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☆ US senators reintroduce bill to make daylight saving time permanent
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. senators on Thursday reintroduced legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent, nearly a year after the Senate voted unanimously to end clock switching. But the bill failed to get a vote last year in the U.S. House of Representatives because lawmakers could not agree on whether to keep standard time or permanent daylight saving time, said Representative Frank Pallone. Some sleep experts say daylight savings time makes it harder to be alert in the morning. Daylight saving time has been in place in nearly all of the United States since the 1960s after being first tried in 1918. The bill would allow Arizona and Hawaii, which do not observe daylight saving time, to remain on standard time.

☆ A Florida lawmaker thinks the so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill doesn't go far enough — and is pitching a major expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Chris Panella | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Florida GOP state representative filed a proposal expanding the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill. The bill, HB 1223, would prohibit instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity up to eighth grade. The bill's creator, GOP Rep. Adam Anderson, said in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel that the bill "promotes parental rights, transparency, and state standards in Florida schools." LGBTQ advocacy groups, such as Equality Florida, condemned the bill. DeSantis and Florida Republicans responded by stripping Disney of its special tax district and taking control of the area around Disney World.

☆ DeSantis calls for 'crippling the ESG movement' in new book
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ron DeSantis in a new book calls for politicians to suppress the influence of "woke capital" and activist corporations, in part by "crippling" the socially conscious investing movement known as ESG. DeSantis' book tears into ESG in multiple chapters, while invoking the politically loaded and nebulous term "woke" nearly four dozen times. ESG is one way in which "woke capital exerts a pernicious influence on society," DeSantis argued in the book. DeSantis' book also details his fights with entertainment giant Disney, whose Disney World park in Orlando has long provided an important revenue stream for the state. Whether DeSantis makes ESG a campaign priority or not, the issue will continue to draw controversy on Capitol Hill.

☆ Florida's new education bill would force state colleges to shut down diversity programs and remove some majors entirely
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Florida's new bill would force state colleges to shut down diversity programs and some majors. The bill is the latest effort from Florida GOP to restrict statewide education. If passed, the bill would force state colleges to remove "from its programs any major or minor in Critical Race Theory, Gender Studies, or Intersectionality, or any derivative major or minor of these belief systems." Universities would also be prohibited from funding or supporting any "programs or campus activities" that "espouse diversity, equity, and inclusion or Critical Race Theory," the bill says. Ron DeSantis' recent budget, which he calls the 'Framework for Freedom," would block state universities from using funding to support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

☆ DeSantis signs bill into law to expand a controversial program that would ship migrants to 'sanctuary cities'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"I can't have people all across the border coming into Florida," DeSantis said Wednesday. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a bill into law Wednesday to expand the state's ability to move migrants to Democratic-led states. Under the expanded law, Florida could move migrants from any state and keep the details of the transportation companies secret. DeSantis' Martha's Vineyard move was viewed by critics as a cruel stunt that misled vulnerable migrants. So-called "sanctuary cities" limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities by refusing to report or hand over certain undocumented immigrants for deportation.

☆ Justice Department Drops Investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Sadie Gurman | Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department has ended its investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz without bringing charges against the congressman, drawing to a close a yearslong probe centered on whether the Florida Republican had inappropriate contact with a minor. Mr. Gaetz’s office said the Justice Department has “confirmed to Congressman Gaetz’s attorneys that their investigation has concluded and that he will not be charged with any crimes.”

☆ Republican senators want Mitch McConnell and Rick Scott to stop their 'petty bickering': 'Can't we all just get along?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mitch McConnell and Rick Scott are feuding over the Florida Republican's "12 point plan" yet again. "I don't think we need petty bickering within the Republican conference," said Sen. Cruz of Texas. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images"They're good at that," observed Republican Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, referring to Biden's use of the plan. mused Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah on Twitter over the weekend. "If you want to go out and say that you want to change Social Security and Medicare, go right ahead," said Hawley.

☆ Ron DeSantis backed deep cuts to Social Security and Medicare while in Congress. Trump is ready to hammer him for it ahead of 2024.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Trump has made it clear that he will attack DeSantis' past support for changes to Social Security and Medicare. It would have also increased the full retirement age for Social Security to 70 as well. The AARP tore into Ryan's proposal at the time, particularly for its proposed changes to social security. Trump has made it clear that he would not propose cuts to Social Security and Medicare and is ready to attack 2024 nomination challengers who have in the past. Insider couldn't find any comments he made at the time, but he was far from the only Republican or even the only Florida Republican to vote against the bill.

