As the media once again spreads fear and panic about COVID-19, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has said he will not lockdown his state despite the fact that coronavirus cases in Florida have begun to rise. As of Wednesday, the state has seen more than <a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/96dd742462124fa0b38ddedb9b25e429">158,900 cases</a> and over 3,500 deaths.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, DeSantis said that the rise in COVID-19 numbers stem from the high number of social interactions, not stores or businesses being open.
“We&#8217;re not going back, closing things,&#8221; DeSantis said, as reported by <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/florida-ron-desantis-shutdowns-covid-19/2020/06/30/id/975037/">Newsmax</a>. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think that that, really, is what&#8217;s driving it. People going to business is not what&#8217;s driving it. I think when you see the younger folks, I think a lot of it is more just social interactions, so that&#8217;s natural.”
&#8220;We&#8217;re open; we know who we need to protect. Most of the folks in those younger demographics, although we want them to be mindful of what&#8217;s going on, are just simply much, much less at risk than the folks who are in those older age groups,&#8221; DeSantis continued.
Despite the negative news across the nation, there does appear to be at least a limited measure of hope going forward regarding herd immunity.
As <a href="https://reason.com/2020/07/01/covid-19-herd-immunity-is-much-closer-than-antibody-tests-suggest-say-2-new-studies/">Reason</a> reported on Wednesday:
<blockquote>The prevalence of immunity to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 may be much higher than previous research suggests according to an intriguing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.29.174888">new study</a> by researchers associated with Karolinska Institute in Sweden. In addition, a new German <a href="https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-35331/v1">study</a> by researchers associated with the University Hospital Tübingen in Germany reports that people who have been previously infected with versions of the coronavirus that cause the common cold also have some immunity to the COVID-19 virus. If these reports stand up to further scrutiny, it would be very good news because they suggest that the pandemic could be over sooner and ultimately be less lethal than feared.</blockquote>
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said that states should not take locking down again off the table.
&#8220;They may have to do that. I think if you immediately say — in other words — these all-or-none phenomenon that just misleads us,&#8221; Fauci told Meg Tirrel on the Milken Institute Summer Series last week. &#8220;If you say you’re going to go back into lockdown, there will be an absolute push back on that. You might have to do it. You never take that off the table.&#8221;
That said, Dr. Fauci noted that a <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/dr-fauci-no-need-for-a-second-covid-lockdown">second lockdown</a> like the one America experienced in March and April is unlikely.
“New York, unfortunately, really got hit by surprise, because they had activity coming into this city from Europe when everybody was focusing on China. They all of a sudden found that they had a massive outbreak,” he said. “I don&#8217;t think that could happen under today&#8217;s circumstances of our full awareness of the potential of this virus, which is highly transmissible.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Florida Governor DeSantis And Government Officials Give Hurricane Season Update At Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center

Ron DeSantis: Florida Not Going Into Lockdown Again

Coronavirus

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Ron DeSantis

On Saturday, after a reporter informed Florida GOP governor Ron DeSantis that New York Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo was “considering a quarantine on travelers from Florida,” DeSantis fired back a withering response as he obliquely referred to the New York state order that possibly doomed many elderly residents to die from the coronavirus: “I think governors are going to do what they need to do. I would just ask them if that’s done, just please do not quarantine any Floridians in the nursing homes in New York.”
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Florida&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a> taking a shot at <a href="https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYGovCuomo</a> during today&#39;s COVID briefing. Cuomo says he&#39;s mulling a quarantine on travelers from Florida (FL is already doing this to travelers from NY). Here was DeSantis&#39;s response: <a href="https://t.co/YhVqrIUV6r">pic.twitter.com/YhVqrIUV6r</a>
&mdash; Forrest Saunders (@FBSaunders) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBSaunders/status/1274439367013150720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-cuomo-quarantine-florida-new-york-nursing-homes">Fox News</a> noted, over 6,200 elderly residents may have died from COVID-19 in New York nursing homes according to <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/diseases/covid-19/fatalities_nursing_home_acf.pdf">state health department statistics</a>. On March 25, the New York Department of Health issued an advisory that stated nursing homes had to accept residents returning from hospitals whether or not they had a diagnosis of COVID-19. The <a href="https://skillednursingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/03/DOH_COVID19__NHAdmissionsReadmissions__032520_1585166684475_0.pdf">advisory</a> stated:
<blockquote>During this global health emergency, all NHs must comply with the expedited receipt of residents returning from hospitals to NHs. Residents are deemed appropriate for return to a NH upon a determination by the hospital physician or designee that the resident is medically stable for return.  Hospital discharge planners must confirm to the NH, by telephone, that the resident is medically stable for discharge. Comprehensive discharge instructions must be provided by the hospital prior to the transport of a resident to the NH.
No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.NHs are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/andrew-cuomo-finally-reverses-order-forcing-nursing-homes-to-take-covid-patients-demands-testing-for-care-workers">reported</a> on May 10 that a report from New York state authorities showed that &#8220;at least 4,813 residents with confirmed or presumed cases of COVID-19 have died at 351 of New York’s 613 nursing homes since March 1, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration’s new list,&#8221; according to <a href="https://time.com/5832141/new-york-nursing-home-death-toll/">Time Magazine</a>.
Last Thursday, Cuomo <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cuomo-14-day-quarantine-people-visiting-new-york">said</a> of quarantining Floridians, “I have experts who have advised me to do that. I am considering it now in some ways … You want to talk about a full 180 for those people. Florida and other states imposed quarantine on New Yorkers. If you went to Florida, you had to quarantine for two weeks because they were afraid that New Yorkers were bringing the virus to their state. Fast forward 100 days now. We’re afraid they’re bringing the virus to our state … The tale of two cities, two countries. How come? How do you explain this? Who would believe this? 180 turn around.”
As of June 21, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html#states">The New York Times</a>, New York had reported almost 392,702 cases of coronavirus with 30,884 deaths; Florida had reported 97,283 cases with 3,160 deaths. That amounts to 7.9% of the cases reported in New York eventuating in death, while in Florida 3.2% of the cases resulted in death.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400

Andrew Cuomo Considering Quarantining Floridians Visiting NY. Florida GOP Governor DeSantis Fires Back Blistering Response.

Andrew Cuomo

On Saturday, attorney Daniel Uhlfelder, who apparently has a propensity for finding the most offensive gestures one could imagine to warn Florida beachgoers to stay home, announced he has a new one to offer them: body bags.
Uhlfedler tweeted, &#8220;Beginning next Saturday I will have a team handing out free body bags throughout the state to Florida beachgoers. Each body bag costs $10. We ordered a few hundred tonight. Please consider chipping in $10 to cover the cost of a body bag. For every $10 contribution we will be able to order one more to hand out.&#8221;
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Each body bag costs $10. We ordered a few hundred tonight. Please consider chipping in $10 to cover the cost of a body bag. For every $10 contribution we will be able to order one more to hand out. You can contribute here: <a href="https://t.co/MmtDp1KgPi">https://t.co/MmtDp1KgPi</a> <a href="https://t.co/1rj8Y7k4io">pic.twitter.com/1rj8Y7k4io</a>
&mdash; Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/DWUhlfelderLaw/status/1264412394794647552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Uhlfelder has consistently tweeted that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has “blood on his hands.&#8221; His most recent example came on Friday, writing, “It was great to join The Daily Show and discuss our grim reaper tour. Please watch and if you agree that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has blood on his hands retweet this.”
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It was great to join The Daily Show and discuss our grim reaper tour. Please watch and if you agree that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has blood on his hands retweet this <a href="https://t.co/nbGmOGLgYq">pic.twitter.com/nbGmOGLgYq</a>
&mdash; Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/DWUhlfelderLaw/status/1263993165930954753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In late April, Uhlfelder said he would start wearing a Grim Reaper costume to the beaches to warn beachgoers against congregating there.
Uhlfelder said to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lawyer-plans-visit-florida-beaches-dressed-grim-reaper-warn-people-n1190731?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma">NBC News</a> of his Grim Reaper stunt, &#8220;I felt like something needed to be done, because they&#8217;re moving very quickly to open beaches prematurely. Wearing a Grim Reaper costume seems like a good way to send a signal that this is too fast and that we need to think seriously before we take that step.&#8221;
Uhlfelder tweeted, “Many of you have asked if I am willing to travel around Florida wearing Grim Reaper attire to the beaches and other areas of the state opening up prematurely. The answer is absolutely yes. Beginning May 1 we will hit the road here in state. Please retweet and spread the word.”
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Many of you have asked if I am willing to travel around Florida wearing Grim Reaper attire to the beaches and other areas of the state opening up prematurely. The answer is absolutely yes. Beginning May 1 we will hit the road here in state. Please retweet and spread the word. <a href="https://t.co/UO7QKg161n">pic.twitter.com/UO7QKg161n</a>
&mdash; Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/DWUhlfelderLaw/status/1252794978037833729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2020</a></blockquote>
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NBC News noted that in March, Uhlfelder wore a paintball costume at beaches as he badgered people about maintaining social distance. After one woman commented that he was &#8220;scaring people,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I said, &#8216;OK, that&#8217;s good.&#8217; If people are scared, then they&#8217;ll leaves. I want to go back to normal as soon as possible, too, but opening our beaches too early is not the way to do this.&#8221;
Uhlfelder was hit hard on Twitter:
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ActBlue morbidly celebrating death. Please stop the hate. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/fNXpCianXA">https://t.co/fNXpCianXA</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1265057270624391169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
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You could have used this money to help homeless people get food and shelter, helped victims of NY and MI nursing homes, donate to nonprofit hospitals or food/supply charities.
But harassing and bullying random people you feel entitled to judge, apparently, is more satisfying. <a href="https://t.co/UQa6FfVyiZ">https://t.co/UQa6FfVyiZ</a>
&mdash; Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) <a href="https://twitter.com/chadfelixg/status/1264554683559030784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In late April, activists targeted the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., placing body bags outside and driving cars as if they were going to a funeral.
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<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/news/494618-protesters-lay-body-bags-outside-trump-hotel-to-condemn-covid-19-response">The Hill</a> reported:
<blockquote>The &#8220;People&#8217;s Motorcade&#8221; protest featured a procession of vehicles past the White House and to the hotel, with an inflatable Trump chicken making an appearance. Outside Trump International Hotel, black plastic bags filled with cardboard were left to look like victims of the coronavirus pandemic. Aside from protesting Trump&#8217;s response, some in the group said they were calling for more personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care professionals and frontline workers.</blockquote>
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The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.  
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Beaches Reopen In Palm Beach County

