A Florida &#8220;furry&#8221; convention will bar minors from attending in order to comply with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis&#8217; new law prohibiting children at &#8220;adult live performances.&#8221;
Organizers for the Megaplex convention for &#8220;furries&#8221; announced last week that attendees must be 18 or older, citing the new law.
&#8220;After reviewing Florida SB 1438 it has been decided that for legal reasons and protection of our attendees, our venue, and the overall convention, Megaplex 2023 attendees must be 18 years of age at the time of registration pickup,&#8221; convention organizers <a href="https://megaplexcon.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Wednesday in a statement.
Adult live performances are defined in the bill as any show that depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, lewd conduct, or prosthetic genitals or breasts.
The Megaplex convention is scheduled for September 15 to 17 at a Hyatt hotel in Orlando.
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&mdash; Megaplex (@MegaplexCon) <a href="https://twitter.com/MegaplexCon/status/1661372782528045057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Furries&#8221; are an online subculture of people who like anthropomorphic animal characters, often dressing up in animal costumes.
The &#8220;furry&#8221; fandom often has heavy sexual overtones. It grew out of an underground comic book genre that depicted explicit sexual content. A 2011 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130308185939/https://sites.google.com/site/anthropomorphicresearch/past-results/international-online-furry-survey-2011" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> of &#8220;furries&#8221; found that about a third of the fandom said sex is an &#8220;important&#8221; part of their &#8220;furry&#8221; participation. The fandom even has a term for sexual activity between furries — &#8220;yiffing,&#8221; supposedly named after the sound foxes make during sex.
However, other &#8220;furries&#8221; insist sex has nothing to do with their interest in the fandom.
The subculture is overwhelmingly male — 84% of those surveyed said they were male. About a quarter of &#8220;furries&#8221; said they felt less than 100% human, and more than half of the &#8220;furries&#8221; surveyed said they would be 0% human if they could.
&#8220;Megaplex has welcomed younger fandom members and their families since its inception and making this change was very difficult,&#8221; the Megaplex convention organizers said in their statement.
&#8220;It is our hope that this change is temporary and that we can welcome members of all ages back next year &#8230; Megaplex has not forgotten about or abandoned our younger fandom members and is looking into options for events and activities to include all age ranges and their family members,&#8221; the organizers said.
DeSantis signed the “Protection of Children Act” earlier this month.
The law punishes “knowingly admitting a child to an adult live performance” with up to a year in prison. Businesses could face a $5,000 fine and then a $10,000 fine for a second offense for knowingly allowing a child into an adult performance.
Critics said the bill could end up barring children from drag shows, but state Representative Randy Fine, a Republican who sponsored a House version of the bill, said the goal is simply protecting children from explicit content.
“We’re not saying they can’t take their kids to a drag show. Our bill says they can’t take their child to adult live entertainment, as we’ve defined in the bill,” Fine <a href="https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2023/04/25/protection-of-children-act-heads-to-gov--desantis--lgbtq-advocates-head-toward-tallahassee#:~:text=The%20Protection%20of%20Children%20Act,lewd%20exposure%20of%20prosthetic%20breasts." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “There is a right to parent your child, but there are guardrails. You can’t beat your child with a stick, you can’t choose not to feed them, you can’t say they can’t be educated — you have no right to abuse your child and we think sexualizing children is child abuse.”

Eurofurence 2015

DeSantis Law Forces ‘Furry’ Convention To Bar Children

DeSantis Law Forces 'Furry' Convention To Bar Children

Child Sex Abuse

DeSantis

Drag Queens

Florida

Gender

Ron DeSantis

Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum, who lost a close 2018 election to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-poll-shows-desantis-with-commanding-lead-for-2024-gop-nomination/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Governor Ron DeSantis</a> before being found in a motel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-democrat-andrew-gillum-charged-with-21-felonies-related-to-campaign-that-lost-to-desantis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unconscious with drugs and a male escort</a>, will have to face trial on federal charges including fraud and lying to the FBI.
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor declined last week to throw out the case against Gillum, calling his claims the charges were brought because he is black “meritless.”
Gillum and an associate were indicted earlier this year on charges including conspiracy, wire fraud, and making false statements to FBI agents. Prosecutors say the former Tallahassee mayor used campaign donations for personal expenses during his failed gubernatorial campaign.
According to the federal indictment unsealed in June in the Northern District of Florida, Gillum and public relations executive Sharon Lettman-Hicks allegedly solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds in 2017 and then diverted funds for their personal use and gain. Lettman-Hicks allegedly listed Gillum as an employee at her firm and later as an &#8220;independent contractor&#8221; in order to pay him a salary while he ran for governor.
Gillum met with FBI agents posing as developers while he was mayor of Tallahassee and during his campaign for governor, according to prosecutors. His team sought donations from the undercover agents, allegedly suggesting they not be listed as political contributions.
After Gillum lost to DeSantis, he was seen as a rising star in Democratic politics and was hired as a CNN analyst. But in March of 2020, he was found intoxicated and unconscious in a hotel room with two men, including a male escort, and methamphetamine. He went into rehab and later said in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/andrew-gillum-comes-out-as-bi-in-return-to-public-life-after-male-escort-scandal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">television interview</a> that he is bisexual.
“I was in Miami last night for a wedding celebration when first responders were called to assist one of my friends,” Gillum said in the statement following the incident. &#8220;While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines. I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement.”
DeSantis won the 2018 election by a mere four-tenths of a percentage point. On election night, DeSantis was up by 100,000 votes, but then late-counted ballots in Democratic strongholds cut the margin to just 34,000 votes, triggering a recount. DeSantis was finally confirmed as the winner on November 17.
Last month, DeSantis, who went on to become one of the nation’s most popular governors, won re-election with a 19-percentage point victory over Democrat Charlie Crist.

Andrew Gillum

Onetime DeSantis Opponent Andrew Gillum Loses Bid To Toss Corruption Charges

Politics

U.S.

