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☆ Why Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other major Dems are going all out for a state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Stakes are high in an April Supreme Court election in the battleground state of Wisconsin. Normally, you wouldn't see high-profile figures like former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton weighing in on an upcoming state Supreme Court election. That's nearly double that of the previous record for a state Supreme Court seat. Wikler said the results could affect control of the US Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House in 2024. The state Democratic Party is helping fund Protasiewicz's campaign while other Democratic power players are working to drive interest in the race.

☆ The 'Airbnbust' proves the Wild West days of online vacation rentals are over
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Rodriguez | Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

"We started panicking and started connecting with other folks who we know have short-term rentals," Sullivan told Insider. Given the sharp rise of short-term rentals there, some local lawmakers have recently called for amending the law. But short-term rentals are often essential to a healthy tourism economy, particularly in vacation destinations. Investors jumped in to capitalize on the boom, and the market soon became saturated with short-term rentals. There's one thing pretty much everyone can agree on: Short-term rentals are here to stay.

☆ The battle over Airbnb has hit a breaking point
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Rodriguez | Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

"We started panicking and started connecting with other folks who we know have short-term rentals," Sullivan told Insider. Rather than a collapse of the industry, the increasingly bifurcated state of the market — a bust for some, a boom for others — is a clear sign that we have hit a turning point in the long-running battle over short-term rentals. Given the sharp rise of short-term rentals there, some local lawmakers have recently called for amending the law. Investors jumped in to capitalize on the boom, and the market soon became saturated with short-term rentals. There's one thing pretty much everyone can agree on: Short-term rentals are here to stay.

☆ A bill pushed by Republicans in Florida would ban young girls from discussing their periods while in school
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A proposed bill in Florida limits sexual health education to grades six through twelve. The lawmaker who proposed the bill conceded it would ban younger girls from discussing periods. A Democratic lawmaker pointed out girls typically get their periods from ages 10 to 15. State Rep. Stan McClain proposed House Bill 1069, which would limit instruction on sexual and reproductive health to grades six through 12. The bill is part of a string of laws being pushed by Florida Republicans related to gender and sexuality.

☆ Florida drag queen says DeSantis-backed anti-LGBTQ laws are 'exactly what we were taught about in schools about how the Nazis rose to power'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Florida drag queen compared legislation targeting LGBTQ issues backed by Gov. Other drag queens and local politicians called the administration's efforts "fascism." Florida doesn't feel like home, one drag queen saidAdrien, who was born and raised in South Florida, is now an Orlando-based drag queen and said recent anti-LGBTQ political shifts make the state feel like it's no longer home. 'Those safe spaces will go away'Jason DeShazo is president of Rose Dynasty Foundation Inc. and performs as drag queen Momma Ashley Rose. And both drag queens say they'll still perform.

☆ A rash of proposed Florida laws use 'genocidal rhetoric' to attack trans people, legal experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

If passed, the bills would restrict access to gender-affirming care and classify it as child abuse. Experts told Insider the bills are posturing ahead of the 2024 presidential race. New legislation 'short circuits existing law'The proposed new bills go further to expand anti-trans legislation than others across the nation, disrupting established custody and health care precedent, legal experts told Insider. "I think that's important, just to note how brazen the language has become — it's genocidal rhetoric," Caraballo told Insider. "This is all about politics, and this is all about bolstering DeSantis is run for the presidency," Caraballo told Insider.

Like Trump, Bush has experienced what it's like to watch a younger man overshadow him, a man he worked hard to support. Bush and Rubio were allies in Florida government, and Rubio was widely viewed as a Bush protége. There is nobody who can even come close to generating the excitement and enthusiasm as President Trump has and will do in 2024." In the end, Trump branding Bush as "low energy" wasn't the only thing standing between Bush and the nomination. "DeSantis is like the one person who has gotten more out of Trump than Trump has gotten out of them."

☆ DeSantis' hand-picked Walt Disney World oversight board meets for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Octavio JonesMarch 8 (Reuters) - A new board controlling Walt Disney World's special taxing district in Florida will meet for the first time on Wednesday, as Governor Ron DeSantis' hand-picked group gets ready to end the entertainment giant's "corporate kingdom." Nothing in the language of the legislation creating the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District gives the board of supervisors authority to direct Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) content. "The District board members are now in place and will be examining all of the needed actions to get back on track," Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for the governor, said on Tuesday. Legislators in Florida passed a bill in February giving DeSantis effective control over a board that oversees municipal services and development in a special district that encompasses Walt Disney World resort. “Shameful to see Disney continue to use children as pawns to advance their WOKE political agenda,” Ziegler tweeted.