Activist Who Costumed As Grim Reaper Targeting Florida Beachgoers Now Offers Something Really Offensive: Body Bags

body bags

Earlier this month, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) made a public case to professional sports leagues unable to resume modified practice schedules or seasons across the country due to the coronavirus and associated restrictions: Come to Florida!
&#8220;All professional sports are welcome here for practicing and for playing,&#8221; DeSantis told reporters at a press conference in mid-May, according to <a href="https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/29170646/florida-gov-ron-desantis-says-state-open-pro-sports-teams">ESPN</a>. &#8220;What I would tell commissioners of leagues is, if you have a team in an area where they just won&#8217;t let them operate, we&#8217;ll find a place for you here in the state of Florida.&#8221;
Now, with DeSantis fresh from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-desantis-absolutely-eviscerates-the-media-for-their-botched-reporting-on-florida">blasting</a> the people who predicted the pandemic would devastate Florida &#8220;just like Italy,&#8221; it&#8217;s looking like the National Basketball Association may decide to take him up on the offer.
In a statement released on Saturday afternoon, the NBA said that it was looking to restart the season in July, under a plan that would make Walt Disney World the league’s host amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
“The NBA, in conjunction with the National Basketball Players Association, is engaged in exploratory conversations with the Walt Disney Company about restarting the 2019-20 NBA season in late July at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida as a single site for an NBA campus for games, practices and housing,” said the statement.
While the announcement does not reveal any definitive plans, the league emphasized that the decision to resume the season would involve collaborating with public health experts and developing “comprehensive” guidelines. That said, it remains unclear whether the seasons would pick up from where it left off, or whether it would start in the playoffs.
“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols are in place,” reads the statement.
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The following is a statement from NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass: <a href="https://t.co/8gfK5iVXs8">pic.twitter.com/8gfK5iVXs8</a>
— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1264240604197924865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
The World of Sports Complex, a 200+ acre campus with multiple arenas, is located only a couple of miles from Disney World’s nearest theme park. Individuals with “knowledge of the league’s thinking” told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/05/23/nba-opens-talks-july-return-disney-world-during-coronavirus-pandemic/">The Washington Post</a> that the season will likely resume in several phases, including an initial quarantine phase for players. However, the league has not made any such details publicly available.
As <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/sports/basketball/warriors-coronavirus-fans.html?action=click&amp;module=RelatedLinks&amp;pgtype=Article">The New York Times</a> reported in mid-March, the NBA’s decision to abruptly suspend the season came after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus, and the move coincided with an avalanche of uncertainty in the professional and college sports world that brought the severity of the pandemic, and the seriousness of the subsequent government response, into the public view.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

NBA Suspends Season After Player Tests Positive For Coronavirus

DeSantis Offered Florida To Host Pro Sports. The NBA May Take Him Up On The Offer.

On his top-rated talk radio program Thursday, Rush Limbaugh kicked off a segment by announcing a rare honor bestowed by the &#8220;EIB Limbaugh Institute&#8221;: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is now officially &#8220;the closest that we’ve ever had to a graduate&#8221; of his prestigious institute, Limbaugh said. The reason the Republican governor has been awarded the honor, the host explained, is his thorough throttling of the media for their partisan coverage of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
&#8220;I want to start with a graduate, or the closest that we’ve ever had to a graduate, of the EIB Limbaugh Institute, and that would be Florida Governor Ron DeSantis,&#8221; Rush announced at the start of the segment. &#8220;As you know, there are no graduates from the Limbaugh Institute because the learning never stops. We don’t issue degrees here because there never is a time where we have proclaimed that our students have learned it all. Because our curriculum is constantly expanding. There is no set curriculum here.&#8221;
&#8220;But Governor DeSantis has asked in the past for an honorary degree, and Governor DeSantis has said that if said honorary degree were ever bestowed, that he would frame it, hang it proudly on the wall in his gubernatorial office,&#8221; Rush continued. &#8220;And if anybody has come close to earning an honorary degree from the Limbaugh Institute, it is the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. He has clearly had enough of the Drive-By Media. After months of being slammed by fake news and by the gloom and doom casualty forecasts over his handling of the coronavirus, the governor called them out.&#8221;
During Vice President Mike Pence&#8217;s visit to the state on Wednesday, DeSantis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-desantis-absolutely-eviscerates-the-media-for-their-botched-reporting-on-florida">called out</a> the media over its unfair criticism of his administration and false predictions about how the pandemic would play out in his state. After hammering the media for attempting to make the firing of an analyst for the Florida Department of Health into some sort of COVID-19 cover-up — when, DeSantis explained, the fired employee is &#8220;under active criminal charges in the state of Florida&#8221; and being charged &#8220;with cyber-stalking and cyber-sexual harassment&#8221; — he pointed to Florida&#8217;s success in combatting the virus:
<blockquote>DeSantis: Our data is available; our data is transparent. In fact, Dr. [Deborah] Birx has talked multiple times about how Florida has the absolute best data. So any insinuation otherwise is just typical partisan narrative trying to be spun, and part of the reason is that because you got a lot of people in your profession who waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida was going to be just like New York. “Wait two weeks, Florida’s going to be next!” “Just like Italy. Wait two weeks!”
Well, hell, we’re eight weeks away from that, and it hasn’t happened. Not only do we have a lower death rate — well, we have way lower deaths generally — we have a lower death rate than the Acela corridor, D.C., everyone up there. We have a lower rate than the Midwest: Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio. But even in our region: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida has the lower death rate, and I was the number one landing spot from tens of thousands of people leaving the number one hot zone in the world to come to my state.
So we’ve succeeded, and I think that people just don’t want to recognize it because it challenges their narrative; it challenges their assumption, so they gotta try to find a bogeyman; maybe its that there are black helicopters circling the Department of Health. If you believe that, I got a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.</blockquote>
The media&#8217;s anti-DeSantis narrative, Limbaugh suggested, was part of an attempt to cover for the &#8220;abject failure&#8221; of Cuomo, who the media held up in the height of the crisis as an alternative to Trump.
&#8220;Governor DeSantis was said to be presiding over a circumstance in Florida that was gonna be so much worse than New York,&#8221; said Limbaugh, but  in the end, &#8220;the predictions that Florida would be just like New York never materialized.&#8221;
&#8220;[D]espite the massive numbers of people escaping to Florida — escaping the infected Northeast — Florida did better than all the others,&#8221; said Rush. &#8220;New York has over 350,000 coronavirus cases compared to under 50,000 cases in Florida — and 29,000 of those in Florida are in the southeastern counties of the state. There have been about 2,000 deaths in Florida, but that’s less than one-tenth the 23,000 deaths in New York. And yet the Drive-By Media puts Andrew Cuomo up on this pedestal and touts him as great and compassionate and concerned and qualified to replace Plugs as the Democrat presidential nominee, and they still try to cast DeSantis as a right-wing kook conspiracy theorist who can’t think or open his mouth without talking to Donald Trump first — and he’s finally had it.&#8221;
&#8220;The media has been doing two things: Lying in wait, hoping Florida falls apart because he’s a Republican,&#8221; Limbaugh concluded. &#8220;And then, when Florida becomes a success story, they do not say a word. They do not report it, and yet keep touting the great successes of this waste of a governor in New Jersey and then Cuomo in New York and what’s going on in Michigan. It’s just absurd. Even Rich Lowry at National Review has a piece, &#8216;<a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/05/coronavirus-crisis-ron-desantis-florida-covid-19-strategy/">Where Does Ron DeSantis Go to Get His Apology?</a>&#8216; Fat chance.&#8221;
As he noted, Limbaugh is not the only one to draw attention to the glaring double standard applied to DeSantis versus Democratic governors, particularly New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whose state quickly become the epicenter of the pandemic and whose handling of the crisis, along with Democratic NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, has been revealed, including belatedly by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nyt-calls-out-de-blasio-cuomo-for-coronavirus-failures-readers-thanks-for-finally-saying-something">The New York Times</a>, to have massively inflamed the situation.
Transcript via <a href="https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2020/05/21/governor-desantis-earns-his-limbaugh-institute-degree/">RushLimbaugh.com</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Rush Limbaugh

Florida Governor Unloads On Media; Rush Gives Him ‘Limbaugh Institute Degree’

On Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis eviscerated the media for their reporting on the firing of a woman whose job it was to display data data obtained by the Department of Health’s epidemiological staff. The media had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/media-target-desantis-after-data-analyst-is-fired-desantis-dismisses-quotes-email-from-employee">trumpeted the firing</a> along with inaccuracies that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/05/19/us/ap-us-virus-outbreak-florida-dashboard-1st-ld-writethru.html?auth=login-email&amp;login=email">described the analyst</a>, Rebekah Jones, as the “chief architect” of the Department’s COVID-19 dashboard, with the insinuation that she was fired because she was countering the state’s narrative of how well it was faring dealing with the coronavirus crisis.
Standing next to Vice President Pence, DeSantis started by clarifying what Jones’ job actually entailed, as opposed to what had been reported, as well as the reasons for her firing, noting that among other things that she is under active criminal charges, charged with cyber-stalking and cyber-sexual harassment. He stated:
<blockquote>She&#8217;s not a data scientist. She&#8217;s somebody that&#8217;s got a degree in journalism, communication &amp; geography. She is not involved in collating any data; she does not have the expertise to do that. She is not an epidemiologist; she is not the chief architect of our web portal; that is another false statement, and what she was doing was she was putting data on the portal which the scientists didn’t believe was valid data. So she didn’t listen to the people who were her superiors; she had many people above her in the chain of command, and so then she was dismissed because of that and because of a bunch of different reasons about how she did.</blockquote>
DeSantis added, “She’s also under active criminal charges in the state of Florida; she is being charged with cyber-stalking and cyber-sexual harassment. So I’ve asked the Department of Health to explain to me how someone would be allowed to be charged with that and continue on, because this was many months ago. I have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment. So her supervisor dismissed her because of a lot of those reasons and it was a totally valid way, but she should have been dismissed long before that.&#8221;
DeSantis cited Dr. Deborah Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, to buttress his claim that Florida was accurately reporting their status, then launched a full frontal assault on the media:
<blockquote>Our data is available; our data is transparent. In fact, Dr. Birx has talked multiple times about how Florida has the absolute best data. So any insinuation otherwise is just typical partisan narrative trying to be spun, and part of the reason is that because you got a lot of people in your profession who waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida was going to be just like New York. “Wait two weeks, Florida’s going to be next!” “Just like Italy. Wait two weeks!”
Well, hell, we’re eight weeks away from that, and it hasn’t happened. Not only do we have a lower death rate — well, we have way lower deaths generally — we have a lower death rate than the Acela corridor, D.C., everyone up there. We have a lower rate than the Midwest: Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio. But even in our region: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida has the lower death rate, and I was the number one landing spot from tens of thousands of people leaving the number one hot zone in the world to come to my state.
So we’ve succeeded, and I think that people just don’t want to recognize it because it challenges their narrative; it challenges their assumption, so they gotta try to find a bogeyman; maybe its that there are black helicopters circling the Department of Health. If you believe that, I got a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.</blockquote>
DeSantis’ office released the following statement regarding Jones:
<blockquote>Rebekah Jones’ duties were to display data obtained by the Department’s epidemiological staff. The team that created the graphics on the dashboard, which was made up by multiple people, received data that was provided by subject matter experts, including Senior Epidemiologists, Surveillance Epidemiologists, and a Senior Database Analyst.
Rebekah Jones exhibited a repeated course of insubordination during her time with the Department, including her unilateral decisions to modify the Department’s COVID-19 dashboard without input or approval from the epidemiological team or her supervisors. The blatant disrespect for the professionals who were working around the clock to provide the important information for the COVID-19 website was harmful to the team.
Accuracy and transparency are always indispensable, especially during an unprecedented public health emergency such as COVID-19. Having someone disruptive cannot be tolerated during this public pandemic, which led the Department to determine that it was best to terminate her employment.</blockquote>
Watch DeSantis below:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#39;She&#39;s not a data scientist. She&#39;s somebody that&#39;s got a degree in journalism, communication &amp; geography.&#39;
Gov. DeSantis, asked again about the firing of Rebekah Jones, says she was putting data on the portal that scientists didn&#39;t believe was valid.<a href="https://t.co/jTzJmKk8X0">https://t.co/jTzJmKk8X0</a> <a href="https://t.co/tlUaocPJkZ">pic.twitter.com/tlUaocPJkZ</a>
&mdash; WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFLA/status/1263149196300955649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Gov. DeSantis also says Rebekah Jones is under &quot;active criminal charges&quot; for cyber stalking and cyber sexual harassment.
&quot;I have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment,&quot; Gov. DeSantis says. <a href="https://t.co/jTzJmKk8X0">https://t.co/jTzJmKk8X0</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZL0Vy0NS9o">pic.twitter.com/ZL0Vy0NS9o</a>
&mdash; WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFLA/status/1263150115885375489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
DeSantis says any insinuation Florida doesn&#39;t have best data is typical partisan narrative.
&quot;You&#39;ve got a lot of people in your profession who waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida was going to be just like NY.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/jTzJmKk8X0">https://t.co/jTzJmKk8X0</a> <a href="https://t.co/1sGw3Z1P3V">pic.twitter.com/1sGw3Z1P3V</a>
&mdash; WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFLA/status/1263151369436958720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Holds Coronavirus Press Briefing

WATCH: DeSantis Absolutely Eviscerates The Media For Their Botched Reporting On Florida

On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to the flurry of criticism over the firing of Rebekah Jones, a data analyst for the Florida Department of Health who worked on the state&#8217;s COVID-19 dashboard, calling the situation a &#8220;nonissue&#8221; and noting that Jones had sent an email to her supervisor saying some of her comments were being misinterpreted.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know who she is but they gave me an email that she sent to her supervisor, said that, &#8216;Uh-oh, I may have said something that was misrepresented,'&#8221; said the governor Tuesday, as reported by the <a href="https://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2020/05/19/Florida-coronavirus-COVID-19-data-scientist-fired-refusing-manipulate-DeSantis/stories/202005190176">Post-Gazette</a>. DeSantis then provided the rest of the quote from Jones&#8217; email: &#8220;I said they&#8217;ve got a team working on it now and what I meant when I said don&#8217;t expect the same level of accessibility is that they are busy and can&#8217;t answer every single email they get right away and that it was ridiculous that I managed to do it in the first place and that I was tired and needed a break from working two months straight.&#8221;
DeSantis’ office released a statement Tuesday saying Jones was fired after a &#8220;repeated course of insubordination&#8230; including her unilateral decisions to modify the Department&#8217;s COVID-19 dashboard without input or approval from the epidemiological team or her supervisors.&#8221;
&#8220;Accuracy and transparency are always indispensable, especially during an unprecedented public health emergency such as COVID-19,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Having someone disruptive cannot be tolerated during this public pandemic, which led the Department to determine that it was best to terminate her employment.&#8221;
Jones told Florida Today that she had been fired on Monday. Florida Today <a href="https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/18/censorship-covid-19-data-researcher-removed-florida-moves-re-open-state/5212398002/">ran the headline</a>, &#8220;Coronavirus: As Florida re-opens, COVID-19 data chief gets sidelined and researchers cry foul.&#8221; The report opened:
<blockquote>Late last Friday, the architect and manager of Florida&#8217;s COVID-19 dashboard — praised by White House officials for its accessibility — announced that she had been removed from her post, causing outcry from independent researchers now worried about government censorship.</blockquote>
Jones claimed in an email to CBS12 in West Palm Beach that she was fired because she refused to &#8220;manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen.&#8221;
Jones’ claims were widely echoed, with the media turning the accusation into an attack on the DeSantis administration. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/19/florida-covid-19-coronavirus-data-researcher-out-state-reopens/5218897002/">USA TODAY</a> ran this headline, “Florida&#8217;s scientist was fired for refusing to &#8216;manipulate&#8217; COVID-19 data.” USA Today reported:
<blockquote>
In an email last Friday to researchers and other data users, Jones warned that with her removal changes were likely coming to the accessibility and transparency of the dashboard data.
&#8220;They are making a lot of changes. I would advise being diligent in your respective uses of this data,&#8221; she wrote.
Researchers who saw the email reacted with shock and dismay, suggesting it could be evidence that the Gov. Ron De Santis&#8217; government was censoring information to support the case for re-opening Florida.
</blockquote>
The <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-coronavirus-dashboard-creator-complains-of-secrecy-florida-20200519-jhwgp5bcdnab7ljhznd6uvdema-story.html">South Florida Sun Sentinel</a> titled their report on Jones&#8217; removal: &#8220;Analyst was praised for creating and running Florida’s coronavirus data website. Now she says she was fired for challenging secrecy.”
<a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2020/05/20/desantis-administration-takes-heat-over-firing-florida-governor-defends-unemployment-claims-system-rader-exit-sets-off-scramble-489277">Politico</a> targeted the DeSantis administration, writing, “It wasn’t until early Tuesday evening that the DeSantis administration responded by calling Jones ‘insubordinate’ and pushing back against media reports that she had single-handedly managed Florida’s coronavirus dashboard.” Politico described the claim as &#8220;another example of the DeSantis administration having to deal with questions about transparency.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Media Target DeSantis After Data Analyst Is Fired; DeSantis Dismisses, Quotes Email From Employee

