a Republican proposal to dramatically limit the scope of future ballot measures.</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Led by state Rep. Mike Beltran (R-57),</b> House Joint Resolution 1127 would alter Florida's constitution to limit citizen initiatives to "matters relating to procedural subjects or to structure" of the government—a restriction that likely would have <a href="https://twitter.com/ACLUFL/status/1483514614025498629" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">blocked</a> $15 minimum wage, voting rights, medical marijuana, and <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Water_and_Land_Conservation_Initiative,Amendment_1(2014)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">conservation</a> amendments.</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Lawmakers should respect the will of the people and Floridians' right to participate in our democracy."</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Having passed out of the GOP-controlled judiciary panel, the proposal is soon expected to receive a vote in the full state House of Representatives. If the Florida Legislature passes Beltran's resolution, voters will have to approve the amendment for it to be added to the state constitution.</b></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Final approval of the resolution would effectively spell the death of the state's citizen initiative process, the<b> ACLU of Florida warned </b>in a <a href="https://www.aclufl.org/en/press-releases/aclu-florida-denounces-passage-joint-resolution-obstructs-citizen-initiative-process" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">statement</a> Tuesday evening.</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"These proposed changes to the citizen initiative process are not about fixing problems—they are about interfering with the will of Floridians," said Kara Gross, the group's legislative director and senior policy counsel. "Through ballot initiatives, citizens have been able to improve the lives and well-being of Floridians."</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Gross characterized the Florida GOP's attack on the citizen initiative process as part of a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/21/gop-tidal-wave-voter-suppression-set-intensify-2022-analysis-warns" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">broader trend</a> of "politicians trying to rewrite the rules because they do not like it when voters use their power is a trend that must come to an end."</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Florida lawmakers should respect the will of the people and Floridians' right to participate in our democracy through the citizen initiative process," Gross added. "They should vote no on these proposals and end the crusade of sabotaging the right of the people to be heard."</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">House Joint Resolution 1127 is hardly the Florida GOP's first attempt to gut the citizen initiative process, which empowered voters to enact broadly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/11/04/florida-amendment-2-minimum-wage/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">popular policies</a> that would've gone nowhere in the GOP-dominated state Legislature.</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">In 2020, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis <a href="https://news.ballotpedia.org/2020/04/13/gov-desantis-signs-florida-initiative-process-restrictions-into-law/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">signed</a> into law a bill containing a number of new ballot initiative restrictions</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, including an increase of the signature requirement. Last year, DeSantis </span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/fl-state-wire-florida-lifestyle-government-and-politics-8543449b9ee5ff0600202d8a2995aa2f" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">signed</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> a measure limiting donations to citizen initiative campaigns—a limit that was later </span><a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/07/01/judge-blocks-floridas-contribution-cap-limit-on-ballot-initiatives/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">blocked</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> by a federal judge.</span></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Aliki Moncrief, executive director of Florida Conservation voters, <a href="https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/bill-would-drastically-limit-what-florida-voters-could-put-ballot/JV4LM2EA45BH3FKUQ4KIFQ5ET4/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">told</a> a local <em>CBS</em> affiliate on Tuesday that the state GOP's efforts are "basically about limiting the power of people to raise important public policies and important public issues that they don't feel the Legislature is considering."</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"So, it's horrible in a word," Moncrief added. "If the people really wanted this done, they would have done it."</font></font></font></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></p></div><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-hosts-rally-behind-ron-desantis-push-provide-covid-drugs-dont-work" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-hosts-rally-behind-ron-desantis-push-provide-covid-drugs-dont-work</a></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">cf trms govt stopped shipping 2 do not work omicron (3rd hard to get?)</font></font></font></div><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></p><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/florida-surgeon-general/" aria-label="Watch: Florida senators walk out after DeSantis' surgeon general refuses to answer if vaccines are good" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" outline="outline" px="px" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Florida senators walk out after DeSantis' surgeon general refuses to answer if vaccines are good</font></a></font></font></h1><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="social-authorname rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/david-badash" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">David Badash</a> <a class="social-authorname rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/the-new-civil-rights-movement" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">The New Civil Rights Movement</a></font></font></font></font></div><div class="social-date" style="margin-top: 8px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span class="social-datetext" style="top: 3px; position: relative; line-height: 1; left: -3px;">January 26, 2022</span></div><div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2656483009" style="margin-top: 10px; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; text-overflow: ellipsis; overflow: hidden; display: -webkit-box; -webkit-line-clamp: 4; line-height: 31px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="body-description" style=""><p style="">Democrats on a Florida state Senate committee walked out of the confirmation hearing of Governor Ron DeSantis’ Surgeon General nominee, <a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Joseph+Ladapo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><strong>Dr. Joseph Ladapo</strong></a>, a far right-wing anti-science extremist after...</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">----</p><p style=""><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Ladapo">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Ladapo</a></p><p style="">am frontline dr</p></div></div><div>=</div><p>=</p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/ron-desantis-2656462349/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/ron-desantis-2656462349/</a></p><p>wapo crit him</p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">an 1 22</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">almost a year after Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States, former President Donald Trump continues to receive an abundance of media coverage — from negative reporting in liberal and progressive outlets to nonstop adulation and praise from Trump’s sycophants at Fox News, Newsmax TV and One America News. But one right-wing media figure who has no kind words for Trump in 2022 is <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/589995-conservative-pundit-ann-coulter-says-trump-is-done" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">author Ann Coulter</a>, who believes that his dominance of the Republican Party has come to an end and has been bashing the ex-president on Twitter.</div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Interviewed by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/16/us/trump-desantis.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">the New York Times</a>, Coulter said, “Trump is done. You guys should stop obsessing over him.”</p><div id="story_page_incontent_p2_target" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-5155643920455169" data-ad-slot="6339868799" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px; display: block;" /></div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The right-wing firebrand was interviewed for an article by Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin, who addressed growing tensions between Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.</p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In a January 12 tweet, Coulter used the phrase “booster status” as a double entendre. Trump, in a recent interview, was obviously referring to DeSantis when he slammed <a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/trump-vaccines/" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Republicans who are too “gutless”</a> to say whether or not they have received a COVID-19 booster shot.</p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Trump has been aggressively promoting COVID-19 vaccines lately, saying that he got a booster shot and urging others to do the same.<b> DeSantis, however, has been evasive when asked about COVID-19 booster shots, obviously fearful of saying anything that might offend anti-vaxxers.</b></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Coulter tweeted:...</p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</p><p>=</p><p>out trump trump?  regrets lockdown</p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/ron-desantis-trump/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/ron-desantis-trump/</a></p><p>=</p><p>breathing?</p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/ron-desantis-2656243893/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/ron-desantis-2656243893/</a></p><p>=</p><p>race to the trump bottom?! very strict fr = auth dictator</p><div>
</div><div>aha: (thom traces slavery roots to RR to now]</div><div>
</div><div>if gov't is tryrant we need guns terrorism to defend oureselves and our freedumb; if gov't merely inept handcuffed by PC we need guns to defend ourselves from antifa thugs commie dems; car kill protester is not that far from PI duetertes death squads to kill dealers and junkies?! note this turns over gov't monopoly on force and hands over to lone wack jobs radicalized by fox and soc med</div><div>
</div><div>thom h kyle</div><div>...<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102); font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">A right-wing militia group in New York celebrated in the streets and then put a punctuation mark on their disdain for the law and simple rules of a civil society by </span><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/11/21/2065507/-Rittenhouse-makes-mockery-of-justice-system-Then-Proud-Boys-make-mockery-of-NYPD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline" opacity="opacity" transition="transition" s="s" ease="ease" background="background">entering the NY subway system through the emergency exit, bypassing the toll booths</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102); font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">. "Rules don't apply to us!" they seemed to be shouting, along with, "You can't stop us!"</span></div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Trump wannabees in public office who are still trying to capture the white supremacist and white nationhood vote have doubled down on his strategy of fear, hate, and vigilantism.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, for example, recently signed into law legislation that gives legal protections to people who drive their cars into protesters in the street and defines <em>everybody</em> in any protest as a criminal felon if <em>anybody</em> in that protest breaks a window or engages in other illegal activity.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">With DeSantis and other Republican governors pre-exonerating people like the driver who viciously killed Heather Heyer and vigilante protest shooters like Rittenhouse, many are worried that we're entering a new era where vigilante shooters and drivers-into-crowds will become as normalized and accepted as Amy Vanderpool documents how normalized <a href="https://shero.substack.com/p/what-happened-was-55a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">daily mass shootings have become</a> in America.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Laws similar to Florida's have been passed or are pending in numerous Republican-controlled states, presumably in anticipation of citizen protests when those states use their newly passed laws to overturn the will of voters in the 2022 and 2024 elections. Object to your politicians handing an election they lost to themselves? You go straight from the streets to the jail, just like in tinhorn dictatorships.</b></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">There's always been a fringe movement of violent white supremacist vigilantes in America, particularly since the end of the Civil War, but they've never before been embraced by or succeeded in capturing a political party. Today, astonishingly, that's the case in our country.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">So, what's motivating today's vigilantes and the police who often aid and support them, as in the Rittenhouse case?...</font></p><div>=</div><div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">AMY GOODMAN:<b> Just days before the January 6th anniversary, Trump endorsed Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. </b>He released a statement saying, “He has done a powerful and wonderful job in protecting Hungary, stopping illegal immigration, creating jobs,” etc. Talk about the significance of President Trump in the world and what 2024 could mean if he were to run again.</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">
</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">RUTH BEN-GHIAT: So, I’ve always seen Trump — of course, we focus on how he came to power to destroy American democracy. That was his goal. But his other agenda was detaching America from the democratic world order and inserting it into what I’ve been calling since 2017 “Axis 2.0,” this kind of far-right autocratic order. A lot of it’s funded by Putin.<b> And Orbán has made Budapest a kind of hub of these far-right networks, which remind me of what I initially studied, was these fascist networks of this fascist internationalism in the 1930s.</b></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">
</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Now, Trump really identifies with Orbán, because Orbán is somebody who was a centrist, and then he was voted out, and he spent some years getting back to power. And then he arranged things. He has this electoral autocracy, where you hold elections and then you fix them, so that he doesn’t have to leave, you know, in his mind.</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">
</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><b>And the GOP has embraced Hungary, and they really see Hungary’s present as America’s future. And so, Tucker Carlson, you know, had whole week of broadcasting there. And even Mike Pence,</b> who’s not the most worldly person, trotted over to Budapest and talked about how he hoped that abortion rights would be taken away soon. So, Hungary is this model of white Christian supremacy, anti-trans, homophobic. It checks all the boxes of what the GOP is actually today.</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">
</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">AMY GOODMAN: Finally, we talk about him as a model and him modeling himself on autocrats around the world. But what about him as a model at home for people like </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor? You lay out, in a very chilling piece, this image of DeSantis surrounded by the people he wants to basically deputize as what his opponent in running for governor has talked about as his “secret police.”</span></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">
</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">RUTH BEN-GHIAT: Yeah, Ron DeSantis is an example — so, when you have somebody like Trump who imposes this kind of authoritarian party discipline, the system populates with mini-Trumps.<b> They used to be called mini-Duces and mini-Hitlers, and now we have these mini-Trumps. And so, what we’ve seen is, in places like Texas and Florida, states are becoming laboratories of autocracy.</b></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">
</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">And DeSantis is particularly disturbing, because, you know, he wants to have his own civilian National Guard</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">And many states have those, but I discovered, doing research, that he’s also establishing an office for, quote, “election integrity,” which is code speak for election fraud, where it’s going to have its own prosecutors and investigators. So, anybody who — <b>if there’s like an election result in the state that DeSantis doesn’t like, he can have his goons go after them and accuse them of violating election law. And they’ve made what used to be misdemeanors into felonies, so these people could be put in jail. </b>So this is an example of the kind of authoritarian system at the state level that DeSantis has planned.</span></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">
</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">AMY GOODMAN: Ruth Ben-Ghiat, I want to thank you for being with us, expert on the psychology of authoritarianism and fascism. She is the author of Strongmen: How They Rise, Why They Succeed, How They Fall, a professor of history and Italian studies at New York University, and she publishes Lucid, a newsletter on threats to democracy.</div></div><p>=</p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/ron-desantis-vaccine/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/ron-desantis-vaccine/</a></p><p>lies</p><p>=</p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b style="">Washington Post </b>columnist Eugene Robinson has been vehemently critical of anti-vaxxers, arguing that their anti-science, anti-medicine delusions are helping make the COVID-19 pandemic worse than it has to be in the United States. And in his <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/22/some-protest-life-saving-vaccines-covid-threat-marches/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">November 22 column</a>, Robinson slams Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for pandering to them.</font></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">DeSantis is not an anti-vaxxer per se. The far-right governor and MAGA Republican has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and earlier this year, he urged others to get vaccinated. But when anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists in MAGA World <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/07/26/sellout-anti-vax-conservatives-come-for-desantis-1389008" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">attacked him as a traitor</a>, DeSantis began to shift his messaging on vaccines. Now, he is making the false claim that they aren't effective — which is DeSantis' cynical, shameless way of showing anti-vaxxers how MAGA he is.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>"Those who try to make people believe that the vaccines 'are not preventing infection,' as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) claimed last week, are lying," Robinson declares. </b>"The vaccines prevent most infections, but not all. They make it more difficult to transmit the virus to someone else, but not impossible. Most important, being vaccinated means that if you do get infected, unless you also have some condition that keeps the vaccine from boosting your immune system — like the late Colin L. Powell, who had multiple myeloma — you almost surely will not become gravely ill or die."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Almost two years have passed since COVID-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019 — and since then, according to <a href="https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore</a>, COVID-19 has killed more than 5.1 million people worldwide. That includes over 772,000 deaths in the United States, which has the world's highest COVID-19 death count. The good news is that although the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines available in the U.S. don't offer a 100% guarantee that one won't get infected, they greatly reduce the chance of getting infected — and with "breakthrough" cases (health experts' term for people who are vaccinated but get infected anyway), infections are likely to be less severe. The vast majority of Americans who are dying from COVID-19 at this point are unvaccinated.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Many health experts fear that as the U.S. moves into the winter months, the number of COVID-19 infections will increase — and Robinson not only recommends getting vaccinated, but also, getting a booster shot if one was vaccinated at least half a year ago.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"If a winter wave of COVID -19 is inevitable, then, the key to minimizing it — and having something like a normal holiday season — is, you guessed it, vaccination," Robinson emphasizes. "Those who have never been vaccinated need to get over themselves and roll up their sleeves. And those who were vaccinated more than six months ago need to get a booster shot. The unvaccinated are the bigger problem, because they are the group most likely to be infected with the coronavirus, to spread it to others, to become sick enough to require hospitalization and — tragically and unnecessarily — to die."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Robinson concludes his column by arguing that getting vaccinated for COVID-19 is not anti-freedom — it's actually very pro-freedom.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"Anti-vaccination zealots here and abroad who demand their 'freedom' have it exactly backward," Robinson writes. "The vaccines can free us from this plague, if we will let them. The unchecked virus offers only tyranny."</p><p>=</p><p>// AG fed overreach squad?  </p><p>
</p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/desantis-election-police/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/desantis-election-police/</a></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ron DeSantis (R) has unveiled a propospal to develop a statewide law enforcement agency to investigate election-related crimes.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">On Wednesday, November 3, the Republican governor held a news conference where <a href="https://www.axios.com/florida-desantis-election-police-force-plan-9fb5345c-d415-48db-afac-993c76ad6d36.html" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">he discussed election integrity as he echoed many of former President Donald Trump's claims about voter fraud —</a> despite having no actual evidence to reference. DeSantis, who is preparing for his re-election campaign next year, <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2021/11/03/governor-ron-desantis-announces-legislative-proposal-to-protect-floridas-election-integrity/" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">released a statement detailing the purpose of his proposed legislation.</a></p><div id="story_page_incontent_p2_target" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-5155643920455169" data-ad-slot="6339868799" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px; display: block;" /></div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"We are excited to say that next legislative session we are proposing another package of election integrity reforms that will make Florida the number one state for elections," DeSantis said. "I am excited that with this legislation, our state will be able to enforce election violations, combat voter fraud and make sure violators are held accountable. If potential violators know they will be held accountable, they will be much less likely to engage in improper conduct in the first place."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">According to DeSantis' his latest piece of legislation will:</p><ul class="ee-ul" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; width: 589.438px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li><b>Establish an Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Department of State to investigate election crimes and fraud;</b></li><li><b>Elevate the crime of ballot harvesting to a third-degree felony, </b>which the governor's offices said was to recognize that "this offense is a serious attack on democracy;"</li><li>Require timelines for supervisors of elections to clean the voter rolls of ineligible voters; and</li><li><b>Prohibit unsecure, "haphazard drop box locations" in Florida.</b></li></ul><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">During his recent news conference, DeSantis spoke to a crowd of his supporters were he discussed actions voters could take under the proposed legislation if they witness any form of voter fraud.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"There'll be people if you see someone ballot harvesting, you know, what do you do? If you call into the election office, a lot of times they don't do anything," DeSantis said at his news conference. "If you know that, there's, you know, in Florida, it's Constitutionally mandated, only citizens are allowed to vote in Florida, and yet you see examples of people, they'll even check they're not citizens, and they'll still be given ballots."</p><p>=</p><p>d<a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/ron-desantis-2655487561/" aria-label="DeSantis and his political allies demand credit for Florida’s decrease in COVID cases — there’s just one problem" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; word-break: break-word; outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 20px;">eSantis and his political allies demand credit for Florida’s decrease in COVID cases — there’s just one problem</a></p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/ron-desantis-2655487561/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/ron-desantis-2655487561/</a></p><p>=</p><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/10/university-of-florida-professors/" aria-label="The state of Florida is under fire for trying to silence professors who want to testify about voting rights" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" outline="outline" px="px" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" line-height="line-height"> state of Florida is under fire for trying to silence professors who want to testify about voting rights</a></h1><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="social-authorname rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/cody-fenwick" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Cody Fenwick</a></div><div class="social-date" style="margin-top: 8px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span class="social-datetext" style="top: 3px; position: relative; line-height: 1; left: -3px;">October 31, 2021</span></div><div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2655465755" style="margin-top: 10px; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; text-overflow: ellipsis; overflow: hidden; display: -webkit-box; -webkit-line-clamp: 4; line-height: 31px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="body-description"><p>After public outrage over its decision to block professors from testifying as expert witnesses about voting rights, the University of Florida tried to defend itself this week by issuing a statement claiming to support "academic....</p></div></div><p>=</p><p>10-21 an ME</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Florida county is facing a multi-million dollar fine for requiring its government employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19. According to The Daily Beast, <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/leon-county-florida-fined-millions-for-vaccine-mandate-and-folks-are-pissed" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">the Florida Department of Health issued a fine of $3.57 million to Leon County, Fla.</a></b></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">The county, which houses Florida's state capital Tallahassee, is accused of "'blatant violation' of Florida's controversial 'vaccine passport' law that prohibits governments and businesses from requiring residents to show proof they were vaccinated against the coronavirus."</font></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">According to the health agency, the county has violated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) order prohibiting vaccine mandates a total of 714 times by requiring employees to provide proof of vaccination. So far, 14 government employees have been terminated for failure to meet vaccination requirements.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Now, the Republican governor has released a statement criticizing the county for its mandate.</b></p><p style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"It is unacceptable that Leon County violated Florida law, infringed on current and former employees' medical privacy, and fired loyal public servants because of their personal health decisions,</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">" DeSantis </span><a href="http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2021/10/20211012-fdoh-issues-notice-of-fine-to-leon-county.pr.html" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">said in a statement announcing the fines</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. "</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">We will continue fighting for Floridians' rights </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">and the Florida Department of Health will continue to</span><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> enforce the law. We're going to stand up for Floridians' </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">jobs, stand up for Floridians' livelihoods, and stand up for freedom."</span></b></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In the wake of DeSantis' announcement of the fine, some Florida officials have released statements expressing concern and outrage.</p><p style=""><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"Unbelievable!" Sen. Loranne Ausley (D-Tallahassee, Fla.) said in a statement. "We don't need the State bullying our communities or private businesses who are simply trying to serve the people and get on the other side of this pandemic.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"> It's going to take all of us standing together</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> to make this happen."</span></b>
</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">However, officials are not the only people angered by the fine. Describing DeSantis' action as "political posturing," Christopher Link, of Tallahassee, Fla., explained how the imposed fine will impact residents.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"It's all just political posturing," Christopher Link, a Tallahassee resident, told the publication on Tuesday. <b>" t makes no sense and only hurts the taxpayer. The fact that the better good for the health of the state is so wrongly politicized is insane. The crazies have taken over, really."</b>
</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">He added, "This pandemic has been going on for over a year, and I've never really felt like the priority in Florida was about saving lives. Just careers."</p><p>=</p><p>ltr ed ~ surgeon genl fla</p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/10/desantis-2655218527/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/10/desantis-2655218527/</a></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/09/florida-reverses-course-applies-for-820-million-in-federal-food-assistance/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/09/florida-reverses-course-applies-for-820-million-in-federal-food-assistance/</a></p><p>=</p><p>recall?</p><p>=</p><p>complains about fed limits on monoclonal</p><p>=</p><p>an 921</p><p>d<a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/09/ron-desantis-surgeon-general/" aria-label="DeSantis hires a new surgeon general: A hydroxychloroquine pusher who appeared in ‘demon sperm’ doc’s video" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; word-break: break-word; outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 20px;">eSantis hires a new surgeon general: A hydroxychloroquine pusher who appeared in ‘demon sperm’ doc’s video</a></p><p>=</p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/08/florida-ron-desantis/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/08/florida-ron-desantis/</a></p><p>touts treatment ~ vax</p><p>=</p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/disney-rejects-desantis-mask-order-for-floridas-theme-parks/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/disney-rejects-desantis-mask-order-for-floridas-theme-parks/</a></p><p>=</p><p>robt reich? pts out that gop used to be anti- reg, let decisions be made local, free mkt but then pass laws against local mask and cruise ships petri dish req vax</p><p>
</p><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">i<a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/08/ron-desantis-kids/" aria-label="Internet slams 'homicidal sociopath' Desantis as Florida Gov. lashes out over questions about kids in COVID ICU" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" px="px" line-height="line-height">nternet slams 'homicidal sociopath' Desantis as Florida Gov. lashes out over questions about kids in COVID ICU</a></h1><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/david-badash" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">David Badash</a> <a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/the-new-civil-rights-movement" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">The New Civil Rights Movement</a></div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><span class="social-datetext" style="top: 3px; position: relative; line-height: 1; left: -3px;">August 05, 2021</span><div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2654456261" style="margin-top: 10px; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; text-overflow: ellipsis; overflow: hidden; display: -webkit-box; -webkit-line-clamp: 4; line-height: 31px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="body-description"><p><a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Ron+DeSantis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><strong>Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis</strong></a> is waging the opposite of a charm offensive, lashing out at reporters and even President Joe Biden any time questions are asked about the coronavirus pandemic...</p></div></div><div style="">=</div><div style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/how-ron-desantis-has-positioned-himself-as-a-leading-maga-culture-warrior-conservative/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/how-ron-desantis-has-positioned-himself-as-a-leading-maga-culture-warrior-conservative/</a></div><div style="">
</div><div style="">ah</div><div style="">
</div><div style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">although Florida is a swing state, Gov. Ron DeSantis has not governed as a moderate conservative like Maryland's Larry Hogan, Massachusetts' Charlie Baker or Vermont's Phil Scott. DeSantis has governed from the far right, making it abundantly clear that he is a Donald Trump loyalist through and through. Never Trump conservative Max Boot, in his <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/22/ron-desantis-is-showing-trump-level-skill-waging-culture-war/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">June 22 column</a> for the Washington Post, describes DeSantis as a strident culture warrior and lays out some of his possible political motivations for being so devoutly Trumpian.</font></div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"The winner of 'The Apprentice: Culture Warfare Edition,' so far, appears to be Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of Trump's new home state of Florida," Boot explains. "He is setting himself up as Trump's running mate or successor by<b> showing a genius for appealing to every disreputable prejudice of the GOP base. This man knows how to outrage Democrats and therefore, delight Republicans."</b></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Some of the Republicans who were scathing Trump critics when they ran against him in the 2016 presidential race are now afraid to say one word against him — Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, for example. The problem with Rubio and Cruz, Boot argues, is that they come across as less "authentic" than DeSantis.</font></p><p style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"Former President Donald Trump is America's premier culture warrior," Boot observes. "No other modern politician has displayed as much talent at dividing Americans, peddling disinformation, demonizing minorities and exacerbating social problems. Many have tried to imitate him only to fall short because their performances were inauthentic and unconvincing. I'm looking at you, Marco Rubio; you, too, Ted Cruz.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"</span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>In 2020's presidential race, Boot was among the anti-Trump conservatives who endorsed now-President Joe Biden over Trump — and he was highly critical of the Trumpified Republicans who turned the coronavirus pandemic into a culture war battle. DeSantis, according to Boot, was more concerned about playing the MAGA card than dealing with the deadly realities of COVID-19.</b></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"Other governors saw the COVID-19 pandemic as a public health crisis," Boot observes. "DeSantis, following Trump's lead, saw it as an opportunity to score populist points with the base. He was one of 16 governors never to issue a statewide mask mandate, and he banned municipalities from punishing people who refused to follow local mask orders. In September 2020, even while the pandemic continued to rage, he allowed restaurants and other businesses to reopen at full capacity."</font></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Boot continues, "Last month, he signed an executive order and legislation preventing businesses from insisting that customers be vaccinated. This caused a showdown with cruise lines that want to use "vaccine passports" to lure travelers. DeSantis acts as if mask mandates and vaccination passports — both sensible precautions — are actually 'Deep State' plots that must be resisted at all costs."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In Florida's 2018 gubernatorial race, the far-right DeSantis narrowly defeated the liberal Democratic nominee: former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. But as close as that race was, DeSantis hasn't reached out to Democrats in his state — and he is still playing the MAGA card at every turn.</p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"Now, as the pandemic fades, DeSantis is scoring points on other issues of concern only to the Trumpist base," Boot observes. "Appealing to Trump voters who think that the 2020 election was rigged, DeSantis went on Fox News to sign a bill making it harder to vote in Florida. DeSantis won't say if he thinks President Biden won legitimately. Appealing to right-wingers mad that Trump has been kicked off Twitter and Facebook, DeSantis signed legislation that would fine social media companies that suspend state or local candidates close to an election and make it easier to sue tech companies."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It remains to be seen whether or not Trump will run for president in 2024. DeSantis is being mentioned as a possible running mate if Trump runs — or as someone Trump is likely to endorse if he stays out of the race.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Whatever happens in 2024, Boot emphasizes, DeSantis is making sure that MAGA voters know how much of a Trump loyalist he is.</p><p style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"Mask mandates, vaccine passports, voter fraud, tech company censorship, transgender athletes, undocumented migrants, Critical Race Theory — DeSantis pushes every single right-wing hot-button issue," Boot writes. "He understands how to demonize and polarize for political advantage — and he doesn't care about how much collateral damage he inflicts. Little wonder he is being talked about as the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination if Trump doesn't run — and maybe even if he doe</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">s."</span></p><div class="around-the-web" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="from-your-siteheadline" style="font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase;">FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</div><ul class="around-the-weblist" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; width: 589.446px; list-style: none;"><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/desantis-2653522421/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px;">This Trump supporter could be the first Floridian prosecuted under Ron DeSantis' new anti-protest law</a></li></ul></div><div style="">