☆ Chris Sununu boasts about beating Ron DeSantis in a conservative ranking: 'I'm sorry, Ron.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chris Sununu took a swipe at Ron DeSantis while boosting his conservative credentials. You're number 2. Ron DeSantis, while boosting his own conservative credentials. "I'm a principled free market conservative," Sununu said. Sununu boasted that he's ranked "the most fiscally conservative goveror of the country," though he did not cite the ranking.

☆ Matt Gaetz lands a spot on Judiciary's new 'weaponization' subcommittee after curious swap by GOP leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matt Gaetz is now on the Judiciary subcommittee panel he championed during the Speaker vote fight. Gaetz told Insider in late January that he had no interest in serving on the weaponization panel. Before and after screenshots of the House Judiciary Committee's homepage. While Gaetz was also part of that speaker vote rebellion, he initially seemed to emerge with little to show for the procedural showdown. When asked if he felt weird about all the other rebels seemingly climbing the ladder, Gaetz told Insider he preferred not to be saddled with more responsibility — proclaiming that he was "making back benching great again."

☆ Democratic senator urges Apple and Google to ban TikTok from their app stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —A member of the Senate Intelligence Committee is calling on Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores over concerns about national security, in the latest indication of mounting scrutiny on the short-form video app from members of Congress. The laws in question, Bennet wrote, require organizations in the country to “cooperate with state intelligence work” and to allow the government to access company resources. China could potentially try to shape what US users see on the app, Bennet warned, with possible implications for foreign policy and democracy. Apple, Google and TikTok didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Some other US officials have also called on Apple and Google to voluntarily remove TikTok from their app stores.

☆ Matt Gaetz revels in his slackerdom while other House speaker vote rebels assume flashier roles: 'I'm making back benching great again'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Warren Rojas | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Matt Gaetz was one of 20 House Republicans who challenged Kevin McCarthy's speaker bid. Gaetz told Insider that he's happier cruising along than climbing the political ladder. Earlier this week McCarthy named the 12 House Republicans spearheading a new "weaponization of federal government" subcommittee that was one of Gaetz's top priorities during the speaker vote negotiations. Jordan and other House Republicans are already stepping all over each other to chip away at President Joe Biden's reelection prospects ahead of the 2024 election. As one GOP strategist told Insider earlier this month about Gaetz: "I don't think this guy's looking to be a policymaker."

☆ Inside Ken Griffin's rise to one of Wall Street's most powerful people, and why politics could be next
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

JB and I are not on speaking terms these days," said Ken Griffin, the billionaire hedge-fund manager, referring to JB Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois. As Florida rolled back pandemic restrictions more quickly than Chicago, even more Citadel employees migrated south. Ken Griffin's hedge fund has had a run of eye-popping returns since 2020. Others worry that it gives Griffin's hedge fund an unfair advantage. Hundreds of Citadel employees, partners, and families gathered at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando Florida.

☆ Florida Rep. Greg Steube out of hospital after accident at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

SARASOTA, Fla. — A U.S. congressman from Florida who was seriously injured in a tree-trimming accident in Sarasota said Saturday he has been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home. A separate tweet said then that he had spent the night in the ICU after sustaining several injuries that were serious but not life-threatening. Steube also thanked staffers at Sarasota Memorial Hospital on Saturday “for the excellent care” he received. Steube was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and just began his third term. He represents all of Sarasota and Charlotte counties and part of Lee County.

☆ Rep. Greg Steube Injured After Falling From Ladder at His Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Florida Rep. Greg Steube, an Army veteran, has been in Congress since 2019. Florida GOP Rep. Greg Steube remained in a hospital on Thursday, after falling 25 feet from a ladder in an accident at his home the day before, his office said in a tweeted statement. Mr. Steube was knocked off the ladder while cutting tree limbs on his Sarasota property, his official Twitter account said.

☆ GOP Rep. Greg Steube sustains 'several serious injuries' after falling 25 feet off a ladder, his office says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Representative Greg Steube, a Republican from Florida, listens during a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Rep. Greg Steube is "making progress" but remained hospitalized Thursday with "several serious injuries" he sustained after a 25-foot fall off a ladder at his Florida home, his office said. Steube's injuries "are still under assessment but not life threatening at this time," his office said. A third-term congressman from Florida's 17th Congressional District, Steube had recently been named to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. "Our family's prayers go out to Congressman Steube this morning," tweeted Joe Scarborough, a former Florida Republican congressman turned MSNBC morning host and frequent GOP critic.