Florida bar owners have mounted protests in response to the state&#8217;s lockdown orders, arguing that it&#8217;s unfair Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed for gyms and restaurants to reopen but not their places of business.
&#8220;The &#8216;full Phase 1&#8217; of Florida’s reopening plan allowed gyms and fitness centers to reopen at 50 percent capacity, while restaurants, retail, museums and libraries, which already were cleared to reopen earlier this month, could increase capacity to 50 percent,&#8221; reports <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-bar-owners-protests-reopen-businesses-coronavirus-shutdown">Fox News</a>.
Protests are planned for Wednesday in Clearwater and Tampa. Another motorcylce-based protest is scheduled for Saturday at five bars in Central Florida titled, &#8220;The Ride to Reopen.&#8221; Bar owners say the seemingly arbitrary reopening orders mean they are being subject to a different standard, even though their businesses are similar to those now allowed to serve customers.
&#8220;We&#8217;re being treated unfairly,&#8221; bar owner John Russo told <a href="https://www.fox13news.com/news/bar-owners-in-hillsborough-pinellas-plan-wednesday-protests-to-reopen-business" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FOX13 Tampa</a>. &#8220;If you&#8217;re over 21, like my sign says, it shouldn&#8217;t matter if you&#8217;re 6-foot away from someone being served by a server who has a mask and gloves. Whether you&#8217;re drinking a Coke or cocktail, what would be the difference?&#8221;
Patti Miracle, owner of the Seaside Tavern told <a href="https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/bar-owners-plan-protest-to-reopen-business-claiming-they-are-essential" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FOX35 Orlando</a> said that bars will struggle to stay in business if they don&#8217;t reopen soon.
“A lot of the bars that are closed right now, they’re going to struggle to reopen if we don’t get open soon,” Miracle said.
Bars in other states have protested the lockdown orders by just opening up shop and dealing with the potential consequences. In New York last weekend, Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened to forcefully shutdown establishments in violation of his stay-at-home order. He was responding to viral photos of city residents flouting social distancing measures by huddling in close in bars and restaurants without masks. The bars reopened after the city relaxed social distancing enforcement amid a <a href="https://apnews.com/94550a0c4586bc6d1ecb9a1a83f31429">spate of violent arrests</a> that sparked outrage for being predominantly against people of color.
“We’re not going to tolerate people starting to congregate. It’s as simple as that,” the mayor said, as reported by <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-york-mayor-bill-de-blasio-warns-city-bars-crowded-1294927">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.  “If we have to shut places down, we will.”
“If you start to form groups of people and then two, three, five and then it becomes six, it becomes 10, it becomes 15 — that violates what we’re saying about social distancing and that puts lives in danger,” he added.
To stay afloat, restaurants and other businesses have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/restaurants-salons-enact-coronavirus-surcharges-to-keep-afloat-customers-outraged">enacted COVID-19 surcharges</a> to make up for the lost income.
In March, the National Restaurant Association <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/national-restaurant-association-11-of-restaurants-could-be-lost-in-pandemic">predicted that 11%</a> of restaurants could be closing permanently. Hudson Riehle, the Association’s senior vice president of research, said the data shows the industry is in “uncharted territory.”
“Association research found that 54% of operators made the switch to all off-premises services; 44% have had to temporarily close down. This is uncharted territory,” said Riehle. “The industry has never experienced anything like this before.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Key West Faces Tough Economic Road As Coronavirus Closures Affect Tourism

Florida Bar Owners Will Protest State’s Lockdown Orders: ‘We’re Being Treated Unfairly’

On Thursday, during an appearance on “Fox and Friends,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized leaders of other states for their “draconian” lockdown policies, and spoke about his state’s own reopening process.
“In Wisconsin, the governor there decided to do stay-at-home orders, and a lot of people were complaining and protesting there,” co-host Ainsley Earhardt said. “The Supreme Court of Wisconsin just struck that down. Do you think some of these governors that are just doing a one-size-fits-all for the entire state, you think they&#8217;re being too strict and going too far?”
DeSantis replied, comparing some of the measures to “social control.”
<blockquote>Well, I don&#8217;t think any governor has the authority to restrict anyone unless there&#8217;s a direct relationship to combating this virus, and if you look around the country, clearly there have been examples of really draconian, arbitrary restrictions that have nothing to do with public health – like you can&#8217;t plant a seed in your front yard and your garden, you can&#8217;t walk around the neighborhood with your daughter or something like that. So, some of this stuff, I think, has devolved into social control&#8230;</blockquote>
The governor continued, saying that he believes those measures are “less effective,” and that Florida “trusted the people to act appropriately, and we&#8217;ve had better results than some of the states that you’ve seen.”
“There have absolutely been over-steps, and I think legislatures should really look at this as we go forward,” DeSantis said. “You need to be able to act; there&#8217;s certain things that need to be done, but you&#8217;re not a dictator, you don&#8217;t have unlimited authority, and people do have rights.”
DeSantis was then asked about reopening Florida schools, as the California State University system “plans to cancel all in-person classes for the fall and to continue instruction online,” according to <a href="https://abc7.com/education/csu-campuses-to-remain-closed-through-fall-semester/6176291/">ABC7</a>.
“Why would you give up now? Why would you do that? Of course you’ve got to plan to come back,” the governor said.
“I think we&#8217;ll have people on campus, I think that&#8217;s the way it should be, and we have an opportunity, too, because those folks, those students are low risk, so you&#8217;re able to do this in ways that can be safe,” the governor said. “I trust that our universities will be able to do that.”
Co-host Steve Doocy asked what the state of “big events” will be by August, and DeSantis noted that while he can’t guarantee anything, there’s an eagerness to get to a place “where people are able to live life.”
“We’re doing a very safe, smart, step-by-step approach based on the data, based on what we&#8217;re seeing, and I think that&#8217;s what folks want to see,” the governor said.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MR5ELcUgcwg?start=331" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

DeSantis On Governors Imposing ‘Arbitrary’ Rules: ‘You’re Not A Dictator’ And ‘People Do Have Rights’

Gretchen Whitmer

On Friday afternoon, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had some news for the reams of critics of his handling of the coronavirus in his state. DeSantis tweeted, “Since Florida entered Phase 1 on May 4, ICU hospitalizations for COVID patients are down 21% and ventilator use by COVID patients is down 32%.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Since Florida entered Phase 1 on May 4, ICU hospitalizations for COVID patients are down 21% and ventilator use by COVID patients is down 32%. <a href="https://t.co/2EhWOtSzpM">pic.twitter.com/2EhWOtSzpM</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1261407016209117184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On April 21, DeSantis, who had been heavily criticized for not ordering a shutdown of his state, slammed the wild predictions of mass hospitalizations that had been promulgated about his state, asserting, “Those predictions have been false. Our work is succeeding; we have flattened the curve.”
DeSantis stated:
<blockquote>We heard report after report saying it was just a matter of time until Florida’s hospital system was just completely overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. In fact, there was an article in March in the Miami Herald that said this week in April Florida could see 465,000 people hospitalized throughout the state of Florida. The reality: slightly more than 2,000. Those predictions have been false. Our work is succeeding; we have flattened the curve.
In fact, not only did the hospital system not get overwhelmed; since the pandemic started available hospital beds have increased in the state of Florida, not decreased. We started with about 15,400 beds available, we now have 22,000 beds available. We’ve also dramatically increased ICU bed availability, and that’s what flattening the curve was all about because if the health care system gets overwhelmed, it’s obviously bad for COVID-19 patients. It’s also bad for other people that have other ailments. And so those predictions were made time and time and time again and they were wrong.</blockquote>
As far back as late March, the <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2020/03/24/floridas-coronavirus-numbers-climb-desantis-wont-order-state-shutdown/2906211001/">Tallahassee Democrat</a> newspaper sniped, “Against the urging of state and local leaders and national health professionals, Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to order a statewide shutdown of all nonessential businesses and mandate that all residents stay at home to help prevent a wider spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.” The Democrat continued, “A Stanford University-based group, <a href="https://covidactnow.org/state/FL">COVID ACT NOW</a>, has a model that projects the consequences of not practicing social distancing. With limited action, Florida&#8217;s hospitals would reach an overload of over 465,000 patients by April 24, the model shows. With three months of social distancing, Florida would still see 185,000 hospitalizations by May 14. With mandatory sheltering in place, the need is reduced to 18,000 hospitalizations by July.”
On March 26, the Miami Herald <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article241492791.html">referenced</a> the Stanford University projections, writing, “Three academic models created with input by epidemiologists and health experts from <a href="https://covidactnow.org/about">Stanford</a>, <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article241464406.html">Harvard</a> and <a href="https://time.com/5801726/coronavirus-models-forecast/">Northeastern</a> universities predict anywhere from 450,000 to 700,000 people in Florida are likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19.”
On April 22, DeSantis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/governor-ron-desantis-explains-how-the-state-went-from-high-risk-to-flattening-the-curve">stated</a>, &#8220;I think it’s been a team effort here in Florida. We’ve got great public health people here at the county level, we&#8217;ve worked very good with the local governments as well, and we still have more work to do. But clearly, we have done way better than all the experts said we would and I think we did it by a data-driven approach.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Newly Sworn-In Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Makes Announcement Regarding Florida Supreme Court In Miami

DeSantis: Since Florida Entered Phase 1, ICU Hospitalizations From Virus Down 21%