</div><div style="">=</div><p style="">=</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/miami-newspaper/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/miami-newspaper/</a></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/ron-desantis-2653505905/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/ron-desantis-2653505905/</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div>Florida goes full fascist': Ron DeSantis sparks furious backlash with ‘authoritarian’ campus political surveys</div><div>
</div><div>Raw Story June 23, 2021</div><div>   </div><div><b>Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation requiring Florida students, faculty, and staff to register their political views in surveys in an effort to promote "intellectual diversity" at colleges and universities, and the measure set off backlash across social media.</b></div><div>
</div><div>Critics decried the law, which DeSantis claims will promote freedom of speech, as a "thoroughly Orwellian" attempt to gain control over academic debate at institutions of higher learning.</div><div>
</div><div>Well, this is thoroughly Orwellian. ?? Faculty and students of Florida, you know what to do! Freep Mini-Trump's stup… https://t.co/N2nEE5UzuM</div><div>— Betty Cracker ?? (@Betty Cracker ??)1624454881.0</div><div>
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</div><div>Well that's got to be unconstitutional: Florida students required to register political views with the state to pro… https://t.co/b1Bh8p98uN</div><div>— David Rothkopf (@David Rothkopf)1624455537.0</div><div>
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</div><div><b>DeSantis wants to survey university students and staff, with the threat of budget cuts if he doesn't get his way?</b>??… https://t.co/IWfcM8nGhI</div><div>— Witty Librarian In a Mask (@Witty Librarian In a Mask)1624455089.0</div><div>
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</div><div>Our new authoritarian overlords like @RonDeSantisFL <b>(who is a smart version of Trump) </b>are coming for the universiti… https://t.co/Wupp1WG0Y9</div><div>— Rachel Bitecofer ?????? (@Rachel Bitecofer ??????)1624450474.0</div><div>
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</div><div>Florida is becoming too dangerous full of right wing extremists. Floridians are shooting each other every day whil… https://t.co/bTj5qSkwJq</div><div>— Natives&ImmigrantsAreUS (@Natives&ImmigrantsAreUS)1624454706.0</div><div>
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</b></div><div><b>Fascist authoritarianism takes another step forward in Florida. </b>https://t.co/aRnOdvOQvS</div><div>— Rusty Cannon (@Rusty Cannon) 1624454946.0</div><div>
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</div><div>The Florida education “intellectual diversity,” survey is one question - it’s a picture of Reagan with the caption… https://t.co/a9WS5fdp0h</div><div>— Eldritch Millennial (@Eldritch Millennial)1624451688.0</div><div>
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</div><div>@TeaPainUSA Since the survey is not anonymous and since results will not be aggregated without identifying informat… https://t.co/CGTr7rYUMt</div><div>— Mary Buggie-Hunt ?????????? (@Mary Buggie-Hunt ??????????) 1624454430.0</div><div>
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</div><div><b>Also if you don’t think they’ll sell your survey answers connected to your ID to the highest bidders</b>, well, perhaps… https://t.co/uKBiKSSf7U</div><div>— Heather Flyte (@Heather Flyte) 1624456751.0</div><div>
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</div><div>@GinnyMcDonald8 I raised two smart-asses. If they were going to be in a Florida University, they would find great p… https://t.co/rTTgKo8nXJ</div><div>— Israel Jablonski (@Israel Jablonski) 1624454688.0</div><div>
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</div><div>Defending liberalism from illiberal wokeness by checks notes administering ideological tests and threatening budg… https://t.co/FwnsHBe1KA</div><div>— Zack Beauchamp (@Zack Beauchamp) 1624455675.0</div><div>
</div><div>FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</div><div>Here's how Floridians are defying Ron DeSantis' Jim Crow voter ... ›</div><div>Florida's Ron DeSantis wages war on the CDC - Alternet.org ›</div><div>Ron DeSantis signs 'outrageous and blatantly unconstitutional' bill ... ›</div><div>RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB</div><div>Republican Gov. DeSantis is taking credit as Florida booms a year ... ›</div><div>So when is Trump going to turn on Gov. Ron DeSantis? - The ... ›</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 19.2px;"></p><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 19.2px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/desantis-2653522421/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/desantis-2653522421/</a></p><p style=""><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Florida </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">man</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> was arrested and charged with multiple felonies last Thursday after intentionally performing a "burnout" with his car over a Pride-themed mural painted on an intersection in Delray Beach, <b>opening him up to become the first person charged under the state's controversial new "anti-riot" bill pushed by Republicans.</b></span></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed the bill meant to crack down on protests in the wake of the George Floyd uprisings earlier this year, just as the trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derick Chauvin was wrapping up. The legislation was heavily opposed by <a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/2021/04/22/florida-gov-ron-desantis-sued-over-states-new-anti-riot-law/'" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">first amendment activist</a>s and Black lawmakers in the state. Now a young Trump supporter may be the first person entangled by the new law.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Alexander Jerich, 20, is accused of deliberately making skid marks across a mural meant to commemorate the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting, in his Chevrolet Silverado PICKUP TRUCK</b>. According to <a href="https://www.wpbf.com/article/delray-beach-pride-crosswalk-vandalized-arrest/36755336" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><u>WPBF</u></a>, Delray Beach Police have since charged Jerich with criminal mischief, reckless driving, and evidence of prejudice. Just prior to the incident, <b>Jerich was allegedly participating in a pro-Trump rally in celebration of the former president's birthday that was put together by the Palm Beach County Republican Executive Committee.</b></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A witness <a href="https://www.wftv.com/news/trending/florida-man-arrested-vandalism-after-doing-burnout-through-pride-street-mural/Q5IQH6FBTZD7DM6WG6TFJMEGHI/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><u>told</u></a> the police that heard someone holler "tear up that gay intersection" before Jerich shortly defaced the mural with his car. The incident was also caught <a href="https://twitter.com/cbs12/status/1407662216711753730?s=12" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><u>on video</u></a>, which allowed the police to identify Jerich, who turned himself in, through a license plate search.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rand Hoch, founder and president of the Palm Beach Human Rights Council, <a href="http://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/06/18/man-charged-vandalism-delray-beach-lgbtq-pride-crosswalk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><u>told</u></a> WFOR that Jerich carried out "<b>a deliberate act of violence </b>against the LGBTQ community. We've made such progress here in the last 30 years on LGBTQ issues. To see someone do something like this took me by surprise."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"Kudos to the Delray Beach Police Department for swiftly identifying and arresting this hateful criminal," Hoch added.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The city had just unveiled the mural two days before the incident, according to law enforcement, and paid north of $16,000 for its creation.</p><p style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jerich could now be subject to heightened penalties imposed by Florida's new GOP-backed "anti-riot" law </span><a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/04/21/racist-unconstitutional-and-anti-democratic-fl-passes-anti-protest-law-ahead-of-chauvin-verdict_partner/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><u>signed</u></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> back in April. As WPEC's Sam Kerrigan </span><a href="https://twitter.com/cbs12/status/1407662216711753730?s=12" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><u>noted</u></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">: "When it comes to this case, the key here is that this</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);"> <b style="">new anti-riot law</b> also stops someone from damaging historic property or a memorial.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> And under the law, this new Pride mural in Delray Beach, here, <b>qualifies as a memorial because it's dedicated to the lives lost in the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando."</b></span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Hoch, too, suggested that Jerich could be charged under the new GOP measure.</p><div class="around-the-web" style=""><div class="from-your-siteheadline" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase;">FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</div><ul class="around-the-weblist" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; width: 589.446px; list-style: none;"><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/disney-rejects-desantis-mask-order-for-floridas-theme-parks/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;">Disney rejects DeSantis mask order for Florida's theme parks ... ›</a></li><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/how-ron-desantis-has-positioned-himself-as-a-leading-maga-culture-warrior-conservative/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; 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opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px; background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Ron DeSantis is definitely getting ready to run for president ... ›</a></li></ul></div><p style="">=</p><div style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Orlando Sentinel</div><div style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">DeSantis signs Big Tech censorship bill, despite constitutional concerns</div><div style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">DeSantis was joined by GOP legislators but also gave a shoutout to James O'Keefe, a conservative whose Project Veritas has released ...</div><div style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">3 weeks ago</div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">wbur</div><div style=""><span data-reactid="261" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><section class="article-section--content hang-punctuation article-section--first article-section--centered" data-reactid="262" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 60px 30px 0px; width: 760px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 760px; position: relative;"><p class="" data-reactid="263" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;">People have been having debates — sometimes arguments — with friends, family, coworkers and strangers about the personal responsibility of wearing a mask and getting a COVID-19 vaccine.</p><p class="" data-reactid="264" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;">Heated conversations are also unfolding around guns following two back-to-back mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado. Opinions emerging from these debates often touch upon personal freedoms, liberty and responsibility as Americans living in a democracy.</p><p class="" data-reactid="265" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;">These themes continue to surface as Americans grapple with what individuals’ responsibilities are to each other while also enjoying personal <b>liberty, linguist George Lakoff </b>says.</p><p class="indent-medium" data-reactid="266" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px; text-indent: -0.35em;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Liberty comes through legitimate authority, usually through political authority. The question then is, if you have liberty in that way, do you have responsibilities to other people who have liberty? That is, you're not free to limit other people's freedom, and that's a very important idea,” he says.</span></p><p class="" data-reactid="267" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">While Americans have First Amendment speech, an individual can’t yell “fire” into a crowded theater, for example. And with the Second Amendment, Americans have the right to bear arms but aren’t allowed to shoot people.</span></p><p class="" data-reactid="268" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But personal freedoms and liberty through the context of Amendment rights is a nuanced concept.</span></p><p class="indent-medium" data-reactid="269" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px; text-indent: -0.35em;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“We're equipped to understand it simply, intuitively, because democracy requires empathy,” Lakoff says. “... <b>Without empathy, without the very idea of caring about other people, there can be no notion of democracy.”</b></span></p><p class="" data-reactid="270" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That means the definition of liberty is not the same as freedom, he says. Liberty, a political notion, “has to do with a legitimate authority imposing a freedom within a range of the laws given by that legitimate authority,” he explains, while freedom is “sort of neutral.”  Politicians often use the language of freedom and liberty to suit their goals, whether it be masks, guns or many other divisive topics. Republicans in general tend to talk more about freedom than liberty, Lakoff says.</span></p></section><section class="article-section--content hang-punctuation article-section--centered" data-reactid="279" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 60px 30px 0px; width: 760px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 760px; position: relative;"><p class="" data-reactid="281" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><b>Last month, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke to conservatives about taking a <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-cpac-orlando-day-1-desantis-scott-20210226-che27r7wy5f5hj6px6ucj5o3re-story.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; box-shadow: rgb(185, 214, 249) 0px -2px 0px 0px inset; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -1px 1px 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 150ms ease 0s;">hands-off approach</a> to the pandemic.</b></p><p class="indent-medium" data-reactid="282" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px; text-indent: -0.35em;"><b>“We are in an oasis of freedom in a nation that’s suffering from the yoke of oppressive lockdowns,’</b>' DeSantis said. “We look around in other parts of our country, and in far too many places, we see schools closed, businesses shuttered and lives destroyed.”</p><p class="" data-reactid="283" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">DeSantis’ use of “oppressive lockdowns” means the governor is pushing a narrative that public health measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus are oppressive to people and companies who don’t care about whether or not they are contributing to the dangers of COVID-19, Lakoff says.</span></p><p class="indent-medium" data-reactid="284" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px; text-indent: -0.35em;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“The effect is to say that a government that cares about its people is not legitimate. That's the effect,” he says. “It says that people are free, independent of what its government says about taking care of the health and well-being of the people at large.”</span></p><p class="" data-reactid="285" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Liberals approach the language of freedom and liberty very differently, he says.</span></p><p class="" data-reactid="286" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;">For example, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer <a href="https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/chuck-schumer-senate-floor-speech-transcript-on-boulder-mass-shooting-gun-violence-march-23" style="box-sizing: border-box; box-shadow: rgb(185, 214, 249) 0px -2px 0px 0px inset; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -1px 1px 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 150ms ease 0s;">commented</a> last week on legislation that's been proposed to restrict access to guns following the recent shootings.</p><p class="indent-medium" data-reactid="287" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px; text-indent: -0.35em;">“We cannot seem to finish grieving one tragedy before another takes place. It's a reminder that we must confront a devastating truth in the United States — an unrelenting epidemic of gun violence steals innocent lives with alarming regularity,” Schumer said.</p><p class="" data-reactid="288" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;">Schumer is clearly saying no, no one should be able to go out and buy an AR 15-type weapon, Lakoff says. At one time, assault weapons were banned thanks to the work of California <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-29/skelton-feinstein-assault-weapons-ban-democrats" style="box-sizing: border-box; box-shadow: rgb(185, 214, 249) 0px -2px 0px 0px inset; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -1px 1px 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 150ms ease 0s;">Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 1994</a>, but the legislation expired and wasn’t renewed due to congressional Republicans who were supported by gun manufacturers, he says.</p><p class="" data-reactid="289" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;">When American virtues such as liberty and freedom were being debated by the country’s founders, semi-automatic weapons weren’t even conceptualized. At the time, rifles had to be hand stuffed with a round, gunpowder-filled bullet that could only fire one shot, Lakoff says.</p><p class="" data-reactid="290" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;">It seems like no matter the debate, productive conversations on liberty and freedom are difficult to have when contention is sewn into the politics of the U.S. Lakoff says there’s no real way around it when one national party takes such a strong stance in one direction.</p><hr data-reactid="291" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: content-box; margin: 40px 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-image: initial; height: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(219, 224, 231); clear: both;" /><p class="" data-reactid="292" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.wbur.org/inside/staff/lynn-menegon" style="box-sizing: border-box; box-shadow: rgb(185, 214, 249) 0px -2px 0px 0px inset; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -1px 1px 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 150ms ease 0s;">Lynn Menegon</a> produced and edited this interview for broadcast with <a href="https://www.wbur.org/inside/staff/tinku-ray" style="box-sizing: border-box; box-shadow: rgb(185, 214, 249) 0px -2px 0px 0px inset; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -1px 1px 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 150ms ease 0s;">Tinku Ray</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/serenaamcmahon" style="box-sizing: border-box; box-shadow: rgb(185, 214, 249) 0px -2px 0px 0px inset; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -1px 1px 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 150ms ease 0s;">Serena McMahon</a> adapted it for the web.</span></p></section></span><section class="article-section--story-group article-section--centered" data-reactid="293" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 30px 30px 0px; width: 760px; margin: 0px auto 40px; max-width: 760px; position: relative; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p class="" data-reactid="294" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">This segment aired on March 30, 2021.</span></p></section></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><p style="">=</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/desantis-2652972923/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/desantis-2652972923/</a></p><p style="">
</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/desantis-threatens-to-screw-his-own-state-to-spite-the-cdc" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">facing blowback for his continued efforts to spite the federal government and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)</a> at the expense of his own state's economic lifeline: the cruise industry in South Florida.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">At the beginning of April, DeSantis <a href="https://www.axios.com/florida-desantis-vaccine-passport-order-fe7fab1a-fe8f-421a-ac4d-f9b480f03f66.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">signed an executive order to place a ban on vaccine passports. </a>Even as the Norwegian Cruise Line CEO threatens to pull their ships from the Port of Miami if DeSantis does not lift the recently-passed measure, he is still refusing to do so. <a href="https://www.axios.com/florida-desantis-vaccine-passport-order-fe7fab1a-fe8f-421a-ac4d-f9b480f03f66.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Because of DeSantis' order, businesses and other entities cannot require residents to show proof of vaccination.</a></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"Businesses in Florida are prohibited from requiring patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business," the order stated.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Then, in the first week of May, he issued another executive order suspending all COVID-19 mitigation guidelines across the state. Since the United States is still in the midst of a pandemic, the orders have been deeply criticized but DeSantis does not appear to be phased by the concerns.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In fact, DeSantis argues that "If you don't let them sail from Florida, they're going to sail from the Bahamas" as he suggested that ships would only sail from Florida if the CDC abandons its guideline for vaccinations.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Now, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) is sounding off about DeSantis' seemingly risky actions. With the completion of a new $263 million terminal specifically for the Norwegian Cruise Lines, Cava expressed concern about the double-edged sword DeSantis is swinging.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"I'm calling it a high-stakes game of chicken," Cava told The Daily Beast. "It's hard to believe that when push comes to shove, and the cruise industry has followed all the CDC guidelines, that he would stand in their way."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">From both an economic and public health stance, DeSantis' ban could further hinder the state's recovery from the pandemic. There is also the concern regarding Republicans' efforts to ignore the importance of private enterprise when it does not suit their own political agenda.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">According to The Daily Beast, 2019 statistics show how vital the cruise industry is to Florida's economy:</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-left: 20px;">"The year before the COVID pandemic, the state accounted for 60.1 percent of all passenger embarkations in the U.S., according to an economic-impact report on the industry from Cruise Lines International Association. It channeled more than $9 billion in direct spending to the state and supported 159,000 jobs there, with total wages and salaries of $8.1 billion."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But despite the economic need for the cruise industry, DeSantis is willing to stand in the way and infringe upon cruise lines' rights to private enterprise.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"Yet DeSantis doesn't want anybody to ask who's been vaccinated," Cava said, although "companies are all willing, they think it's safe—and passengers would want it. We've vaccinated a couple of thousand crew to put the ships back in shape."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Despite the blowback, the Republican governor is pushing the blame on the CDC arguing the nation will see "'deaths from despair, deaths from people who got involved with drugs and substance abuse or suicide' because their 'livelihoods were shattered by what the CDC did.'"</p><div class="around-the-web" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="from-your-siteheadline" style="font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase;">FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</div><ul class="around-the-weblist" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; width: 589.446px; list-style: none;"><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/04/ron-desantis-protest-law/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif">Ron DeSantis signs 'outrageous and blatantly unconstitutional' bill ... ›</a></li><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/04/ron-desantis-2652615908/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif">Ron DeSantis faces backlash as pandemic rages in Florida ... ›</a></li><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/03/desantis-2651231614/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif">Florida's Ron DeSantis wages war on the CDC - Alternet.org ›</a></li></ul><div class="around-the-webheadline" style="font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 10px;">RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB</div><ul class="around-the-weblist" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; width: 589.446px; list-style: none;"><li class="around-the-webitem"><a href="https://www.wptv.com/rebound/state-of-education/gov-ron-desantis-to-make-education-announcement-in-south-florida" class="around-the-weblink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif">Florida Gov. 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Ron DeSantis lifts COVID restrictions statewide ›</a></li></ul></div><p style="">=</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/florida-georgia-line-cruise/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/florida-georgia-line-cruise/</a></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">spr brk covid surge variant</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/florida/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/florida/</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"></div></div><p style="">=</p><p style="">BO banned fox for a bit?</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/ron-desantis-first-amendment">https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/ron-desantis-first-amendment</a></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) turned heads on Thursday, May 6 when he only allowed Fox News to cover his signing of the state's newly-passed voting restrictions bill. Now, experts say he may have violated the U.S. Constitution by doing so.</font></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">DeSantis' move blocked all news outlets from covering the bill signing with the exception of Fox News. And it <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/05/07/did-desantis-violate-first-amendment-with-fox-news-only-bill-signing/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">may be a violation of the First Amendment,</a> according to Pamela Marsh, the executive director of the open-government advocacy firm First Amendment Foundation. On Friday, May 6, Marsh offered her assessment of DeSantis' stunt during an interview with The Tampa Bay Times.</font></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"The law leaves no question as to the impropriety of banning certain media while allowing only friendly media," said Marsh. "That is viewpoint and content discrimination."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Prior incidents of similar nature also affirm that elected officials have no authority to prohibit specific news outlets from releasing reports on public events simply for the sake of preference. The Tampa Bay Times highlighted a number of past incidents where First Amendment violations were identified.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">When a local mayor in Louisiana attempted to exclude news reporters from certain publications from attending press conferences in the 1980s, he ended up in court. A federal judge ultimately ruled in favor of the publications, deeming the mayor's actions, "the essence of censorship forbidden by the First Amendment and so abhorred by the founding fathers."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Then in 2007, a federal judge in Ohio ruled against a former Toledo mayor who refused to notify certain radio stations prior to his news conferences. In that case, the federal court insisted that the mayor was attempting to "manage the news by manipulating who comes to hear what's to be said and therefore who reports it."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In DeSantis' case, the publication notes that the signing of the bill is considered a "public proceeding." Clay Calvert, a law professor at the University of Florida, weighed in with his take on the ordeal as he agreed that it does appear to fall under First Amendment violations.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"Unless you're watching Fox, you're going to be denied access to information," Calvert said. "That's troubling regardless of the First Amendment issues."</p><div class="around-the-web" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="from-your-siteheadline" style="font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase;">FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</div><ul class="around-the-weblist" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; width: 589.446px; list-style: none;"><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/04/ron-desantis-protest-law/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;">Ron DeSantis signs 'outrageous and blatantly unconstitutional' bill ... ›</a></li><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/04/ron-desantis-2652779540/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;">'Fascist' Ron DeSantis burned to the ground by Florida reporter for ... ›</a></li><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/04/ron-desantis-2652615908/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;">Ron DeSantis faces backlash as pandemic rages in Florida ... ›</a></li></ul><div class="around-the-webheadline" style="font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 10px;">RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB</div><ul class="around-the-weblist" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; width: 589.446px; list-style: none;"><li class="around-the-webitem"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/03/florida-governor-desantis-suspends-all-remaining-covid-restrictions.html" class="around-the-weblink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;">Florida governor DeSantis suspends all remaining Covid restrictions ›</a></li><li class="around-the-webitem"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/06/politics/desantis-signs-florida-bill-voting-restrictions/index.html" class="around-the-weblink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs restrictive voting bill - CNNPolitics ›</a></li></ul></div><p style="">=</p><p style="">//oann AZ ninja? all local press, including cbs pool for network? barred</p><p style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Ron+DeSantis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; outline: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong>Ron DeSantis</strong></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Thursday morning signed a voter suppression bill into law that massively restricts access to the ballot box, following the lead of Georgia GOP Governor Brian Kemp. DeSantis, a Trump acolyte rumored to be a possible vice presidential choice should the former president decide and be able to run in 2024, barred all local news outlets from covering the event for Florida citizens.</span></p><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 25px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"t<a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/desantis/" aria-label="‘That’s not normal’: DeSantis signs voter suppression bill into law — bars all local news but gives Fox 'exclusive'" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; word-break: break-word; outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 25px;">hat’s not normal’: DeSantis signs voter suppression bill into law — bars all local news but gives Fox 'exclusive'</a></h1><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/david-badash" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative;">David Badash</a> <a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/the-new-civil-rights-movement" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative;">The New Civil Rights Movement</a></div><div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2652899048" style="margin-top: 10px; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; margin-bottom: 15px; display: -webkit-box; text-overflow: ellipsis; line-height: 23px; -webkit-line-clamp: 3; overflow: hidden; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="body-description" style=""><p style="">Florida Republican Governor <a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Ron+DeSantis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><strong>Ron DeSantis</strong></a> Thursday morning signed a voter suppression bill into law that massively restricts access to the ballot box, following the lead of Georgia GOP...</p></div></div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong>=</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong>a beloved corp?</strong></p><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">d<a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/disney-rejects-desantis-mask-order-for-floridas-theme-parks/" aria-label="Disney rejects DeSantis mask order for Florida's theme parks" data-type="text" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" px="px" line-height="line-height" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">isney rejects DeSantis mask order for Florida's theme parks</a></h1><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/meaghanellis" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Meaghan Ellis</a></div><p style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><span class="social-datetext" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); top: 3px; position: relative; line-height: 1; left: -3px;">May 04, 2021</span></p><div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2652873896" style="margin-top: 10px; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; text-overflow: ellipsis; display: -webkit-box; -webkit-line-clamp: 4; overflow: hidden; line-height: 31px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="body-description"><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) may have signed new legislation ending all COVID-related government mandates, restrictions and mask requirements but Disney is making it clear that their parks will not be</p></div></div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong></strong></p><p style="">=</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/04/ron-desantis-2652779540/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/04/ron-desantis-2652779540/</a></p><p style="">voter/activ suppress run over w/ car?</p><p style=""></p><p style="">$250K bribe for vax?</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/03/ron-desantis-2650883292">
</a></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/03/ron-desantis-2650883292">https://www.alternet.org/2021/03/ron-desantis-2650883292</a></p><div style="">=</div><div style="">seriously/ still? denial a marker in gop civil war?  rand paul no mask senate floor</div><div style="">
</div><div style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/02/ron-desantis/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/02/ron-desantis/</a></div><div style="">
</div><div style="">variants  in blue states</div><div style="">=</div><p style="">=</p><p style=""><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">cops pt guns at kids in raid, she arrested 1/21 2x? rebeckah jones</span></p><p style="">=</p><p style="">d<a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/desantis-2649646955/" aria-label="DeSantis aide flees Twitter after backlash over shocking remarks about COVID-19 victims" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" outline="outline" px="px" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" line-height="line-height">eSantis aide flees Twitter after backlash over shocking remarks about COVID-19 victims</a></p><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/meaghanellis" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Meaghan Ellis</a></div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><div class="social-date" style="margin-top: 8px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span class="social-datetext" style="top: 3px; position: relative; line-height: 1; left: -3px;">December 26, 2020</span></div><div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2649646955" style="margin-top: 10px; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; text-overflow: ellipsis; display: -webkit-box; -webkit-line-clamp: 4; overflow: hidden; line-height: 31px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="body-description"><p>Fred Piccolo, a communications director for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-fred-piccolo-twitter-account-20201224-yw63wxtmljci5a4hptfrtnmf3q-story.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word;">found himself at the center of controversy for his </a></p></div></div><p style="">=</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/desantis-vaccine/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/desantis-vaccine/</a></p><p style="">
</p><div style="">=</div><div style="">1220 alec watch</div><div style="">
</div><div style=""><div>Until CMD obtained secret audio and blew the whistle, the far-Right Council for National Policy was working with the Trump campaign and White House on a plan to parade pro-Trump doctors on TV to paper over Trump’s incompetent handling of the pandemic and push for a fast reopening.</div><div>