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily halted enforcement of a law known as the &#8220;Stop WOKE Act&#8221; at Florida <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">universities</a>.
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction against the &#8220;Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act,&#8221; officially dubbed the Individual Freedom Act. The judge&#8217;s move means that the law cannot be enforced on college campuses for now.
&#8220;This is positively dystopian,&#8221; Walker wrote in his <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flnd.443792/gov.uscourts.flnd.443792.44.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a>. &#8220;The law officially bans professors from expressing disfavored viewpoints in university classrooms while permitting unfettered expression of the opposite viewpoints.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/7/BillText/er/PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a>, which the Florida legislature <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-critical-race-theory-education-stop-woke-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> in March, prohibits public K-12 schools and universities from teaching eight concepts that constitute &#8220;discrimination&#8221; and lets parents sue if their children are taught those concepts. It also targets employers who require their workers to partake in woke trainings.
The banned concepts include that a person is &#8220;inherently&#8221; racist or sexist &#8220;whether consciously or unconsciously&#8221; due to his race or sex, that a person &#8220;bears personal responsibility for and must feel guilt&#8221; for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, and that virtues like hard work, fairness, objectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist.
“‘It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,’ and the powers in charge of Florida’s public university system have declared the State has unfettered authority to muzzle its professors in the name of ‘freedom,’” Walker wrote, quoting George Orwell&#8217;s dystopian novel &#8220;1984.&#8221;
The judge also quoted Orwell&#8217;s remark that, “if liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
The Act enhances enforcement of the Florida education board&#8217;s June <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2021/06/10/keep-critical-race-theory-out-of-schools-desantis-tells-state-board/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decision</a> to ban public schools from teaching Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project, which reframes American history with slavery at the center.
In September, a professor and student at the University of South Florida <a href="https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/politics-issues/2022-09-07/usf-professor-student-organization-lawsuit-florida-race-based-teaching" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> a lawsuit against the law. The lawsuit alleged that the law infringes on their First Amendment rights and threatens the professor&#8217;s livelihood.
USF history professor Adriana Novoa and student Sam Rechek celebrated the judge&#8217;s decision Thursday.
“It is a happy day not only for Sam and me, but for the institutions of this country,” Novoa said in a <a href="https://www.thefire.org/news/victory-after-fire-lawsuit-court-halts-enforcement-key-provisions-stop-woke-act-limiting-how" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a> through the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which is representing the two.
“I hope that the courts will defend the existence of a public education that cannot be manipulated by politicians to push any ideology, now and in the future,” the professor said.
Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers have touted the law, saying it will prevent both students and employees in Florida from harmful, woke classes and trainings.
“In Florida we are taking a stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is Critical Race Theory,” DeSantis <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2021/12/15/governor-desantis-announces-legislative-proposal-to-stop-w-o-k-e-activism-and-critical-race-theory-in-schools-and-corporations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in December when announcing the bill. “We won’t allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other.&#8221;
DeSantis added at the time that Florida must protect workers against the &#8220;hostile work environment that is created when large corporations force their employees to endure CRT-inspired ‘training’ and indoctrination.&#8221;
DeSantis&#8217; office said they &#8220;strongly disagree&#8221; with Thursday&#8217;s ruling and plan to appeal it.
&#8220;This recent ruling included several victories for our legal team. We expect many more and ultimately to prevail in this litigation,&#8221; Bryan Griffin, press secretary for DeSantis&#8217; office, said in a statement to The Daily Wire.
&#8220;The Stop W.O.K.E. Act protects the open exchange of ideas by prohibiting teachers or employers who hold agency over others from forcing discriminatory concepts on students as part of classroom instruction or on employees as a condition of maintaining employment. An ‘open-minded and critical’ environment necessitates that one is free from discrimination,&#8221; Griffin said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Holds News Conference With Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo

Federal Judge Suspends ‘Stop WOKE Act’ In Florida

Federal Judge Suspends 'Stop WOKE Act' In Florida

Critical Race Theory

Education

Woke Culture

Wokeness

Scores of colleagues and staff who worked for Florida Democrat gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist in the past issued an open letter to the people of Florida in which they endorsed Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis.
Many if not all of the signers worked for Crist in his previous incarnation as a Republican, when he served as Florida’s governor between 2007-2011. After he ran for the Senate but lost in the GOP primary to Marco Rubio, Crist changed his affiliation to independent to run in the general election again against Rubio, who defeated him again. In December 2012, Crist changed his affiliation yet again, joining the Democratic Party and endorsing Barack Obama for reelection.
The signatories of the letter began by writing, “An Open Letter to Florida: The undersigned represent former colleagues and staff of Charlie Crist. Together, we have known Charlie in virtually all phases of his career and public life. We are well-qualified to endorse in the Florida Governors’ race because we have significant experience in public service to the state of Florida.”
“The choice in November could not be more clear: we unanimously endorse Governor Ron DeSantis for reelection,” they stated bluntly.
“Governor DeSantis has delivered for Florida,” they continued. “He has led our state with courage and conviction. He has demonstrated his ability to lead us through difficult times. We stand with Governor DeSantis because the stakes are too high. We urge Florida to re-elect Ron DeSantis as our Governor.”
The signatories include former Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp, who was Crist’s running mate when Crist successfully ran for governor in 2006 as a Republican; Charles Bronson, who served under Crist as Commissioner of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bill McCollum, who was elected Florida’s Attorney General in 2006, and Ken Pruitt, who served as President of the Florida Senate starting in Novemmber 2006, as well as 32 others.
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LETTER: <a href="https://t.co/9I0N2fFmLK">pic.twitter.com/9I0N2fFmLK</a>
&mdash; Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/1584909587328770049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
A <a href="https://business.fau.edu/departments/economics/business-economics-polling/bepi-polls/bepi-polls-2022/florida-governor-race.php">Florida Atlantic University poll</a> conducted between October 12-16 showed DeSantis with an enormous 11-point advantage over Crist. DeSantis had a 56% favorable/38% unfavorable rating while Crist was underwater with a 41% favorable/47% unfavorable rating.
Additionally, the poll found that in a hypothetical match-up between DeSantis and President Biden, DeSantis led 48% to 42%; former President Trump led Biden 45% to 41%.
The significance of the margin of dominance DeSantis is displaying in Florida can be understood by reviewing Florida’s incredibly close gubernatorial elections in the past; in 2010, GOP candidate Rick Scott defeated his Democratic opponent, Alex Sink, 49%-48%.
In 2014, as the incumbent, Scott ran against Crist. Scott eked out a victory over Crist in 2014, 48%-47%.
In 2018, DeSantis squeaked through by a tiny 40,000 votes over Democrat Andrew Gillum in an election in which over 8.2 million votes were cast, a difference of 0.4%.