On Thursday, Politico&#8217;s Marc Caputo drew attention to the glaring disparity between the media&#8217;s coverage of Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — the former presented in generally glowing terms despite his state&#8217;s massive failure in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, while the latter, whose state has been one of the national success stories amid the crisis, has been regularly criticized in reports. For calling out the media, Caputo has come under fire from a fellow journalist from The Daily Beast and CNN.
In an update &#8220;<a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly-coronavirus-special-edition/2020/05/14/florida-man-beats-covid-for-now-489225">from the non-frontlines</a>,&#8221; Caputo — a former Miami Herald reporter who now produces Politico&#8217;s Florida Playbook — writes:
<blockquote>Good evening, and greetings from Florida, where we feel the need to inform you that it’s not a post-apocalyptic hellscape of coronavirus infection and cadavers stacked like cordwood. That is, Florida just doesn’t look nearly as bad as the national news media and sky-is-falling critics have been predicting for about two months now. But then, the national news media is mostly based in New York and loves to love its Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, about as much as it loves to hate on Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.</blockquote>
Having established the largely New York-based media&#8217;s habit of &#8220;loving&#8221; on Cuomo and &#8220;hating&#8221; on DeSantis, Caputo takes his critique further: the truth is, he writes, based on actual results, DeSantis&#8217;s measured response to the crisis appears to have been the right response, while New York has been by far the worst hit:
<blockquote>First, let’s just come out and say it: DeSantis looks more right than those who criticized the Sunshine State’s coronavirus response. According to the latest Florida<a href="https://floridadisaster.org/globalassets/covid19/dailies/covid-19-data---daily-report-2020-05-14-10am.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> figures</a>, fewer than 2,000 have died, and around 43,000 have been infected. That’s a fraction of the dire predictions made for Florida when spring breakers swarmed the beaches, and those numbers are dwarfed by similarly sized New York, which has seen 12 times more deaths and nearly eight times more infections. (Check out <a href="https://www.politico.com/interactives/2020/coronavirus-testing-by-state-chart-of-new-cases/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">POLITICO’s coronavirus tracker</a> for more.) More people reportedly died in New York nursing homes than in all of Florida.</blockquote>
Yet, Caputo notes, Cuomo is polling better than DeSantis, partly a result of the two leaders&#8217; far different demeanors as well as one heading up a unified, &#8220;deeply Democratic state,&#8221; while the other heads up a &#8220;politically divided state.&#8221; But another reason, Caputo emphasizes, is that &#8220;there&#8217;s media bias, too&#8221;:
<blockquote>Cuomo also has something else DeSantis doesn’t: a press that defers to him, one that preferred to cover “<a href="https://twitter.com/nydailynews/status/1252027309168697348?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Florida Morons</a>” at the beach (where it’s relatively hard to get infected) over New Yorkers riding cramped subway cars (where it’s easy to get infected). In fact, people can still ride the subways for most hours of the day in New York, but Miami Beach’s sands remain closed. Maybe things would be different if DeSantis had a brother who worked in cable news and interviewed him for a “<a href="https://people.com/tv/chris-cuomo-andrew-cuomo-have-emotional-brotherly-moment-live-on-air/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sweet moment</a>” in primetime.</blockquote>
As pointed out by <a href="https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2020/05/15/cnn-political-analyst-is-extremely-offended-by-florida-based-journo-who-dared-to-call-out-national-medias-blatant-pro-cuomo-anti-gop-bias/">Twitchy</a>, for the sin of shining light on pro-Democrat, New York-centered media bias, Caputo has come under fire from fellow journalist Jackie Kucinich, Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast and a CNN political analyst. 
&#8220;So, given how much everyone is suffering everywhere — grieving loved ones, job losses and even the simple things like hugging your friends — I fail to see how this snarky nonsense from [Marc Caputo] — who I think is an awesome reporter &#8211; is helpful,&#8221; Kucinich tweeted Thursday. &#8220;The reporters in NY who you are shading have lost people too, and are working their tails off, [Marc Caputo].&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The reporters in NY who you are shading have lost people too, and are working their tails off, .<a href="https://twitter.com/MarcACaputo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarcACaputo</a>.
&mdash; Jackie Kucinich (@JFKucinich) <a href="https://twitter.com/JFKucinich/status/1261106839179198464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Politico Reporter Calls Out Media’s Biased Coverage Of NY, FL Governors’ COVID Response, Gets Lectured By CNN Analyst

Media Bias

New York

Politico

The Daily Beast

The media has smothered New York Governor Andrew Cuomo with <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/robasghar/2020/04/06/this-is-cuomos-moment-and-it-offers-essential-leadership-lessons/amp/">fawning praise</a>  from the beginning of this crisis and the downpour of adulation still <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.democratandchronicle.com/amp/5174405002">continues,</a> with no sign of letting up. Contrast this with the scorn heaped on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who we are told is a reckless and dangerous imbecile, among other things. One can’t help but notice a key difference between these two governors that may explain the varied reception they have received. That difference, of course, is the letter next to their names. But there is another difference, one that the media pretends not to notice and hopes you will not notice, either: Governor Cuomo has done the worst job of containing the outbreak (over 20,000 dead) while Governor DeSantis has been among the best (fewer than 2,000 dead in a population slightly larger than New York’s).
This appears to be the general pattern. The governors who have presided over the worst outbreaks are hailed as heroes while the governors who have been most successful in controlling the spread are cast as villains. But nowhere is this upside down approach more evident than with Governor Cuomo, the coronavirus champion who has managed to get everything wrong, every step of the way.
Granted, he faced a greater challenge than any other governor because his state happens to contain a city with 26,000 people packed into every square mile. And granted most of his missteps have been the same missteps that most other governors have made. It is clear that locking everyone in their homes and driving a knife directly into the heart of the economy in order to fight a virus was a very bad strategy, and one that may take more lives than it saves in the long run. Cuomo does not deserve unique blame for this disaster. But neither does he deserve unique praise. At best, he has been just as incompetent as everyone else. Though I think even that would be an overly generous assessment.
Cuomo not only kept the subway system open — despite it being a known vector for the illness — but he apparently didn’t think to give it a <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/new-york-city-subway-begins-nightly-shutdowns-for-coronavirus-cleaning-11588767945">thorough cleaning </a>until this week. Worse, Cuomo forced nursing homes to take in coronavirus patients, which is the equivalent of starting a campfire on a windy day in a forest full of dead wood during wildfire season. It has been well known from the beginning that nursing homes are particularly vulnerable to outbreaks and their residents are most at risk of fatal complications from the illness. Nearly 5,000 nursing home residents have died from coronavirus in New York alone. In many other states across the country, well over half of all fatalities have happened in nursing homes. Cuomo’s decision to forcibly introduce the infection into these facilities — while refusing to provide protective gear, because it’s “<a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost.com/2020/04/22/coronavirus-in-ny-cuomo-says-nursing-homes-must-supply-own-ppe/amp/">not his job</a>” — can be directly blamed for many  deaths.
The nursing home mandate is a breathtaking scandal in and of itself. But you won’t hear much about it on the news, because the news media has already settled on its “Cuomo the Corona Conqueror” narrative. You especially won’t hear about it on CNN, a news network that has enlisted Cuomo’s admiring younger brother to conduct its interviews with the governor. These segments, too, have received fawning approval. But something tells me the fans of the Cuomo-Cuomo chat sessions would not be nearly as impressed if Fox hired Don Jr to do cutesy little interviews with his father.
In any case, obviously we cannot blame Cuomo for every death in his state. But we can ask whether there is any good reason to praise his performance. I see compelling evidence that his leadership has been a failure. Where is the evidence that it has been a smashing success? Or perhaps we might phrase the question this way: If Cuomo’s leadership during this crisis has not been a failure, what exactly would failure look like?

NY Governor Cuomo Holds Coronavirus Briefing At Northwell Feinstein Institute For Medical Research

WALSH: Don’t Be Fooled By The Media Narrative. Governor Cuomo Has Done An Awful Job.

On Wednesday, in a roughly 40-minute, highly-detailed speech, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he would open the state on Monday, asserting, “Fear is the enemy.”
DeSantis stated, “Florida will take a step, small, deliberate, methodical and based on consultation with some of our greatest physicians towards a more hopeful future. We do have hope. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Now, I’ll outline the steps that we’ll be taking going forward. This new phase will start on Monday, and will for the time being exclude Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. These counties have seen the lion’s share of the state’s epidemic but they are trending in a positive direction. I am working with them and will continue to work with them and I do believe that they will be able to move to phase one very soon.&#8221;
He continued, “We will get Florida back on its feet by using an approach that is safe, smart, and step by step. What is our biggest obstacle? Fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear sparked by constant doom and gloom and hysteria that has permeated our culture for the last six weeks. For example, we’ve seen a sudden drop in the number of people who are seeking medical care for heart problems and stroke symptoms, not because these common ailments have all of a sudden disappeared, but because people are terrified of going to the hospital because of the Coronavirus. This will have huge health consequences in the very near future. It will almost assuredly result in excessive fatalities. Fear is our enemy.”
He added, “Now, these steps will be deliberate. It will not be like turning off a switch, but each step will bring us closer to that light at the end of the tunnel. The only thing we have to fear is letting fear overwhelm our sense of purpose and determination.”
He addressed the Floridians most vulnerable to COVID-19, saying, “We also want to make sure we have our vulnerable populations protected. We know that this virus is far more damaging to people who are elderly or who have significant underlying medical conditions, and we need to do things such as what Florida has done to protect nursing homes and continue to do that going forward.”
He stated, “One of the reasons we’re going to take a very slow and methodical approach is because we want to make sure we build as much confidence as possible with the general public.”
Other notable quotes: “We’ll continue to promote various forms of social distancing. There’s a, I think, unfortunate habit of people particularly in the media to conflate shelter in place with social distancing. Social distancing involves a whole host of things that can be done to help reduce the spread of the virus.”
DeSantis noted, “Saying Florida was going to be like New York was wrong and people need to know was wrong … Florida was not an Uber Italy at all … I remember reading that by last week, so this was in March, they said by April 24, Florida would have 465,000 people hospitalized because of COVID-19 … You look down, 2,111 hospitalization. So they were off by about 463,000 hospitalizations.&#8221;
He said, “We’re going to continue with the CDC guidelines about physical distancing when in public. Social groups at 10 or fewer. We’re going to continue doing that and we’re recommending face masks if you’re in face-to-face interactions with people, particularly in the workplace and if you can’t adequately social distance.”
He said bluntly, “We did not ask to be put into this situation. This was thrust upon us largely because of the malfeasance of the Chinese communist party. We are where we are, but I think that we can get through it. I think we can build the foundation.”
DeSantis concluded, “I’m reminded of an old story, an anecdote from the Middle Ages where you had three stone masons. They were building, they were working stone in Germany. They were just hard at work yet an observer there that asked the first mason what he was doing. First mason said, “Sir, I am shaping stone.” He then asked the same question to the second mason and second mason said, “Sir, I’m making a wall.” Well, he finally got around to asking the third mason and the third mason was very excited and proud to proclaim, “I am creating a cathedral.” The cathedral that we are building today is a state that is healthy, safe, prosperous, and free. We can do it. God bless you all.”
Video below:
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The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Holds Press Conference On State&#8217;s Coronavirus Response

WATCH: DeSantis Announces Florida To Start Opening On Monday: ‘Fear Is The Enemy’