</div><div>Additionally, documents obtained by CMD showed how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporate lobby front group, played a leading role in the right-wing campaign to force a rapid reopening of the economy last summer against the advice of public health experts—with disastrous consequences. CMD even unearthed an <b>ALEC sign-on letter praising Florida Gov. Ron Desantis for reopening Florida early</b>—but they pulled it when Florida became the worst pandemic hot spot in the country as a result of the early reopening.</div></div><div style="">=</div><p style="">=</p><p style="">an 1220 no lnx</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">eSantis faces renewed scrutiny following report of mysterious gap in Florida's COVID death tally</p><p style="">Igor Derysh Salon  December 16, 2020</p><p style="">Amysterious gap in Florida's coronavirus death data suggests the state "manipulated" numbers to create more favorable death counts ahead of November's election, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Coronavirus deaths are often recorded days or weeks later but the state abruptly stopped including older deaths that occurred more than one month earlier in its daily count on October 24. The state began to include the older deaths in its daily counts again on November 17, two weeks after the election. The older deaths had consistently been included in the earlier data.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">The change came after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration announced that it would review every suspected coronavirus death before it is reported.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Jason Salemi, an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida, said he was "surprised" by the gap but "drew no conclusions," according to the report, noting that Florida's death data "continues to be a bit of a black box."</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Health experts have long warned that coronavirus deaths are likely being underreported but DeSantis and state Republicans have alleged that the Florida deaths are overstated. Florida health officials did not respond to questions from the outlet, leaving the cause of the mysterious gap unclear. But as a result, Florida voters saw significantly lower death totals in the days leading up to the election.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">The death data between September 23 and October 20 included 1,128 deaths that had occurred at least a month earlier, or 44% of all reported deaths during that span. When the state resumed reporting the older deaths after the election, a large number of deaths had occurred more than two months earlier, according to an analysis by Salemi.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Right around the Nov 3 US election there was a gap in reported #COVID19 deaths in Florida. No one will explain why.… https://t.co/B7T1tawTBy</p><p style="">— Josh Michaud (@Josh Michaud)1608126097.0</p><p style="">"It's hard to know if there was a limitation around election time or random other things were happening," Scott David Herr, a data scientist who tracks the daily reports, told the Sun-Sentinel. "The Department of Health hasn't explained why lags have been inconsistent. When they keep changing whatever is going on behind the scenes, when the lags keep changing, that is where it gets confusing."</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">The DeSantis administration has repeatedly changed the guidelines on the reporting of pandemic deaths, drawing outcry from public officials. Medical examiners sounded the alarm in the spring after the state stopped publishing real-time death data reported by local health officials, which showed a higher death total than the state's reports.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">In August, as medical examiners dealt with a massive backlog of deaths stemming from the state's outbreak, the administration allowed attending doctors to determine and report coronavirus deaths. The state had also released summaries of death certificate data from county medical examiners through the summer but stopped releasing the data after the change.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">State House Speaker José Oliva, a Republican, slammed the state's death reporting in October as "often lacking in rigor" and undermining "the completeness and reliability of the death records."</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Prior to the gap in the death data, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees announced that the state would conduct an additional review of the reported deaths before releasing them publicly "to ensure the accuracy of COVID-19 related deaths."</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Salemi told the Sun-Sentinel that he initially believed the gap may have been caused by the change that took reporting responsibility away from medical examiners or the state's vow to review the deaths but grew suspicious when the state started to record older deaths again in mid-November.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">"I'm starting to wonder what's going on," he said.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">DeSantis, who has tried to downplay the threat posed by the pandemic for months as it killed more than 20,000 Floridians, has repeatedly been accused of manipulating and concealing data to justify a coronavirus response that the White House coronavirus task force labeled "inadequate."</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">A task force report obtained by the Center for Public Integrity showed that the Trump administration urged the state to take tougher measures to curb the "unrelenting community spread" earlier this month. Instead, the state stopped releasing the task force's reports and DeSantis barred cities from enforcing mask requirements and limited their ability to contain the spread. On Tuesday, he broke with public health recommendations and announced that all of the state's bars and restaurants will operate at full capacity for the rest of the pandemic.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Earlier this year, the state also ousted Rebekah Jones, a data scientist who helped build the Florida Department of Health's coronavirus data dashboard. Jones claimed that the firing was retribution for her refusal to "manipulate" the coronavirus data to justify the state's early reopening in the spring, which DeSantis has denied. Earlier this month, armed state police raided Jones' home with their guns drawn to seize her computer and electronic devices that she claimed contained evidence of "corruption."</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">State officials claimed that DeSantis was unaware of the raid before it happened and that Jones was suspected of improperly accessing the state's internal emergency communication system to urge first responders and others to "speak up before another 17,000 people are dead." Jones denied the allegation and alleged that DeSantis was behind the raid, noting that the judge who approved the warrant was appointed by DeSantis just weeks earlier.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">"They took evidence of corruption at the state level. They claimed it was about a security breach. This was DeSantis. He sent the gestapo," she wrote on Twitter. "This is what happens to scientists who do their job honestly. This is what happens to people who speak truth to power."</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Despite repeated denials from the administration, the incident led to the resignation of a Republican DeSantis appointee on a judicial selection panel, who called the police raid "unconscionable" and DeSantis' denials "fantastical" and "not credible."</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">He resigned, he said, to draw attention "to the plight of the people of Florida who I feel are not being told the truth about COVID."</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</p><p style="">Bombshell report outs Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for lying to people ... ›</p><p style="">Florida Gov. DeSantis just proposed a dangerous bill to imperil and ... ›</p><p style="">Florida newspapers sue DeSantis administration for lack of ... ›</p><p style="">RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB</p><p style="">DeSantis begins to acknowledge Biden win even if he has trouble ... ›</p><p style="">DeSantis says he will 'stand in the way' if local leaders try to shut ... ›</p><p style="" /><p style="">Gov. DeSantis urges dining at restaurants as pandemic rages ... ›</p><div style="">
</div><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/florida/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/florida/</a></p><p style="">newspapers sue covid info</p><p style="">=</p><p style="">maga rally</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/desantis-2649426350/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/desantis-2649426350/</a></p><p style="">=</p><p style="">an see dn cover story was hack investigation, but she has not had access 6 mos; she posted covid info gov wanted to suppress</p><p style="">"gestapo"</p><div id="sSocial_Stream_Element_0_0_7_0_6_2_0_1" class="sections-row row-wrapper clearfix " style="margin-bottom: 20px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><div class="row px20" style="margin-left: -12.5px; margin-right: -12.5px; overflow: hidden; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div id="sSocial_Stream_Element_0_0_7_0_6_2_0_1_1" class="section-post-col col sm-mb-2 md-mb-4 s12 m12 l6" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0px; float: left; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 12.5px; width: 420.298px;"><div class="mb-2 " id="sSocial_Stream_Element_0_0_7_0_6_2_0_1_1_1" style="margin-bottom: 20px;"><div class="posts-custom posts-custom-section section-holder clearfix" data-block="section_5" data-format="posts-custom" data-source="frontpage_parent_site_Frontpage-videos" data-source-type="page" data-source-unique="true" data-section-id="529193295" data-is-reordable="true" data-using-stickers="true" data-has-more="true" data-attr-source_site="parent_site" data-attr-source_unique="true" data-attr-layout_author="right" data-attr-posts_id="sSocial_Stream_Element_0_0_7_0_6_2_0_1_1_1" data-attr-layout_headline="right" data-attr-section_url="Frontpage-videos" data-attr-format="posts-custom" data-attr-layout_all_image_crop="4x3" data-attr-source_url="Frontpage-videos" data-attr-node_id="/root/blocks/block[social_stream_element]/abtests/abtest[7]/row[2]/column[1]/row[1]/column[2]/posts[2]-" data-attr-without_current="true" data-attr-layout_image_column_width="32" data-attr-all_element_order="headline,subheadline,section,author,community_name,date,date_modified,badges,badges_sponsored,photo_credit,photo_caption,body,snark_line,page_views,post_shares,follow_button,community_comments,like_button,source_link,collection_button,tags,primary_tag,main_author,all_sections" data-attr-limit="1" data-attr-v="2" data-attr-layout_quality="13" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="posts-wrapper clearfix" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; line-height: 0;"><div class="widget" elid="2649407301" data-category="Push Notification" style="position: relative; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; width: 395.298px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top;"><article elid="2649407301" data-is-frozen="false" class="clearfix image-article sm-mb-1 quality-SD post-2649407301" style="margin: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><div class="row px10" style="margin-bottom: -40px; margin-left: -10px; margin-right: -10px; overflow: hidden;"><div id="col-right" class="col" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 40px; float: left; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; width: 282.401px;"><div class="widgetbody clearfix sm-mt-1"><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">c<a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/ron-desantis-whistleblower/" aria-label="COVID whistleblower blames Ron DeSantis after cops raid her home: 'They pointed guns at my kids'" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-family: " open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" px="px" line-height="line-height">OVID whistleblower blames Ron DeSantis after cops raid her home: 'They pointed guns at my kids'</a></span></h1><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; float: right;"><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/david-badash" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; float: left;">David Badash</a><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/the-new-civil-rights-movement" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; float: left;">The New Civil Rights Movement</a><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/the-new-civil-rights-movement" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; float: left;"><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">=</span></a></div></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="">an </p><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">b<a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/desantis-florida/" aria-label="Bombshell report outs Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for lying to people about COVID-19" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" outline="outline" px="px" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" line-height="line-height">ombshell report outs Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for lying to people about COVID-19</a></h1><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/sarah-burris" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Sarah Burris</a> <a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/raw-story" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Raw Story</a></div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><div class="social-date" style="margin-top: 8px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span class="social-datetext" style="top: 3px; position: relative; line-height: 1; left: -3px;">December 04, 2020</span></div><div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2649209544" style="margin-top: 10px; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; text-overflow: ellipsis; display: -webkit-box; -webkit-line-clamp: 4; overflow: hidden; line-height: 31px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="body-description"><p>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spent the majority of 2020 misleading his state on the facts around the COVID-19 crisis. A bombshell report from <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-coronavirus-florida-desantis-spin-ss-prem-20201203-tyjmgkos6bd7vo7vnripqliany-htmlstory.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word;">the <em>South Florida Sun-Sentinel</em></a> detailed the ways in which DeSantis suppressed bad news, spread "dangerous...</p></div></div><p style="">=</p><p style="">1120 an</p><p style="">
</p><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/11/florida-governor-ron-desantis/" aria-label="Here's why Ron DeSantis' new stand-your-ground proposal is so disturbing" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-family: " open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" px="px" line-height="line-height"> why Ron DeSantis' new stand-your-ground proposal is so disturbi</a>ng</h1><p style="">=</p><p style="">to get back in djt good graces?</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/florida-gov-desantis-just-proposed-a-dangerous-bill-to-imperil-and-silence-protesters/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/florida-gov-desantis-just-proposed-a-dangerous-bill-to-imperil-and-silence-protesters/</a></p><p style="">no lnx twt docs</p><p style="">
</p><p style=""><b>florida Gov. DeSantis just proposed a dangerous bill to imperil and silence protesters</b></p><p style="">Written by Brett Wilkins / Common Dreams September 21, 2020</p><p style=""><b>The American Civil Liberties Union joined Florida Democrats on Monday in condemning a proposed bill by Gov. Ron DeSantis that would newly classify certain forms of protest as felonies and impose harsh penalties on some protesters.</b></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Flanked by Republican lawmakers and law enforcement officials at an afternoon press conference in Winter Haven, DeSantis referred to Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, Oregon as he announced the proposed legislation.</font></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“I look at what goes on in Portland. They’ll have people, they’ll arrest them,” DeSantis said. “They’re all scraggly-looking Antifa-types. They get their mugshot taken, then they get released. It’s like a carousel; on and on it goes.”</font></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“That’s not going to happen in here in Florida,” the governor vowed.</font></p><p style="">The “Combatting Violence, Disorder, and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act” would make it a <b>felony to “obstruct traffic during an unpermitted protest,” </b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">while absolving motorists of liability for “injury or death caused if fleeing for safety from a mob.”</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> It would also make it a felony for anyone gathered in a group of seven or more people “to cause damage to property or injury to other persons,” or to “destroy public property” or topple monuments. Jailed protesters will not be granted bail until at least their first court appearance.</span></p><p style=""><b>The proposed bill levies mandatory minimum prison sentences for striking law enforcement officers, including with projectiles, and contains an enhancement for throwing objects that strike officers or civilians, and for out-of-state protesters who even participate in a demonstration that turns violent.</b></p><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Furthermore, the measure attaches Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) liability to “anyone who organizes or funds a violent or disorderly assembly.” It also contains provisions barring state grants to municipalities that defund police, and terminates state benefits to anyone “convicted of participating in a violent or disorderly assembly.”</font></p><p style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">State Democratic leaders decried the governor’s proposed bill. “The governor is attaching himself to [President] Donald Trump’s propaganda and manufacturing a non-existent law and order crisis in Florida,” said state Senate Democratic Leader Audrey Gibson. </span><b>“It’s political fear-mongering to bolster a president’s re-election bid.”</b></p><p style="">“Non-violent protest has been a critical and basic principle of this nation, and has repeatedly changed the course of history for the better,” said state Sen. Bobby Powell. “The governor’s proposal has nothing to do with safeguarding that right. This crackdown is just that—a government sledgehammer to permanently silence opposing voices.”</p><p style=""><b>“The governor could not name a single city, a single town, or a single community in Florida that was the victim of violent protests, because there has been none</b>,” said state Sen. Perry Thurston. “The governor is attempting to link calls for justice to calls for anarchy, without any evidence to support such a claim.”</p><p style="">“This is using a problem from somewhere else to strip the liberty of people in this state to voice their constitutional right to peacefully dissent,” added Thurston. “And it’s the latest in a long line of efforts to quash the people’s ability to demand change when the government refuses to listen.”</p><p style="">The ACLU of Florida also condemned the proposed legislation.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">“Gov. DeSantis’ proposal is undemocratic and hostile to Americans’ shared values,” said Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. “This effort has one goal: silence, criminalize, and penalize Floridians who want to see justice for Black lives lost to racialized violence and brutality at the hands of law enforcement.”</p><p style="">According to the U.S. Crisis Monitor—a joint project between the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University—over<b> 93% of this year’s racial justice protests have been peaceful.</b></p><p style="" /><p style=""><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">DeSantis’ proposed bill came on the same day that the U.S. Department of Justice designated New York City, Seattle, and Portland—where anti-racism demonstrations continued 119 days after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd—as “anarchist jurisdictions.”</font></p><p style=""></p><p style="">an 920</p><p style="">w<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/white-house-turning-on-gops-desantis-amid-growing-unpopularity-ron-isnt-really-doing-anything-to-help-win-florida/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4; display: inline !important;">hite House turning on GOP’s DeSantis amid growing unpopularity: ‘Ron isn’t really doing anything to help win Florida’</a></p><h3 class="magcat-titlte entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/white-house-turning-on-gops-desantis-amid-growing-unpopularity-ron-isnt-really-doing-anything-to-help-win-florida/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">
</a><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/white-house-turning-on-gops-desantis-amid-growing-unpopularity-ron-isnt-really-doing-anything-to-help-win-florida/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;" /><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/travis-gettys/" title="Posts by Travis Gettys" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="text-align: right; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Travis Gettys</a><span style="text-align: right;"> </span><span style="text-align: right;">/</span><span style="text-align: right;"> </span><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/raw-story/" title="Posts by Raw Story" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="text-align: right; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Raw Sto</a>ry</h3><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/the-nations-worst-governor-trump-superfan-kristi-noem-is-a-rising-gop-star-but-she-may-have-mismanaged-the-crisis-worst-of-all" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/the-nations-worst-governor-trump-superfan-kristi-noem-is-a-rising-gop-star-but-she-may-have-mismanaged-the-crisis-worst-of-all</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">sofia t salon</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;">
</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">south Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican who is the first woman to lead that rural and sparsely populated state, is taking her turn in the national hot seat as the Mount Rushmore State has become the nation’s latest coronavirus “hot spot.”  In distinctly Trump-like fashion, the Trump-friendly Noem has turned to right-wing outlets like Fox News to<b> lash out at critical media coverage and rail against an “<a href="https://twitter.com/business/status/1299308317056159744" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">elite class of so-called experts</u></a>.”</b> But as was the case <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/where-does-ron-desantis-go-to-get-his-apology/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">with Florida’s Ron DeSantis</u></a>, Georgia’s Brian Kemp and <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/06/23/trumps-arizona-trip-failed-wall-failed-covid-testing-and-a-failed-presidency/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Arizona’s Doug Ducey</u></a>, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-sturgis-statistical-misfire-11599694411" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">conservative media has rushed to circle the wagons</u></a> around Noem just as the fuller picture of her failed handling of the coronavirus crisis becomes clearer.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;">South Dakota is now considered in the “red zone” for COVID-19 cases after ranking as the second-worst-hit state in the nation for new cases and test positivity per capita over the last two weeks, according to the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WN6FSXnwvjay_i7509_s06fdaxOUqdcE/view" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">latest document prepared for governors by the White House Coronavirus Task Force</u></a>. <b>But Noem is one of 14 Republican governors who have ignored the task force guidelines to curb the spread of COVID-19, even as the White House says that increasing case counts in South Dakota and “remarkably high” test positivity are “deeply concerning” given insufficient testing levels in the state.</b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">While the World Health Organization’s benchmark for business re-openings is a 5% rate of positive tests, South Dakota has seen a positivity rate above 10% since Aug. 16.</span><b>Both daily active cases and hospitalizations have more than doubled in South Dakota since the start of August, and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/map-track-summer-2020-coronavirus-hotspots-united-states-n1231332" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">no other state has seen such a rapid expansion rate</u></a></b><b>.</b> Over the past week, there have been an average of 236 confirmed cases per day, an increase of 48% from the average only two weeks earlier. That’s out of a total state population of roughly 885,000, which ranks 46th in the nation.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Despite such troubling trends, Noem is among the few state governors who never imposed a shelter-in-place order. Her<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zu9qEWI8PsOI_i8nI_S29HDGHlIp2lfVMsGxpQ5tvAQ/edit#gid=1357478819" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> administration has refused to impose any restrictions on businesses or public activities</u></a>, contrary to calls from South Dakota’s largest medical association. And Noem has resisted issuing a face-mask mandate — even though guidelines from the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> have said for months that everyone should wear a facial covering while in public to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. She’s even encouraged parents to send their kids back to school “without masks.” As of the end of August, more than 550 people had been infected at the state’s universities, with another 200 cases recently reported in K-12 schools.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><b>noem initially attempted to conceal the latest statistics out of her state.</b> When the Argus Leader, the daily newspaper in Sioux Falls, requested</span><a href="https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/09/09/white-house-task-force-advising-noem-covid-19-its-unclear-if-shes-listening/5761493002/" target="blank" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none" margin="margin" px="px" padding="padding" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" transition="transition" color="color" s="s" ease="ease" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> a copy of the weekly reports </u></a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">sent to the state health department from the White House task force, Noem’s office refused. When Trump repeatedly touted the drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential COVID remedy, Noem was was among the first to launch a trial of the unproven drug, which was later </span><a href="https://apnews.com/57bb4e01aa58d332e62234c3e894f0f2" target="blank" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none" margin="margin" px="px" padding="padding" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" transition="transition" color="color" s="s" ease="ease" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">quietly dropped</u></a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Noem’s public rhetoric also has a distinctively Trumpian flavor. She recently asserted that “about 95% of the population … is not at risk for serious infection” and announced that “South Dakota is open for business” after <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/safety/smithfield-fined-13-494-by-osha-after-worker-infections-deaths" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">four workers at a Smithfield Foods meatpacking plant in the state died and another 48 were hospitalized</u></a>. She made a big show out of not requiring social distancing or masks at Trump’s pre-Fourth of July event at <b>Mount Rushmore, appearing on Fox News with host Laura Ingraham to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/s-dakota-gov-noem-says-we-will-not-be-social-n1232507" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">brag about the lack of safety precautions</u></a></b>. The state reversed its longstanding fireworks ban and spent $1.5 million on the event. Noem <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/08/us/politics/kristi-noem-pence-trump.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">reportedly</u></a> even gifted Trump with “a four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore that included a fifth presidential likeness: his.” In return, the president flew her back to Washington aboard Air Force One.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><b>Noem has been tying herself ever more closely to the president since narrowly winning election in 2018 — after a last-minute campaign push by Trump and Vice President Mike Pence helped her edge out her Democratic challenger in the closest South Dakota governor’s race in decades</b>.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Noem won a congressional seat in the Tea Party Republican wave of 2010, and served as her state’s sole House member for eight years, but only won 51% of the vote against Democrat Billie Sutton in what is generally a die-hard red state.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><b>More recently, Noem — who <a href="https://www.sdstandardnow.com/home/former-trump-campaign-manager-urging-noem-to-seek-conflict-and-to-engage-in-political-battles-whenever-possible" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">counts onetime Trump campaign manager <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Corey Lewandowski as a top adviser</span></a> — has embarked on a multi-state campaign tour as an official surrogate for Trump’s re-election campaign.</b> During the pandemic, she has traveled to Republican events in states like Ohio and Iowa, in the latter state finding a kindred spirit in Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has also <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2020/08/31/white-house-coronavirus-taskforce-says-iowa-has-highest-rate-country/3449153001/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">resisted a statewide mask mandate</u></a> in the face of official recommendations amid a surge in cases. The 48-year-old Noem clearly aims to become a<b> national right-wing star, and has spent $130,000 in taxpayer funds to build a studio in the basement of the State Capitol for her frequent Fox News appearances — including one this past week to<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> defend her decision to promote the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, one of the largest public events held since the start of this pandemic.</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;">More than 460,000 people from across North America descended on the small city of Sturgis, in western South Dakota, for the <b>10-day rally</b> that ran Aug. 7-16. That came even after the city council surveyed local residents and<b> <u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.bhpioneer.com/covid-19/sturgis-survey-respondents-say-postpone-rally/article_82b07aee-a4f0-11ea-aa53-3b1123284f1b.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">found that more than 62% opposed holding the rally</a></u>. Sturgis officials went forward anyway, unable to say no to the $800 million in revenue the rally generates.</b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Most bikers and enthusiasts who attended the event did not wear masks or practice social distancing, as <a href="https://apnews.com/30bb30920c3c7830408de38016c51e93" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">the Associated Press reported</u></a> at the time. South Dakota shot up to No. 2 in the country in per capita cases shortly thereafter. It’s hard to conclude that’s merely a coincidence. As of last week, the AP had identified 290 cases in 12 states tied to the rally. In South Dakota, 118 residents who attended the rally have subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/09/02/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-first-covid-19-death-reported/5696286002/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">one has died</u></a>. Noem has since allowed the state fair to continue as planned and announced plans to add a 13,000-person concert to the annual “Governor’s Hunt” that celebrates South Dakota’s pheasant season in October, which she has promised will be ” bigger and better than ever before.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><b>Noem now stands alongside Florida’s GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who allowed the Daytona Bike Week to proceed in March with 500,000 people attending, in terms of permitting potential super-spreader events</b>. </span>According to an Aug. 8 article by the New York Times’ Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman,<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/08/us/politics/kristi-noem-pence-trump.html" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Lewandowski unsuccessfully lobbied Trump</a> to attend the Sturgis rally in an effort to boost Noem’s profile.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Her biggest turn in the spotlight so far came a few weeks later during her address to the Republican National Convention, in which Noem ignored the spread of coronavirus in her state in favor of culture-war platitudes about saving Confederate monuments from left-wing mobs. (South Dakota did not become a state until 1889, and the Dakota Territory played no role in the Civil War.) Noem then ordered the South Dakota Department of Tourism to run a <a href="https://twitter.com/govkristinoem/status/1298760647879135240?s=20" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">30-second spot</u></a> she narrated on Fox News during the convention, at a price of $819,000. That was part of a $5 million tourism campaign using federal coronavirus relief funds that comes with great potential personal gain for the governor.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><b>Like the president she admires, Noem has a history of using her office to boost family members. </b>She hired her daughter as a policy analyst while the latter was still in college, and hired her son-in-law for a different position in the governor’s office. <a href="https://www.keloland.com/news/investigates/governors-daughter-gets-hefty-raise/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Her daughter got a promotion and hefty pay raise</u></a> at a time when other state employees did not. Without citing any specific threats, Noem’s team proposed a $400,000 security fence to be erected around her residence, mostly at taxpayer expense.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Meanwhile, Noem has publicly boasted about turning down federal unemployment relief, citing a healthy state economy she attributes to never locking down. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-dakota-declines-trump-expanded-unemployment-executive-order-kristi-noem/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">She rejected</u></a> an additional $300 in unemployment benefits per week for unemployed South Dakotans, refusing to kick in the required $100 in state-provided benefits and claiming South Dakota had recovered nearly 80% of its job losses since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Noem told Fox News this week that her response has been “a balanced approach” and pointed to the state’s tax revenues, which who 8.7% more money coming in this fiscal year than projected.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><b>Noem was quick, however, to reach out to the Trump administration to stop sovereign Native American nations from erecting coronavirus checkpoints on highways leading into their territory, even as the virus spread through Native communities.</b> <a href="https://www.indianz.com/News/2020/05/21/noem052020.pdf" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">She told Trump</u></a> in June that she needed federal assistance “to bring a prompt end to these unlawful tribal checkpoints/blockades on U.S./State highways” as “a final alternative to formal litigation.” It’s unclear what type of federal reinforcement she sought, but the governor later suggested that her opposition to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Coronavirus?src=hashtag_click" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">coronavirus checkpoints</u></a> in Indian Country was linked to the Keystone XL pipeline protests.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;">“‘For every action that we take, and the tribes take, they’re setting precedent,” Noem warned in a letter to the Department of Justice. “If we allow checkpoints to shut down traffic in this situation, then we are setting precedent for that to happen far into the future in many other situations as well.” She has subsequently <a href="https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/14/governor-kristi-noem-declines-meeting-south-dakota-tribal-relations-committee/3375193001/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">refused to meet with the state legislature’s bipartisan State-Tribal Relations Committee</u></a>.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;">Noem’s Trumpian words and deeds, along with her charismatic media appearances and her determination to strip benefits from the unemployed have made her favorite among virtually all factions of the right. Expect her to be a leading Republican presidential contender within the decade.</p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/ron-desantis-admits-floridas-unemployment-system-is-full-of-pointless-roadblocks-that-make-it-intentionally-hard-to-apply-for-benefits/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/ron-desantis-admits-floridas-unemployment-system-is-full-of-pointless-roadblocks-that-make-it-intentionally-hard-to-apply-for-benefits/</a></p><div style=""></div><div style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/there-is-something-to-learn-from-texas-but-its-not-what-fox-news-wants-you-to-believe/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/there-is-something-to-learn-from-texas-but-its-not-what-fox-news-wants-you-to-believe/</a></div><div style="">
</div><div style=""><div>no graphs key</div><div>
</div><div>here is something to learn from Texas — but it’s not what Fox News wants you to believe</div><div>Laura Ingraham speaking with attendees at the 2018 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. // Gage Skidmore</div><div>AD REMOVED FOR SUBSCRIBED USER</div><div>Written by Mark Sumner / Daily Kos July 30, 2020</div><div>12</div><div>On Wednesday evening, Fox News person Laura Ingraham issued a tweet bragging that Texas was “looking pretty good” and sneering that this is “Bad news for the ‘Shut it all Down’ Democrats.” And then, with perfect timing, Texas announced another 9,200 new cases of COVID-19 and a record-shattering 313 deaths. Which isn’t exactly evidence that it’s time to throw a party in Texas.</div><div>
</div><div>Still … there’s actually a kernel of truth behind Ingraham’s post. It’s not that Texas is doing “good,” and the still-rising numbers of recorded deaths is a gut-punch. However, the rate of growth has slowed in Texas. It’s just that it’s slowed for a reason that Ingraham, Fox, or Trump are not going to mention—for a name that Democrats fully support.</div><div>
</div><div>Here’s Ingraham’s original tweet, which shows just how ridiculous the “looking good” comment really is.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>But here’s the same data with something else in the picture.</div><div>
</div><div>[graf]</div><div>
</div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">What can be seen in this image is something that happened on <b>July 2. That’s when Governor Greg Abbott, facing a rising tide of cases, abruptly reversed himself and issued a mask mandate for the majority of Texas counties. </b>That action didn’t have immediate effect, because the virus takes some time to be transmitted from person to person, and days more for symptoms to appear. <b>However, just ten days after that order went into effect, the 7-day trend line of cases in Texas leveled off. Two weeks after that order went into effect, the number of new cases began to drop.</b></font></div><div>
</div><div>There are definitely problems with enforcement in some counties, and Abbott’s order could be simpler and less easily waved away with “exceptions,” but Texas appears to demonstrate, once again, that masks work.</div><div>
</div><div>What’s the evidence that masks have something to do with what’s happening in Texas and not some mystical effect of hitting a magic percentage of the population? Florida. That’s the evidence. Until the mask order went into place, the trends in the two southern states was remarkably similar.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>On the day that Abbott issued the mask mandate, the difference in the total number of cases in Florida and Texas was less than 7000. For the next week, the two states went up in tandem. Then … Florida began to edge ahead. From a 4,000 case gap on July 11, Florida moved ahead by over 47,000 cases on July 28. Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis has stubbornly refused to take any definitive action, is paying a price in tens of thousands of cases. Those cases will turn into hundreds of deaths.</div><div>
</div><div>If Abbott continues the mask mandate, and counties step up enforcement, it’s likely that in another month things in Texas will look better. Not “good” as Ingraham would have it, but better. Better as in a sharp reduction in new cases, an ease in overcrowded hospitals, and a drop in the indicator that always lags behind the others — deaths.</div><div>