Scores Of Former Colleagues, Staff Of Charlie Crist Endorse DeSantis

Charlie Crist

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) recently purchased ad space in Florida, prompting questions about his interest in a 2024 presidential run. 
Newsom&#8217;s re-election campaign bought approximately $105,000 in cable television ads that will air in the Sunshine State on Fox News beginning on July 4, as <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Gavin-Newsom-buys-cable-ads-to-run-in-Florida-17269450.php">reported</a> by SF Gate and Medium Buying’s Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/MediumBuying/status/1541539586580664320">account</a>. 
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Newsom for California Governor 2022 has placed ad spending on Fox News in FLORIDA cable zones for July 4th
&mdash; Medium Buying (@MediumBuying) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediumBuying/status/1541539586580664320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Dave Abrams, a spokesperson for Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis&#8217; campaign, told The Daily Wire, “Gavin Newsom might as well light a pile of cash on fire. Pass the popcorn for his desperate attempt to win back the California refugees who fled the hellhole he created in his state to come to Florida.&#8221; 
“The people of Florida pay no mind to the pathetic smear campaigns from the Democrats and their allies in the corporate media. We’re too busy enjoying the freedom Governor Ron DeSantis has created in the Sunshine State,” Abrams added. 
The two governors are both up for re-election in November and have been sniping at one another in recent months. The DeSantis campaign <a href="https://secure.winred.com/rondesantis/storefront/i-heart-california-white-coffee-mug/details/">provided</a> a link, as well, to mugs it is selling with the slogan, “I [heart] CA but I wish my governor was Ron DeSantis.”
The subject matter of the Newsom ads is unknown, but Nathan Click, one of Newsom’s re-election campaign spokespersons, told SF Gate “stay tuned” when questioned about it. 
The purchase has led many to wonder if Newsom is getting ready for a presidential bid, noting how he has <a href="https://twitter.com/ZavalaA/status/1541537728860368896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1541537728860368896%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Gavin-Newsom-buys-cable-ads-to-run-in-Florida-17269450.php">said</a> in the past that he has “subzero interest” in running for the highest office. 
Newsom has elevated himself and his state to a higher position in recent months, differentiating California from states with Republican leadership. Newsom has pushed for California to be a “sanctuary state” for women seeking abortions from out of state and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-criticizes-abbott-for-discussing-evil-and-mental-health-after-mass-shooting">touted</a> gun legislation. 
He has also made a point to speak out against Republicans nationwide. Newsom recently <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1540818132926754816">tweeted</a>, “The GOP’s America: the nation of gun care and health control.” He also <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom">posted</a> on Twitter, “Extremist republicans across the nation are trying to eliminate fundamental American freedoms.”
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The GOP’s America: the nation of gun care and health control.
&mdash; Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1540818132926754816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
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NEW: Extremist republicans across the nation are trying to eliminate fundamental American freedoms.
Time to fight back.
-Voters will now have the chance to amend the state’s constitution to enshrine the right to choose.
-Signed a NEW Exec Order that protects women coming to CA <a href="https://t.co/WhsmKvyPkJ">pic.twitter.com/WhsmKvyPkJ</a>
&mdash; Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1541594860875960320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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At a press conference following the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Newsom <a href="https://apnews.com/article/greg-abbott-gavin-newsom-sacramento-california-texas-82dbead26557a047080d5c63ed3ef2f4">called</a> out Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) and <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Gavin-Newsom-calls-out-Greg-Abbott-17198996.php">told</a> people not to “give in to the cynicism and all the crap you heard today in that press conference around evil and mental health, [which] completely belies the fact that there’s only one nation on planet Earth that separates itself from all other nations, and that’s the United States of America, in the perversion of a Second Amendment that begins around ‘well-regulated’ gun policy.”
After the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-abortion-states-seek-to-become-safe-havens-for-women-seeking-abortions">ruled</a> on Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey last week, Newsom <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-california-democratic-lawmakers-claim-true-pro-life-agenda-in-budget-announcement">said</a> the high court “want[s] to strip women of their liberty and let Republican states replace it with mandated birth,” saying that the justices want to go back to a time period “when women were not treated as equal citizens under the law.”
Newsom’s team did not respond to a request for comment at the time of this publication.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/mary-margaret-olohan">Mary Margaret Olohan</a> contributed to this report.

38E3B8B9-2A60-4954-81F7-F3DA0B91FFB3_1_201_a

Newsom Buys Ad Space In Florida, DeSantis Campaign Responds

Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom Buys Ad Space In Florida, DeSantis Campaign Responds

California

Gavin Newsom

Marvel Studios is speaking out against Florida’s controversial HB 1557 “Parental Rights In Education Bill,” which critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill despite the measure not including that word in the text.
Marvel&#8217;s statement against the bill, which passed the Florida senate Tuesday, echoes what other entertainment corporations including Disney have said publicly about the bill.
“We strongly denounce any and ALL legislation that infringes on the basic human rights of the LGBTQIA+ community,” the company <a href="https://twitter.com/MarvelStudios/status/1503849785974919168">shared</a> on its official Twitter page. “Marvel Studios stands for hope, inclusivity and strength; and we proudly stand with the community.”
The statement continued, “Today, we pledge to continue our strong commitment as allies who promote the values of equality, acceptance and respect.”
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<a href="https://t.co/hZHGc10Bzh">pic.twitter.com/hZHGc10Bzh</a>
&mdash; Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarvelStudios/status/1503849785974919168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The bill is being called discriminatory and dangerous, however many critics and even news outlets are <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/exclusive-poll-67-of-americans-say-disney-is-wrong-to-oppose-florida-bill-banning-k-3-instruction-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/">misrepresenting</a> the provisions within the text. In reality, HB 1557 bans teachers from discussing topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity with students in elementary school from kindergarten until after third grade. It does not ban students from discussing those topics.
Ron DeSantis has <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/11/nation/florida-dont-say-gay-bill-heads-governors-desk-amid-wave-anti-lgbtq-bills-nationwide/">signaled</a> that he supports the bill. 
Meanwhile, Disney, which has a large presence in Florida, faced backlash from the bill’s critics for taking so long to denounce its contents. A leaked memo from the company essentially said they were staying out of it. 
The memo said Disney would “unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees,” but “corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds.”
“Instead, they are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame,” the letter continued. “Simply put, they can be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change.”
However, Disney’s attempt to remain neutral didn’t last long. Under mounting pressure, Disney CEO Bob Chapek told shareholders that he called Governor DeSantis (R) to express the company’s “disappointment and concern” over HB 1557.
Chapek said if the bill becomes law it “could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-undeterred-by-disney-criticism-of-florida-parental-rights-bill">reported</a> that spokeswoman Christina Pushaw confirmed Disney had contacted the governor’s office to speak with DeSantis, saying that this is “the first time we have heard from Disney regarding HB 1557.”
“The governor did take the call from Mr. Chapek,” she said. “The governor’s position has not changed. No in-person meeting has been scheduled yet.”
“Disney is known as a family-friendly company that creates wholesome entertainment for kids,” she continued. “The same Florida parents who take their families to Disney also support parental rights in education, because they do not want their young children exposed to inappropriate content about sex and gender theory at school. We expect Mr. Chapek will carefully consider their concerns.”
An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-poll-67-of-americans-say-disney-is-wrong-to-oppose-florida-bill-banning-k-3-instruction-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity">exclusive Daily Wire poll</a> found that 63% of Disney’s consumers supported the measures in the bill.
Enter for the chance to hang out with Gina Carano at the premiere of her new Daily Wire movie, Terror on the Prairie! Two lucky Daily Wire members will be given the complete red carpet treatment &#8211; free airfare, hotel, premiere car service, and exclusive merch. Daily Wire members can click<a href="http://www.dailywire.com/redcarpet"> here</a> to enter for a chance to win. If you’re not a Daily Wire member yet, click<a href="http://dailywire.com/subscribe"> here</a> to join us so you can win this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“Say Gay” Sign

