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But he'll stay home on Election Day should Trump win his party's nomination to take on Joe Biden in 2024. In Pennsylvania and Michigan, the size of the Ukrainian-American community outstrips Trump's margin of victory in 2016, according to the analysis. During a CNN town hall last week, Trump refused to say if he wanted Ukraine to win its war with Russia, when questioned about the conflict. Neither politician responded to requests for comments about the Ukraine war, nor did the Republican National Committee. Democratic U.S. Representative Susan Wild, who won Stawnyczyj's district by less than 5,000 votes in 2022, said that courting the Ukrainian-American vote would be crucial.

☆ A high school approved a student's graduation speech that was written by ChatGPT — then he went majorly off script
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kenny Morales, a former student at Grand Island Senior High, used ChatGPT to write a graduation speech. The speech he gave was critical of the high school's culture and administration. Kenny Morales, a former student at Grand Island Senior High School in Nebraska, used OpenAI's conversational chatbot to produce a speech for his high school graduation ceremony, the Grand Island Independent first reported. "I don't know about y'all, but I hated school," Morales said to the audience, according to a transcript of Morales' speech the Independent reviewed. First, a group of high school staff members review the submitted speeches and "score them blindly."

Disney on Tuesday asked a Florida court to dismiss a lawsuit by the board of supervisors that Gov. By signing that legislation, DeSantis essentially carried out the same action that the board is asking the court to take, Disney argued. Disney filed suit after the board voted to undo development contracts that the company says it struck to secure its investments. Disney expanded its lawsuit last week, accusing DeSantis of doubling down on his political vendetta by signing legislation to void Disney's development deals in Orlando. In March, the district's new slate of supervisors accused Disney of crafting "11th-hour" development deals intended to thwart the board's power over the 25,000-acre area.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a bid by South Carolina officials to revive a Republican-crafted voting map that a lower court said had unconstitutionally "exiled" 30,000 Black voters from a closely contested congressional district. In this case, the Republican legislators were accused of racial gerrymandering to reduce the influence of black voters. South Carolina's Republican-controlled legislature adopted a new voting map last year following the 2020 U.S. census. The Republican map resulted in a 1st congressional district with a larger percentage of white, Republican-leaning voters. The judges – all three appointed by Democratic presidents – ruled that no elections can take place in the 1st district until it has been redrawn, prompting the South Carolina Republican officials to appeal to the Supreme Court.

HOW THE LAWSUITS DIFFERDisney's lawsuit was filed in federal court and alleges that DeSantis violated the company's protections under the U.S. Constitution, including its First Amendment right to free speech. In contrast, the state court lawsuit against Disney focuses on the procedures the old board followed in approving the agreements with Disney. The Florida district is asking the state court to void the Disney agreements. The district could file a motion in federal court to ask Walker to dismiss or pause Disney's federal case while the state court proceeds. Legal doctrines hold that federal judges should refrain from hearing a case where there is a related state court proceeding, particularly when a state court decision could resolve the federal lawsuit.

☆ DC Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to expand tax breaks for developers turning empty downtown offices into much-needed housing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DC's mayor has proposed an expansion of tax relief for developers who convert offices into residences. The city has more than 20 million square feet of unused office space — an unprecedented vacancy rate, according to the DowntownDC Business Improvement District's 2021 report. —Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) December 15, 2022The mayor and city officials say the tax relief, called the Housing in Downtown (HID) Abatement, is necessary to incentivize and speed up costly commercial building transformations. "We know that creating new housing in downtown will lead to a more vibrant neighborhood and 24/7 economy. The Housing in Downtown Abatement Program will incentivize more conversions, and bring about more housing affordability and retail opportunities."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum in Titusville, May 1, 2023. Ron DeSantis, accusing the Republican leader of doubling down on his "retribution campaign" against the company by signing legislation to void Disney's development deals in Orlando. Disney's amended lawsuit also noted that Florida's Republican-led legislature passed legislation last week targeting Walt Disney World's monorail system. On Friday, the final day of the state's 2023 legislative session, DeSantis signed a bill that included language effectively targeting Disney's development contracts. Linda Stewart, a Democrat representing Florida's 13th Senate district and a staunch critic of DeSantis' actions against Disney, called the feud between DeSantis and Disney "insane" and laid blame with her Republican counterparts.