☆ George Santos, my New York colleague in Congress, is a danger
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Rep. Ritchie Torres | The Democratic Representative For | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Rep. George Santos, of New York's 3rd Congressional District, was widely celebrated by Republicans for flipping a Democratic seat in the latest midterm elections. Under normal circumstances, the depth and breadth of his deception would shame one into resigning from public office. But these are not normal times, and Santos is shameless not only in lying but in lying about his lying. The modern GOP has been hijacked by arsonists bent on burning down everything around them, including the Office of Congressional Ethics. The right’s acceptance of Santos is a function of power politics rather than ethics: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy needs every vote he can get, and he needs George Santos to remain in power.

☆ George Santos said he'll resign if 142,000 people demand it. Adam Kinzinger is trying to make it happen with a new petition.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger is trying to get Rep. George Santos to resign. Santos told Rep. Matt Gaetz he will resign if 142,000 people demand it. Kinzinger kicked off an online petition on Thursday, the same day Santos appeared on the podcast "War Room: Pandemic" with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. Kinzinger also promoted the petition in a tweet on January 12, writing: "He said he'll resign if enough people ask - so game on. Long Island Republicans and the New York State GOP in January also called on Santos to resign, but Santos has refused to do so.

☆ Matt Gaetz says Trump should pick Sarah Huckabee Sanders or Kristi Noem as his running mate to get votes from women who don't like him
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matt Gaetz thinks Trump should pick Sarah Huckabee Sanders or Kristi Noem for his 2024 running mate. Gaetz said Trump should run with a woman to get votes from women who don't like him. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a former White House press secretary, as his pick for Trump's 2024 running mate. Kristi Noem as a possible Trump running mate, calling her a "pretty stellar" alternative to Sanders. Representatives for Trump, Gaetz, Sanders, and Noem did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Florida could soon become the 26th state to allow individuals to carry concealed loaded guns anywhere without permits — a growing trend that has alarmed gun safety groups. “Constitutional carry” and “permitless carry” laws eliminate the requirement. Permitless carry laws get rid of that requirement. “Permitless carry causes harm, and there is data to prove it,” said Shannon Watts, a board member at the gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety. She pointed to multiple studies showing that states that have implemented permitless carry have had upticks in both gun violence and police shootings.

☆ Matt Gaetz says he wants C-SPAN cameras back on the House floor days after they showed GOP chaos during speaker vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Matt Gaetz said he wants to bring C-SPAN cameras back to the House floor. C-SPAN cameras were able to freely capture the House speaker votes last week. The current pool view of Congress, mainly restricted to recording whichever lawmaker is speaking at the dais, is "antiquated and a little boomer-fied," Gaetz told Fox News. The four-day-long battle to elect a House speaker ended early Saturday morning with Rep. Kevin McCarthy securing the gavel. And the country doesn't get to see those," Gaetz told Fox News.

Through the end of business hours on Friday, GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy had lost 13 straight votes for speaker of the House. Vote after vote, hour after hour, the Democratic minority cast its ballots for the conference's leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. And as a result, Jeffries won vote after vote for speaker, though McCarthy finally pulled ahead on Friday. Democrats can vote as a block from now till this Congress is over, but they simply didn't have the numbers to elect Jeffries as speaker. With every vote in the House this week, they’ve shown that criticism to be overstated.

☆ Chaos in the House: McCarthy's plea, and begging for votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Mary Clare Jalonick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It was nearing midnight, and he had already lost 13 votes for speaker over four long days. U.S. Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) (L) talks to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesGaetz, who had hurled personal insults at McCarthy just hours earlier on the House floor, said no. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images NewsThe chaos on the House floor came exactly two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. US Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to US Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the House Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2023.

The Democrats’ 2024 Senate map was already going to be tough, and it got a little bit harder now that Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced Thursday she would not run for re-election. Michigan is one of the five states President Biden won in 2020 by less than 4 percentage points where the Democrats currently have a seat up for re-election next year. And there are three more Democratic seats up in 2024 in states that Trump won. In other 2024 news:Gallego makes more moves: Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is making high-profile hires as he considers a Senate bid, Politico reports. Chris Sununu told Fox News “a lot of folks” want him to run for president and took a swipe at Florida Republican Gov.

☆ The New York Times News Quiz, January 6, 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Representative Matt Gaetz, a far-right Florida Republican, said the following this week. Whom was he referring to? “Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it so bad.”

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