Marvel Denounces Florida’s So-Called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill; Promise To ‘Proudly Stand With The Community’

Disney

Marvel

Speaking on CNN on Monday morning, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called for universal masking, even though she admitted that breakthrough cases among people vaccinated for COVID are “still very rare.” Implicitly prompted by CNN’s Jim Sciutto to attack Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, who announced he wants parents, not schools, to make the decision about whether their children should be masked in schools, she said, “Teachers are very scared about this.”
Sciutto asked, “For folks at home, who want their children to go back to school, regardless of where they stand on masks personally, from your perspective, does requiring masks for students make it more likely that schools open and stay open?”
“So I would say this Jim: schools are going to be open,” Weingarten began. “I think last week we got thrown a curveball because of the Delta variant and of the new data that showed Provincetown, Massachusetts, that showed even if you’re vaccinated you can transmit. I think a lot of people took a deep breath and said, ‘Oh my God, what does this mean?’”
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/08/01/masking-kids-and-closing-schools-is-irrational-child-abuse/">reported</a> on Sunday, “A study out of the UK released last week proved — once again — what we’ve known for more than a year: <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/22/kids-are-at-low-covid-risk-in-schools-but-masking-could-do-long-term-damage/">Kids transmit the coronavirus</a> at a much lower rate than do adults. Epidemiologist Shamez Ladhani, who led the study, found that children ‘aren’t taking [the virus] home and then transferring it to the community. These kids have very little capacity to infect household members.’”
Last week, The New York Times tweeted, “Breaking News: The Delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and may be spread by vaccinated people as easily as the unvaccinated, an internal C.D.C. report said.”
The Deputy Director of Strategic Communications &amp; Engagement for the White House slammed the Times in all caps on Twitter, acknowledging, “VACCINATED PEOPLE DO NOT TRANSMIT THE VIRUS AT THE SAME RATE AS UNVACCINATED PEOPLE AND IF YOU FAIL TO INCLUDE THAT CONTEXT YOU&#8217;RE DOING IT WRONG.”
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VACCINATED PEOPLE DO NOT TRANSMIT THE VIRUS AT THE SAME RATE AS UNVACCINATED PEOPLE AND IF YOU FAIL TO INCLUDE THAT CONTEXT YOU&#39;RE DOING IT WRONG. <a href="https://t.co/gBkDbJ21xX">https://t.co/gBkDbJ21xX</a>
&mdash; Ben Wakana (@benwakana46) <a href="https://twitter.com/benwakana46/status/1421182153224818694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2021</a></blockquote>
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“But I think the news you showed today from Axios and others that breakthrough cases are still very rare and if you get breakthrough cases when you’re vaccinated you’re not going to get nearly as sick, you’re not gonna die; schools will be open,” Weingarten admitted on CNN. “They need to be open; we need to make sure that they are safe and healthy. We’ve launched our $5 million campaign to do back to school for all. So let’s just be really clear about that.”
Sciutto acknowledged, “The data is for the vaccinated they’re very safe from hospitalization and death.” He reiterated Weingarten’s claim: “The reason for masks, right, is the vaccinated can still spread this, right?”
“Exactly,” Weingarten responded,
“I imagine you see the benefit of students masking going forward as the school year opens,” Sciutto stated.
“Exactly. Exactly,” Weingarten answered. ‘So that’s why the next question, about will they stay open, that’s where we worry, because when you have lots of kids, particularly every child under 12 has not been vaccinated.”
Sciutto, “Yeah.”
“We see the Delta variant being very transmissible,” Weingarten said. “And so that’s why what masks do, is mask stop transmission. So universal masking is going to be very helpful to keep kids safe. To keep the unvaccinated safe, and to keep schools open. Because you saw from some of your reporting already that you’re already seeing some quarantining in places that thought they were going to open today. So school opening is really important; we need to be in school; we need everybody to be safe; we need to focus on accelerated learning and we need to focus on the emotional and social well-being of kids. So that’s why I come down to where the APA and the CDC recommends, which is, as much as  — I’m asthmatic, I hate these things, but we have to wear them to keep us safe and to keep our kids in schools.”
Sciutto seized the opportunity to continue the media’s attacks on DeSantis: “The vaccination rate among teachers is quite high, I believe your team was telling us about 90%. How are teachers reacting to this, particularly in communities where, a place like Florida, right, where they’re allowing choice, in effect, they’re allowing parents to decide as opposed to school districts.”
“So I was in Florida on Saturday, and by the way, Saturday Florida had, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, I don’t remember exactly, it had the highest level of cases of COVID, I think, ever, and so teachers are very scared about this,” Weingarten claimed. “I was with two groups of teachers on Saturday, one in Jacksonville, one in Polk County, again, we’re very serious about reopening schools, safe and welcoming environments for all. All educators want that. But they’re scared that we’re not going to be able to keep everybody safe. And they want us to have masking.”
What Weingarten and Sciutto ignore is that COVID spreads more successfully when people are inside; in the heat of the Florida summer, more people are inside in the air conditioning. While Weingarten and Sciutto targeted Florida, they ignored the leftist haven California. As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/01/us/covid-santa-monica-icu.html?action=click&amp;module=Spotlight&amp;pgtype=Homepage">noted</a> on Sunday: &#8220;Covid-19 is surging once more, at Saint John’s and in the world around it, driven by vaccine resisters and the virus’s hyper-contagious Delta variant. In California, new infections are appearing at a rate <a class="css-1g7m0tk" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/california-covid-cases.html">not seen since February</a>.&#8221;
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AFT’s <a href="https://twitter.com/rweingarten?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rweingarten</a> says “universal masking” is needed to keep schools open: 
“We see the Delta variant be very transmissible. And so that’s why what masks do is masks stop transmission. So universal masking is going to be very helpful to keep kids safe.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mjH0Fg9IPB">pic.twitter.com/mjH0Fg9IPB</a>
&mdash; Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1422204074435481607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Randi Weingarten