</div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In the meantime, Florida’s numbers are about to start looking a whole lot better without a mask mandate. Because the state testing authority has announced that, with the tropical storm about to strike the state, testing is going to be suspended for at least five days.</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Just enough time for DeSantis to run a quick victory lap.</font></div><div>
</div><div>Thursday, Jul 30, 2020 · 9:08:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time · Mark Sumner</div><div>
</div><div>One addition note: It’s now clear that Texas, like Florida, has been under reporting COVID-19 deaths. The scheme in both states appears to involve overlooking the rulings made by county officials and failing to incorporate deaths into the state-wide reporting. How Texas will handle these previously unreported deaths is not yet clear.</div></div><div style="">
</div><div style=""></div><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/guess-which-two-states-have-the-most-newly-unemployed-hint-its-the-two-worst-governors/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/guess-which-two-states-have-the-most-newly-unemployed-hint-its-the-two-worst-governors/</a></p><p style="">no lnx</p><p style=""> Daily Kos July 26, 2020</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">There are a lot of awful Republican governors in this country, with only a handful (in Maryland and Massachusetts) taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously from the start. But most have been forced to reverse course in the face of this new wave of infections, even in places like Arizona and Texas, with the Trumpiest governors. Yet two states stand out in their continued refusal to acknowledge the dangers of the pandemic.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Guess which two states just reported the worst job numbers?</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis refuses to shut Florida down despite leading the nation in new cases and deaths. “We’re not rolling back,” DeSantis said. “The negative effects of that would far exceed any gains you’re getting. You have to have society function.” This is what’s happening in Florida:</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Bar graph of daily deaths from coronavirus in Florida. </p><p style="">But, DeSantis says, “society has to function.”</p><p style="">Much the same is happening in Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp isn’t just refusing to close the state down, but is suing municipalities (like Atlanta) that have done so locally. “It was never to keep our economy shut down until the virus is gone,” he said. “And if the virus comes back, I don’t see us shutting down our economy anymore. We’ve got to figure out how to live with the virus.”</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Meanwhile, a lot of people aren’t living anymore because of the virus:</p><p style="" /><p style="">...</p><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/rise-and-fall-of-ron-desantis-florida-elected-a-loyal-trump-acolyte-and-his-handling-of-the-pandemic-couldnt-have-been-worse/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/rise-and-fall-of-ron-desantis-florida-elected-a-loyal-trump-acolyte-and-his-handling-of-the-pandemic-couldnt-have-been-worse/</a></p><p style="">
</p><p style="">no lnx border box fail </p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Heather Digby Parton / Salon July 27, 2020</p><p style="">It was a little startling to hear President Trump announce that he would throw out the first ball at a New York Yankees game next month — now that the delayed and shortened Major League Baseball season is underway — since has refused to do this since he became president. But since Dr. Anthony Fauci was getting so much good press in anticipation of his season-opening foray to the mound in Washington, Trump was clearly jealous, and no doubt pleased to learn there would be no crowd in Yankee Stadium to boo him. But then Fauci got ribbed mercilessly in the press for his wild pitch, and Trump was perhaps reminded that he might not be able to do much better. So over the weekend he announced to the nation that he was just too busy.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Our very busy president played golf on Saturday, and spent most of Sunday retweeting images of his paramilitary raid on Portland, rando shposters and conspiracy theories. He even retweeted a whiny lament about the greatness of hydroxychloroquine, a golden oldie at this point. So I’m sure the country feels much relieved by Trump’s “new tone” that the media keeps going on about, and no doubt the catastrophic collapse of his already tepid poll numbers will reverse itself immediately.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Meanwhile COVID-19 continues to ravage the nation and no matter how hard new campaign manager Bill Stepien and the rest of his team try to get him to take it seriously, Trump is simply unable to do it. He reluctantly had to cancel his convention extravaganza in Jacksonville — which had been moved from Charlotte at his insistence — mainly because even Republican diehards didn’t want to travel into the epicenter of America’s massive surge in cases.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">AD REMOVED FOR SUBSCRIBED USER</p><p style="">Trump’s fatuous spin that this was another of his “strong” decisions to keep the country safe at all costs fell flat since there are endless clips of him expressing disdain for anyone who thought that staging a crowded political convention in the middle of a raging pandemic might not be a great idea. He has never demonstrated interest in keeping the country safe from this pandemic. He just wants to keep “his numbers” down, and that’s not the same thing.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">This news had to hit Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor, especially hard. He had lobbied hard for the convention when Trump had his temper tantrum last month over North Carolina’s refusal to guarantee that his fans would be able to attend speeches in the indoor event center without wearing masks or practicing social distancing. DeSantis was more than happy to guarantee the Trumpers a good time without all those unpleasant COVID guidelines. But even then the clock was ticking on Florida’s exploding caseload.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">If you want to see the perfect realization of the Trump administration’s pandemic policy, look to Florida. It is certainly true that the virus has surged in a number of other states, including Texas, Arizona and California. The first two, like Florida, were driven to open too rapidly by Republican governors, while California’s surge seems to be linked to general overconfidence — people failed to observe safe guidelines once the lockdown orders were lifted. Florida isn’t alone in this surge and it won’t be the last state to experience one.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">But only in Florida did the governor appear on TV and have a full-blown Trumpian whine-fest in May because he wasn’t getting enough credit for keeping cases lower in Florida than New York:</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">DeSantis spoke too soon and opened his state much too fast. Florida is now the one of the global epicenters of this virus and it’s not getting better anytime soon. Every day since July 10 the state has averaged more than 10,000 new cases per day. According to the New York Times, the state has had 423,800 cases and 5,854 deaths from the virus so far.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">DeSantis spoke too soon and opened his state much too fast. Florida is now the one of the global epicenters of this virus and it’s not getting better anytime soon. Every day since July 10 the state has averaged more than 10,000 new cases per day. According to the New York Times, the state has had 423,800 cases and 5,854 deaths from the virus so far.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">As the virus spread out of control in Florida, decision-making became increasingly shaped by politics and divorced from scientific evidence, according to interviews with 64 current and former state and administration officials, health administrators, epidemiologists, political operatives and hospital executives. The crisis in Florida, these observers say, has revealed the shortcomings of a response built on shifting metrics, influenced by a small group of advisers and tethered at every stage to the Trump administration, which has no unified plan for addressing the national health emergency but has pushed for states to reopen.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">When DeSantis insisted on reopening Florida’s economy early, Trump cheered him on. In fact, the Post reports that Trump gleefully told advisers that Florida’s supposed success gave other states the validation to open prematurely as well. DeSantis returned the favor by backing Trump’s play all the way, refusing to enact measures like mask-wearing that might have helped mitigate the surge. The Post reports that Trump administration officials “regularly sent reports and clips of DeSantis bragging about Florida not having cases early in the outbreak, to argue that many states were overreacting and, at times, that seasonal heat could cure the virus.”</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Like his hero and mentor, DeSantis can’t find time to talk to his experts but does have time to talk to Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, which he has done numerous times as the virus has exploded in his state.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">DeSantis was a backbench congressman who won the 2018 gubernatorial election largely because of Trump’s endorsement and he’s been a loyal henchman from the beginning. It was assumed all along that he could help deliver Florida to Trump this November and that his future might well include an address on Pennsylvania Avenue. (Yes, he is that ambitious.)</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">But lashing himself to the Trump Train was a risky move from the outset, and it doesn’t look like it’s paying off. The latest Quinnipiac poll has Biden leading Trump by 13 points in the Sunshine State, 51% to 38%. DeSantis isn’t doing any better. In April, 50% of Florida voters approved of his handling of the pandemic. That’s now down to 38%, the same number who back Trump’s re-election.</p><p style="">
</p><p style="">Florida elected a mini-Trump in 2018 and got a Trump mega-disaster in 2020. Now the whole country is paying the price.</p><div class="outer-ad-unit-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div id="proper-ad-content_1" class="proper-ad-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;">Meanwhile COVID-19 continues to ravage the nation and no matter how hard new campaign manager Bill Stepien and the rest of his team try to get him to take it seriously, Trump is simply unable to do it. He reluctantly had to cancel his convention extravaganza in Jacksonville — which had been moved from Charlotte at his insistence — mainly because even Republican diehards didn’t want to travel into the epicenter of America’s massive surge in cases.</p><div class="alt_ad_block true_ad_free story-page-in-content-graph-4" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="alt_ad_msg" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 10px; background: rgb(234, 234, 234);"><div class="header" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">AD REMOVED FOR SUBSCRIBED USER</div></div></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;">Trump’s fatuous spin that this was another of his 

see desantis fail denial, Jacksonville GOP convention?

"https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/pandemic-parties-rage-on-across-south-florida-despite-growing-coronavirus-crisis/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/pandemic-parties-rage-on-across-south-florida-despite-growing-coronavirus-crisis/</p></div><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></p></div></div><div style=""></div><div style="">620 an</div><div style="">
</div><div style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/trump-plans-to-unleash-offshore-oil-drilling-in-florida-after-the-election/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/trump-plans-to-unleash-offshore-oil-drilling-in-florida-after-the-election/</a></div><div style=""><p></p></div><p style=""></p><p style="">520</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/05/more-evidence-emerges-that-ron-desantis-is-deliberately-under-reporting-covid-19-deaths-in-florida/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/05/more-evidence-emerges-that-ron-desantis-is-deliberately-under-reporting-covid-19-deaths-in-florida/</a></p><p style=""></p><p style="">an 420</p><p style="">fl<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/florida-blocks-covid-19-information-from-public-as-gov-ron-desantis-touts-transparency/" rel="bookmark" title="Florida blocks COVID-19 information from public as Gov. Ron DeSantis touts transparency" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.4; display: inline !important;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" font-weight="font-weight" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" color="color" important="important">orida blocks COVID-19 information from public as Gov. Ron DeSantis touts transparency</a></p><div style="">=</div><div style="">quid pro quo florida desantis essential jammed up against contract for live TV; wrestler test pos</div><div style="">
</div><div style=""></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">beware forbes mag 420</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Here Are The Billionaires Backing Donald Trump’s Campaign</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michela TinderaForbes Staff</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Money & Politics</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>The richest president in American history has gotten financial support from nearly one in 10 U.S. billionaires. </b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Nearly five years ago Donald Trump descended an escalator inside Trump Tower and announced a long-shot bid to become president of the United States. Standing on a stage in the building’s lobby, in front of eight American flags, he spoke to a gaggle of cameras. “I’m using my own money,” Trump said, indicating that he would self-fund his campaign. “I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.” </div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">How times have changed. Now in the midst of his reelection campaign, President Trump has accepted donations from 80 billionaires and their spouses, according to a review of Federal Election Commission filings. Fifty-one moguls donated in their own names. Seven others are married to people who did. In other words, 9% of America’s billionaires, who together are worth a combined $210 billion—either directly or through their spouse—have pitched in to cover the costs of Trump’s 2020 campaign.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Tracking Billionaire Donations Over Time</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Forbes mined more than 2.5 million entries in the Federal Election Commission database to identify Trump’s richest donors</b>.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> We searched for contributions made to the president’s campaign committee, Donald J. Trump For President. Our analysis begins on inauguration day, 2017, when Trump officially filed papers for his reelection effort, and ends on February 29, 2020, the latest date for which the campaign has submitted federal filings. (By contrast, Barack Obama didn’t begin seeking contributions to his election campaign until the third year of his presidency.)</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Most of the donors, some 56%, live in just three states: Florida, New York and Texas.</b> <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">More than three-quarters are self-made. The rest inherited small fortunes and grew them into bigger ones. They come from all sorts of industries—real estate, energy, sports and so on<b>. But one-fifth of the donors got rich in finance & investments. That group includes titans like Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, hedge funder John Paulson and retired Franklin Templeton chief Charles B. Johnson. About 10% of the donors made their money in real estate</b>, including Trump’s fellow New York City billionaire, Richard LeFrak. Shopping mall magnate Edward DeBartolo pitched in $3,000 with his wife Cynthia; Trump later pardoned him, in February.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Texas banker Andy Beal, who Forbes estimates is worth $8.1 billion, has given more money to the Trump Victory joint fundraising committee than any other individual billionaire,</b> according to federal filings. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Since 2017 Beal, whose bank was once a senior lender to Trump Entertainment Resorts, </span>has donated more than $1 million over many months. That’s nearly twice as much as he gave during the 2016 campaign. (And just $12,200 less than the combined sum TD Ameritrade AMTD’s Joe Ricketts and his wife Marlene gave.) Brothers and casino magnates Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, along with their wives, meanwhile, gave $1.4 million to Trump Victory in one single day last October.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">How Donald Trump's Donors Got Rich</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Some donors made one large contribution early in the Trump presidency, like Revlon chairman Ronald Perelman, who gave $125,000 to Trump Victory in September 2017. Others have contributed multiple times over the last three years. Fifty-one percent of Trump’s billionaire donors did not give to the president’s 2016 campaign. U-Haul billionaire E. Joe Shoen made his first-ever contribution to Trump Victory, $35,500, in February 2020. “President Trump has done an outstanding job and certainly merits my vote,” Shoen says. (Forbes reached out to all of Trump’s donors, nearly all of whom declined to comment on the record</span>.)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Nearly all the money coming from billionaires traveled through something called a joint fundraising committee. </b>By law, no individual can donate more than $5,600 to an official presidential campaign. But anyone can give bigger sums to joint fundraising committees, which gather funds for specific campaigns and political parties. <b>President Trump has two major joint fundraising committees, Trump Victory and Trump Make America Great Again Committee</b>,<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> which collect money for his campaign, the Republican National Committee and other state-level RNC groups. Forty-five billionaire donors have pitched in more than $100,000 each to Trump’s joint fundraising committees.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Some of the donors who supported Trump during his initial run received roles that</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> gave them access to the president.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> WWE cofounder Linda McMahon</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">, who contributed $152,700 to Trump Victory in 2016, was appointed by Trump to head the Small Business Administration.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b> She stepped down from her position last year to run a pro-Trump super PAC called America First Action. She has since given more than $2.7 million to that PAC, money that’s not included in this tally because super PACs are technically independent of campaigns.  </b></span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Not all of Trump’s 2016 billionaire supporters are still giving—at least <b>not yet. Private equity titan Stephen Feinberg gave $339,400 to Trump Victory last election, </b>and <b>Carl Icahn chipped in $200,000. </b>Neither has donated to Trump since his inauguration. Jennifer Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, contributed $250,000 to Trump Victory in 2016. A transgender woman, Pritzker spoke out against Trump’s transgender military ban, and last year, she donated $1,000 to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. </span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Amid all this support, however, one billionaire stands out for having donated no money to his reelection campaign. That billionaire is Donald Trump.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Trump’s billionaire backers, ordered by amount given:[graf?]</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Contributions made by nearly all donors were made to two joint fundraising committees, Trump Make America Great Again Committee or Trump Victory and then transferred in part to the Donald J. Trump For President Committee. </div></div></div><div style=""><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</p></div><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/office-of-florida-gov-ron-desantis-attempted-to-squash-newspapers-lawsuit-seeking-coronavirus-records-explosive/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/office-of-florida-gov-ron-desantis-attempted-to-squash-newspapers-lawsuit-seeking-coronavirus-records-explosive/</a></p><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/gop-governor-is-more-worried-about-pleasing-trump-than-protecting-the-health-of-his-state-cnn-reporter/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/gop-governor-is-more-worried-about-pleasing-trump-than-protecting-the-health-of-his-state-cnn-reporter/</a></p><p style="">
</p><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">no lnx</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>GOP governor is more worried about pleasing Trump than protecting the health of his state: CNN reporter</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Written by Alex Henderson April 10, 2020</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Politically, far-right Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been under a great deal of pressure in recent weeks. DeSantis, on one hand, has been vehemently criticized by Democrats as well as Never Trump conservatives for being so slow to encourage social distancing in his state — and on the other hand, he is under pressure from Trumpistas to avoid disagreeing with anything that President Donald Trump has to say. Journalist Chris Cillizza, in an April 10 article for CNN’s website, examines the ways in which the coronavirus pandemic is affecting DeSantis politically. And he concludes that DeSantis is not doing his job well.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“Unfortunately for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis,” Cillizza asserts, “the fight against coronavirus has exposed the fact that he may simply not be up to this moment in history. The latest evidence of that came Thursday, when DeSantis sought to explain his thinking about potentially re-opening schools in the state.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Cillizza notes how embarrassing DeSantis’ statements on April 9 were. The governor asserted, “This particular pandemic is one where, I don’t think nationwide, there’s been a single fatality under 25. For whatever reason, it just doesn’t seem to threaten, you know, kids.”</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As Cillizza points out, such claims are “wrong.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“According to the CDC,” Cillizza writes, “four people between the ages of 15 and 24 and one person between the ages of one and four have died. CNN has also reported that a newborn died in Connecticut on April 1, and a baby in Illinois who passed away in March whose death is being looked into as the possible result of the coronavirus.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Chris Cillizza</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">@CillizzaCNN</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"This particular pandemic is one where, I don't think nationwide there's been a single fatality under 25." -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">[narrator] That's wrong https://cnn.it/2XqA7in </div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What the governor of Florida doesn't know about the coronavirus is a lot</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Being the governor of Florida is, well, a big job. That's true anytime -- Florida is the third most populous state in the country with more than 21 million residents -- but especially so in the midst...</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">cnn.com</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Moreover, Cillizza adds, DeSantis glossed over the fact that someone can spread coronavirus while being totally asymptomatic.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>DeSantis appears to not know that the reason that schools are closed during the coronavirus pandemic is not because the virus is killing kids in big numbers but rather, that children are demonstrated carriers and vectors of the illness to adults</b>. A kid might get coronavirus and have mild — or no — symptoms at all. But they could pass it to a teacher, a parent or another adult who gets much, much sicker. And that adult could then pass coronavirus to more people. And on and on we go.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">After hesitating to issue a stay-at-home order in Florida, Cillizza notes, DeSantis finally issued one on April 1 — after, it seems, deciding that doing so would not offend Trump.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“Moments like this one are clarifying,” Cillizza asserts. “When a fearful and anxious public turns to its government for guidance and leadership, there’s nowhere for people like the governor of a state to hide from the massive responsibility. You either step up to meet the moments — Govs. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Andy Beshear (D-Kentucky), to name two — or you shrink in the face of them. DeSantis is a glaring example of the latter.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><div style="">=</div><div style=""><div>no lnx an 420</div><div>
</div><div><b>Trump continues to base policy on what he hears on Fox News</b></div><div>
</div><div>Written by Nancy LeTourneau / The Washington Monthly April 4, 2020</div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>On Thursday night, Donald Trump finally invoked the Defense Production Act. He made the announcement on Twitter, of course.</b></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. “P Act” all the way. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing – will have a big price to pay!</span></div><div>
</div><div>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>According to a report from Kevin Breuninger, the president issued an order on Thursday night directing Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf to “use any and all authority available under the Act to acquire, from any appropriate subsidiary or affiliate of 3M Company, the number of N-95 respirators that the Administrator determines to be appropriate.”</div><div>
</div><div>Here is the response from 3M’s CEO.</div><div>
</div><div>“The narrative that we aren’t doing everything we can as a company is just not true,” 3M CEO Mike Roman says, after President Trump criticized the manufacturing giant and invoked the DPA to force 3M to step up production of respirator masks. https://t.co/Lfa4xPqVwo pic.twitter.com/3cxA2FUDiu</div><div>
</div><div>— CNBC (@CNBC) April 3, 2020</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In commenting on this, Kevin Drum identified the problem with Trump’s selective use of this authority.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The White House didn’t explain this, and it’s a little unnerving to see Trump using the DPA in such a gleefully punitive way. It’s supposed to be a technocratic tool for coordinating production, not a way for a president to score political points on Twitter.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">All of this raises the question of what 3M did that earned the ire of the president.</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> As it turns out, this segment of Tucker Carlson’s show aired on Fox News not long before Trump fired off his tweet.</b></div><div><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">
</b></div><div><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Tucker Carlson & @JaredEMoskowitz Calling Out @3M Selling Masks to Foreign Governments Instead of to Americans</b></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Jared: “I can’t & other emergency management directors can’t get this life-saving PPE because a company decided to make a Globalist decision and not put America First.</span>” pic.twitter.com/wPoFQnm6ej</div><div>
</div><div>— The Columbia Bugle ???? (@ColumbiaBugle) April 3, 2020</div><div>
</div><div><b>Carlson’s guest, Jared Moskowitz, works for Republican Governor Ron DeSantis as his director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. He railed about not being able to get face masks from 3M.</b></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">It is difficult to sort out the truth from the lies in that segment. Some of the issues Moskowitz is pointing to surfaced after we learned that the federal government, probably under the direction of Jared Kushner, has turned the supply chain for these critical supplies over to the private sector. Josh Marshall documented the issues that raises.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">First is that there’s no clear mechanism to allocate these supplies on the basis of need based on a coherent national plan or framework. Secondly, it opens the door to massive profiteering. Even if companies aren’t technically gouging, that’s what bidding is. And you really can’t call this a legitimate private sector market if every state is having to bid with private companies to secure medical supplies during a historic national health emergency. The private sector rationale is also undermined if the US military has taken over a significant part of the fulfillment process.</span></div><div>
</div><div><b>The man who turned around the Bush administration’s botched response to Katrina, Lt. General Russel Honore, explained why that is a recipe for disaster.</b></div><div>
</div><div>After hearing the White House say critical supplies are going to commercial distributors who are then selling them to the states which are begging for help, I called @ltgrusselhonore who commanded federal troops after Hurricane Katrina to get his reaction. Watch this: pic.twitter.com/x7u3qoQ0v6</div><div>
</div><div>— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) April 3, 2020</div><div>
</div><div>Regardless of any complicity on the part of 3M, none of the issues Moskowitz complained about would be happening if this administration was taking charge of the supply chain rather than turning it over to the private sector. Those are the facts.</div><div>
</div><div>But beyond all of that, what we see is that once again the President of the United States took retributive action based on a segment he watched on Fox News. If you think his son-in-law, who has now been put in charge of managing this effort, will do any better, take a look at this.</div><div>
</div><div>Well, this is concerning.</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Kushner says Trump finally acted on addressing supplies shortages after hearing about them “just this morning” from “friends of his in New York.”</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Not the governor. Not the hospitals. Friends.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">This is how Trump runs your country</span>. pic.twitter.com/vlwDR86WWs</div><div>
</div><div>— DNC War Room (@DNCWarRoom) April 2, 2020</div><div>
</div><div><b>What we have is a president who, during a national emergency, is directing policy based on what he hears on Fox News and from his “friends.” Of course, that’s what he’s always done. In the past, it was bad news. But it is now unconscionable.</b></div><div>
</div><div>
</div></div><div style="">=</div><div style=""></div><div style="">COVID IS A STRESS TEST WE FAIL:</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">aha soc safe net is a buffer, adds resilience, includes unemployment insurance that keeps workers alive when they get fired (slowly in case of "creative destruction" mkt shifts, or more sudden recession / pandemic); so it enables capitalism, basically a subsidy to corps?!</div><div style="">
</div><div style=""><div>eg</div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/this-is-horrible-florida-republicans-furious-after-unemployment-system-they-mangled-puts-trumps-re-election-in-jeopardy/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/this-is-horrible-florida-republicans-furious-after-unemployment-system-they-mangled-puts-trumps-re-election-in-jeopardy/</a></div><div>
</div><div><div>no lnx</div><div>
</div><div><b>‘This is horrible’: Florida Republicans furious after unemployment system they mangled puts Trump’s re-election in jeopardy</b></div></div></div><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style=""></p><p style=""></p><p style="">covid fail, spring brk beaches open; bet they wish they had Gillum now</p><p style="">
</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/conservative-pundit-blasts-floridas-gop-governor-for-risking-the-lives-of-millions/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/conservative-pundit-blasts-floridas-gop-governor-for-risking-the-lives-of-millions/</a></p><p style=""></p><p style="">an 320</p><p class="yiv3810012082headline3" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" margin="margin" padding="padding" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">as <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click1.e.alternet.org/ggnntjmsmhwdwtppdkgmmdmppkdpsrlfnhmwgcjkllgw_qdgwmdhdtmghgnfgssp.html?a=&b=4076&c=21989&d=2">derelict as the president’: Miami newspaper editorial board slams ‘timid leader’ Ron DeSantis in a scathing editorial</a></p><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" font-style="font-style" italic="italic" color="color" rgb="rgb" margin="margin" padding="padding" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;">Many states in the U.S. — from Pennsylvania and New…</p><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-students-to-join-global-climate-strike-2019-11266144">https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-students-to-join-global-climate-strike-2019-11266144</a></p><h1 style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 100; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 43px; vertical-align: baseline; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); letter-spacing: -2px; clear: both; padding-top: 5px !important;">eight Times Ron DeSantis "Accidentally" Did Racist Stuff</h1><div class="article-info " style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: auto; text-align: center; clear: right;"><div class="by-auth" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 3px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; text-transform: uppercase; display: table; float: none; text-align: left; height: auto;"><span class="byline" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; display: inline !important;"><a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/authors/jerry-iannelli-8318884" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">JERRY IANNELLI</a></span> | <span class="pubdate" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">SEPTEMBER 4, 2018</span> | <span class="pubdate" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">8:00AM</span></div></div><div class="cs-box side-soc" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 50px 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); float: left; clear: both; display: inline-block; width: 50px; max-width: 50px; top: 50px; z-index: 1;"><div class="text-size" title="Toggle text size" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 11px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(74, 74, 74); outline: 0px; vertical-align: top; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: inline-block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center; height: 22px; width: 26px; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; letter-spacing: 1px; font-variant-numeric: normal !important; font-variant-east-asian: normal !important; font-weight: bold !important; font-stretch: normal !important; line-height: 21px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">A</span>A</div></div><div class="story-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; max-width: 655px; overflow: hidden; margin: 0px 0px 20px 70px !important;"><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;">After enough racism scandals involving a particular political candidate, you'd think everyone might just admit that person is simply racist. Yet a whole lot of people — from bad-faith conservative pundits to easily fooled reporters — continue offering excuses for <b>Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis' infamous statement on Fox News that Andrew Gillum would "monkey... up" Florida.</b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><b>At best, that gaffe implies DeSantis, who is a seasoned lawyer with degrees from Harvard and Yale, is so ignorant he doesn't know it's a really bad idea to use the word "monkey" when talking about a black person.</b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;">But claiming his use of the word was a simple accident is also hard to believe because DeSantis has a clear, repeated pattern of making offensive and/or outright racist statements, hanging out with racists, and defending other people who are also racists. It's past time that<b> DeSantis — long considered the most right-wing Florida congressman who is running on a platform of fealty to Donald Trump and pure anti-immigrant bile</b> — lost the benefit of the doubt. Here's why:</p><div class="city-color-border related rel-stories" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 30px 20px 30px 0px; padding: 10px 10px 10px 20px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 655px; min-width: 180px; box-shadow: none; float: left; clear: both; position: relative; border-width: 1px 0px !important; border-style: solid !important; border-color: rgb(200, 200, 200) !important; border-image: initial !important;"><h2 class="city-color" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-transform: uppercase; position: absolute; top: -10px; left: 0px; display: inline-block; letter-spacing: -1px;">RELATED STORIES</h2><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style-type: none; width: 625px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style-type: disc;"><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/ron-desantis-outed-as-administrator-of-racist-conspiracy-sharing-facebook-page-10682854" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">Ron DeSantis Was Reportedly an Admin of Racist Facebook Page</a></h3></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 5px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style-type: disc;"><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/ron-desantis-is-floridas-radical-politician-not-andrew-gillum-10679498" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">Ron DeSantis, Not Andrew Gillum, Is Florida's "Radical" Politician</a></h3></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 5px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style-type: disc;"><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/floridas-ron-desantis-compares-andrew-gillum-to-monkey-10678405" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">DeSantis Already Compared Gillum to a Monkey on Fox News</a></h3></li></ul></div><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">1. <a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2018/04/11/ron-desantis-spoke-next-to-bannon-yiannopoulos-in-2017" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">He spoke at a Muslim-bashing event alongside Milo Yiannopoulos and Steve Bannon</a>.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></b><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="inline-video" data-vmg-ad="Teads" data-vmg-track="2nd ad" data-vmg-tracked="true" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;" /></font><blockquote style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-radius: 3px; max-width: 100%; clear: both; padding: 10px 20px !important;"><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;"><b>David Horowitz, </b>who runs the hard-core-Islamophobic <i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">FrontPage Magazine</i>, organizes what he calls a "Restoration Weekend" every year. Past attendees have included Pamela Geller, Jeff Sessions, Nigel Farage, Laura Ingraham, and a slew of lesser-known Islamophobes and random alt-right cretins.</p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Last year's event included Milo Yiannopoulos, the ex-Breitbart writer whose career is in the toilet thanks to dueling pedophilia- and Nazi-sympathizing scandals; Hungarian nationalist group member Sebastian Gorka; former Trump adviser Steve Bannon; and U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, the Jacksonville congressman who is now one of the frontrunners to become Florida's next governor.