☆ Supreme Court’s ‘Dark Money’ Rulings Anchor Defense in Ohio Political Corruption Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Julie Bykowicz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former Ohio Rep. Larry Householder and others were charged in what officials say is the largest political corruption case in Ohio history. CINCINNATI—An Ohio jury is about to decide whether politicians enlisted by an energy company to seek a $1.3 billion state bailout of its two failing nuclear plants pushed the bounds of campaign spending too far. Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. secretly spent more than $60 million beginning in 2018 to help then-Republican state Rep. Larry Householder win the Ohio House speakership and secure the bailout. Federal prosecutors called the arrangement an illegal pay-to-play bribery scheme.

☆ Supreme Court’s ‘Dark Money’ Rulings Anchor Defense in Ohio Corruption Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Julie Bykowicz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Texas congressman who broke with GOP is censured
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

That independent streak includes opposing a sweeping House GOP immigration proposal over the U.S.-Mexico border, which includes a large portion of his South Texas district. Gonzales was defiant before the vote and did not attend the meeting of Texas GOP leaders and activists in Austin. "The Republican Party of Texas would be wise to follow his lead and do some actual work." Last year, former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West stepped down from the job to mount a faint primary challenge against Republican Gov. The state party in 2018 also censured a former moderate Texas House speaker who opposed bathroom restrictions for transgender people.

☆ South Carolina becomes the latest GOP-led state with a bill to make the death penalty a punishment for abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A South Carolina legislator proposed the death penalty as punishment for women who get abortions. Rob Harris introduced the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023 last week, which could make getting an abortion the same as committing homicide. South Carolina state law currently punishes abortion with up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. The penalty is one of the harshest, but this isn't the first time a state lawmaker has proposed the death penalty for abortion. In March 2021, Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton proposed legislation that would ban and criminalize abortion which could carry the death penalty, the Texas Tribune reported.

In North Carolina, party activists are seeking to punish Republican Senator Thom Tillis for his support for same-sex marriage rights. North Carolina State Representative Mark Brody, who supports censuring Sen. Tillis, says it is better to address differences directly. Law, who served as a senior member of Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns in Nevada, and the county party did not respond to requests for comment. Although Tillis retains support among the party establishment, Jim Womack, a county party chair, says the Senator’s critics are gaining strength. “The North Carolina Republican party will eventually be decentralized to the point where the grassroots will actually run the party,” Womack said.

☆ Analysis: US Republicans aim to stymie gun sale codes at state level
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"I don't want card companies to raise interest rates or fees on merchants as a way to dissuade them" from selling guns and ammunition, Owen told Reuters. Visa Inc (V.N) declined to comment on the state bills. Other payment card companies Discover, Mastercard Inc and (MA.N) American Express Co (AXP.N) did not respond to requests for comment. Owen, the Mississippi state legislator, said he expects that payment companies could address any technical issues the bills could create. "I think the credit card companies are going to have to adapt on a state-by-state basis," Owen said.

☆ Tennessee lawmaker apologizes after proposing 'hanging by a tree' as a form of execution
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tennessee lawmakers discussed a bill that would allow inmates to be executed by firing squad. During the meeting, Rep. Paul Sherrell suggested lynching as another possible execution method. "I was just wondering, could I put an amendment on that that would include hanging by a tree, also," Sherrell asked, according to Nashville Tennessean. A independent report published late last year found failures in how the state's death row prisoners were executed by lethal injection. Several of the state's representatives said this week that they believed firing squad would be the most humane way to be executed.

☆ 2 Republican leaders pushing for anti-drag laws have dressed in what could be considered drag based on the bill texts' definition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Both Republican leaders have previously dressed in drag — based on their bills' definition of the word. The Tennessee bill does not include the term "drag" but suggests "male or female impersonators" as one type of entertainment that is "harmful to minors." Schatzline similarly responded on Twitter that his performance was not a "sexually explicit drag show." Yah, that's not a sexually explicit drag show… lol y'all will twist ANYTHING," he tweeted on Monday. Bella DuBalle, a Memphis-based drag queen, previously spoke to Insider about the Tennessee bill and the rise in legislation that associates drag performances with sexually explicit acts.

☆ 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.