WATCH: Teachers’ Union Prez Calls For ‘Universal Masking,’ Attacks DeSantis

Masking

Teachers Unions

Washington Post reporter Hannah Dreier was slammed by people from across the political spectrum over the weekend as she was accused of &#8220;lying&#8221; about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis&#8217; (R) response to the condo building collapsing in Miami last week.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a saying in emergency management: The first 24 hours are the only 24 hours,&#8221; Dreier wrote on Twitter. &#8220;FEMA was ready to deploy to the condo collapse almost immediately, and included the crisis in its daily briefing, but didn&#8217;t get permission from Gov. DeSantis to get on the ground for a full day.&#8221;
Numerous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/florida-democrats-push-back-on-false-claims-from-media-about-desantis-response-to-building-collapse">Democrats came to DeSantis&#8217; defense</a>, and Dreier&#8217;s claims were debunked as DeSantis signed an emergency declaration less than an hour after Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava, a Democrat, signed a local order declaring a state of emergency. DeSantis signed the declaration on the same day that the incident happened.
Despite facing widespread criticism over her claims, which were <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/wapo-reporter-accused-peddling-false-info-desantis-fema">debunked</a>, Dreier did not issue any kind of retraction, correction, or delete her original false claims.
The following are some of the responses that Dreier received in response to her debunked claims:
Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat politician who recently served as Florida’s Director of Emergency Management, slammed Dreier, writing on Twitter: &#8220;FEMA’s mantra is ‘locally executed, state managed, and federal supported.&#8217; As the former director in FL who voted for Biden this tweet below is 100% Malarkey. FEMA would have deployed the federally funded USAR teams, which are located in @MiamiDadeCounty. They were already there.&#8221;
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FEMA’s mantra is “locally executed, state managed, and federal supported.” As the former director in FL who voted for Biden this tweet below is 100% Malarkey. FEMA would have deployed the federally funded USAR teams, which are located in <a href="https://twitter.com/MiamiDadeCounty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MiamiDadeCounty</a>. They were already there. <a href="https://t.co/Czj0GYY9yV">https://t.co/Czj0GYY9yV</a>
&mdash; Jared MASKowitz 😷 (@JaredEMoskowitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredEMoskowitz/status/1409312771297136641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Richard Grenell, former Acting Director of National Intelligence: &#8220;There’s a saying in America: The Washington Post will always politicize every issue to help Democrats. You have a sickness. This isn’t remotely true.&#8221;
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There’s a saying in America: The Washington Post will always politicize every issue to help Democrats.
You have a sickness. This isn’t remotely true. <a href="https://t.co/Is8VAyUxyf">https://t.co/Is8VAyUxyf</a>
&mdash; Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1409174444971495424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Kurt Schlichter, retired U.S. Army Colonel: &#8220;I did disaster assistance for years in the Guard. FEMA is a clearing house for major resources when there’s a widespread catastrophe. It’s not a fire department. The fire department is the fire department, and it was deployed instantly. WAPO is lying about @RonDeSantisFL. Again.&#8221;
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I did disaster assistance for years in the Guard. FEMA is a clearing house for major resources when there’s a widespread catastrophe. It’s not a fire department. The fire department is the fire department, and it was deployed instantly.
WAPO is lying about <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantisFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonDeSantisFL</a>. Again. <a href="https://t.co/285j5J1kTf">https://t.co/285j5J1kTf</a>
&mdash; Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) <a href="https://twitter.com/KurtSchlichter/status/1409150398166835201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Christina Pushaw, Press Secretary for DeSantis: &#8220;Hannah Dreier can shut down her DMs so people cannot send her any more documents &amp; facts to correct her false narrative about #surfside / FEMA / @GovRonDeSantis … but she can’t just retract her lies? Is this journalistic ethics?&#8221;
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Hannah Dreier can shut down her DMs so people cannot send her any more documents &amp; facts to correct her false narrative about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/surfside?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#surfside</a> / FEMA / <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a> … but she can’t just retract her lies? Is this journalistic ethics? <a href="https://t.co/u0vbYIfQak">pic.twitter.com/u0vbYIfQak</a>
&mdash; Christina Pushaw (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1409298958455803911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Jay Caruso, Washington Examiner Managing Editor: &#8220;This is absurd. Miami-Dade has some of the best emergency response and management people in the country and were on the scene immediately. This is another framing around the myth that FEMA acts as first responders. Just absolutely lazy reporting…at best.&#8221;
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Just absolutely lazy reporting…at best.
&mdash; Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) <a href="https://twitter.com/JayCaruso/status/1409163595783540741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Arthur Schwartz, political strategist: &#8220;WaPo reporters know that Biden or Harris don’t stand a chance against DeSantis in 2024 so they’re trying to dirty him up by standing on the graves of the victims of this tragedy. Disgusting. Victims’ families should be outraged.&#8221;