</font></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">DeSantis doesn't exactly shy away from courting the far right — he has leaned hard on Trump's January endorsement of him — but the appearance raises serious questions about the kind of company DeSantis is willing to keep.</p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Other attendees at last year's event were British alt-right troll Katie Hopkins (who once advocated placing Muslims in internment camps), fired Google sexist James Damore, "campus conservative" Charlie Kirk, Trump-worshipping Congressman Devin Nunes, virulent Islamophobe Mark Steyn, anti-immigrant author Douglas Murray, and fellow Florida Rep. Brian Mast.</p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Horowitz's Restoration Weekends don't typically get a ton of mainstream press, likely because Horowitz and his fellow FrontPage writers are far from household names. (<b>Horowitz himself has spent this week on Twitter downplaying the severity of anti-black lynchings in the Old South.)</b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">But DeSantis' appearance at the event last year, which went unreported save a few mentions in FrontPage and Breitbart, shows the congressman's willingness to pander to some of the most outwardly hateful members of the Republican base. At the time of the November conference, DeSantis had not yet announced his run for governor but apparently had no issues appearing alongside Yiannopoulos, who had already been outed for his comments endorsing pedophilia and <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">his karaoke party with outright neo-Nazi Richard Spencer. BuzzFeed's damning report on Yiannopoulos' leaked emails — which showed him making Nazi jokes and using "kristallnacht" as a password — had hit the internet a month before the event took place.</span> DeSantis, a former Tea Party darling, spoke on the same stage anyway.</p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;" /></blockquote><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">2. He called New York candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is a Puerto Rican woman, "whatever she is."</b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">3. He defended a supporter who <g class="gr_ gr_52 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="52" data-gr-id="52" style="box-sizing: border-box;">said</g> "bring back the hanging tree."</b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><a href="https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/05/30/bring-back-the-hanging-tree-audience-member-urges-ron-desantis/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">Per the <i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Tampa Bay Times:</i></a></p><blockquote style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-radius: 3px; max-width: 100%; clear: both; padding: 10px 20px !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">A candidate never knows what an excited audience member might say at campaign event that allows give and take. John McCain in 2008 memorably corrected a woman in Minnesota who called Barack Obama an Arab.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Last Saturday in Citrus County, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis told a group of voters about the "four liberals" on the Florida Supreme Court overturning the death sentence of the man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing 11-year-old Carlie Brucia in Sarasota County in 2004 because the sentencing decision had not been unanimous.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />"I have a tree and a rope in my back yard," one audience member chimed in.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">"Bring back the hanging tree," added the audience member, drawing laughter as DeSantis continued talking about the court.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-765223919/ron-desantis-on-captial-punishment-5-26-2018/s-Zj7iH" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">Listen here for the audio.</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Asked for clarification on his position, DeSantis' campaign stood with the hanging tree questioner. Hard to fathom any Republican primary candidate losing votes by standing for swift justice and vengeance for a child killer.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">"Ron thinks that Floridians should be forgiven for having some pretty strong and not at all politically correct feelings about what should happen to this animal. Let's be clear; we're talking about someone who kidnapped, raped and murdered an 11-year-old girl. The Florida Supreme Court's decision was appalling and demonstrates once again why we need someone like Ron DeSantis, who stared down terrorists while serving in the Navy in Iraq and at the terrorist detention center in Guantanamo Bay, to appoint constitutionalists who will apply the law correctly."</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles appointed two of the current justices, and Chiles and Jeb Bush jointly appointed another. Republican governors appointed four of the seven current justices, though three of them were appointed by Charlie Crist, so….</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;" /></blockquote><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">4. <a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/ron-desantis-outed-as-administrator-of-racist-conspiracy-sharing-facebook-page-10682854" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">He was <g class="gr gr_53 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="53" data-gr-id="53" style="box-sizing: border-box;">moderator</g> of a Facebook group that was a haven for racist memes and was run by lunatics</a>.</b></p><blockquote style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-radius: 3px; max-width: 100%; clear: both; padding: 10px 20px !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Click on a page called "Tea Party," which boasts 94,000 followers and claims to be "the oldest and largest #TeaParty group on Facebook," and you'll find that one of the first posts this morning is a glaringly racist meme showing side-by-side photos of Melania Trump and a heavily Photoshopped Michelle Obama with the headline "Make the White House Beautiful Again."</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">"Who's the guy on the right?" one commenter jokes about the doctored photo of Mrs. Obama, and another responds with a homophobic meme about President Obama.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">The racist post is par for the course for the page, which has also shared at least six posts since Tuesday supporting Florida's new GOP gubernatorial nominee, Ron DeSantis. Perhaps that's because, until reporters began asking questions yesterday, DeSantis was reportedly one of 52 listed administrators of the offensive page.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">DeSantis' affiliation with the Facebook group was turned up by Natalie Martinez, a reporter with Media Matters, who noted that numerous other GOP candidates are also admins, including Arizona Senate candidate Kelly Ward and Virginia Senate candidate Corey Stewart.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">It doesn't appear that DeSantis himself posted recently on the page, but his affiliation with such an obviously racist group wouldn't help his argument that he "accidentally" used the phrase "monkey this up" in relation to his Democratic opponent, Andrew Gillum, on Fox News yesterday.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Through a spokesperson, DeSantis later confirmed that he was an administrator of the Tea Party group but claims he was added to the page without his knowledge. "The Congressman was completely unaware that he was part of the Facebook group, which he was added to without his knowledge or consent. As soon as he found out about it, he immediately deleted it," Stephen Lawson, a campaign spokesperson, says in a statement sent to reporters.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;" /></blockquote><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">5. He proudly associated himself with Sebastian Gorka, who has ties to a Hungarian far-right group that collaborated with the Nazis.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></b><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Per the <i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Tampa Bay Times</i> <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/02/12/ron-desantis-introduces-divisive-former-white-house-advisor-at-lincoln-day-dinner/&sa=D&source=hangouts&ust=1535834706859000&usg=AFQjCNEma8sKU9Fdy1kdvJcnWo4dJoEAWA" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">again:</a></p><blockquote style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-radius: 3px; max-width: 100%; clear: both; padding: 10px 20px !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Ron DeSantis seems to be making the most of his weekend trips away from Washington, already scheduling fundraisers for his gubernatorial campaign and glad-handing with Floridians.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">On Saturday, he was at the St. Lucie County Lincoln Day Dinner, where he introduced and endorsed former White House advisor Sebastian Gorka, a divisive figure who was forced out of his role last year.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">"We're in an inflection point in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism, and Dr. Gorka has been involved in this for a number of years," DeSantis said. "He was involved in really setting the main strategy in the White House under president Donald trump, and I think we have a chance to really win this fight during the Trump administration."</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Gorka has been a divisive figure since he became an advisor to Trump. He has hard-line views on Islam and was not particularly well-known to policymakers before he was appointed a year ago to a job with no clear duties, the New York Times wrote last year.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">He has also been accused of having ties to far-right groups in Europe. In August, Gorka was forced out of the White House.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;" /></blockquote><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">6. His career is based on immigrant-bashing, supporting Trump's insane comments, and ratcheting up deportations.</b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;">Importantly, DeSantis hated immigrants long before Trump took office. In 2015, he <a href="https://desantis.house.gov/2015/7/rep-desantis-supports-kates-law" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">proudly supported "Kate's Law,"</a> which would have ratcheted up punishments on undocumented immigrants because one mentally ill immigrant committed what was likely an accidental murder.</p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;">In the meantime, look at how often this guy yells about how Latino immigrants are bringing "lawlessness" into America:</p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">7. </b><a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/floridas-ron-desantis-compares-andrew-gillum-to-monkey-10678405" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Then he made the infamous "monkey this up" comment that his supporters claim was an "accident."</b></a></p><blockquote style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-radius: 3px; max-width: 100%; clear: both; padding: 10px 20px !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">After last night's primary results made it official, Floridians assumed newly minted GOP gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis, a Confederate-flag bumper sticker come to life, would run a wild, dog-whistling, and entirely Trumpian campaign against Democrat Andrew Gillum.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">But people perhaps didn't expect DeSantis to start slinging racial slurs this early in the race. Roughly 12 hours after DeSantis and Gillum were crowned the state's two gubernatorial candidates, DeSantis appeared on Fox News this morning and immediately compared Gillum, the state's first black gubernatorial nominee, to a "monkey." DeSantis also called Gillum "articulate" — long a racially coded term used to describe prominent black people.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">After calling Gillum "too liberal" to run Florida, DeSantis added that Gillum was an "articulate spokesperson for those far-left views." He then added seconds later that "the last thing we need to do is monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupt the state."</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Some reporters have already tried to give DeSantis the benefit of the doubt here and claim it was just a slip of the tongue, but in light of his primary campaign, he doesn't deserve that free pass. His entire campaign so far has been about genuflecting to Trump and bashing immigrants. One of his biggest campaign ads included him teaching his son about "building the wall" even though Florida doesn't share a land border with Mexico or any other nation.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;" /></blockquote><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">8. The <i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Tallahassee Democrat</i> <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/08/31/racist-robocalls-tied-neo-nazi-group-targets-andrew-gillum/1157860002/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">reports that an Idaho neo-Nazi group is now making racist, pro-DeSantis robocalls in an offensive black "minstrel" voice with jungle music playing in the background:</a></b></p><blockquote style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-radius: 3px; max-width: 100%; clear: both; padding: 10px 20px !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Robocalls against Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum that say they were paid for by a neo-Nazi group in Idaho are going out to voters in Tallahassee.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">The automated calls are narrated by someone pretending to be Gillum and using an exaggerated minstrel dialect with jungle noises in the background. The calls end with a disclaimer that they were funded by the Road to Power, an anti-Semitic, white-supremacist website and podcast linked to Scott Rhodes of Sandpoint, Idaho.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">According to the <i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Des Moines Register</i>, a sister paper of the <i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Tallahassee Democrat</i>, the group has been linked to other robocall campaigns in Virginia, Oregon, and California.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">Terry Kant-Rauch, a Tallahassee realtor, received one of the robocalls this morning in the voicemail of her cell phone. Kant-Rauch, a Democrat who happens to have a biracial daughter, became emotional after hearing it, she said.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; max-width: 655px; margin: 10px 0px !important;">“Campaign on the merits,” she said, “not on the color of his skin.”</p></blockquote><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Update 9/14: </b></i>DeSantis had to <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2018/09/14/desantis-blocks-fundraiser-over-hurtful-and-disgusting-racial-slurs-611783" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">block a former Miami lawmaker from co-chairing one of his fundraisers</a> because said lawmaker, ex-State Rep. Ralph Arza, in 2006 was accused of calling a man a "black piece of shit," leaving threatening messages on a colleague's cell phone and at one point calling that same colleague "my nigga."</p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Update: 9/17:</b> </i>According to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, DeSantis in October 2017 <a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/ron-desantis-spoke-at-event-organized-by-act-for-america-an-anti-muslim-hate-group-10741071" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">spoke at a conference held by ACT! for America, a violently anti-Muslim organization classified as a <g class="gr_ gr_242 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="242" data-gr-id="242" style="box-sizing: border-box;">hate-group</g>.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></a><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: bold;">Update 9/20: </i>Two different racism scandals broke in the same day! What a coincidence.</p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;">First, <i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Politico</i> reported that a DeSantis donor who once got the candidate to speak at Mar-a-Lago once <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/20/ron-desantis-florida-racial-issues-830726" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">called Barack Obama a "MUSLIM NIGGER" online.</a></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 655px;">And <i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">New Times</i> reported that DeSantis's wife, Casey, appeared at a Broward County event alongside a Barack Obama "birther" who also has ties to an anti-Muslim extremist group. <a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/ron-desantiss-wife-appears-with-obama-birther-10748592" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none !important;">The conspiracy-theorist, Trevor Loudon, is also an administrator in the same racist Facebook group that DeSantis was caught running.</a></p></div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/06/floridas-gop-governor-approves-repugnant-new-law-that-could-ban-up-to-1-million-from-voting">https://www.alternet.org/2019/06/floridas-gop-governor-approves-repugnant-new-law-that-could-ban-up-to-1-million-from-voting</a></p><table width="550" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" margin="margin" auto="auto" style=""><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="410"><p class="yiv8089647698headline3" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" margin="margin" padding="padding"><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click1.e.alternet.org/bzzbqszvztdydqmmyjfzzyzmmjymvgcnbtzdfpsbclf_yvslsvcvnskgscsgbkk.html?a=&b=466&c=21989&d=2">Florida’s GOP governor approves repugnant new law that could ban up to 1 million from voting</a></p><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" font-style="font-style" italic="italic" color="color" rgb="rgb" margin="margin" padding="padding"> </p><p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;">F<span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">loridians voted in favor of a constitutional amendment to </span><a title="" href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/11/6/1810578/-Florida-voters-smash-a-legacy-of-Jim-Crow-and-restore-voting-rights-to-more-than-1-million-citizens" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none" margin="margin" px="px" padding="padding" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" transition="transition" color="color" s="s" ease="ease" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer">restore voting rights for as many as 1.4 million citizens</a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"> who had fully completed their felony sentences by a 65-35 landslide last year, but on Friday, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">Republican <b>Gov. Ron DeSantis </b></span><a href="https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/6.282.pdf" target="blank" rel="noopener" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none" margin="margin" px="px" padding="padding" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" transition="transition" color="color" s="s" ease="ease" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer">has signed</a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"> a </span><a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2019/7066" target="blank" rel="noopener" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none" margin="margin" px="px" padding="padding" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" transition="transition" color="color" s="s" ease="ease" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer">new law </a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">that will keep the vast majority of those citizens disenfranchised and also bans early voting on college campuses</span></span><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">. Republicans also recently </span><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/6/14/1864899/-Voting-Rights-Roundup-New-York-City-to-vote-this-November-on-adopting-instant-runoff-voting#4" target="blank" rel="noopener" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none" margin="margin" px="px" padding="padding" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" transition="transition" color="color" s="s" ease="ease" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer">passed another law to stymie similar ballot initiatives</a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"> in the future that DeSantis has already signed.</span></p><div class="story-intro story-content reader_view_article_wrap_8666197248148206" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="p1_15" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;">To thwart the will of Florida voters, Republicans are <a title="" href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/05/florida-republican-senate-ron-desantis-amendment-4-felon-voting-rights.html" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">imposing a measure straight out of the Jim Crow playbook: poll taxes</a>. This new law would require the payment of all court-ordered restitution as well as any court-related fines or fees before voters can regain their rights.</p><div class="p2_15" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""></p><p style=""><i times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><b>Also:</b></i><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"> Fox "news side" anchor Shannon Bream </span><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=aee3354f21e2d898f17e3ee7c6214e57fa59e727a20b4cb786d437b2f855c9a572ac614fb10ee3d97daf72ccc44451568e08ba0726aff8ee" title="was scheduled" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">was scheduled</a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"> to keynote a fundraiser for a Koch linked group alongside the Republican governor of Florida, Ron <b>DeSantis</b>. After </span><i times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">Media Matters</i><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"> reported on her appearance, Bream suddenly "had to cancel." She was replaced by a </span><i times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">Wall Street Journal </i><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">columnist.</span></p><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28012019/florida-governor-desantis-environment-directives-sea-level-rise-climate-change-republican">https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28012019/florida-governor-desantis-environment-directives-sea-level-rise-climate-change-republican</a></p><div class="content" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><b>Florida's new Republican governor has moved quickly on a number of environmental priorities, but so far, he has stopped short of any comprehensive plan to cut greenhouse gas pollution.</b></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">That's a gaping hole, say environmental advocates, but they give him credit where they say it's due.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Several of Gov. Ron DeSantis' early environmental <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2019/01/10/governor-ron-desantis-announces-major-water-policy-reforms/" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">directives</a> are aimed at cleaning up water and helping Florida adapt to the effects of global warming, including more intense hurricanes and <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/topic/sea-level-rise" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">sea level rise</a> that <a href="https://stakes.climatecentral.org/#10/25.9074/-80.9315?show=stakes&level=3&unit=feet&pois=hide" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">threatens</a> to swallow parts of the state in the coming decades<span id="docs-internal-guid-3cd93cb6-7fff-36e2-f768-7c938d6e830e" style="box-sizing: inherit;">.<b> </b></span><b>He called for appointing chief science officer to coordinate scientific research, and he staked an opposition to fracking and offshore oil and gas activities. </b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><b>But there's no clear call for reducing the pollution that causes global warming, and climate advocates are waiting to see who that chief science officer will be</b></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="text-align: center;">Some environmental advocates say it appears that DeSantis, a former congressman and Navy lawyer, is at least willing to listen to scientists on environmental and climate issues. That would be a sharp turn from the last eight years under the administration of Republican Rick Scott, they said.</span><font style="text-align: center;"><input type="text" name="b_7c733794100bcc7e083a163f0_29c928ffb5" tabindex="-1" value="" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; width: 250px; max-width: 100%; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(231, 231, 231); border-radius: 6px; padding: 0.75rem 1rem;" /></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">DeSantis "has set up an office of science, and he talks about how he wants science to drive decisions," said Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. "Those things together force you to have to confront the fact that there are things the state and local governments can do not only on the adaptation side, but also in the mitigation side."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">"This guy is clearly cut from a different cloth than Rick Scott," Smith said.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">As governor, Scott, who now represents Florida in the U.S. Senate, was seen by many as <a href="https://www.politifact.com/florida/article/2015/mar/11/fact-checking-rick-scott-environment-and-sea-level/" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">indifferent or hostile</a> to concerns about the climate in a state with a lot to lose from global warming. Early on, his administration had an unwritten policy banning the terms climate change and global warming, <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article13576691.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">according</a> to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, and he stopped work on a statewide climate action plan that had been launched by his then-Republican predecessor Charlie Crist.</p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.333;">New Directives Include Risks of Sea Level Rise</h3><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><b>The environment has become a prominent <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18102018/florida-governor-election-gillum-desantis-environment-hurricane-toxic-algae-young-voters" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;">issue</a> in Florida, including during the last electio</b>n.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">On the Gulf Coast, a toxic red tide algae burned beachgoers eyes and lungs and killed manatees by the dozens. In Lake Okeechobee and on the Atlantic Coast, rancid blooms of toxic blue-green algae prompted health warnings to stay out of the water. Hurricane Michael, fueled by the <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09102018/hurricane-michael-florence-agriculture-damage-carolina-georgia-peanuts-cotton-science-warm-water" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">overly warm</a> waters of the Gulf of Mexico, exploded from almost nothing to Category 4 strength in just three days, devastating communities in the Panhandle.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">DeSantis shied away from talking about the causes of climate change during the race, while his Democratic opponent, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, called for embracing "a plan to transition Florida to clean energy as rapidly as possible." DeSantis <a href="https://www.apnews.com/a5bffabd18db40a5a39d96572005c0fc" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">narrowly won</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">Within a week of taking office this month, DeSantis signed an <a href="https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/EO-19-12-.pdf" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">executive order</a> that included measures aimed at improving water quality.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">"Gov. DeSantis knows the protection of Florida's water resources is one of the most pressing issues facing our state, and that's why issuing this executive order was one of his first actions upon taking office," a statement provided by the governor's media office said.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">But the order also went beyond water quality with its science and resilience directives, including telling Florida's Department of Environmental Protection to ensure its decisions are based on the best available science and ordering the creation of an Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection to help communities prepare for the effects of sea level rise.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">It also told state regulators to oppose the natural gas drilling practice known as hydraulic fracturing and to fight offshore oil and gas activities, even beyond state waters where drilling is already banned.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">The swiftness of the governor's moves caught many people by surprise, said Cynthia Barnett, a Florida-based author and environmental fellow at the University of Florida's Bob Graham Center for Public Service.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">"Floridians seemed to be shocked, and it wasn't that we haven't seen a Republican champion environmental issues," she said. "But the speed of Gov. DeSantis' actions came as a surprise."</p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.333;">Still Lots of Unanswered Questions</h3><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><b>Still, some environmental advocates are wary.</b></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">"What's missing is anything to actually curb carbon emissions," said Jonathan Webber, deputy director of Florida Conservation Voters, which works to elect environmentally minded public officials. </p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">It's too soon to pass judgment on the governor's environmental directives because nobody knows yet how they will be carried out, said Frank Jackalone, director of the Sierra Club Florida. For example, Floridians are still waiting to find out who will be named as the state's chief scientist, a position charged with coordinating science policies across state government.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">"If it's someone who is in the minority of scientists who is a climate change denier, then it might not accomplish its purpose," Jackalone said.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">He said there's reason to be concerned, in part because of DeSantis's record on environmental legislation, which earned a League of Conservation Voters <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/ron-desantis" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">score</a> of just 2 percent during his six years in Congress.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">During the campaign, DeSantis was non-committal on climate science, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX97eJmAxhs" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">telling</a> reporters: <b>"I am not in the pews of the church of the global warming leftists. I am not a global warming person. I don't want that label on me." He <a href="https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20180815/desantis-says-climate-change-not-issue-for-states-to-mitigate" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">suggested </a>that climate change was a global issue for the national and international levels, rather than the state. During a press conference earlier this month, he <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2019/01/11/does-gov-desantis-believe-in-climate-change/" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">declined</a> to answer a reporter's question on his climate science views.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><b>DeSantis' press office declined to answer questions about the governor's position on reducing heat-trapping gasses or the qualifications he'll be seeking in a chief science officer.</b></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">Webber credits DeSantis for doing "what every smart politician tries to do, which is turn a weakness into a strength. Protecting our environment is popular with all Floridians, so doing what is right is a no-brainer for a politician looking to define himself."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">DeSantis made that connection in his inaugural address. "Our economic potential will be jeopardized if we do not solve the problems afflicting our environment and water resources," he <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2019/01/08/ron-desantis-governor-florida-inauguration-address/2513844002/" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">said</a>.  </p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.333;">Cities Need State's Help with Adaptation</h3><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">Florida is the nation's third-largest state, and scientists say its growing population faces major risks from the effects of climate change, including extreme heat, drought, more potent hurricanes and worsening coastal flooding as sea level rises.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">The Union of Concerned Scientists last year <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/press/2018/new-study-finds-1-million-florida-homes-worth-351-billion-will-be-risk-tidal-flooding#.XEiP2M9Kg8Z" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">published</a> a report that concluded that in less than three decades, about 64,000 of today's residential Florida properties would be at risk of chronic inundation.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">Local governments need a strong state partner to help them adapt, said Steve Adams, director of urban resilience for the Institute for Sustainable Communities and former energy policy advisor to Crist, who switched parties and is now a Democratic congressman. Adams helped four South Florida counties including Miami-Dade form a <a href="http://www.southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org/" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">climate compact</a> to work cooperatively on the climate change threats and responses, and he said he is encouraged by DeSantis' early environmental moves.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">A new office of resilience could help Florida communities get the funding and technical support "in a way that hasn't been present these lasts several years," said Lauren Ordway, an Institute for Sustainable Communities program manager who works with the four counties to address climate change.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">"For many years now, our local leaders have been taking this issue exceptionally seriously," she said. "I don't think there is any time to waste to rolling up our sleeves and getting into action."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">Webber, with Florida Conservation Voters, agreed that working on adaptation is vital, but so is emission reductions.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">"We don't need to see that in the first week," he said, "but we hope that's coming."</p></div></div></div></div><div class="tagged-with" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase; margin-bottom: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><label style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; line-height: 1.2;">PUBLISHED UNDER:</label><div class="field field-name-field-topics field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; padding-right: 0.5em;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/topics/politics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;">POLITICS</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; padding-right: 0.5em;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/topic/climate-change" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;">CLIMATE CHANGE</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; padding-right: 0.5em;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/topic/sea-level-rise" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;">SEA LEVEL RISE</a></div> <div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; padding-right: 0.5em;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/tags/national-environment-reporting-network-southeast" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;">NERN - SOUTHEAST</a></div></div></div></div><p style="">