Disney says the contracts were crafted to help lock in its long-term development plans amid escalating tension with DeSantis and his allies. "This feud between DeSantis and Disney is insane," Linda Stewart, a Democrat who represents Florida's 13th Senate district, told CNBC. Disney sued DeSantis and the board members last week, alleging a campaign of political retaliation led by the governor. In addition to voiding the development deals, the Florida Legislature passed a measure that would have the state transportation department conduct inspections of Walt Disney World's monorails. Earlier this month, the state education board approved an expansion of the classroom bill that kicked off the feud with Disney.

The Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison partner is well-known for representing blue chip clients like Amazon in cases with millions or even billions of dollars on the line. "Widely considered one of the most preeminent litigators of his generation," is how his Paul Weiss bio puts it. Average profits per partner at Paul Weiss last year were $5.73 million, according to The American Lawyer. The case made national headlines, and the ex-judge, Roy Pearson Jr, was subsequently sanctioned by the D.C. Court of Appeals. In a statement filed with the court, Isaacson and McCrocklin's lawyer said the two sides' positions "are both extremely well-known to each other and seemingly very entrenched."

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☆ Schumer demands Texas end judge cherry-picking after 'flawed' abortion pill decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Multiple court divisions in Godbey's district have just one or two district judges. "Unsurprisingly, litigants have taken advantage of these orders to hand-pick individual district judges seen as particularly sympathetic to their claims," Schumer wrote. "In the past few years, the country has seen the downside of allowing plaintiffs to hand-pick their desired judges," Schumer said in a press release Thursday. Godbey's district should make a similar change for all its civil cases, Schumer wrote. "But if that flexibility continues to allow litigants to hand-pick their preferred judges and effectively guarantee their preferred outcomes, Congress will consider more prescriptive requirements," he wrote.

☆ 'The Queen of New York:' George Santos basks in rare praise as DC Young Republicans give him a hero's welcome
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But on Wednesday, Santos received a warm reception at a DC happy hour for young conservatives. But he was still a star for the Washington, DC Young Republicans, a group that was taken over just a month ago by a cadre of self-described "ultra MAGA" young conservatives who emphatically align themselves with former President Donald Trump. —Washington, D.C. Young Republicans (@WashingtonDCYRs) April 27, 2023"Keep fighting for what you think is best, and for what you believe in," said Santos after speaking for less than 10 minutes. Perhaps owing to his precarious political standing, Santos has yet to break from party leadership on any major votes, contrasting with other New York Republicans who won Democratic-leaning districts last year. Attendees mill around before Rep. Santos' arrival.

☆ Disney sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, alleges political effort to hurt its business
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Walt Disney Co. sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, alleging the Republican governor has waged a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power" against the company amid a protracted fight over a controversial classroom bill. The federal lawsuit alleges that DeSantis "orchestrated at every step" a campaign to punish Disney that now threatens the company's business. Soon after, the governor and his allies targeted the special tax district that has allowed Disney to essentially self-govern its Florida operations since the 1960s. "The government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional," Disney alleged in the civil complaint in U.S. District Court in northern Florida.

I love writing about personal finance, but personal responsibility isn't the be-all and end-all. How disability shapes my family's finances »Demographic disparities persist through educationLike all areas of education, financial education suffers from disparities in school funding, which exacerbate racial inequality. As one instructor told the USBE auditors, "Financial literacy is critical to the financial wellbeing of our country. Financial education is under-resourced and undersupportedThe problems with financial education aren't surprising, given the lack of attention the subject receives from decision-makers. I'm glad I ignored mainstream financial advice »Financial literacy needs to include our history of inequalityPersonal finance media, gurus, and educators love to tout financial literacy as the missing puzzle piece to the American dream.