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WaPo reporters know that Biden or Harris don’t stand a chance against DeSantis in 2024 so they’re trying to dirty him up by standing on the graves of the victims of this tragedy. Disgusting. Victims’ families should be outraged. <a href="https://t.co/yiUw29Idqo">https://t.co/yiUw29Idqo</a>
&mdash; Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1409152334257700868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Schwartz added: &#8220;Where’s your correction on the disgusting smear that you attacked Ron DeSantis with? You’re a garbage human being and Exhibit A in the case against the media.&#8221;
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Where’s your correction on the disgusting smear that you attacked Ron DeSantis with? You’re a garbage human being and Exhibit A in the case against the media. <a href="https://t.co/zXrvggTL3a">https://t.co/zXrvggTL3a</a>
&mdash; Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1409197441115643905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Steven Law, CEO of Senate Leadership Fund: &#8220;Media ghouls churn up the fake news agitprop—because Ron DeSantis.&#8221;
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Media ghouls churn up the fake news agitprop—because Ron DeSantis. <a href="https://t.co/imxN0SAsM1">https://t.co/imxN0SAsM1</a>
&mdash; Steven Law (@LawAmericanX) <a href="https://twitter.com/LawAmericanX/status/1409344351877091335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Luke Thompson, political strategist: &#8220;At this rate maybe Hannah can declare a candidacy against Matt Gaetz too. This has as much integrity as the Rebekah Jones nonsense.&#8221;
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At this rate maybe Hannah can declare a candidacy against Matt Gaetz too. This has as much integrity as the Rebekah Jones nonsense. <a href="https://t.co/LLEag5c7m9">https://t.co/LLEag5c7m9</a>
&mdash; Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) <a href="https://twitter.com/ltthompso/status/1409272650220908549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Mike Cernovich, political commentator: &#8220;FEMA is not a first responder. There’s nothing they can do initially, which is why they are on scene usually post-72 hours. Do you not know this or are you being deliberately dishonest?&#8221;
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FEMA is not a first responder. There’s nothing they can do initially, which is why they are on scene usually post-72 hours.
Do you not know this or are you being deliberately dishonest? <a href="https://t.co/EdkzEb0gOH">https://t.co/EdkzEb0gOH</a>
&mdash; Cernovich (@Cernovich) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/1409204896914575363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Stephen Miller, political commentator: &#8220;Washington Post reporter spreading demonstrably false information. Has been corrected several times. Refuses to admit and correct. As I stated earlier, this is no longer a news organization.&#8221;
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Washington Post reporter spreading demonstrably false information. Has been corrected several times. Refuses to admit and correct. 
As I stated earlier, this is no longer a news organization. <a href="https://t.co/HtNNf7kHKe">https://t.co/HtNNf7kHKe</a>
&mdash; Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1409166323477671936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Giancarlo Sopo, conservative media strategist: &#8220;This is nonsense. Emergency responders were on the ground in Surfside within minutes of the condo collapse and Gov. DeSantis declared it an emergency on the same day. As the mayor of the city has said, they do not have a resource problem.&#8221;
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This is nonsense. 
Emergency responders were on the ground in Surfside within minutes of the condo collapse and Gov. DeSantis declared it an emergency on the same day.
As the mayor of the city has said, they do not have a resource problem. <a href="https://t.co/fHCEXqZH5t">https://t.co/fHCEXqZH5t</a> <a href="https://t.co/qwRtPdPxYC">pic.twitter.com/qwRtPdPxYC</a>
&mdash; Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) <a href="https://twitter.com/GiancarloSopo/status/1409162217375817728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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AG, a popular right-wing Twitter account: &#8220;Multiple people have pointed out to Hannah that this take is nonsense and ignores how the process works, but she has refused to correct thus far. It’s been over a day. The tweet has over 7k retweets despite being indisputably wrong and she hasn’t engaged any of the hundreds of people that have pointed it out or reached out to her. At some point one has to assume the reporter is intentionally spreading misinformation.&#8221;
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Multiple people have pointed out to Hannah that this take is nonsense and ignores how the process works, but she has refused to correct thus far. <a href="https://t.co/Xqz6StGJpF">https://t.co/Xqz6StGJpF</a> <a href="https://t.co/zFXyzhxJ6Y">https://t.co/zFXyzhxJ6Y</a>
&mdash; AG (@AGHamilton29) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGHamilton29/status/1409160421714673667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Javier E. David, Yahoo News reporter: &#8220;People really need to STOP making DeSantis the story when he’s clearly not.&#8221;
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People really need to STOP making DeSantis the story when he’s clearly not
&mdash; Javier E. David (@TeflonGeek) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeflonGeek/status/1409162804230250499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Christina Sommers, author: &#8220;What you wrote appears to be false. Why not retract the story and delete this tweet?&#8221;
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What you wrote appears to be false. Why not retract the story and delete this tweet?
&mdash; Christina Sommers (@CHSommers) <a href="https://twitter.com/CHSommers/status/1409333530145046534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Dozens Presumed Missing After Residential Building In Miami Area Partially Collapses

