DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ DeSantis to travel to Israel ahead of likely 2024 White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The trip, which is being billed by DeSantis’ office as a trade mission, follows a longstanding tradition for Republicans seeking the White House but comes at a particularly volatile moment. “At a time of unnecessarily strained relations between Jerusalem and Washington, Florida serves as a bridge between the American and Israeli people,” DeSantis said in the release. As Florida's governor, DeSantis has vowed to be a staunch ally of Israel and led a trade delegation there in 2019. The White House said it had no comment on DeSantis’ plans, while maintaining administration officials have been regularly in touch with the Israeli government during the crisis. DeSantis is widely expected to enter the 2024 race once the Florida Legislature concludes its current session in early May.

The hiring of a major national campaign figure represents a key step by DeSantis's allies to prepare for a formal launch of his 2024 campaign. In recent weeks, DeSantis has toured states including Iowa and Nevada, which are key stops in the Republican nominating contest. Advisers have also begun identifying potential operatives in those states and have begun collecting resumes for a national campaign staff, sources close to the governor said. Roe is a close advisor to Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who is also seen as a potential contender for the Republican nomination. Representatives for Never Back Down, Roe and Youngkin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

☆ Analysis: Trump, DeSantis offer stark contrast in first Iowa forays
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on education as he holds a campaign rally with supporters, in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstDAVENPORT, Iowa, March 14 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis descended upon the same Iowa town in recent days, putting the differences between the potential Republican presidential rivals in stark relief. "I don't think you're going to do so well here," Trump said of DeSantis, "but we're going to find out." Leaving Trump's event, Iowa City voter John Schneider, 69, said he has supported Trump in the past but now will be eyeing DeSantis and other potential contenders as they barnstorm the state in the coming months. Reporting by James Oliphant in Davenport, Iowa Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trump wades into education culture war as he eyes race with DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Trump hasn't been waging the same kind of cultural warfare over education that DeSantis and other Republicans have since the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantis was in Iowa on Friday, speaking at a pair of political events that appeared to be laying groundwork for a presidential bid. His education agenda in Florida was a recurring theme in his remarks, and DeSantis credited it as a reason that he convincingly won re-election last year. DeSantis has asked the Florida legislature to expand a ban on teaching gender-identity concepts to eighth grade from third grade currently. Some of Trump’s education ideas include rewarding teachers who teach “patriotic values” and requiring direct election of school principals by parents, although how he would bring that about is unclear.

☆ Trump looks to play catch-up to DeSantis on education in 2024 race
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The coronavirus pandemic gave rise to a host of hot-button issues surrounding education that have mobilized the Republican base in the years since Trump left the White House. DeSantis was in Iowa on Friday, speaking at a pair of political events that appear to be laying groundwork for a presidential bid. DeSantis has asked the Florida legislature to expand a ban on teaching gender-identity concepts to eighth grade from third grade currently. That could leave an opening for Trump, who made school choice a priority in his administration but lacks the track record on state-level education issues that DeSantis and other governors have. Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, another conservative parents' rights group, said DeSantis getting out ahead of Trump on the issue should not hurt the former president.

☆ DeSantis makes Iowa debut as Trump waits in wings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iowa could be particularly crucial for DeSantis, who is expected to jump into the 2024 White House race later in the spring. Addressing a welcoming crowd at a casino in Davenport, Iowa, DeSantis boasted about his policy record in Florida and blasted the Democratic Biden administration on issues such as crime and immigration. Craig Robinson, a former political director of the Iowa Republican Party, believes Iowa voters are eager to hear from DeSantis, who polls show to be Trump's biggest rival for the nomination. Randy Yaddof, 71, of Davenport described himself as a Trump supporter but said after listening to DeSantis he was considering backing the Florida governor. A Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released on Friday showed declining favorability ratings for Trump among Iowa Republicans.