☆ Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan holds Manhattan hearing to blast DA's record on crime despite 73% higher murder rate at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Jim Jordan held a Manhattan hearing criticizing its 'soft-on-real-crime' DA. The House Judiciary Committee hearing was met with pushback about crime in red states like Jordan's. NYPD stats show that the first three months of 2023 have seen a decline in Manhattan crime compared with the first three months of last year. The chairman is doing the bidding of Donald Trump," Nadler said. Bragg responded by suing Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee; his lawsuit seeks to block the subpoena and to stop Jordan's investigation.

☆ Mike Pence in pink boots, Ron DeSantis in a big ball gown. Here's how the 'RuPublicans' Instagram account uses AI art to call out GOP lawmakers — by dressing them in drag.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The "RuPublicans" Instagram account posts AI-generated pictures of GOP lawmakers in full drag. The images range from Mike Pence in sparkly pink boots to Ron DeSantis in a big ball gown. The images are the work of an Instagram account called "RuPublicans," which uses AI to dress Republican lawmakers in drag — complete with frills, feathers, jewels, and wigs. Some of the GOP lawmakers in drag have a history of pushing anti-trans rhetoricSeveral GOP lawmakers that the "RuPublicans" account called out have, in the past, pushed anti-trans messages. Representatives of Pence, DeSantis, Graham, Cruz, Hawley, and McConnell did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

[1/3] Former U.S. President Donald Trump departs from Trump Tower to give a deposition to New York Attorney General Letitia James who sued Trump and his Trump Organization, in New York City, U.S., April 13, 2023. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, which had last September asked the Washington court for guidance on local law. Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump, said in an email: "We are confident that the Second Circuit will rule in President Trump's favor and dismiss Ms. Carroll's case." Carroll, 79, has long accused Trump of stalling to keep jurors from ever hearing her case. The case is Trump et al v. Carroll, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, No.

[1/3] Former U.S. President Donald Trump departs from Trump Tower to give a deposition to New York Attorney General Letitia James who sued Trump and his Trump Organization, in New York City, U.S., April 13, 2023. The district's highest local court, the Court of Appeals, said it did not have enough facts to decide whether Trump was acting as president when he accused the former Elle magazine columnist in June 2019 of lying about the alleged encounter. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, which had last September asked whether under local law Trump made his comments in his role as president, or in his personal capacity as Carroll argued. The Washington court said the 2nd Circuit or a federal district judge in Manhattan should assess Trump's role. The case is Trump et al v. Carroll, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, No.

☆ George Santos has a possible challenger, as ex-Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi considers a run for his old seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., left, and George Santos, (R-NY) conducts a news conference to advocate for inclusion of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction in the Build Back Better Act reconciliation bill, outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York is telling political leaders and wealthy donors that he is considering running for his old seat held by embattled Republican Rep. George Santos, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. Suozzi defeated Santos during his last run for Congress in 2020. He has name recognition and is a prolific fundraiser, which could make him a frontrunner in a Democratic primary for Santos' seat. Democratic businessman Robert Zimmerman, who lost to Santos in 2022, has not ruled out running again for the seat.

☆ Washington Commanders to pay $625,000 to settle D.C. AG's claims of mishandling fan ticket deposits
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A detailed view of the new Washington Commanders uniforms following the announcement of the Washington Football Team's name change to the Washington Commanders at FedExField on February 02, 2022 in Landover, Maryland. The NFL's Washington Commanders will pay $625,000 to settle allegations brought by the Washington, D.C., attorney general that the organization failed to return fans' ticket deposits, the AG's office announced Monday. Former D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine sued the Commanders in November, alleging the team cheated residents out of their security deposits collected from season ticket holders and used the money for its own purposes. Racine alleged the Commanders sold premium seating tickets to D.C. fans since 1996, which sometimes required a security deposit. The Commanders have been hit with several claims of misconduct from inside the team's front office in recent years.