</p><p style="">=</p><p style=""><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/betsy-devos-and-family-bankroll-florida-governor-candidate-desantis-a-school-voucher-enthusiast">http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/betsy-devos-and-family-bankroll-florida-governor-candidate-desantis-a-school-voucher-enthusiast</a></p><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h1 class="page-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; font-weight: normal; hyphens: none; line-height: 1; position: relative; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; padding-top: 0.5em;">Betsy DeVos and Family Bankroll Florida Governor Candidate DeSantis, a School Voucher Enthusiast</h1><div class="byline" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post_author/astan/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">By </a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post_author/astan/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Adele M. Stan</a> </span>| <span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">October 24, 2018 5:54 pm</span></div><div class="post__image" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 2em 0px;"><div class="mce-content-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">The third in our three-part series on the right-wing players around Ron DeSantis, the Republican candidate for governor of Florida.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b>When Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican candidate for governor, found himself in hot water—once again—over his <a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/eight-times-ron-desantis-did-racist-stuff-by-accident-10687534" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">beliefs about black people</a> and America’s racial history, a <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/koch-and-adelson-come-to-the-rescue-of-trump-devotee-ron-desantis-in-florida/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">handful of wealthy donors</a> swooped in to try to rescue his campaign. </b>Polls showed him in a dead heat against Democrat Andrew Gillum, who is African American.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Among the angels to alight in his coffers was the heiress Betsy DeVos, who currently leads the U.S. Department of Education, and whose family enriched a pro-DeSantis political action committee this month with hundreds of thousands of dollars. The DeVos family has long invested in the project of building a right-wing political infrastructure that is designed to elevate the policy prescriptions of white evangelical leaders, as has DeVos’ family of origin, the Princes. (Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, is DeVos’ brother. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Her parents, Elsa and Edgar, helped <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/default/news/2017/01/23/296947/the-devos-dynasty-a-family-of-extremists/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">found the Family Research Council</a>, which is classified as an <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/family-research-council" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">anti-LGBT hate group</a> by the Southern Poverty Law Center.)</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">It’s not surprising that DeVos would want to rescue DeSantis. Take a look at the education agenda he has put forward and you’ll find a wish list of goodies for Religious Right leaders and other “small-government conservatives.” And even more than that, the specter of a progressive Democrat like Gillum leading education policy in a state as populous as Florida (20 million) could create a significant pocket of resistance to any federal policy imposed by DeVos.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">While DeSantis may not be especially involved with the evangelical community, he knows on which side his bread is buttered. DeVos, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/23/us/politics/betsy-devos-trumps-education-pick-has-steered-money-from-public-schools.html?r=0" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">champion of the privatization of education</a>, and the Trump administration’s secretary of education, descends from Religious Right royalty. When Trump chose DeVos for that spot, it was because he knew on which side his base is buttered—the evangelical side.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Right-wing evangelicals and Catholics favor school voucher plans and supports for homeschoolers that <a href="http://www.pfaw.org/report/betsy-devos-nomination-a-new-high-water-mark-in-right-wings-long-war-on-public-education/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">siphon money away from public schools</a>, as well as from the public-sector unions that represent teachers and other school personnel, all positions DeVos advances. The vouchers amount to tax dollars applied to tuition at private schools and those run by churches and other religious organizations. (For more on DeVos’ record as a school privatizer, see PFAW’s 2017 report, <a href="http://www.pfaw.org/report/betsy-devos-nomination-a-new-high-water-mark-in-right-wings-long-war-on-public-education/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">A New High Water Mark in Right Wing’s Long War on Public Education</a>.)</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">In fact, on a visit to New York City last spring, the U.S. secretary of education seemed to go out of her way to insult public-school students and teachers by choosing two religious schools for a visit, but none of the city’s public schools. From a May 18 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/nyregion/devos-visits-new-york-jewish-schools-not-public.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">New York Times report</a>:</p><blockquote style="background: rgb(239, 243, 243); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; hyphens: none; padding: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0.75em 2em;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b>Education Secretary Betsy DeVos toured two New York City schools on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the city’s public schools, with their 1.1 million students, were not among them.</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"><b>Instead, Ms. DeVos visited two Orthodox Jewish schools, and offered her strongest comments to date in support of public funding for religious schools</b> in a meeting with Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan and other Catholic dignitaries.</p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b>In addition to his pro-voucher position, DeSantis stood behind Amendment 8—a measure ultimately <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-reg-charter-amendment-ruling-20180820-story.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">struck from the 2018 ballot</a> by the Florida Supreme Court for being “misleading”—which would have yanked control of charter schools from local school boards and handed it to the state—through changes to the state constitution. Conservatives have found certain localities to be  unwelcoming to charter schools.</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">The measure would also have imposed eight-year term limits on local school boards. Absent the ballot measure, DeSantis has folded those positions into his own <a href="https://rondesantis.com/education/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">education policy agenda</a>.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">The court’s actions stirred right-wing ire about the ideological balance of the state’s highest court. Governor Rick Scott, who is currently challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson for his seat, had planned to replace three of the court’s justices just hours after he leaves office, but the court overruled his power-grab. Because of term limits on the state’s Supreme Court justices, three retirements will kick in automatically in January, leaving the next governor to determine the shape of the court.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">SINCE WINNING the Florida GOP gubernatorial nomination, DeSantis’ attitudes towards African Americans have attracted scrutiny, beginning with comments he made at the outset of the general election campaign, when he urged Floridians to “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/29/ron-desantis-racism-monkey-up-andrew-gillum-florida-governor-election" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">not monkey this up</a>” by electing Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum, who is black. Something of a steady trickle commenced, with DeSantis having to ditch a fundraiser, <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2018/09/14/desantis-blocks-fundraiser-over-hurtful-and-disgusting-racial-slurs-611783" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">state Rep. Ralph Arza</a>, who had used the “N” word in threatening voicemails to a colleague 12 years ago, and who has a reputation for using racial slurs. Next, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/gop-candidate-for-fla-governor-spoke-at-racially-charged-events/2018/09/09/c6d3a63c-b114-11e8-a810-4d6b627c3d5d_story.html?utm_term=.b7f640f9c2f7" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Washington Post published</a> a report on DeSantis’ participation in the far-right conferences convened by David Horowitz, where he appeared on the same stage as the professionally offensive, white-nationalism-sympathizer Milo Yiannapoulos, and other far-right figures. Then, on October 8, the American Ledger blog published by the American Bridge super PAC <a href="https://american-ledger.com/accountability/as-house-candidate-desantis-penned-racially-charged-book-excusing-slavery/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">unearthed a book</a> he authored that made excuses for slavery in the U.S. The DeSantis campaign was losing momentum, virtually tied with Gillum in the polls.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Three days later, the candidate’s PAC, Friends of Ron DeSantis, <a href="https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2018/10/17/devos-family-owners-of-the-orlando-magic-just-donated-200k-to-ron-desantis" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">received a total of $200,000</a> from four members of Betsy DeVos’ family, as well as <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/koch-and-adelson-come-to-the-rescue-of-trump-devotee-ron-desantis-in-florida/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">infusions</a> from others in the <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/koch-and-adelson-come-to-the-rescue-of-trump-devotee-ron-desantis-in-florida/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">donor network</a> created by the billionaire brothers, Charles and David Koch.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Each of those donors no doubt has his or her own checklist of expectations and demands, but DeSantis’ school privatization agenda seems robust, hitting all of the key constituencies: the homeschoolers, the religious schools, the union-haters.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Some of the candidate’s education agenda, as posted on the <a href="https://rondesantis.com/education/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Ron DeSantis for Governor</a> website:</p><blockquote style="background: rgb(239, 243, 243); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; hyphens: none; padding: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0.75em 2em;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Support School Choice Options. </strong>To ensure that all Florida students can go to a good school and empower parents to make educational decisions for their children, Ron DeSantis will support school choice options such as public magnet schools, district & non-district managed public charter schools, Florida Virtual School, home education, and the various other choice options. DeSantis will also look at the possibility of creating Education Savings Accounts for more Florida students including those from low-income and working-class families.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="background: rgb(239, 243, 243); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; hyphens: none; padding: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0.75em 2em;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">[…]</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Ensure Equal Access for Parents Who Home School Their Children. </strong>To support the families of the nearly 90,000 students in Florida that are home schooled, Ron DeSantis will ensure that these children have equal access to resources available to other students, such as dual enrollment and extracurricular activities. The decision on how a child should be educated is best left to their family, as no far-away bureaucrat could ever understand a child the way a parent does. For many Florida families, homeschooling provides the best opportunity to educate their children.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"> </p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">DeSantis also embraces a so-called “merit pay” scheme that seems designed to pit teacher against teacher, and teachers against non-teaching staff, by pledging to cut “wasteful” spending on the education “bureaucracy,” and funneling that “savings” into merit increases for selected teachers.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Like DeSantis, DeVos is a <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/09/20/ron-desantis-on-gambling-charter-schools-differing-from-rick-scott-and-his-concerns-with-student-testing/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">fan of charter schools</a>, which also draw their funding from tax dollars, but exist outside the traditional public school system. In April 2017, DeVos visited the Excel Academy, a public charter school in Washington, D.C., <a href="http://theconversation.com/what-we-can-learn-from-closure-of-charter-school-that-devos-praised-as-shining-example-90084" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">describing it</a> as a “<a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretary-education-betsy-devos-issues-statement-visit-excel-academy-first-lady-melania-trump-and-queen-rania-jordan" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">shining example</a> of a school meeting the needs of its students, parents and community.” By January 2018, the school had closed because of its poor performance.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Of course, there are reasons beyond DeSantis’ education agenda that make him an attractive repository for DeVos dollars. The family <a href="http://www.nba.com/article/2018/09/06/orlando-magic-rich-devos-passes-away-92" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">owns the Orlando Magic</a> basketball team, a business, like any, that could always use a friend in the governor’s mansion.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Read more in our series on DeSantis and the right:</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/ron-desantis-appearances-at-horowitz-events-even-worse-the-closer-you-look/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Ron DeSantis’ Appearances at Horowitz Events: Even Worse the Closer You Look</strong></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/ron-desantis-embraces-right-wing-plan-to-re-write-u-s-constitution/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Ron DeSantis Embraces Right-Wing Plan to Rewrite U.S. Constitution</strong></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"> </p></div></div><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em;"><div class="tags" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; border-top: 5px solid rgb(239, 243, 243); margin-bottom: 2em; padding-top: 1em;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Tags:</strong> <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/andrew-gillum/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Andrew Gillum</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/betsy-devos/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Betsy DeVos</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/edgar-prince/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Edgar Prince</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/elsa-prince/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Elsa Prince</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/erik-prince/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Erik Prince</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/ron-desantis/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Ron DeSantis</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/election-2018/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Election 2018</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/amway/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Amway</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/department-of-education/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Department of Education</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/family-research-council/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Family Research Council</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/southern-poverty-law-center/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Southern Poverty Law Center</a></p></div></div><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/koch-and-adelson-come-to-the-rescue-of-trump-devotee-ron-desantis-in-florida/">http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/koch-and-adelson-come-to-the-rescue-of-trump-devotee-ron-desantis-in-florida/</a></p><div class="mce-content-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> </span><a href="https://readsludge.com/2018/10/19/koch-and-adelson-come-to-the-rescue-of-trump-devotee-ron-desantis-in-florida/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Sludge</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">, an investigative money-in-politics website. Visit </span><a href="http://readsludge.com/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">readsludge.com</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"> to subscribe to its weekly newsletter.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Charles Koch, the billionaire CEO of Koch Industries who leads a vast, conservative political network, has made a habit of pointing out his disagreements with President Donald Trump, but sometimes money speaks louder than words.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b>Despite Republican Ron DeSantis’ fawning praise of Trump, whose trade tariffs and immigration policies have made Koch bristle, Koch’s political network is spending big to help the current congressman</b> and Florida gubernatorial candidate edge out Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum. The progressive policies championed by Gillum would surely increase environmental regulations and government spending, two initiatives that Koch and his network of wealthy rightwing donors viciously oppose.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam—the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/summ.php?cycle=2018&disp=D&type=V&superonly=N" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">biggest donors</a> to outside political spending groups of the 2018 election cycle—have put up big bucks to assist DeSantis as well.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">A Sludge analysis of state campaign finance data shows that these two GOP royal families have poured millions of dollars into this tight gubernatorial contest. In addition to direct contributions to DeSantis’ political committees from Koch Industries and the Adelsons, three independent spending groups financed by Koch and his donor network have spent millions of dollars backing DeSantis.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Koch Industries, which operates a global oil, chemicals and materials conglomerate, has several <a href="https://www.kochind.com/locations/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">facilities</a> in Florida, including for its paper company, Georgia-Pacific, and its synthetic materials business, Molex. Georgia-Pacific has been fined for dozens of environmental and workplace safety/health violations, as recently as 2017, and Molex was cited in 2012 for workplace safety/health violations, according to <a href="https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/prog.php?parent=koch-industries&order=pen_year&sort=desc" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Good Jobs First</a>. Overall, Koch Industries has had to pay $737 million for federal and state violations.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In the early 2000s, according to American Bridge, Koch Industries used the Koch political network’s ties to then-Gov. Jeb Bush to <a href="http://bridgeproject.com/research/koch-impacts-florida/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">loosen environmental regulations</a> just as Koch Industries purchased Georgia-Pacific, which operates waste pipelines that run through Florida and may have contributed to algae blooms in state rivers.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b>Gillum is running to “<a href="https://andrewgillum.com/issue/environment/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">transition Florida to clean energy</a> as rapidly as possible” and to crack down on “corporate polluters,” goals that would hurt Koch Industries’ bottom line.</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">For the Adelsons, uncritical support for Israel and its current government is their top issue, and DeSantis has been a leading booster of the Trump brand of Middle East diplomacy. Absent any proof, DeSantis has called Gillum an anti-Semite.<b> DeSantis recently claimed that if elected, he would be the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article220017410.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">most pro-Israel governor</a> in the country.</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">The Koch Groups</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">DeSantis is about as pro-Trump as you can get. His campaign’s first <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BYgM7yWgkY" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">election ad</a> this year featured DeSantis, a self-proclaimed “pitbull Trump defender,” teaching his daughter to “build that wall” and to say, “Make America Great Again.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">In January 2016 <a href="https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/01/31/koch-freedom-partners/79618442/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">DeSantis attended</a> the Koch network’s invitation-only donor summit at a luxury resort in Indian Wells, Calif.. At these semi-annual gatherings, Koch and other rightwing billionaires and multi-millionaires get together to talk political spending strategy. Operatives invite various Republican candidates to audition before the donors of the Koch network.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It appears DeSantis passed the test, and even <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/29/florida-governors-race-billionaire-donors-gop-ron-desantis-319622" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">played golf</a> with Koch at another donor summit in Colorado in June 2017.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">A few months later, <b>Americans for Prosperity’s</b> Florida branch featured DeSantis at <a href="https://americansforprosperity.org/afp-florida-host-un-rig-economy-summer-series-congressman-ron-desantis-discuss-efforts-push-comprehensive-tax-reform/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">three events</a> concerning tax cut legislation, which Congress passed in December to the Koch network’s delight.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">In July 2018<b>, Koch network super PAC Freedom Partners Action Fund (FPAF) </b><a href="https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2018/07/11/desantis-wins-formal-koch-backing-as-momentum-continues-to-shift-504166" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">endorsed</a> DeSantis, giving him a big boost in the Republican primary where polls had him behind the frontrunner. Since then, FPAF, which is linked to Koch’s trade group and “central bank” of the Koch political network, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, has spent $323,000 on mailers and digital ads supporting DeSantis.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">FPAF recently released information on its 2018 third-quarter federal donors, including Charles Koch ($3 million) and Koch network donors Dick DeVos ($1 million) and Darwin Deason ($1 million), but its list of donors submitted to the Florida Division of Elections is extremely thin, amounting to only $25,000.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Another Koch super PAC popped up in September, this time tied to the Koch-backed social welfare nonprofit Americans for Prosperity.<b> <a href="https://readsludge.com/2018/10/10/koch-brothers-new-super-pac-spends-4-million-on-midterms-without-disclosing-donors/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Americans for Prosperity Action</a></b>, <a href="http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00687103/1270769/sa/ALL" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">funded</a> by FPAF ($5 million) and individuals such as<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Mountaire Corporation CEO Ronnie Cameron ($1 million) and private equity executive Wayne Laufer ($500,00), announced a <a href="http://floridapolitics.com/archives/276411-americans-for-prosperity-action-hits-extreme-andrew-gillum-in-new-ad-buy" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">digital ad and mailer campaign</a> attacking Gillum, </span>but no AFP Action documents appear on the Florida Division of Elections website. An AFP Action spokesperson told Sludge that the organization has spent $316,000 in the governor’s race. The committee had filed its registration papers weeks ago and that the Division of Elections was wrapping up the application process on Oct. 18.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Republican Governors Association</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Both the Adelsons and Koch Industries have bankrolled the Republican Governors Association, a 527 political committee that spends on gubernatorial races around the country, this cycle. The Adelsons combined to donate $4 million to the RGA, while Koch Industries added $1 million, according to the group’s <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5004957-Republican-Governors-Association-2018-Q3.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">latest IRS filing</a>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The RGA created a Florida-based spending group, Florida Facts, and has donated $7.4 million to it so far. Florida Facts has spent nearly all of that total on <a href="https://www.rga.org/rga-launches-first-tv-ad-florida-governors-race-far/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">TV ads</a> attacking Gillum, including one that portrays him as a “radical, far-left” candidate and depicts him as an alien planet.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">DeSantis PACs</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Sheldon and Miriam Adelson donated $6,000 directly to the DeSantis campaign, but gave far more to an affiliated political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, which can accept unlimited amounts of money. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Giving to Friends of Ron DeSantis are GOP megadonors who make up his campaign’s formidable <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000160-9f41-dcd4-a96b-bf6915390000" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Finance Leadership Team</a>, including the Adelsons, who gave half a million dollars. Also on the team are current and former Koch network donors such as Foster Freiss ($10,000), Wayne Laufer ($75,000), Rebekah Mercer ($25,000) and Richard Uihlein ($500,000). The family of Education Sec. <b>Betsy DeVos</b> gave <a href="https://friendsofrondesantis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/fordcont1013.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">$200,000</a>, including $50,000 from her husband, Dick. Koch network donor John Childs, a private equity executive, donated $600,000, and Ronnie Cameron gave $100,000. The Republican Governors Association also gave $1 million to the PAC.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Friends of Ron DeSantis also took in nearly $2.5 million from another committee, Fund for Florida’s Future, which is financed by several Koch network donors, including members of the Texas fracking billionaire <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Darwin Deason ($25,000) and his son, Doug ($10,000)—who are also on the leadership team—Laufer ($25,000) and Uihlein ($250,000), as well as other big donors, such as Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus ($250,000).</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b>Gillum wants to <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/09/18/andrew-gillum-and-ron-desantis-clash-over-education/1344831002/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">end Florida’s school voucher program</a>, </b>which offers public scholarships for students to attend private and often religious schools. DeVos and her family are huge proponents of school vouchers, as well as school choice, and DeSantis’ proposal to expand “school choice” would certainly appeal to them.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">DeSantis was able to transfer funds from his U.S. House campaign and his federal leadership PAC to Friends of Ron DeSantis. Koch Industries’ PAC donated <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?two_year_transaction_period=2018&data_type=processed&committee_id=C00511568&contributor_name=koch&min_date=01%2F01%2F2017&max_date=10%2F17%2F2018" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">$5,000</a> to DeSantis’ House campaign, which has transferred $1.1 million to Friends of Ron DeSantis. <b>KochPAC </b>also gave <a href="http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?201801299090679961" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">$5,000</a> to DeSantis’ leadership PAC, First Principles Fund, which later transferred $50,000 to Friends of Ron DeSantis.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">Gillum has a billionaire benefactor, too. Liberal hedge fund manager Tom Steyer kicked in <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/17/politics/steyer-donation-andrew-gillum/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">$2 million</a> to Gillum’s Forward Florida PAC, and his NextGen America political nonprofit will reportedly spend $5 million to help Gillum’s bid for governor.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">So far DeSantis’ campaign committee has raised roughly $12.3 million and spent close to $6.6 million, while Gillum’s campaign has received $13.4 million and spent roughly $9.6 million. But Friends of Ron DeSantis has gotten nearly $32 million in donations and spent almost all of that amount. Gillum’s Forward Florida has raised roughly $19.3 million since its inception in 2016 and has spent $16.6 million.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Additional Koch Ties</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">At least one member of DeSantis’ campaign team has worked for Koch-funded initiatives in the past. Communications strategist Sarah Bascom <a href="https://rondesantis.com/desantis-campaign-continues-to-grow-campaign-team/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">joined</a> DeSantis’ campaign communications team in late September. In 2016, <a href="https://www.energyandpolicy.org/sarah-bascom/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Bascom</a> was the spokesperson for an anti-solar energy ballot measure campaign in Florida that was partially <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/03/07/florida-rooftop-solar-advocates-challenge-deceptive-anti-solar-campaign-court" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">bankrolled</a> by the Koch-backed political group 60 Plus Association.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;">The DeSantis and Gillum campaigns did not return requests for comment.</p></div></div><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em;"><div class="tags" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; border-top: 5px solid rgb(239, 243, 243); margin-bottom: 2em; padding-top: 1em;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear;">Tags:</strong> <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/andrew-gillum/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Andrew Gillum</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/bernie-marcus/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Bernie Marcus</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/betsy-devos/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Betsy DeVos</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/charles-koch/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Charles koch</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/darwin-deason/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Darwin Deason</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/dick-devos/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Dick DeVos</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/foster-freiss/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Foster Freiss</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/jeb-bush/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Jeb Bush</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/john-childs/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">John Childs</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/miriam-adelson/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Miriam Adelson</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/rebekah-mercer/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Rebekah Mercer</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/richard-uihlein/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Richard Uihlein</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/ron-desantis/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Ron DeSantis</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/ronnie-cameron/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Ronnie Cameron</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/sheldon-adelson/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Sheldon Adelson</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/wayne-laufer/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Wayne Laufer</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/americans-for-prosperity/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Americans for Prosperity</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/americans-for-prosperity-action/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Americans for Prosperity Action</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/first-principles-fund/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">First Principles Fund</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/florida-facts/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Florida Facts</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/freedom-partners-action-fund/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Freedom Partners Action Fund</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/friends-of-ron-desantis/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Friends of Ron DeSantis</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/fund-for-floridas-future/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Fund for Florida's Future</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/georgia-pacific/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Georgia Pacific</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/koch-industries/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Koch Industries</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/republican-governors-association/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Republican Governors Association</a><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/republican-party/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform, -webkit-transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Republican Party</a></p></div></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">=</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18102018/florida-governor-election-gillum-desantis-environment-hurricane-toxic-algae-young-voters">https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18102018/florida-governor-election-gillum-desantis-environment-hurricane-toxic-algae-young-voters</a></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">=</p><p style=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/hurricane-michael-downgraded-to-category-3-officials-warn-of-life-threatening-storm-surge" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Hurricane Michael</a> bears down on the Florida Panhandle, destroying structures and turning roads into rivers, politics is likely the last thing on most of the affected population's minds. But GOP gubernatorial candidate Rep. Ron DeSantis and the state Republican Party kept blasting negative ads over the airwaves anyway.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">Florida Republicans are still airing two ads in the hurricane strike zone, both of which attack Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for governor. Making it even crasser, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAA4fotHcoU&feature=youtu.be&cs-from=79858357-4cb7-4455-ba2f-0784c51a4392" style="text-decoration-line: none;">both</a> of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICIeixyV_Cw&feature=youtu.be&cs-from=79858357-4cb7-4455-ba2f-0784c51a4392" style="text-decoration-line: none;">ads</a> proclaim Gillum "unfit to lead" because of the way he handled the aftermath of another hurricane.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">According to <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/10/negative-ads-florida-hurricane-889482" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Marc Caputo</a> of <em>Politico</em>, "It had once been considered taboo in Florida to run negative campaign attack ads as a hurricane batters the state. But no more."</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">Attack ads against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott, who are battling each other in a close race for Senate, also <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/10/negative-ads-florida-hurricane-889482" style="text-decoration-line: none;">continued to air</a> in the strike zone. However, these ads were released by independent super PACs that do not, legally, coordinate with candidates. The anti-Gillum ads were approved by the DeSantis campaign and the state party.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">Facing criticism over their decision to still be broadcasting attack ads into the homes of people in mortal danger, the Florida Republican Party eventually backed down and agreed to suspend the ads.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">Gillum, whose city lies in the path of the hurricane, has spent his time looking after his constituents and coordinating with Scott:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en" style=""><p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;" xmlns:xml="xml">On the phone with <a href="https://twitter.com/FLGovScott?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="text-decoration-line: none;">@FLGovScott</a> providing updates and continuing open lines of communication regarding <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MichaelTLH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="text-decoration-line: none;">#MichaelTLH</a><a href="https://t.co/hKSZGz4s7V" style="text-decoration-line: none;">pic.twitter.com/hKSZGz4s7V</a></p>— Office of the Mayor (@MayorOfTLH) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorOfTLH/status/1050099474801090562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="text-decoration-line: none;">October 10, 2018</a></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">However, Gillum also had some critical words for the partisan politics of the situation on MSNBC.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">"We can't recall a time where candidates for statewide office have not pulled down negative ads during hurricane season," he said. "You've got a whole region of our state, where folks are fleeing for their lives, anticipating what is a life-threatening event impacting this state. I again would encourage my opponent to just subside with the politics. We'll have plenty enough room — beyond this storm — to compete between our ideas. What we need now is for the state to come together to reduce our partisanship and to focus on this important storm impacting our state."</p><p style=""></p><p style="">https://www.alternet.org/election-03918/ron-desantis-steven-alembik-racism-barack-obama</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"> Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor of Florida, is once again forced to respond to a racial controversy, this time surrounding the actions of campaign benefactor Steve Alembik.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">Two weeks ago, Alembik, a prominent Boca Raton communications executive and supporter of President Donald Trump who has <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/world/others-fled-trump-mar-lago-this-group-wanted/Y3OcpZsPN6bkw2PpNyWhHI/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">organized events</a> at Mar-a-Lago, and who has given over $20,000 to DeSantis, threw a fit on Twitter and called former President Barack Obama the N-word.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" style=""><p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;" xmlns:xml="xml">Steven Alembik said he's not a racist, that he grew up in the 50s and guys just talked like this. But here he acknowledges he spoke in anger. He initially didn't want to delete the tweet, but realized he should <a href="https://t.co/nqgR9IkuGa" style="text-decoration-line: none;">pic.twitter.com/nqgR9IkuGa</a></p><div style="margin-bottom: 20px;">— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcACaputo/status/1042712327295066112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="text-decoration-line: none;">September 20, 2018</a></div></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">In <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/20/ron-desantis-florida-racial-issues-830726" style="text-decoration-line: none;">conversation</a> with Politico, Alembik denied being a racist, complaining that it is just the way people talked when he was a kid and that black people can still say it. "So somebody like Chris Rock can get up onstage and use the word and there’s no problem? But some white guy says it and he’s a racist? Really?"</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">On Wednesday, DeSantis initially tried to wave away any responsibility to comment, telling reporters, "We're not playing this game of any single person who says something on social media or does this or that, I can't do that." Later, however, his spokesman Stephen Lawson said, "We've said it before, we'll say it again: we adamantly denounce this sort of disgusting rhetoric."</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">The campaign has also noted that the Friends of Ron DeSantis political committee returned $11,000 in political contributions. However, Alembik says that he himself asked for the refund because he had used the wrong bank account — and the campaign appears to be keeping another $2,000 in contributions from this year.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">The list of racial controversies DeSantis has had to respond to has grown rapidly.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">Immediately after winning the nomination in August, he drew outrage for saying Florida should not "<a href="https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/republican-candidate-ron-desantis-warns-florida-voters-not-monkey-electing-black" style="text-decoration-line: none;">monkey this up</a>" by electing Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum, the first African-American major party nominee for governor in Florida history. Soon after, he was outed as an administrator of a <a href="https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/08/31/ron-desantis-leaves-racist-facebook-group-says-unknowingly-member/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">racist conspiracy theory group</a> on Facebook, which he promptly withdrew from, and faced questions over his speeches at events hosted by <a href="https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/ron-desantis-david-horowitz-race-war" style="text-decoration-line: none;">anti-immigrant extremists</a> and <a href="https://www.alternet.org/election-03918/ron-desantis-act-america-refugees-speech" style="text-decoration-line: none;">hate groups</a>.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">There is only so much racism that can happen around a candidate without the candidate bearing some responsibility for the company he keeps.</p><p style=""></p><p style="">update?</p><p style="">