WaPo Reporter Hannah Dreier Blasted For ‘Lying’ About DeSantis Tragedy Response: ‘You Have A Sickness’

Miami

Surfside

Washington Post

Nine people have died following the partial collapse of a 12-story residential condo building in Miami-Dade County, according to figures provided by officials early Sunday. Over 150 people remain unaccounted for. 
According to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-miami-surfside-condo-building-collapse-02507acd6f14d31ccfe8c42662b76532">The Associated Press</a>, one person died in the hospital, although it’s unclear when they were rescued from the building site. Remains from eight other people have been recovered as well.
Miami Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that current search and rescue efforts involve canines, cameras, and sonar. She noted that the four recently recovered bodies were found as a result of rescuers digging a long, twenty-foot-wide trench into the pile of rubble. &#8220;We&#8217;re meeting, constantly, with the family members, giving them the updates first, so they don&#8217;t hear it on the news, so that they can talk with us, ask questions,&#8221; she said. 

&#8220;They&#8217;re receiving multiple briefings every day,&#8221; added Levine Cava.
Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said in a Sunday morning presser that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has already registered “a number of families for individual assistance” and expressed thanks to the search and rescue teams on site.
“If you look at that rubble now, you see folks on top, you see major machinery, and they’re working around the clock like they have been in the wee hours of the morning, and so I want to thank all the search and rescue teams for their tireless efforts. They stepped up to the plate, and they have not stopped this whole time,” said DeSantis.
“Helping serve this community is our top priority,” FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EFsEYn2cMM">press conference</a> Sunday, “and I want you to know that we are here to support with whatever the federal government can bring to assist as long as we need to.”
According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/27/us/building-collapse-miami-beach">The New York Times</a>, hundreds of rescue officials have been working around the clock to find any survivors who may still be inside the rubble. Levine Cava said Sunday that, at any given time, there are between six to eight squads on top of the rubble actively searching for survivors.
But extracting any remaining survivors on-site, according to Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, will not be a matter of receiving more resources, but of getting a stroke of luck.
“We don’t have a resource problem, we’ve had a luck problem. We just need to start to get a little more lucky right now,” Burkett told ABC News on Sunday morning.
DeSantis, who visited the site of the collapse Thursday, had said he hoped more people would be rescued. “We’ll hope for the best in terms of additional recoveries, although we are bracing for some bad news just given the destruction that we’re seeing,” he said.

Residential Building In Miami Partially Collapsed

Death Toll Rises In Weekend After Condo Collapse, Over 150 People Still Missing

On Tuesday night, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who has staunchly opposed the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) in Florida schools, gave a terse summation of what he thought of it, asserting, “We&#8217;re happy to have banned it in Florida,” and adding that it was “poison.”
Sean Hannity of Fox News prompted DeSantis by saying, “You said the woke class wants to teach kids to hate each other rather than teaching them how to read. We&#8217;re not going to let them bring nonsense ideology into Florida schools. You love the state; you love the country. And it&#8217;s unthinkable: There are people in positions of leadership in the federal government who believe that we should teach kids to hate our country. We&#8217;re not going to stand for it in Florida. Tell us why.”
“First of all, Sean, we&#8217;re happy to have banned it in Florida,” DeSantis answered. “It&#8217;s not going to be allowed in Florida classrooms. Spending tax dollars to teach kids that America is a rotten place is absolutely unacceptable. If you look at how some of this stuff manifests itself in classrooms, that we have seen examples of, it&#8217;s not a conspiracy theory, dividing kids based on race, trying to say some are oppressors and some are oppressed based on race. Attacking law enforcement and saying law enforcement attacks people based on race. Those things are poison.&#8221;
&#8220;That is not what we should be doing,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;What we should be doing is solid curriculum based on the actual facts of American history and teaching kids what it means to be an American. And part of what it means to be an American is we judge people, not on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character.”
Hannity asked DeSantis why there were vast differences between red states and blue states regarding critical race theory, state income taxes, inheritance taxes, law and order, and shutdowns. DeSantis replied, “Part of it is we have a conservative approach. They have a left-wing approach. But I think some of this, Sean, is just common sense.”
When Hannity suggested that people in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and California are moving to Florida to leave their leftist policies behind, DeSantis stated, “Well, the good thing is a lot of them are leaving because of those radical policies, and they&#8217;ve actually been repelled, and they&#8217;re coming because we are an oasis of freedom. So I think that that&#8217;s really a good sign.”
WATCH:
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TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>Hannity: One governor, by the way,  who has become a beacon of hope for Americans in Florida and beyond: Governor Ron DeSantis. He&#8217;s standing up against Critical Race Theory, against rioting, lawlessness, and against lockdowns. He&#8217;s joining us tonight with reaction. Governor, good to see you. Thank you for being with us. Let me read what you said about critical race theory. You said the woke class wants to teach kids to hate each other rather than teaching them how to read. We&#8217;re not going to let them bring nonsense ideology into Florida schools. You love the state; you love the country. And it&#8217;s unthinkable: There are people in positions of leadership in the federal government who believe that we should teach teach kids to hate our country. We&#8217;re not going to stand for it in Florida. Tell us why.
DeSantis: Well, first of all, Sean, we&#8217;re happy to have banned it in Florida. It&#8217;s not going to be allowed in Florida classrooms; spending tax dollars to teach kids that America is a rotten place is absolutely unacceptable. If you look at how some of this stuff manifests itself in classrooms, that we have seen examples of, it&#8217;s not a conspiracy theory, dividing kids based on race, trying to say some are oppressors and some are oppressed based on race. Attacking law enforcement and saying law enforcement attacks people based on race. Those things are poison. That is not what we should be doing. What we should be doing is solid curriculum based on the actual facts of American history and teaching kids what it means to be an American. And part of what it means to be an American is we judge people, not on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character.
Hannity: You know, I look at Florida, where I&#8217;m leaning heavily to moving very soon. And I look at your state against critical race theory; you have no state income tax; you have no inheritance tax. You are for law and order and you reward good policing to keep people safe and secure. You go down the list; you didn&#8217;t have draconian shutdowns. This is, there’s such a dramatic difference now emerging between red states like yours and blue states like New York, California, New Jersey and Illinois. How do you reconcile these differences? They&#8217;re so dramatic?
DeSantis: Well, I think part of it is we have a conservative approach. They have a left-wing approach. But I think some of this, Sean, is just common sense. For example, we have the lowest per capita tax burden in the country. But the reason that we are doing well is because people respond to that; they want to live in a place that&#8217;s well-governed with low taxes. So we actually now are collecting more revenue than we can forecast or even keep up with, with those lower rates. And it&#8217;s all about understanding that you&#8217;re trying to expand your economic base. Obviously things like law and order. Those are just common sense things that you have to do; if you don&#8217;t have public safety, you don&#8217;t really have anything. And then, of course, making sure we have good curriculum in schools; protecting things like women&#8217;s athletics, which we were able to do, I signed a bill a couple weeks ago. We really believe that on the key issues that matter for Floridians, we&#8217;re leading and we&#8217;re getting things done.
Hannity: You know, when you look at the differences, especially like with California, today&#8217;s the first official day that they&#8217;re reopening the state, but they&#8217;re not really fully reopening the state. Then they&#8217;ve adopted these COVID passports. I noticed there&#8217;s a little bit of a controversy emerging with the cruise line industry, which is big in Florida. And to your credit, by the way, you&#8217;ve been fighting for them to get back online as quickly as possible. A lot of jobs are at stake; a lot of money for Florida&#8217;s economy at stake. Yet some of the cruise lines want these passports or vaccination proof and you&#8217;ve held the line; you said no passports.
DeSantis: Just understand Sean, CDC has shut the cruise lines down for over a year, we sued CDC to be able to get them off of this so that the cruise lines could function in Florida. Of course, they&#8217;re going to have to do it consistent with Florida law. We are not allowing discrimination based on vaccination status. What the CDC wants to do is effectively ban young kids from cruises because they&#8217;re not even eligible to get vaccinated. And yet they would count that against the cruise ship. So our view is, non discrimination. Understanding kids should be able to go on and also understanding people have recovered from COVID and also are immune and they may not have taken the vaccine at that point. So we think that that&#8217;s better than forcing people to divulge private health information and discriminate against people who may have had reason not to get the vaccine.
Hannity: Governor, I would say this to people in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, California that are moving to Florida: I know you welcome them with open arms. I would just like to request on your behalf that they leave their radical leftist liberal socialist policies in the state they come from and don&#8217;t bring that voting record with you and ruin the new state that you&#8217;re going to. I think that&#8217;s a fair request. I hope you agree with that.
DeSantis: Well, the good thing is a lot of them are leaving because of those radical policies, and they&#8217;ve actually been repelled, and they&#8217;re coming because we are an oasis of freedom. So I think that that&#8217;s really a good sign.
Hannity: And by the way, you spend half as much as New York with no income tax and better infrastructure. I think that speaks volumes. Governor, good to see you. Thank you.</blockquote>