While at the White House on Tuesday, sitting alongside President Donald Trump, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida ripped into the media for their failing, dire predictions of his novel coronavirus response.
Gov. DeSantis was lambasted in the media for weeks for refusing to implement a draconian statewide lockdown, though Florida is outperforming states across the nation when it comes to slowing the spread of the China-originated virus.
Asked about criticism that he&#8217;s face for not implementing a full shutdown early on, DeSantis let the media have it. “What have the results been?&#8221; he rhetorically asked, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-fires-back-at-critics-says-they-didnt-have-issues-other-states-did">Fox News</a>. &#8220;You look at some of the most draconian orders that have been issued in some of these states and compare Florida in terms of our hospitalizations per 100,000, in terms of our fatalities per 100,000.&#8221;
&#8220;I mean, you go from D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, you name it. Florida has done better,&#8221; the Republican continued.
“And that has not happened because we understood we have a big, diverse state, we understood the outbreak was not uniform throughout the state, and we had a tailored and measured approach that not only helped our numbers be way below what anyone predicted, but also did less damage to our state going forward,” explained DeSantis.
“We’ve had people in the hospital, but I am now in a situation where I have less than 500 people at a state of 22 million on ventilators as of last night,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And I have 6,500 ventilators that are sitting idle, unused throughout the state of Florida.”
Captioning the video clip of his forceful explanation to the media, DeSantis wrote Wednesday: &#8220;Florida has done better than anyone predicted. We have a big, diverse state that requires a tailored and measured approach. Data and science have helped us flatten the curve in a safe way.&#8221;
As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/governor-ron-desantis-explains-how-the-state-went-from-high-risk-to-flattening-the-curve">The Daily Wire</a> last week, DeSantis similarly explained on Fox News that Florida has slowed the spread of COVID-19 while causing minimal economic and social damage to the state by tailoring their response.
“People were predicting us to be worse than New York, like another Italy,” the governor told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “They said that this week, one of the newspapers in Florida said we would have 464,000 people hospitalized. The actual number is 2,200. So we beat that by 462,000. But what we did very early was focus on the populations who are most at risk – our senior citizens, and particularly our nursing homes and assisted living facilities.”
“We instituted screening for all staff immediately, we stopped visitation, we required all staff to wear N95 masks,” DeSantis explained. “I charged the National Guard with doing strike teams and spot testing at the facility to try to figure out if any of the staff are asymptomatic. Whenever there was an incident at a nursing home, we send these quick response teams to go and try to limit some infections … We’ve put out almost six million masks just to our nursing homes and assisted living facilities and so we understood the risk that this posed to the senior population.”
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Florida has done better than anyone predicted. We have a big, diverse state that requires a tailored and measured approach. Data and science have helped us flatten the curve in a safe way. <a href="https://t.co/x3VGLGjlE4">pic.twitter.com/x3VGLGjlE4</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1255534841208147970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/governor-ron-desantis-explains-how-the-state-went-from-high-risk-to-flattening-the-curve">Governor Ron DeSantis Explains How The State Went From High Risk To Flattening The Curve</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump

WATCH: GOP Governor Wrecks Media: You Were All Wrong About My State, We’re In Better Shape Without Draconian Lockdown

A lawyer who sued Florida governor Ron DeSantis to try to force a closure of public beaches now says he will start wearing a Grim Reaper costume to the beaches to warn beachgoers against congregating there.
Daniel Uhlfelder, who gained a following after feuding with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee about whether the beach in front of Huckabee’s Florida property should be considered public, said to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lawyer-plans-visit-florida-beaches-dressed-grim-reaper-warn-people-n1190731?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma">NBC News</a> of his Grim Reaper stunt, &#8220;I felt like something needed to be done, because they&#8217;re moving very quickly to open beaches prematurely. Wearing a Grim Reaper costume seems like a good way to send a signal that this is too fast and that we need to think seriously before we take that step.&#8221;
Uhlfelder tweeted, “Many of you have asked if I am willing to travel around Florida wearing Grim Reaper attire to the beaches and other areas of the state opening up prematurely. The answer is absolutely yes. Beginning May 1 we will hit the road here in state. Please retweet and spread the word.”
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Many of you have asked if I am willing to travel around Florida wearing Grim Reaper attire to the beaches and other areas of the state opening up prematurely. The answer is absolutely yes. Beginning May 1 we will hit the road here in state. Please retweet and spread the word. <a href="https://t.co/UO7QKg161n">pic.twitter.com/UO7QKg161n</a>
&mdash; Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/DWUhlfelderLaw/status/1252794978037833729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2020</a></blockquote>
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On Friday, DeSantis <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/floridians-return-beaches-state-begins-loosen-coronavirus-restrictions-n1186771">approved</a> of the reopening of Florida beaches as long as social distancing was practiced. The beaches will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and closed all other times.
Uhlfelder reacted, &#8220;I&#8217;m just trying to take all the steps to ensure our safety and trying to get creative about it. I&#8217;ve sued the governor. We&#8217;re in court with him. It looks like they&#8217;re rushing to do this, and it&#8217;s just too soon.&#8221;
NBC News noted that in March, Uhlfelder wore a paintball costume at beaches as he badgered people about maintaining social distance. After one woman commented that he was &#8220;scaring people,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I said, &#8216;OK, that&#8217;s good.&#8217; If people are scared, then they&#8217;ll leaves. I want to go back to normal as soon as possible, too, but opening our beaches too early is not the way to do this.&#8221;
Uhlfleder is also associating his Grim Reaper campaign with his desire to raise money for Democrats. On the <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/grimreaperflorida?refcode=4.22tw&amp;amount=20.20">website</a> associated with the Make My Day PAC, which <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/319653-daniel-uhlfelder-turns-mike-huckabee-feud-into-super-pac">he launched</a> and said was “dedicated to the Americans who refuse to be silenced by bad actors,&#8221; he writes:
<blockquote>Many have asked if I would travel the coastal towns of Florida to warn our fellow Floridians about the dangers of not social distancing in the attire of the Grim Reaper, and the answer is a resounding yes!
Join us to help raise funds to distribute equally to Democrats running for federal office. They include, but are not limited to: the opponent of Matt Gaetz, Phil Ehr; and Christy Smith, who&#8217;s running in the special election in CA on May 12 to fill the vacancy caused by Katie Hill.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">subscriber</a>.  
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Grim reaper

Lawyer Opposing Opening Florida Beaches: I’ll Wear Grim Reaper Costume To Beaches

Grim Reaper

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis joined Fox News&#8217; Sean Hannity on Wednesday and explained how his state went from being considered a high-risk state in the coronavirus pandemic to flattening the curve.
&#8220;People were predicting us to be worse than New York, like another Italy,&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;They said that this week, one of the newspapers in Florida said we would have 464,000 people hospitalized. The actual number is 2,200. So we beat that by 462,000. But what we did very early was focus on the populations who are most at risk: Our senior citizens, and particularly our nursing homes and assisted living facilities.&#8221;
&#8220;We instituted screening for all staff immediately, we stopped visitation, we required all staff to wear N95 masks,&#8221; DeSantis continued. &#8220;I charged the National Guard with doing strike teams and spot testing at the facility to try to figure out if any of the staff are asymptomatic. Whenever there was an incident at a nursing home, we send these quick response teams to go and try to limit some infections &#8230; We’ve put out almost six million masks just to our nursing homes and assisted living facilities and so we understood the risk that this posed to the senior population.&#8221;
&#8220;We worked with The Villages constructively on social distancing and here&#8217;s the thing, you don&#8217;t have to be draconian,&#8221; DeSantis said in an apparent shot at Democrat governors who have used the pandemic to implement overreaching policies. &#8220;At The Villages, they&#8217;re playing golf just like they always do, but they&#8217;re doing it with social distancing. So, they don&#8217;t share a cart with anyone and they don&#8217;t touch the flagstick and they&#8217;ve ended up doing very well.&#8221;
DeSantis also highlighted praise that he received from President Donald Trump earlier in the week on Twitter when Trump wrote: &#8220;Congratulations to all of my many friends at The Villages in Florida on having done so well, and with such great spirit, during these rather unusual times. So proud of everyone! Mark Morse &amp; Gary Lester have really stepped up to the plate. Hope to see everyone soon.&#8221;
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Congratulations to all of my many friends at The Villages in Florida on having done so well, and with such great spirit, during these rather unusual times. So proud of everyone! Mark Morse &amp; Gary Lester have really stepped up to the plate. Hope to see everyone soon.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1252235263327125506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I think it’s been a team effort here in Florida,&#8221; DeSantis said.&#8221; We’ve got great public health people here at the county level, we&#8217;ve worked very good with the local governments as well, and we still have more work to do. But clearly, we have done way better than all the experts said we would and I think we did it by a data-driven approach.&#8221;
Hannity highlighted how DeSantis&#8217; message to his residents has been different than the messages that a lot of other governors have given to their residents.
&#8220;People would play golf with social distancing, would fish, while maintaining social distancing and I think that’s healthy,&#8221; DeSantis added. &#8220;People sitting inside all day eating Cheetos and watching Netflix &#8230; that’s not great. I think we’ve respected people, I think we did it the right way and I think it’s paid off. These draconian orders I don’t think have worked throughout the country.&#8221;
WATCH:
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The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">subscriber</a>.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Holds Media Briefing On Coronavirus Outbreak

Governor Ron DeSantis Explains How The State Went From High Risk To Flattening The Curve