</p><p style=""><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/ron-desantis-appearances-at-horowitz-events-even-worse-the-closer-you-look/">http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/ron-desantis-appearances-at-horowitz-events-even-worse-the-closer-you-look/</a></p><p style="">=</p><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/ron-desantis-david-horowitz-race-war">https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/ron-desantis-david-horowitz-race-war</a></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"> Sunday, the <em>Washington Post</em> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/gop-candidate-for-fla-governor-spoke-at-racially-charged-events/2018/09/09/c6d3a63c-b114-11e8-a810-4d6b627c3d5d_story.html?utm_term=.09353b58f290" style="text-decoration-line: none;">detailed</a> <b>Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Rep. Ron DeSantis' ties to an extremist group founded by far-right activist David Horowitz</b>.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">According to the <em>Post</em>, DeSantis was a speaker in at least <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">four "Restoration Weekend" conferences hosted by the David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC) in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017 in Palm Beach, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">At the 2015 engagement in Charleston, DeSantis <a href="https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ron-desantis-spoke-at-event-with-racist-sexist-talks" style="text-decoration-line: none;">said</a>, "I just want to say what an honor it’s been to be here to speak ... David has done such great work and I’ve been an admirer. I’ve been to these conferences in the past but<b> I’ve been a big admirer of an organization that shoots straight, tells the American people the truth and is standing up for the right thing."</b></p><div style="margin-bottom: 20px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">At the DHFC events, DeSantis appeared alongside such figures as Milo Yiannopoulos, the former Breitbart writer who called feminism "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/27/milo-yiannopoulos-has-huge-support-in-australia-men-must-call-him-out" style="text-decoration-line: none;">cancer</a>" and <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oJhHwspZGcg" style="text-decoration-line: none;">defended statutory rape</a>; James Damore, the author of the "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/11/discriminate-conservatives-james-damore-suing-google-intolerance" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Google memo</a>" that called women genetically inferior at computing jobs; and Charlie Kirk, the president of Turning Point USA, a far-right youth group that is engineering <a href="https://psmag.com/education/the-right-wing-plot-to-take-over-student-governments" style="text-decoration-line: none;">takeovers of student elections</a> on college campuses.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">Horowitz himself, once a prominent member of the New Left movement in the 1960s, has gone on to preach an <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/david-horowitz" style="text-decoration-line: none;">ideology of hate</a> against immigrants, Muslims, and people of color. He has said the Palestinian people are <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/263450/its-time-designate-black-lives-matter-terrorist-frontpage-editors" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Nazis</a>, compared Black Lives Matter to the <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/263450/its-time-designate-black-lives-matter-terrorist-frontpage-editors" style="text-decoration-line: none;">KKK and al-Qaeda</a>, <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/david-horowitz-knows-obama-is-a-muslim-because-he-hates-america-so-much/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">claimed</a> former President Barack Obama was "inviting the terrorists to behead more Americans," said that blacks "<a href="https://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=24317" style="text-decoration-line: none;">would still be slaves</a>" if not for "the sacrifices of white soldiers," and argued that the "<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-spoke-event-hosted-white-race-war-theorist-1113110" style="text-decoration-line: none;">real race war</a>" in America is against white people.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><b>According to the <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/david-horowitz" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Southern Poverty Law Center</a>, Horowitz has also used his online periodical, <em>FrontPage Mag</em>, to promote material from <em>American Renaissance</em>,</b> a white supremacist publication, arguing that its founder Jared Taylor is "no more racist ... than Jesse Jackson and the NAACP."</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">DeSantis, a <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/ron-desantis-trump-ad-704926/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">devoted supporter</a> of President Donald Trump, has spent the last few weeks facing controversy for his statement that Florida should not "<a href="https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/republican-candidate-ron-desantis-warns-florida-voters-not-monkey-electing-black" style="text-decoration-line: none;">monkey this up</a>" by electing Andrew Gillum, his Democratic opponent and the first African-American major party nominee for governor of Florida.<b> He was also discovered to be the administrator of a <a href="https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/08/31/ron-desantis-leaves-racist-facebook-group-says-unknowingly-member/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">racist Facebook group</a>, which he claims he was added to without his knowledge.</b></p><p style="">
</p><p style="">-</p><p style=""><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">fla hit squad on mueller, links to guccifer?!</span></p><p style="">=</p><p style="">Conservative group Citizens United gave at least $13,500 to four of the dissidents in the third quarter of this year -- $5,000 apiece to Amash and DeSantis on Sept. 30 and $2,400 to Rep. <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00030752&cycle=2014">Jeff Duncan</a> (R-S.C.) on Sept. 24 -- the day Duncan <a target="blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/RepJeffDuncan/posts/654961637854925">publicly cheered</a> Cruz's quasi-filibuster attempt to stop the Senate from considering a budget bill that didn't defund the Affordable Care Act. The group also gave $1,000 to Gohmert on July 3. </p><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/here-are-5-most-disturbing-facts-about-florida-republican-ron-desantis">https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/here-are-5-most-disturbing-facts-about-florida-republican-ron-desantis</a></p><p style="">
</p><p style="">In Florida’s August 28 gubernatorial primaries, Democrats and Republicans both went with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/us/politics/florida-arizona-election-results.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">non-establishment candidates</a>. Democrats, in a major upset, <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/as-governor-could-andrew-gillum-set-floridas-cities-free/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">nominated Andrew Gillum</a>, the left-of-center mayor of Tallahassee and an ally of Sen. Bernie Sanders (who campaigned for him) over centrist establishment pick Gwen Graham (daughter of former Florida Gov. Bob Graham). Meanwhile, on the Republican side, the nominee was <b>Rep. Ron DeSantis, a Tea Party favorite, member of the House Freedom Caucus and far-right supporter of President Donald Trump (who has endorsed DeSantis). </b>The Florida gubernatorial race could become a referendum on Sanders’ ideas versus Trump’s ideas, and DeSantis is way beyond conservative—he is extreme.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><b>Here are five of the most disturbing things about DeSantis.</b></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><strong>1. DeSantis Spoke at David <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Horowitz’ Anti-Islam Restoration Weekend</span></strong></p><div style="margin-bottom: 20px;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">Rhetorically, some neocons draw a distinction between radical Islam and non-radical Islam; President George W. Bush denounced al-Qaeda as terrorists who “<a href="https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/ramadan/islam.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">hijacked a great religion</a>.” But David Horowitz (who runs FrontPage Magazine) considers the entire religion inherently violent, terroristic, anti-Semitic and anti-Christian—and many establishment Republicans have shied away from his annual event Restoration Weekend, which has<b> attracted the wingnut likes of Islamophobe Pamela Gellar and Milo Yiannopoulos (formerly senior editor at Breitbart News</b>). But DeSantis had no problem speaking at the event, where he carried on about “radical Islamic terror,” encouraged a more aggressive policy against Iran and swore to protect “<a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/ron-desantis-spoke-next-to-bannon-yiannopoulos-in-2017-10252326" style="text-decoration-line: none;">western civilization</a>”—which, among white nationalists, is code for “white civilization.”</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><strong>2. DeSantis Moderated Racist Alt-Right Facebook Group</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">One can tell a lot about politicians by the company they keep, and DeSantis’ company has not only included Horowitz’ Restoration Weekend, but also, <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">an <a href="https://splinternews.com/ron-desantis-moderated-a-facebook-group-full-of-racists-1828704293" style="text-decoration-line: none;">alt-right Facebook group</a> that calls itself Tea Party, has about 97,000 members and has also been full of racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Islam comments. The Facebook group, which DeSantis has moderated, is not establishment Republican by any means—and its other administrators have ranged from Corey Stewart (the Virginia senatorial candidate who has been praising Confederate Army figures like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson) to <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/07/06/arizona-senate-candidate-kelli-ward-and-her-husband-are-admins-racist-conspiracy-facebook-group/220608" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Kelli Ward</a> (who lost to establishment pick Martha McSally in Arizona’s recent GOP senatorial primary). The late Arizona Sen. John McCain was often called a RINO (Republican In Name Only) in that group, and in a 2016 post, far-right activist Michael Ward (Kelli Ward’s husband) claimed that McCain was a “strong supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><strong>3. DeSantis Hopes to Throw 1.7 Million Floridians of[f] Health Care</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">In Florida, more than <a href="https://www.wlrn.org/post/putnam-desantis-campaign-against-obamacare" style="text-decoration-line: none;">1.7 million people</a> obtained health insurance for 2018 via the federal exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act of 2010, a.k.a. Obamacare—and DeSantis would like to take health insurance away from every single one of them. As a member of the Freedom Caucus, DeSantis has stressed that he doesn’t consider health care a right, pushed for total repeal of the ACA and taken the position that if the poor cannot afford health care, that’s their problem.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><strong>4. DeSantis Thinks Even Paul Ryan Is Too Immigrant-Friendly</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">After Gillum won Florida’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination, DeSantis asserted that Floridians shouldn’t “monkey this up” by electing him in November. DeSantis’ campaign has denied that the comment was a <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/ron-desantis-gets-slammed-for-telling-voters-not-to-monkey-it-up-and-vote-for-his-black-gubernatorial-opponent-in-florida-2018-08-29" style="text-decoration-line: none;">racist dog whistle</a>, asserting that by “monkey this up,” he meant screw this up or mess this up. But DeSantis has a long history of associating with white nationalists, whether it’s Restoration Weekend or the Tea Party Facebook group that Stewart and Kelli Ward have been involved in. And DeSantis is such an <a href="https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180618/immigration-hardliner-ron-desantis-id-keep-family-together" style="text-decoration-line: none;">anti-immigrant hardliner</a> that he has even accused House Speaker Paul Ryan and Adam Putnam (who he defeated in Florida’s GOP gubernatorial primary) of being soft on illegal immigration. When Ryan was crafting an immigration bill in June, DeSantis declared, “I am negative towards Ryan’s bill. I think it’s a really big amnesty.”</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><strong>5. DeSantis Is an Unapologetic Theocrat</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">To DeSantis, there should be no separation of church and state. He is on very friendly terms with the Christian Right, favors restricting abortion as much as he possibly can in Florida and has supported <a href="https://www.ontheissues.org/FL/Ron_DeSantis_Civil_Rights.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;">anti-gay measures</a> such as the so-called First Amendment Defense Act (which was sponsored by Mike Lee in the Senate and Raul Labrador in the House of Representatives).</font></p><p style=""></p><p style="">fla hit squad</p><p style="">https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/28/mueller-investigation-republicans-russia-242108</p><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" line-height="line-height" em="em" font-size="font-size" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 344.859px 1em 0px;"><b>. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) is pushing an amendment to severely curtail special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.</b></p><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" line-height="line-height" em="em" font-size="font-size" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 344.859px 1em 0px;">DeSantis has put forward <span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.25s; transition-property: all;">a provision that would halt funding for Mueller’s probe six months after the amendment’s passage. It also would prohibit Mueller from investigating matters that occurred before June 2015, when Trump launched his presidential campaign. The amendment is one of hundreds filed to a government spending package the House is expected to consider when it returns next week from the August recess. The provision is not guaranteed a vote on the House floor; the House Rules Committee has wide leeway to discard amendments it considers out of order. In a statement, DeSantis said the order appointing Mueller as special counsel "didn't identify a crime to be investigated and practically invites a fishing expedition."</span></p><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" line-height="line-height" em="em" font-size="font-size" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 344.859px 1em 0px;">"Congress should use its spending power to clarify the scope and limit the duration of this investigation," he explained. Deputy Attorney General Rod "Rosenstein has said that the DOJ doesn't conduct fishing expeditions; the corollary to this admonition should be that Congress will not fund a fishing expedition."</p><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" line-height="line-height" em="em" font-size="font-size" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 344.859px 1em 0px;">Several House Democrats are pushing amendments to protect the Mueller probe.</p><p times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" line-height="line-height" em="em" font-size="font-size" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 344.859px 1em 0px;">For instance,<b style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </b>Rep. Nita Lowey of New York, ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, proposed a measure to prohibit the Justice Department from obstructing Mueller’s work.</p><div style="">=</div><div style=""><b>Investigative reporter Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News dropped a <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mueller-probe-outgrows-witch-hunt-phase-100045988.html&source=gmail&ust=1514530040235000&usg=AFQjCNFFAUeXwf1jwOvPDnusMlYE96eyDw" href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mueller-probe-outgrows-witch-hunt-phase-100045988.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none;">small bombshell</a> this quiet holiday week that hasn't really exploded yet but might just explain the GOP's recent full-court press to discredit the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller's team. Rep. Francis Rooney, a Florida Republican, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/27/politics/francis-rooney-fbi-russia-cnntv/index.html&source=gmail&ust=1514530040235000&usg=AFQjCNHDxTmT5QlRwe0CU2NtJMQHZ9dnDA" href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/27/politics/francis-rooney-fbi-russia-cnntv/index.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none;">explained:</a></b></div><blockquote style=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">I would like to see the directors of those agencies [the DOJ and FBI] purge it and say, "Look, we’ve got a lot of great agents, a lot of great lawyers here." Those are the people to see and know the good work’s being done, not these people who are kind of the deep state.</p></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><b>On Wednesday,<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Rep. Ron DeSantis, another Florida Republican, went on "Fox & Friends</span>" and backed up his colleague's sentiments, saying, </b>"You look at a guy like Peter Strzok [the FBI agent demoted for sending derogatory texts about many politicians including Trump]. If he’s gonna say that it’s his job as an FBI to prevent a certain candidate from getting elected. ... Anyone who turns up in that situation, I think they should get another line of work.”</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">For what it's worth, Strzok is a counterintelligence agent who appeared concerned that the "certain candidate" might be acting as an agent of a foreign adversary, which was important information the nation didn't have before the election. In any case, from what we can gather, these Republican congressmen identify nefarious "deep state" actors as those who cannot swear that they are not now and have never been a... Democrat.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">As one can imagine, the use of the word "purge" brought forth some rather unfortunate historical images. We haven't seen evidence that they plan the usual accompanying show trials, but give them time. Republicans in Congress are working feverishly to prepare hearings on the Hillary Clinton "Russian uranium email treason" hearings so there's a chance we'll see some kind of facsimile before 2018.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">The hysteria that's now raging seems a bit of an outsized reaction for this particular phase of the scandal, especially considering that Mueller actually did remove the offending "deep-staters." Isikoff may have come across a different motivation than simple loyalty to President Trump. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mueller-probe-outgrows-witch-hunt-phase-100045988.html&source=gmail&ust=1514530040235000&usg=AFQjCNFFAUeXwf1jwOvPDnusMlYE96eyDw" href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mueller-probe-outgrows-witch-hunt-phase-100045988.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">He wrote:</a></p><blockquote style=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In just the last few weeks, his prosecutors have begun questioning Republican National Committee staffers about the party digital operation that worked with the Trump campaign to target voters in key swing states. They are seeking to determine if the joint effort was related to the activities of Russian trolls and bots aimed at influencing the American electorate, according to two of the sources.</font></p></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">It would not be surprising if certain Republicans were to become a bit nervous when the investigation into Russian interference turned in that particular direction. It's flown under the radar since the election, but the <b>fact is that it wasn't only the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta's email accounts that were hacked. The intelligence community identified the same group of Russian-affiliated hackers as behind the hacking of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.</b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">I've been <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.salon.com/2017/03/03/how-much-did-russian-hacking-affect-congressional-races-and-how-deeply-was-the-gop-involved/&source=gmail&ust=1514530040235000&usg=AFQjCNEjVYdm6PuM8Z8L5wLg7jlZ5cUJtg" href="https://www.salon.com/2017/03/03/how-much-did-russian-hacking-affect-congressional-races-and-how-deeply-was-the-gop-involved/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">intrigued by this aspect </a>of the Russian hacking story since the New York Times published an early report about it back in November of 2016. Recall that at first the hacker known as Guccifer 2.0 released personal information that was used to intimidate Democratic candidates, but then he/she/they suddenly became more sophisticated and targeted, dumping valuable tactical information:</p><blockquote style=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><b>The seats that Guccifer 2.0 targeted in the document dumps were hardly random: They were some of the most competitive House races in the country.</b></p></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">People have wondered ever since if the hacker(s) might have gotten some expert assistance.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Perhaps it's a coincidence that so much of the information in question was republished on a website called HelloFLA by <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=//www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-reg-russia-hacker-guccifer-connection-20170525-story.html&source=gmail&ust=1514530040235000&usg=AFQjCNGfRjLvcG6B93MUO5pSMJYDj7VbJg" href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-reg-russia-hacker-guccifer-connection-20170525-story.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">a Florida Republican</a> and former congressional staffer named <b>Aaron Nevins, who was connected to Trump associate and longtime political operative Roger Stone.</b> It could be completely random that among the core group of Mueller antagonists, those calling the probe a "coup d'état" and demanding purges of members of the "deep state" are Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who proposed that Mueller's funding be cut off, and the aforementioned Rep. Francis Rooney, who's been all over TV talking about purging the FBI.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">Indeed, as journalist Marcy Wheeler pointed out a while back, one of <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=//www.politico.com/story/2017/08/28/mueller-investigation-republicans-russia-242108&source=gmail&ust=1514530040235000&usg=AFQjCNFVP_ItV7KdO9m3Z_QPA_ZUH2FkDg" href="https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/28/mueller-investigation-republicans-russia-242108" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">the ringleaders</a> of the movement to discredit the Department of Justice and Robert Mueller, Rep. DeSantis, <em>directly benefited</em> from Guccifer 2.0’s leak to Nevins after the latter published five documents regarding the DCCC’s recruitment of DeSantis’ Democratic opponent, George Pappas. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-adviser-roger-stone-says-talk-with-online-entity-was-benign-1506433880&source=gmail&ust=1514530040235000&usg=AFQjCNEtNdRoHZrKO2uWsr8ZLAbcLqrtMw" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-adviser-roger-stone-says-talk-with-online-entity-was-benign-1506433880" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">According to The Wall Street Journal</a>, <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Guccifer 2.0 even sent a link with a HelloFLA article directly to Roger Stone, who told reporters he didn’t forward the hacked material to anyone -- the answer to a question nobody asked,</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman">Donald Trump may think their vociferous attacks on Mueller are all about loyalty to him personally. After all, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=//florida%2520reps.%2520matt%2520gaetz%2520and%2520ron%2520desantis%2520hitched%2520a%2520ride%2520on%2520air%2520force%2520one%2520with%2520president%2520trump%2520to%2520pensacola%252C%2520according%2520to%2520the%2520white%2520house./&source=gmail&ust=1514530040235000&usg=AFQjCNFMsbQmS_dIlQ1L3EuH_Xf1oAHXGQ" href="https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2017/12/08/gaetz-desantis-fly-with-trump-to-pensacola/" target="blank" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">this group all flew down to Florida together on Air Force One</a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman"> earlier this month. But these guys have skin in the game now and may very well be caught up in the maw of the Russia investigation themselves.</span>If Mueller's team is looking into the digital operation and Roger Stone's interactions with Guccifer 2.0, as one would expect them to do, then these shenanigans in Florida are also coming into view. That may explain why this little circle of Sunshine State GOP congressmen are so anxious to shut him down.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">They might not be the only ones. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/us/politics/house-democrats-hacking-dccc.html?r=0" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">According to The New York Times</a>, material from the DCCC hack was first used by Miami-area Democrat Joe Garcia, a former congressman, to win a tight primary race. Then "the National Republican Campaign Committee and a second Republican group with ties to the House speaker, Paul Ryan, turned to the hacked material" to undermine Garcia and re-elect Rep. Carlos <b>Curbelo, </b>the Republican incumbent.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">It should be noted that there were some candidates who refused to use the hacked material against their opponents. This gang of Florida Republicans who are now so loudly attacking the FBI for its supposedly unethical behavior were not among them. As we all know, neither was Donald "I love WikiLeaks" Trump.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;">digby</p><div style=""></div><p style=""></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/robert-mercer">https://www.desmogblog.com/robert-<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">mercer</span></a> 5400$</p><p style=""></p><p style="">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><b>Ronald Dion "Ron" DeSantis</b> (born September 14, 1978) is an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">American</a> politician who has been the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="United States House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Representative</a> for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida%27s_6th_congressional_district" title="Florida's 6th congressional district" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Florida's 6th congressional district</a> since 2013. A member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party(United_States)" title="Republican Party (United States)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Republican Party</a>, he ran in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Florida,2016" title="United States Senate election in Florida, 2016" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Florida's 2016 U.S. Senate election</a>; however, DeSantis withdrew from the race following incumbent Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio" title="Marco Rubio" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Marco Rubio</a>'s announcement that he would seek reelection to the Senate, reversing his initial pledge not to run, on June 22, 2016.<sup id="cite_ref-DeSantisRuns_1-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-DeSantisRuns-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-DeSantisRunsTwo_2-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-DeSantisRunsTwo-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup>After Rubio's decision to re-enter the U.S. Senate race, DeSantis opted to run for re-election to his U.S. House seat in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida%27s_6th_congressional_district" title="Florida's 6th congressional district" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Florida's 6th congressional district</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;" /><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1;"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: 0px; display: inline; line-height: 1.3;">Contents</h2> <span class="toctoggle" style="user-select: none;"> [<a role="button" tabindex="0" id="togglelink" style="background: none; cursor: pointer;">hide</a>] </span></div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Early_life_and_education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Early life and education</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Military_service" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Military service</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Writing_and_teaching" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Writing and teaching</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#U.S.House_of_Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">U.S. House of Representatives</span></a><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#2012_election" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">2012 election</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Committee_assignments" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Committee assignments</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Legislation" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4.3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Legislation</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#2016_U.S.Senate_candidacy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">2016 U.S. Senate candidacy</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Policy_positions" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Policy positions</span></a><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#National_security" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">National security</span></a><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Iran" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.1.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Iran</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Cuba" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.1.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Cuba</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Israel" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.1.3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Israel</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-14" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Islamic_terrorism" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.1.4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Islamic terrorism</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-15" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Veterans_affairs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Veterans affairs</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-16" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Healthcare" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Healthcare</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-17" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Immigration" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Immigration</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-18" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Size_and_scope_of_government" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Size and scope of government</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-19" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Economic_issues" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.6</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Economic issues</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-20" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Social_issues" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.7</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Social issues</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-21" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Second_Amendment" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.8</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Second Amendment</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-22" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.9</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Education</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-23" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#Personal_life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">7</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Personal life</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-24" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#References" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">8</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">References</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-25" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#External_links" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">9</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">External links</span></a></li></ul></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;" /><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life_and_education">Early life and education</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early life and education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">Ron DeSantis was born in 1978 in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksonville,Florida" title="Jacksonville, Florida" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Jacksonville, Florida</a>. In 1991 he was a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_League" class="mw-redirect" title="Little League" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Little League</a> team from Dunedin National that made it to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_League_World_Series" title="Little League World Series" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Little League World Series</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsport,Pennsylvania" title="Williamsport, Pennsylvania" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Williamsport, Pennsylvania</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[5]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">He graduated from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunedin_High_School" title="Dunedin High School" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Dunedin High School</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunedin,Florida" title="Dunedin, Florida" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Dunedin</a> in 1997. He pursued his higher education at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_University" title="Yale University" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Yale University</a>, where he was captain of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_baseball_team" class="mw-redirect" title="Yale baseball team" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">varsity baseball team</a> in his senior year. He was also a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi" title="Phi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Phi</a> chapter of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Kappa_Epsilon" title="Delta Kappa Epsilon" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Delta Kappa Epsilon</a> at Yale University, the same fraternity as five former U.S. Presidents including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">George W. Bush</a>. He graduated <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_cum_laude" class="mw-redirect" title="Magna cum laude" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">magna cum laude</a> with a B.A. in History in 2001. He earned a J.D. from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Law_School" title="Harvard Law School" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Harvard Law School</a> cum laude in 2005.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[6]</a></sup></p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Military_service">Military service</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Military service" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis was sworn into the Judge Advocate General Corps of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.Navy" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Navy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">U.S. Navy</a> at the U.S. Naval Reserve Center in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas,Texas" class="mw-redirect" title="Dallas, Texas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Dallas, Texas</a>, in 2004 while still a student at Harvard Law School, completing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Justice_School" title="Naval Justice School" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">U.S. Naval Justice School</a> in 2005. Later that year, he received orders from Trial Service Office Command South East at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Station_Mayport" title="Naval Station Mayport" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Naval Station Mayport</a>, Florida, as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_justice" title="Military justice" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">military prosecutor</a>. In 2006, he was promoted to Lieutenant (O-3). He worked for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Task_Force_Guantanamo" title="Joint Task Force Guantanamo" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Joint Task Force-Guantanamo Commander</a> (JTF-GTMO), working directly with detainees at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detention_camp" title="Guantanamo Bay detention camp" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Guantanamo Bay Joint Detention Facility</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[7]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">In 2007, DeSantis reported to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Special_Warfare_Command" class="mw-redirect" title="Naval Special Warfare Command" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Naval Special Warfare Command Group</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronado,California" title="Coronado, California" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Coronado, California</a>, where he was assigned to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEAL_Team_One" class="mw-redirect" title="SEAL Team One" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">SEAL Team One</a> and deployed to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War_of_2003" class="mw-redirect" title="Iraq War of 2003" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Iraq</a><sup id="cite_ref-farrington_8-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-farrington-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[8]</a></sup>with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_troop_surge" class="mw-redirect" title="Iraq troop surge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">troop surge</a> as the Legal Advisor to the SEAL Commander, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_Task_Force" title="Special Operations Task Force" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Special Operations Task Force-West</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallujah" title="Fallujah" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Fallujah</a>.