WATCH: DeSantis Rips Critical Race Theory, Calls It ‘Poison’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pulled no punches during a passionate speech on Monday at a signing for two bills that were crafted to crackdown on Chinese influence in the state.
After DeSantis signed the two bills, he continued his remarks and took special aim at far-left activists who throw a fit in the U.S. over election security bills while taking money from China.
&#8220;And then I don&#8217;t even need to discuss, you know, these entertainers and the athletes and these business people,&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;If you&#8217;re somebody that will light your hair on fire because Georgia is requiring voter ID but yet you&#8217;re lining your pocket with money from China and not a peep about the slave labor that&#8217;s going on over there, you, my friend are a hypocrite, and you&#8217;re not somebody that should be taken seriously.&#8221;
&#8220;And yet, that seems to be the normal course of things,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And I think a lot of these companies, you know, who&#8217;ve tried to become woke and try to basically get in with some of these far-left activists when it comes to things like voter ID, they have a really hard time explaining how if that&#8217;s the line in the sand for them, how they could possibly have these business relationships that they do in China and specifically with the Chinese Communist Party, because you don&#8217;t get to have big business relationships there unless you have the imprimatur of the CCP.&#8221;
&#8220;So I think what the legislature did was great,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;It was long overdue, but particularly, I don&#8217;t see how anyone could have lived through the last year and a half and not come to the conclusion that there&#8217;s something fundamentally wrong about how this regime is influencing so many different institutions and industries around the world.&#8221;
WATCH:
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PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>RON DESANTIS, GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA (R): But as we saw what happened with COVID. I&#8217;ve always viewed China as an adversary. In fact, I think once COVID really started, someone leaked some Chinese intelligence where they looked at all the governors, and I was one of like five governors that were considered the most hostile to the CCP. It&#8217;s true. I mean, it&#8217;s true. At the same time, even with that, that background, if you look at how all of this, this comes out of this lab and Wuhan, they basically have the, WHO is in the pocket of the Communist Party of China. They basically were having everybody look the other way, the WHO, a lot of the U.S. researchers, we see that in Fauci&#8217;s emails, unfortunately, with folks. And so the idea was to try to whitewash the role of the CCP in this virus. And it wasn&#8217;t just WHO, it wasn&#8217;t just bureaucracies, you saw the academic community largely circle the wagons and defend the CCP, you saw corporate media. Remember, there were &#8217;60 Minutes,&#8217; not the most credible news source I think we&#8217;ve come to find out in Florida, they did a thing saying, &#8216;Oh, no lab leak,&#8217; and they use the one guy&#8211;who is probably would have been partially culpable for ensuring this type of gain of function research&#8211;as the reason why. So they would say it&#8217;s a conspiracy theory, without any basis to say that, and then they would say, oh, it obviously just came from a bat in a wet market without any evidence that ultimately supported that and you gotta wonder why were they so insistent on trying to characterize this leaking from a lab as a conspiracy theory? Yes, part of it was, you know, the number one instinct for corporate media for the four years was, anything Trump said they were against, no matter what. Trump could say the sky is blue, they would say no, that&#8217;s false, and then try to go&#8211; So that was part of it. That&#8217;s just their instinct. They wanted to weaponize COVID against Trump. But I think it was more than that. I do think it&#8217;s, there&#8217;s deeper relationship between these big media conglomerates, financial relationships between them, and the and the Chinese government. And I think that that also was a big reason why they tried to whitewash that, but when you see all the different ways in which and then, of course, big tech was censoring people who wanted to have inquiries into the lab leak theory, you get taken down off social media, if you said that, and of course, the Chinese Communist Party, they were the leading proponent of lockdowns, they were advocating them for Italy and all this other stuff. When you were criticizing lockdowns last March or April, you would get deplatformed or you would get censored by social media companies. And so they&#8217;ve run interference for the CCP, multiple times, these are some of the biggest, most powerful companies in the world. 
And then I don&#8217;t even need to discuss, you know, these entertainers and the athletes and these business people. If you&#8217;re somebody that will light your hair on fire, because Georgia is requiring voter ID, but yet you&#8217;re lining your pocket with money from China and not a peep about the slave labor that&#8217;s going on over there, you, my friend are a hypocrite, and you&#8217;re not somebody that should be taken seriously. And yet, that seems to be the normal course of things. And I think a lot of these companies, you know, who&#8217;ve tried to become woke and try to basically get in with some of these far-left activists when it comes to things like voter ID, they have a really hard time explaining how if that&#8217;s the line in the sand for them, how they could possibly have these business relationships that they do in China and specifically with the Chinese Communist Party, because you don&#8217;t get to have big business relationships there unless you have the imprimatur of the CCP. So I think what the legislature did was great. It was long overdue, but particularly, I don&#8217;t see how anyone could have lived through the last year and a half and not come to the conclusion that there&#8217;s something fundamentally wrong about how this regime is influencing so many different institutions and industries around the world. And so today, Florida says, &#8216;We&#8217;re fighting back and we&#8217;re going to make sure the laws of this state reflect that.&#8217; Thanks, everybody.</blockquote>

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Holds News Conference In Miami

DeSantis Torches Those Who Lit ‘Hair On Fire’ Over Georgia Voting Law Yet Are Taking Money From China

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