On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was heavily criticized for not ordering a shutdown of his state, slammed the wild predictions of mass hospitalizations that had been promulgated about his state, asserting, “Those predictions have been false. Our work is succeeding; we have flattened the curve.”
DeSantis stated:
<blockquote>We heard report after report saying it was just a matter of time until Florida’s hospital system was just completely overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. In fact, there was an article in March in the Miami Herald that said this week in April Florida could see 465,000 people hospitalized throughout the state of Florida. The reality: slightly more than 2,000. Those predictions have been false. Our work is succeeding; we have flattened the curve.
In fact, not only did the hospital system not get overwhelmed; since the pandemic started available hospital beds have increased in the state of Florida, not decreased. We started with about 15,400 beds available, we now have 22,000 beds available. We’ve also dramatically increased ICU bed availability, and that’s what flattening the curve was all about because if the health care system gets overwhelmed, it’s obviously bad for COVID-19 patients. It’s also bad for other people that have other ailments. And so those predictions were made time and time and time again and they were wrong.</blockquote>
In late March, the <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2020/03/24/floridas-coronavirus-numbers-climb-desantis-wont-order-state-shutdown/2906211001/">Tallahassee Democrat</a> newspaper sniped, “Against the urging of state and local leaders and national health professionals, Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to order a statewide shutdown of all nonessential businesses and mandate that all residents stay at home to help prevent a wider spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.” The Democrat continued, “A Stanford University-based group, <a href="https://covidactnow.org/state/FL">COVID ACT NOW</a>, has a model that projects the consequences of not practicing social distancing. With limited action, Florida&#8217;s hospitals would reach an overload of over 465,000 patients by April 24, the model shows. With three months of social distancing, Florida would still see 185,000 hospitalizations by May 14. With mandatory sheltering in place, the need is reduced to 18,000 hospitalizations by July.”
The Miami Herald <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article241464406.html">wrote</a> on March 25, “In Florida alone, at least 688,000 people over the age of 18 are projected to need hospitalization from the disease, according to an <a href="https://globalepidemics.org/2020/03/17/caring-for-covid-19-patients/">analysis</a> by the Harvard Global Health Institute and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.” The next day, the Herald <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article241492791.html">referenced</a> the Stanford University projections, writing, “Three academic models created with input by epidemiologists and health experts from <a href="https://covidactnow.org/about">Stanford</a>, <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article241464406.html">Harvard</a> and <a href="https://time.com/5801726/coronavirus-models-forecast/">Northeastern</a> universities predict anywhere from 450,000 to 700,000 people in Florida are likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19.”
DeSantis defended himself in March by saying, &#8220;Some people think the governor should be a dictator and order everyone to stay at home,&#8221; adding that a more diversified approach would be in order rather than a statewide shutdown, which he called a &#8220;blunt instrument&#8221; like a statewide shutdown. He stated, “You have some people who say this virus is much ado about nothing. I was never in that camp and said it was a serious public health threat. But others say I should lock everything down. Neither is right.&#8221; He added, &#8220;How can we do this fight in a way where people are not going to be locked inside their homes with no end in sight? … When you order people to shelter in place, you are consigning hundreds of thousands of people to lose their jobs. Nobody&#8217;s talking about them.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">subscriber</a>.  
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;Predictions have been false. Our work is succeeding. We have flattened the curve.&quot; 
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis commends work the state has done to combat COVID-19. <a href="https://t.co/FOH00kvWTM">https://t.co/FOH00kvWTM</a> <a href="https://t.co/rYmfcNtlP4">pic.twitter.com/rYmfcNtlP4</a>
&mdash; WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFLA/status/1252704563645333507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Florida’s DeSantis, Heavily Criticized For Not Implementing Lockdown, Slams Projections That Were Wildly Overstated

On Sunday morning, Miami Herald columnist Fabiola Santiago celebrated the supposedly forthcoming deaths of supporters of President Donald Trump, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez after being triggered by a photo of a Florida beach.
&#8220;Packed Florida beach offers glimpse of what may come when outdoor spaces are reopened,&#8221; Adriana Brasileiro tweeted, including a link to the Herald. The tweet, however, has since been deleted.
Captioning the post, Santiago wrote: &#8220;Packed beaches should work nicely to thin the ranks of Trump/DeSantis/Gimenez supporters in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Florida?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Florida</a> who value money over health.&#8221;
Santiago, too, has since deleted her post, but below is a screenshot captured by The Daily Wire:
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<div id="attachment_105178" style="width: 570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-105178" class="wp-image-105178 size-large" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/RenderedImage-560x576.jpeg" alt="" width="560" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/04/RenderedImage-560x576.jpeg 560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/04/RenderedImage-292x300.jpeg 292w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/04/RenderedImage-768x790.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/04/RenderedImage.jpeg 1125w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" />Screenshot via Twitter</div>
In follow-up posts, Santiago wrote, &#8220;Here’s the <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/miamilakes?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#miamilakes</a> version of stupid this morning, a gathering of Mustang enthusiasts, no masks, and viejos, young people and children as it grew. The red-hatted (a reference to Trump supporters) listening to their masters.&#8221;
&#8220;More than 200 deaths and almost 10,000 confirmed cases in Miami-Dade alone, 764 deaths in the state and 26,000 confirmed cases in state as of today and they still don’t get the seriousness of an easily transmissible virus,&#8221; the columnist added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
More than 200 deaths and almost 10,000 confirmed cases in Miami-Dade alone, 764 deaths in the state and 26,000 confirmed cases in state as of today and they still don’t get the seriousness of an easily transmissible virus.
&mdash; Fabiola Santiago (@fabiolasantiago) <a href="https://twitter.com/fabiolasantiago/status/1251911972716675073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The controversial now-deleted comment from Santiago quickly went viral online, racking up tens of thousands of comments and quote-tweets.
President Trump&#8217;s eldest son Don Trump Jr. was one of the many to weigh in.
&#8220;This tweet from a Miami Herald columnist tells you all you need to know about her, and based on their hiring choices, likely everything you need to know about the Miami Herald as well,&#8221; posted Don Jr.
&#8220;Their flagrant bias continues to go on unchecked,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Disgusting.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This tweet from a Miami Herald columnist tells you all you need to know about her, and based on their hiring choices, likely everything you need to know about the Miami Herald as well. Their flagrant bias continues to go on unchecked. Disgusting. <a href="https://t.co/FOmn5zxnaK">https://t.co/FOmn5zxnaK</a>
&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1252002822071226370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Santiago responded to the controversy on Monday morning.
&#8220;THREAD: I deleted the tweet commenting on people at the beach because it didn’t accurately convey my sentiment and I want to apologize for the phrase I used that offended many people,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;Regardless of political differences, I would never wish any harm on anyone.&#8221;
&#8220;In fact, my intent was to sound an alarm about prematurely opening up the country and the state,&#8221; Santiago added. &#8220;I was trying to open eyes, minds and save lives, not create a controversy about me instead of the issue, which merits discussion.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In fact, my intent was to sound an alarm about prematurely opening up the country and the state. I was trying to open eyes, minds and save lives, not create a controversy about me instead of the issue, which merits discussion. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayHome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StayHome</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeSafe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BeSafe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/practicesocialdistancing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#practicesocialdistancing</a>
&mdash; Fabiola Santiago (@fabiolasantiago) <a href="https://twitter.com/fabiolasantiago/status/1252090403265773568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Wishing Trump supporters death in the time of the China-originated novel coronavirus has not been uncommon, unfortunately.
In March, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, &#8220;terminated one of their vice presidents after discovering a Facebook post in which she demanded supporters of President Donald Trump be required to give up ventilators if they are diagnosed with coronavirus and end up in intensive care and suggested that Trump supporters &#8216;chew some ibuprofen and get on with your day&#8217; in regards to treating the deadly virus,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cancer-center-fires-executive-who-demanded-trump-supporters-be-left-to-die-of-coronavirus?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
Laura Krolczyk, who was terminated over the posts, was a former staffer for Hillary Clinton when Clinton was in the Senate, a former aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Roswell Park’s vice president for external affairs before she was canned.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cancer-center-fires-executive-who-demanded-trump-supporters-be-left-to-die-of-coronavirus?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter">Cancer Center Fires Executive Who Demanded Trump Supporters Be Left To Die Of Coronavirus</a>

Conservatives Gather At Annual CPAC Event

Donald Trump Jr. Lays Into Journalist For Wishing Coronavirus Death On Trump Supporters In Viral ‘Beach’ Tweet. Here’s Her Apology.

Donald Trump

Donald Trump Jr.

Despite national media pressure to close down houses of worship, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has refused to cave, overruling some counties within his state and designating churches, synagogues, and mosques as so-called &#8220;essential.&#8221;
The Republican governor imposed a statewide stay-at-home order on Wednesday as a precaution against the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, carving out exceptions for &#8220;essential&#8221; businesses and activities.
The house of worship carveout comes on the heels of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walsh-pastors-are-being-arrested-for-holding-worship-services-this-is-not-health-and-safety-this-is-tyranny">arrest</a> of Revival International Ministries pastor Rodney Howard-Browne, who held two large, in-person services despite so-called &#8220;social distancing&#8221; guidance. The 58-year-old was charged with unlawful assembly and violation of a public health emergency order, which are misdemeanors.
As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastor-of-large-church-arrested-for-leading-packed-services-despite-social-distancing-orders">The Daily Wire</a>,  State Attorney Andrew Warren accused Howard-Browne of &#8220;hiding behind the First Amendment.&#8221;
“I think it’s unfortunate that the pastor here is hiding behind the First Amendment,&#8221; Warren said during a press conference. &#8220;One, it’s absolutely clear that emergency orders like this are constitutional and valid. Second of all, leaders from our faith-based community across this country have embraced the importance of social distancing.”
<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/florida-gov-ron-desantis-overrides-county-officials-to-allow-church-during-coronavirus-lockdown">The Daily Beast</a> complained about DeSantis on Thursday:
<blockquote>By allowing religious services to continue, DeSantis is seemingly siding with religious leaders who’ve stood against the federally mandated guidelines – including <a class="TrackingLink LinkWrapper" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/hillsborough-sheriff-to-arrest-rodney-howard-browne-megachurch-pastor-who-flouted-virus-rules">controversial Tampa pastor Rodney Howard-Browne</a>, who refused to stop holding services because he believed his church had machines that could stop the virus.</blockquote>
While dozens of states have refused to designate houses of worship as &#8220;essential,&#8221; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has been outright hostile to the faithful, namely Christians and Jews, threatening to close down their churches and synagogues permanently if they don&#8217;t obey his shutdown order.
“So, I want to say to all those who are preparing the potential of religious services this weekend – if you go to your synagogue, if you go to your church and attempt to hold services after having been told so often not to, our enforcement agents will have no choice but to shut down those services,” de Blasio <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-de-blasio-threatens-to-permanently-close-nyc-churches-if-they-dont-comply-with-social-distancing">threatened.</a>
“No faith tradition endorses anything that endangers the members of that faith,” the liberal mayor continued. “So, the NYPD, Fire Department, Buildings Department, and everyone has been instructed that if they see worship services going on, they will go to the officials of that congregation, they’ll inform them they need to stop the services and disperse.”
“If that does not happen, they will take additional action up to the point of fines and potentially closing the building permanently,&#8221; he added.
Other states, however, like Michigan, New Mexico, Delaware, Ohio, Texas, and West Virginia, have also allowed &#8220;some exemption&#8221; for religious services, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/490908-florida-other-states-allowing-church-services-during-coronavirus">The Hill</a> noted.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, gave a stay-at-home order that noted &#8220;&#8216;a place of religious worship, when used for religious worship, is not subject to penalty&#8217; for violating it, a standard that the state had applied to its previous order curbing gatherings,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/03/24/us/ap-virus-outbreak-faith-loopholes.html">The New York Times</a> reported.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walsh-pastors-are-being-arrested-for-holding-worship-services-this-is-not-health-and-safety-this-is-tyranny">WALSH: Pastors Are Being Arrested For Holding Worship Services. This Is Not ‘Health And Safety.’ This Is Tyranny.</a>