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">He returned to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONUS" class="mw-redirect" title="CONUS" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">CONUS</a> in April 2008, at which time he was reassigned to the Naval Region Legal Service. He was appointed by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.Department_of_Justice" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Department of Justice" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">U.S. Department of Justice</a> to serve as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_prosecutor" class="mw-redirect" title="Federal prosecutor" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">federal prosecutor</a><sup id="cite_ref-farrington_8-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-farrington-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[8]</a></sup> at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.Attorney_for_the_Middle_District_of_Florida" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida</a>.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis was assigned as a Trial Defense Counsel until his honorable discharge from active duty in February 2010. He concurrently accepted a Reserve commission as a Lieutenant, Judge Advocate General Corps, in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Navy_Reserve" class="mw-redirect" title="US Navy Reserve" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">US Navy Reserve</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-wsj_9-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-wsj-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup> He was awarded the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Star_Medal" title="Bronze Star Medal" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Bronze Star Medal</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Campaign_Medal" title="Iraq Campaign Medal" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Iraq Campaign Medal</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[10]</a></sup></p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Writing_and_teaching">Writing and teaching</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Writing and teaching" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">He authored a book entitled <i>Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama,</i> which was published in 2011.<sup id="cite_ref-wsj_9-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-wsj-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup> He has taught <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Code_of_Military_Justice" title="Uniform Code of Military Justice" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">U.S. Military Law</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Coastal_School_of_Law" title="Florida Coastal School of Law" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Florida Coastal School of Law</a> in Jacksonville.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-11" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[11]</a></sup> His writing has appeared in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Review" title="National Review" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">National Review</a></i>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Times" title="The Washington Times" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">The Washington Times</a></i>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Spectator" title="The American Spectator" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">The American Spectator</a></i>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Events" title="Human Events" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Human Events</a></i>, and <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Thinker" title="American Thinker" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">American Thinker</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-wsj_9-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-wsj-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup></p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="U.S.House_of_Representatives">U.S. House of Representatives</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=4&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: U.S. House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="2012_election">2012 election</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=5&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: 2012 election" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><div role="note" class="hatnote" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">See also: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Florida,2012#District_6" title="United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2012" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2012 § District 6</a></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">Redistricting left <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida%27s_6th_congressional_district" title="Florida's 6th congressional district" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Florida's 6th congressional district</a> without an incumbent, and DeSantis chose to run for the open seat. He won the six-candidate Republican primary with 39% of the vote, with the runner-up, State Representative <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Costello" title="Fred Costello" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Fred Costello</a>, obtaining 23%.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-12" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[12]</a></sup> In the November general election, DeSantis defeated Democrat <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Beaven" class="mw-redirect" title="Heather Beaven" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Heather Beaven</a> by 57%-43%, with majorities in all four counties.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[13]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Committee_assignments">Committee assignments</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=6&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Committee assignments" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">Prior to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/114th_United_States_Congress" title="114th United States Congress" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">114th United States Congress</a>, DeSantis was named the Chairman of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Oversight_Subcommittee_on_National_Security" title="United States House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Subcommittee on National Security</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-14" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[14]</a></sup></p><ul data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_Foreign_Affairs" title="United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Committee on Foreign Affairs</a></b><ul data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Foreign_Affairs_Subcommittee_on_the_Middle_East_and_South_Asia" class="mw-redirect" title="United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Foreign_Affairs_Subcommittee_on_the_Western_Hemisphere" title="United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere</a></li></ul></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_the_Judiciary" title="United States House Committee on the Judiciary" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Committee on the Judiciary</a></b><ul data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Judiciary_Subcommittee_on_the_Constitution_and_Civil_Justice" title="United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Judiciary_Subcommittee_on_Courts,Intellectual_Property_and_the_Internet" title="United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet</a></li></ul></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_Oversight_and_Government_Reform" title="United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Committee on Oversight and Government Reform</a></b><ul data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Oversight_Subcommittee_on_Federal_Workforce,U.S.Postal_Service_and_the_Census" class="mw-redirect" title="United States House Oversight Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and the Census" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and the Census</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Oversight_Subcommittee_on_Economic_Growth,Job_Creation_and_Regulatory_Affairs" class="mw-redirect" title="United States House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs</a></li></ul></li></ul><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Legislation">Legislation</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=7&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Legislation" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">On January 29, 2014, DeSantis introduced into the House the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faithful_Execution_of_the_Law_Act_of_2014(H.R.3973;113th_Congress)" class="mw-redirect" title="Faithful Execution of the Law Act of 2014 (H.R. 3973; 113th Congress)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Faithful Execution of the Law Act of 2014 (H.R. 3973; 113th Congress)</a>, a bill that would direct the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Justice" title="United States Department of Justice" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Department of Justice</a> to report to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress" title="United States Congress" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Congress</a> whenever any <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_federal_agencies" class="mw-redirect" title="List of United States federal agencies" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">federal agency</a> refrains from enforcing laws or regulations for any reason.<sup id="cite_ref-3973cbo_15-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-3973cbo-15" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[15]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3972sum_16-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-3972sum-16" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[16]</a></sup> In the report, the government would have to explain why it had decided not to enforce that law.<sup id="cite_ref-HtargetsObamalawEnf_17-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-HtargetsObamalawEnf-17" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[17]</a></sup> DeSantis spoke in favor of the bill, arguing that "President Obama has not only failed to uphold several of our nation's laws, he has vowed to continue to do so in order to enact his unpopular agenda... The American people deserve to know exactly which laws the Obama administration is refusing to enforce and why."<sup id="cite_ref-HtargetsObamalawEnf_17-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-HtargetsObamalawEnf-17" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[17]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">In 2013, DeSantis signed a pledge sponsored by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_for_Prosperity" title="Americans for Prosperity" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Americans for Prosperity</a> promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-18" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[18]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">In 2013, DeSantis spoke at a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripon_Society" title="Ripon Society" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ripon Society</a> forum and addressed the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_targeting_controversy" title="IRS targeting controversy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">IRS targeting controversy</a> and tax reform. DeSantis echoed his colleagues on understanding the main part of government, saying: "Part of having a constitutional government is that you have an accountable government." He went on to say that he "think(s) we make a huge mistake if we try to generate political outcomes, thinking that it will help us politically or that we're trying to bring somebody down. I think it’s necessary if we are just trying to find the truth and hold individuals accountable. I think we need to see more of that in this government."<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-19" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[19]</a></sup></p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="2016_U.S.Senate_candidacy">2016 U.S. Senate candidacy</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=8&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: 2016 U.S. Senate candidacy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><div role="note" class="hatnote" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Main article: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Florida,2016" title="United States Senate election in Florida, 2016" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Senate election in Florida, 2016</a></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">On May 6, 2015, DeSantis announced that he was running for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate" title="United States Senate" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Senate</a> seat held by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio" title="Marco Rubio" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Marco Rubio</a>, who initially did not file to run for re-election due to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio_presidential_campaign,2016" title="Marco Rubio presidential campaign, 2016" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">his bid</a> for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States" title="President of the United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">U.S. presidency</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-20" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[20]</a></sup> DeSantis was endorsed by the fiscally conservative <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_for_Growth" title="Club for Growth" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Club for Growth</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-21" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[21]</a></sup> DeSantis withdrew from the race following incumbent Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio" title="Marco Rubio" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Marco Rubio</a>'s announcement that he would seek reelection to the Senate, reversing his initial pledge not to run, on June 22, 2016.<sup id="cite_ref-DeSantisRuns_1-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-DeSantisRuns-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-DeSantisRunsTwo_2-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-DeSantisRunsTwo-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup> After dropping his U.S. Senate bid, DeSantis filed to run for re-election to his U.S. House seat.</p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Policy_positions">Policy positions</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=9&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Policy positions" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="National_security">National security</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=10&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: National security" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis believes that "Providing security against foreign danger is the preeminent responsibility of the federal government."<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-22" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[22]</a></sup> DeSantis's 2016 U.S. Senate bid was endorsed by former <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Ambassador_to_the_United_Nations" title="United States Ambassador to the United Nations" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Ambassador to the United Nations</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R.Bolton" title="John R. Bolton" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John R. Bolton</a>, who cited DeSantis's support of a strong national defense, opposition to the Iran nuclear framework, defense of Israel, and criticism of the Obama administration's Cuba policy as reasons for the endorsement.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-23" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[23]</a></sup></p><h4 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Iran">Iran</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=11&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Iran" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h4><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis opposed the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_nuclear_deal_framework" title="Iran nuclear deal framework" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Iran nuclear deal framework</a>, calling it "a bad deal that will significantly degrade our national security."<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-24" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[24]</a></sup> DeSantis said "the Iran deal gives Ayatollah Khamenei exactly what he wants: billions of dollars in sanctions relief, validation of the Iranian nuclear program, and the ability to stymie inspections."<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-25" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[25]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">During a line of questioning, DeSantis told Secretary of State <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry" title="John Kerry" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Kerry</a> that the executive branch had a legal obligation to provide Congress with the details behind any side deals made between world leaders and Iran.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-26" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[26]</a></sup> DeSantis has criticized President Barack Obama for what he said was better treatment of Cuba's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raul_Castro" class="mw-redirect" title="Raul Castro" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Raul Castro</a> and Iran's Ayatollah <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Khamenei" title="Ali Khamenei" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ali Khamenei</a> than of Israel's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Netanyahu" title="Benjamin Netanyahu" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-save_27-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-save-27" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[27]</a></sup></p><h4 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Cuba">Cuba</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=12&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Cuba" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h4><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">In 2015, DeSantis introduced the Guantanamo Bay Recidivism Prevention Act, which would cut off foreign aid to countries that receive detainees if they show back up on the terrorism recidivism list.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-28" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[28]</a></sup> DeSantis opposed President Obama's plan to shut down the terrorist holding facility at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detention_camp" title="Guantanamo Bay detention camp" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Guantanamo Bay</a> military base, saying "Bringing hardened terrorists to the U.S. homeland harms our national security."<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-29" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[29]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">Regarding the formal restart of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, DeSantis said "Raising the Cuban flag in the United States is a slap in the face to those who have experienced the brutality of the Castro regime."<sup id="cite_ref-reaction_30-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-reaction-30" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[30]</a></sup></p><h4 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Israel">Israel</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=13&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Israel" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h4><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">In 2013, DeSantis introduced the Palestinian Accountability Act, which would halt U.S. aid to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_National_Authority" title="Palestinian National Authority" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Palestinian Authority</a> until it formally recognizes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel" title="Israel" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Israel</a>’s right to exist as a Jewish state and cuts off all ties with the terror group <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas" title="Hamas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Hamas</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-31" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[31]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">In 2016, DeSantis co-introduced the Non-Discrimination of Israel in Labeling Act, which will defend the right of Israeli producers to label products manufactured in the West Bank as “Israel,” “Made in Israel,” or “Product of Israel.”<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-32" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[32]</a></sup> DeSantis believes that the U.S. Embassy should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-33" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[33]</a></sup></p><h4 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Islamic_terrorism">Islamic terrorism</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=14&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Islamic terrorism" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h4><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">After the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_2015_Paris_attacks" title="November 2015 Paris attacks" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">November 2015 Paris attacks</a>, DeSantis "called for urgent recognition that Islamic extremism is to blame for the Paris attacks and should be seen as an enemy for America." DeSantis has said "The enemy is an ideology rooted in militant Islam" and has said that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant" title="Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ISIS</a> must be stopped and its members kept away from America.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-34" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[34]</a></sup> In December 2015, DeSantis introduced the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act, which would prevent refugees from countries with terrorist-controlled areas from entering into the United States.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">The bill includes an exception for refugees who are a member of a group that is a victim of genocide.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-35" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[35]</a></sup> Regarding U.S. policy toward refugees, DeSantis said "the prudent policy is to err on the side of protecting the American people."<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-36" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[36]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Veterans_affairs">Veterans affairs</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=15&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Veterans affairs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis has sharply criticized the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Veterans_Affairs" title="United States Department of Veterans Affairs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Department of Veterans Affairs</a> for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Health_Administration_scandal_of_2014" title="Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014</a>, in which veteran deaths were linked to fatal wait times. He co-sponsored the VA Accountability Act, which aims to increase accountability by providing for the removal or demotion of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs based on performance or misconduct.<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-37" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[37]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-38" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[38]</a></sup> He is a member of the Post-9/11 Veterans Caucus.<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-39" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[39]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Healthcare">Healthcare</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=16&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Healthcare" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis is opposed to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act" title="Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act</a>, which he believes should be replaced with policies designed to strengthen Medicare, facilitate consumer choice, and reduce costs.<sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-40" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[40]</a></sup> His own health care reform proposals include creating a refundable universal tax credit for health insurance purchases, using high risk pools to provide coverage options for people with preexisting conditions, allowing individuals to choose health insurance plans without government involvement, prohibiting the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Service" title="Internal Revenue Service" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Internal Revenue Service</a> from having involvement in health care decisions, barring the use of taxpayer funds to bail out insurance companies, and block granting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicaid" title="Medicaid" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Medicaid</a> to the states.<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-41" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[41]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis co-sponsored a bill to end congressional exemptions from Obamacare, treating members of Congress and their staffers the same as every other American under the law.<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-42" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[42]</a></sup> DeSantis introduced a proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution that would prohibit members of Congress from exempting themselves from laws that apply to the rest of the country.<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-43" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[43]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-44" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[44]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">In March 2017, DeSantis said that he wasn't ready to support the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Health_Care_Act" class="mw-redirect" title="American Health Care Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">American Health Care Act</a>, which is the Republican replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act.<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-45" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[45]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Immigration">Immigration</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=17&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Immigration" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis believes the U.S. should enforce existing immigration laws and secure the border. He supports a visa tracking system to prevent individuals from illegally overstaying visas. He opposes executive amnesty and the release of convicted criminals who are in the U.S. illegally.<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-46" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[46]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-47" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[47]</a></sup> DeSantis opposes sanctuary cities.<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-48" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[48]</a></sup> He is a co-sponsor of the Establishing Mandatory Minimums for Illegal Reentry Act of 2015, also known as Kate's Law, which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase penalties applicable to aliens who unlawfully reenter the United States after being removed.<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-49" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[49]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Size_and_scope_of_government">Size and scope of government</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=18&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Size and scope of government" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis opted not to receive his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_pension" title="Congressional pension" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">congressional pension</a>, and he filed a measure that would eliminate pensions for members of Congress.<sup id="cite_ref-roll_50-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-roll-50" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[50]</a></sup> After introducing the End Pensions in Congress Act, DeSantis said "The Founding Fathers envisioned elected officials as part of a servant class, yet Washington has evolved into a ruling class culture."<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-51" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[51]</a></sup> DeSantis believes term limits should exist for members of Congress.<sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-52" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[52]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">He sponsored the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faithful_Execution_of_the_Law_Act_of_2014" title="Faithful Execution of the Law Act of 2014" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Faithful Execution of the Law Act of 2014</a>, which would direct the United States Department of Justice to report to the United States Congress whenever any federal agency refrains from enforcing laws or regulations for any reason. Speaking about the bill, DeSantis said "You can not have rule of law when people don’t know what the law is."<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-53" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[53]</a></sup> The bill passed the U.S. House in March 2014.<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-54" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[54]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Economic_issues">Economic issues</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=19&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Economic issues" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis has said that the debate in Washington, D.C. over how to reduce the deficit should shift emphasis from tax increases to curtailing spending and triggering economic growth.<sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-55" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[55]</a></sup> DeSantis supports a “no budget no pay” policy for Congress to encourage the passage of a budget.<sup id="cite_ref-56" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-56" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[56]</a></sup> He believes the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_System" title="Federal Reserve System" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Federal Reserve System</a> should be audited.<sup id="cite_ref-roll_50-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-roll-50" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[50]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">In the wake of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_targeting_controversy" title="IRS targeting controversy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">IRS targeting controversy</a>, DeSantis called for the resignation of Internal Revenue Service Commissioner <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Koskinen" title="John Koskinen" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Koskinen</a> for having "failed the American people by frustrating Congress’s attempts to ascertain the truth."<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-57" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[57]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-58" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[58]</a></sup> He co-sponsored a bill to impeach Koskinen for violating the public's trust.<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-59" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[59]</a></sup> In 2015, DeSantis was named "Taxpayer Superhero" by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_Against_Government_Waste" title="Citizens Against Government Waste" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Citizens Against Government Waste</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-60" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[60]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis supported the REINS Act, which would require that regulations that have a significant economic impact be subject to a vote of Congress prior to taking effect.<sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-61" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[61]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis introduced the Let Seniors Work Act, which would repeal the Retirement Earnings Test and stop the 12.4% payroll tax for working seniors, and he co-sponsored a measure to eliminate taxes on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security(United_States)" title="Social Security (United States)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Social Security</a> benefits.<sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis sponsored the Transportation Empowerment Act, which would transfer much of the responsibility for transportation projects to the individual states. The bill would reduce the gas tax.<sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-63" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[63]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-64" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-64" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[64]</a></sup> DeSantis has opposed taxes on the internet, including legislation that would require online retailers to pay state sales tax.<sup id="cite_ref-65" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-65" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[65]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Social_issues">Social issues</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=20&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Social issues" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_pro-life_movement" title="United States pro-life movement" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">pro-life</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-66" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[66]</a></sup> He opposes taxpayer funding of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_Parenthood" title="Planned Parenthood" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Planned Parenthood</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-67" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-67" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[67]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-68" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-68" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[68]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">Citing the importance of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion" title="Freedom of religion" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">religious freedom</a>, DeSantis has said the government should protect companies whose owners want to exclude birth control from their employees' health insurance coverage, and refrain from applying anti-discrimination laws to individuals or entities who discriminate against gay people.<sup id="cite_ref-69" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-69" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[69]</a></sup> DeSantis agreed with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burwell_v.Hobby_Lobby_Stores,Inc." title="Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc." style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.</a></i>, saying "This case does not concern the availability or legality of contraceptives, and individuals can obtain and use these as they see fit. The question is simply whether the government can force the owners of Hobby Lobby to pay for abortifacients in violation of their faith."<sup id="cite_ref-70" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Second_Amendment">Second Amendment</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=21&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Second Amendment" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis opposes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_control" title="Gun control" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">gun control</a>. He received an A+ rating from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association" title="National Rifle Association" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">National Rifle Association</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-71" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-71" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[71]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Education">Education</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=22&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis opposes federal education programs such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act" title="No Child Left Behind Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">No Child Left Behind Act</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_to_the_Top" title="Race to the Top" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Race to the Top</a>, saying that education policy should be made at the local level.<sup id="cite_ref-roll_50-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-roll-50" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[50]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">DeSantis introduced the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act, which would allow states to create their own accreditation systems in an effort to open up an alternative market for education that gives students access to federal loan money to put towards non-traditional educational opportunities, such as online learning courses, vocational schools, and apprenticeships in skilled trades.<sup id="cite_ref-72" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup></p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Personal_life">Personal life</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_DeSantis&action=edit&section=23&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Personal life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;">In 2010, DeSantis married Casey Black, a local <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmy_Award" title="Emmy Award" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Emmy</a>-winning television host. They previously lived in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vedra_Beach,Florida" title="Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-save_27-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-save-27" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[27]</a></sup> However, DeSantis and his wife moved to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Coast,Florida" title="Palm Coast, Florida" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Palm Coast, Florida</a> in July, 2016 after redistricting moved their home in Ponte Vedra Beach into the 4th congressional district.<sup id="cite_ref-73" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-73" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[73]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-74" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis#cite_note-74" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[74]</a></sup></p><p style="">
</p><p style="">==</p></div></div></div></div>