☆ The Great Salt Lake in Utah is disappearing, leaving behind a toxic bowl of dust and potentially one of the greatest environmental disasters in US history
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Scientists have warned that the Great Salt Lake in Utah could disappear within five years. "Great Salt Lake is facing unprecedented danger. When clouds of dust roll into Salt Lake City, they can make the air toxic. The Great Salt Lake is used for recreation, natural resource extraction, and brine shrimp fishing, a multimillion-dollar industry. Agriculture is the largest user of water in the Great Salt Lake watershed, accounting for 85%, according to the Utah Rivers Council.

☆ The Feds say funny highway signs are unsafe, but states have been using them to get your attention for years. Here are some of the best ones.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Federal officials are not so sure the practice is safe. They worry that 'unconventional' wording or syntax could be more distracting than anything else. The Missouri Department of Transportation had its own problems with officials wanting the signs to stick to formal messages. Back in 2019, a state representative filed a bill to prohibit the department "from using roadside dynamic message signs to convey information not related to traffic conditions, weather, or emergency alerts." Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation

☆ How Trump allies and wealthy donors helped to fuel the GOP fight against ESG investing platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The conference was organized by the conservative leaning State Financial Officers Foundation, a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit group that does not publicly disclose its donors. Members of the State Financial Officers Foundations are all powerful state Republican officials, many of whom have scrutinized ESG practices or pulled back billions of dollars from investing firms. A representative for the State Financial Officers Foundation did not return a request for comment. Some of those organizations participated in a similar State Financial Officers Foundation gathering in Washington D.C. in November 2022, according to an agenda. One of the organizations that attended last February is the 1792 Exchange, a nonprofit sponsor of the State Financial Officers Foundation.

☆ Tennessee governor targeting drag says a photo showing him dressed as a woman isn't a problem because it was 'lighthearted' when he did it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A photo purporting to show Tennessee's Republican governor in drag in 1977 resurfaced on Reddit. The bill would limit where drag shows can take place under the guise of protecting children. Bill Lee after a photo purporting to show Lee in drag in a 1977 high school yearbook was shared on Reddit. Lee's spokesperson did not deny that the image was of the governor, but said that it was different to what Lee is targeting, which would stop drag shows taking place on public property. Lee told reporters on Monday that he plans to sign a bill that would limit drag shows in public under the guise of protecting children.

[1/3] A Walt Disney World photographer holds a Pride rainbow-coloured Mickey Mouse cutout before the "Festival of Fantasy" parade at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2022. REUTERS/Octavio JonesFeb 27 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that asserts state oversight on the land surrounding Walt Disney World, dramatically changing a special tax district that for half a century allowed Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) to operate with a high degree of autonomy. “The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” DeSantis said during a press event at Lake Buena Vista in Orlando. In March, Disney’s then-chief executive officer, Bob Chapek, publicly voiced disappointment with the bill limiting LGBTQ discussion in schools, saying he called DeSantis to express concern about the legislation becoming law. Disney World is the largest employer in central Florida with close to 75,000 employees and drew 36.2 million visitors in 2021, according to the Themed Entertainment Association.

☆ Book bans and restrictions are a losing issue for Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Polling says books bans are popular with most GOP respondents, but it could backfire in 2024. But the issue could come back to haunt the GOP in the 2024 general election, with book bans remain unpopular with the general electorate. Independents don't like book bans. According to YouGov polling, 67% of respondents who voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 said they approved of banning books. "Did you ever think when you were teaching, you'd be worrying about book burning and banning books all because it doesn't fit someone's political agenda?"

☆ DeSantis strips Disney World of its self-governing power in Florida: 'There's a new sheriff in town'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

DeSantis has officially stripped Disney World of its self-governing status. DeSantis appointed political allies to the board, which have to be approved by the Florida Senate. Ron DeSantis abolished Walt Disney World's special authority on Monday, nearly 11 months after the company spoke out publicly against his controversial education agenda. Under the new law, board members cannot be employees, owners, or operators at Disney World. DeSantis said several times during the press conference that Disney World now had to follow the same rules as other Florida theme parks.

☆ Florida bill would ban gender studies majors, diversity programs at universities
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would gain more influence in the state's public university system, and majors involving gender studies or critical race theory would be eliminated if a bill filed this week wins support from the Republican-controlled legislature. The wide-reaching legislation represents a new front in the Republican war against the "woke" agenda many conservatives believe liberals are trying to push on public education across the country. Earlier this month, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott told state agencies and public universities that such practices violated labor laws. The Florida bill would also prohibit spending on programs or campus activities that promote DEI and what it calls "Critical Race Theory rhetoric." Critical race theory is an academic concept that asserts that racism is woven into the U.S. legal system and ingrained in its primary institutions.

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