Gov. Ron DeSantis

GOP Governor Refuses To Cave, Keeps Church Doors Open As ‘Essential’

church

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis explained to Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Wednesday why he delayed putting in place a statewide stay at home order and gave an update on cruise ships that were trying to dock in Florida.
&#8220;And Governor, today you also issued a stay at home order,&#8221; Cavuto said. &#8220;Many of your critics and Democrats who wrote a letter to you to say that you shouldn&#8217;t put this off, you&#8217;ve done that. How will it work? When does it take effect?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, just so your viewers know, Southeast Florida has about 60 percent of our cases. We have done stay at home in conjunction with the mayor of Miami-Dade. So they&#8217;ve been under restrictions for a couple of weeks now,&#8221; DeSantis responded. &#8220;I had some counties – I mean, I have counties of half a million people that have only a handful of cases, so we have not done it state-wide. But in our hot spot that had been done.&#8221;
&#8220;Now with the president doing the extra 30 days, my view is, look, the country has hit the pause button. We&#8217;ve hit the pause button. This is the number one, two, three priority,&#8221; DeSantis continued. &#8220;I know there was talk about getting the economy back a little sooner, but I think that unless we just deal with this – and so I felt it made sense to extend it statewide.&#8221;
&#8220;And obviously, we have a lot of parts of Florida that haven’t been hit as hard as Miami or Broward, but we want to keep it that way, and we don&#8217;t want to see more spread in those areas, it&#8217;s just Southeast Florida that&#8217;s kind of our epicenter,&#8221; DeSantis continued. &#8220;We&#8217;ve put a lot of resources down there. We don&#8217;t want there to be a massive surge obviously, but we&#8217;ve got a lot of resources staged there. So I think it&#8217;s the best policy for the state at this time.&#8221;
WATCH:
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TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>NEIL CAVUTO, FOX ANCHOR: With us now is the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, who is kind enough to join us on the phone.
Governor, thank you for joining us. What about these ships? What are you going to do?
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Yes, so I think actually we&#8217;re going to have a solution. When this first came on our radar, I was told that these ships were all foreign nationals and that they had no connection to Florida.
So I was just like, why would you just bring them to Florida? It turns out, there are American citizens and we actually have Floridians &#8212; I think there&#8217;s 30 or 40 Floridians. And so the county is working on a plan to be able to get the Floridians back safely. Safely expatriate the foreign nationals so that they&#8217;re not mixing with our community. I have offered National Guard support to be able to help in that effort.
We were concerned about a deluge into the hospitals, but I think it turns out that there will probably be some who will need to go, but it&#8217;s very, very manageable and the local hospital system thinks that they can handle it. So I actually think they&#8217;re going to be able to deal with this in a way that makes sense.
And obviously, once we found out that there were American citizens and Floridians especially on board, we wanted to find a way to make it work. There was though &#8212; there is a concern of course, given that we have most of our cases in those two counties, that if you had folks infected and then they were going to the airport or going to different areas, that that could potentially spread, continue to help this spread.
But I think they have it figured out so it will all be done safely. And I&#8217;m hoping that they will be able to come to a resolution on that very soon.
CAVUTO: Would they dock in Fort Lauderdale? Where would they go?
DESANTIS: Yes, I think they would. But what would happen is, they would &#8212; the Floridians obviously, some of the Floridians live right in Broward​. Some of the other Floridians, you know, would be taken to, you know, where they are from.
The foreigners, I think there will be flights arranged for them. They will not go to the airport. It&#8217;ll be done to where there is not an opportunity to spread coronavirus to the people of Florida.
So I think it&#8217;s a thoughtful approach they are working on, and hopefully the cruise line will be willing to agree to some of the terms the county wants.
But look, at the end of the day, Neil, I mean I think that we&#8217;ve seen these cruise ships be big problems with this virus. And I know they&#8217;re not sailing any new ones, but this is going to continue to be a problem, and so we just want to make sure that people are safe, both on those ships, but particularly onshore in places like the state of Florida.
CAVUTO: And Governor, today you also issued a stay at home order. Many of your critics and Democrats who wrote a letter to you to say that you shouldn&#8217;t put this off, you&#8217;ve done that. How will it work? When does it take effect?
DESANTIS: Well just so your viewers know, Southeast Florida has about 60 percent of our cases. We have done have done stay at home in conjunction with the mayor of Miami-Dade. So they&#8217;ve been under restrictions for &#8212; for a couple of weeks now.
I had some counties &#8212; I mean, I have counties of half a million people that have only a handful of cases, so we have not done it state-wide. But in our hot spot that had been done.
Now with the president doing the extra 30 days, my view is, look the country has hit the pause button. We&#8217;ve hit the pause button. This is the number one, two, three priority.
I know there was talk about getting the economy back a little sooner, but I think that unless we just deal with this &#8212; and so I felt it made sense to extend it statewide.
And obviously, we have a lot of parts of Florida that haven’t been hit as hard as Miami or Broward, but we want to keep it that way and we don&#8217;t want to see more spread in those areas if &#8212;
CAVUTO: How do you&#8211;
DESANTIS: &#8212; it&#8217;s just Southeast Florida that&#8217;s kind of our epicenter. We&#8217;ve put a lot of resources down there. We don&#8217;t want there to be a massive surge obviously, but we&#8217;ve got a lot of resources staged there. So I think it&#8217;s the best policy for the state at this time.
CAVUTO: How are you policing the beaches and crowds going to the beaches? I mean, you&#8217;ve got hundreds of thousands of miles if you think about it. I’m just – how do you police that?
DESANTIS: We have no crowds on any public space of 10 or more. And so, some places just close every public space because they don&#8217;t want to police it. Some people have let people go to a park, whatever. But what happens is, our whole state is a coastline and so you can have a beach be closed, but guess what, unless you are policing at 24/7, people go out there.
So I was flying out of Miami, we&#8217;re going up the coast. I see a slew of beaches that are closed, but I mean you do have people that go out there. So this is kind of like whack-a-mole people are going to do different things.
But a lot of the stuff in the media that was played about spring break, that was before the CDC had changed their guidance. So they were saying 1,000 people groups were fine, that was four days before the 15 days to stop the spread.
So it escalated quickly, and then once that happened, you know, the groups were banned all throughout the state of Florida. So &#8212; but we are seeing other areas understanding, people do congregate in private residences and other things.
And we have 21.5 million people. I mean it&#8217;s definitely a challenge. Most people have been doing a great job, and I want to thank the people of Florida for doing a great job.
CAVUTO: Thank you Governor very, very much. I know you&#8217;re quite busy.</blockquote>

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Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis: Florida Not Going Into Lockdown Again

Andrew Cuomo Considering Quarantining Floridians Visiting NY. Florida GOP Governor DeSantis Fires Back Blistering Response.

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Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis: Florida Not Going Into Lockdown Again

Andrew Cuomo Considering Quarantining Floridians Visiting NY. Florida GOP Governor DeSantis Fires Back Blistering Response.

Activist Who Costumed As Grim Reaper Targeting Florida Beachgoers Now Offers Something Really Offensive: Body Bags

DeSantis Offered Florida To Host Pro Sports. The NBA May Take Him Up On The Offer.

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WATCH: DeSantis Absolutely Eviscerates The Media For Their Botched Reporting On Florida

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Florida Bar Owners Will Protest State’s Lockdown Orders: ‘We’re Being Treated Unfairly’

DeSantis On Governors Imposing ‘Arbitrary’ Rules: ‘You’re Not A Dictator’ And ‘People Do Have Rights’

DeSantis: Since Florida Entered Phase 1, ICU Hospitalizations From Virus Down 21%

Politico Reporter Calls Out Media’s Biased Coverage Of NY, FL Governors’ COVID Response, Gets Lectured By CNN Analyst

WALSH: Don’t Be Fooled By The Media Narrative. Governor Cuomo Has Done An Awful Job.

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WATCH: GOP Governor Wrecks Media: You Were All Wrong About My State, We’re In Better Shape Without Draconian Lockdown

Lawyer Opposing Opening Florida Beaches: I’ll Wear Grim Reaper Costume To Beaches

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