☆ A Florida school banned an adaptation of Anne Frank's diary because Moms for Liberty deemed it 'sexually explicit'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Florida school removed a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank's diary from its library shelves. Anne Frank's original diary remains in the high school's library. The book, entitled "Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation," was removed from the Vero Beach High School library in Indian River County after a group called Moms for Liberty expressed concerns, according to local news outlet WPTV. "We think true history absolutely needs to be taught, the Holocaust, the Anne Frank diary," Jennifer Pippin, who chairs the Indian River County chapter of Moms For Liberty, told WPTV. Frank's original diary remains in the Vero Beach High School library, Dr. Kyra Schafte, the director of academic compliance and equity for the district, told WPTV.

April 7 (Reuters) - The federal judge who on Friday suspended approval of the abortion pill mifepristone is a former Christian legal activist whose small courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, has become a go-to destination for conservatives challenging Biden administration policies. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump, had a long track record of opposing abortion and LGBTQ rights before the U.S. Senate confirmed him in 2019 to a life-tenured position as a federal judge. FAVORED VENUESince then, his courthouse has become a favored venue for conservative legal activists and Republican state attorneys general pursuing lawsuits seeking to halt aspects of Democratic President Joe Biden's agenda - often with success. In October, Kacsmaryk vacated Biden administration guidance requiring employers to allow transgender workers to dress and use bathrooms consistent with their gender identities. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Bill Berkrot and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Pool via REUTERSApril 8 (Reuters) - The federal judge who on Friday suspended approval of the abortion pill mifepristone is a former Christian legal activist whose small courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, has become a go-to destination for conservatives challenging Biden administration policies. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump, had a long track record of opposing abortion and LGBTQ rights before the U.S. Senate confirmed him in 2019 to a life-tenured position as a federal judge. When anti-abortion groups in November filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's more than two-decade old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, they filed in Amarillo, guaranteeing the case would be heard by Kacsmaryk. FAVORED VENUESince then, his courthouse has become a favored venue for conservative legal activists and Republican state attorneys general pursuing lawsuits seeking to halt aspects of Democratic President Joe Biden's agenda - often with success. While the district's chief judge could order cases be reallocated, he has not.

☆ U.S. VP Harris takes Biden's jobs message to Marjorie Taylor Greene's district
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday takes the Biden administration's jobs agenda to a right-wing Georgia congressional district represented by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump. Harris is announcing a further expansion, including an order for 2.5 million new solar panels involving Summit Ridge Energy, according to administration officials. But Dalton is the seat of a county where Trump won 2.4 votes for every one for Biden. "Instead, congressional Republicans want to roll back this progress and put investments in manufacturing, clean energy and good jobs at risk." Georgia is expected to again be one of the most contested states in the 2024 presidential election that may pit Biden against Trump once again.

☆ Disney CEO Bob Iger slammed Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempt to strip the company of its decades-long special tax status as 'anti-business' and 'anti-Florida'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Disney CEO Bob Iger says Gov. Disney and DeSantis have been embroiled in a bitter feud over a law known as "Don't Say Gay." Disney CEO Iger on Monday accused the Sunshine State's governor of retaliating against Disney and attempting to punish it by stripping Disney of its special tax status. Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was initially slow to respond to the bill despite mounting pressure to denounce it, angering both the public and its staff who accused the company of side-stepping the issue. DeSantis has asked Florida's inspector general to look into whether Disney executives, staff, or agents had anything to do with the loophole.

☆ Ron DeSantis' plan to take control of Disney's land backfired spectacularly because of a loophole in the agreement that may reduce his appointees to powerless functionaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ron DeSantis gained control of Walt Disney World's oversight district board in February. Ron DeSantis' move to take over Walt Disney World's governing board in Florida may have backfired due to a prior obscure agreement that new governor-appointed board members argue stripped them of their power. Disney also had the authority to appoint district board members. But the new supervisors are now saying that previous board members entered an agreement that effectively stripped them of their powers. "All these board members very much would like to see the type of entertainment that all families can appreciate."

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