☆ DeSantis, Trump to collide in key state of Iowa
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Iowa could be particularly crucial for DeSantis, who is expected to jump into the 2024 White House race later in the spring. The state will hold the first Republican nominating contest early next year, and a win there would show DeSantis is a viable candidate against Trump. DeSantis will appear at events in Des Moines, the state capital, and the river town of Davenport that will be moderated by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. Craig Robinson, a former political director of the Iowa Republican Party, believes Iowa voters are eager to hear from DeSantis, who polls show to be Trump's biggest rival for the nomination. But the Midwestern state will remain as the first electoral test for Republican presidential candidates.

☆ In Selma, Biden presses for voting rights on 'Bloody Sunday' anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SELMA, Alabama, March 5 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden pressed for the passage of measures to strengthen U.S. voting rights during a visit to Selma, Alabama, on Sunday to commemorate the 58th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," when state troopers beat peaceful protesters marching against discrimination. It also came as his efforts to pass voting rights legislation have stalled in Congress. Coverage of the brutality of that day against the marchers, including John Lewis, a Black civil rights activist who went on to become a U.S. congressman, shocked the nation and helped spark the 1965 Voting Rights Act. DeSantis recently rejected an Advanced Placement high school course in African American studies claiming that it contained a political agenda, drawing criticism from civil rights leaders and educators. In January, Biden spoke at the Atlanta church of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.Biden's visit to Selma follows Vice President Kamala Harris's trip there last year for the anniversary of the march.

☆ At right-wing CPAC forum, Trump shows why he'll be tough to topple
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/4] Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., March 4, 2023. The three-day conference illustrated the iron grip he holds over the right-wing, grassroots base of his party and how hard it could be for a challenger to deny Trump the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. DeSantis also attended a gathering for Republican donors in Florida held by the anti-tax group Club for Growth to which Trump was not invited. In his remarks, Bannon maintained that Trump should be the Republican nominee, saying DeSantis and other potential challengers lacked experience. Trump and DeSantis both are scheduled in the coming days to visit Iowa, which holds the first Republican nominating contest next year.

☆ DeSantis to host donors ahead of likely 2024 White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Republican race to take on Democratic President Joe Biden next year has gotten off to a largely quiet start. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley joined Trump in the Republican field this month, but several other prospective candidates have yet to jump in. DeSantis is not expected to make any overt statements about a presidential campaign at his Palm Beach event. The source with knowledge about the gathering downplayed its significance, saying it will be similar to past policy forums DeSantis has convened. In remarks at an event in West Palm Beach on Monday, Trump labeled DeSantis his “enemy.”“I always say hit your enemy a little early," Trump said.

This is their third trip to the NFL title game in four years and Kansas City fans can be heard throughout Phoenix singing the "tomahawk chop" chant. It is a jarring contrast to the displays of Native American culture and pride that Super Bowl hosts have invited to participate in the days leading up to the game. Chiefs fans are all but assured to perform the "tomahawk chop" cheer loudly in the minutes before kickoff, as they did prior to the game in their previous two Super Bowl appearances. And it's tone deaf," said Rhonda LeValdo, an Acoma Pueblo journalist who founded the Not in our Honor coalition in 2005, to advocate against the use of Native American imagery in sports. "I don't even understand what you guys are saying and you have the Chiefs logo and you guys are doing the chop."

☆ DeSantis seeks wins on guns, abortion before facing Trump in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Griffin also noted the support DeSantis' proposals receive from lawmakers. If DeSantis does enter the race for the Republican nomination, he will join a field still dominated by Trump. "We have articulated a vision for a free and prosperous state," DeSantis said at his second inauguration last month. In a brief interview, Collins called DeSantis’ support “a blessing.” He resisted the suggestion that the legislature was a rubber stamp for the governor. DeSantis' hard-right stance on issues such as guns and abortion risks alienating the suburban voters he eventually would need to win the presidency in 2024.

☆ Before facing Trump in 2024, DeSantis seeks wins on guns, abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

☆ As Mahomes, Hurts make Super Bowl history, a question lingers: What took so long?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Asked by a reporter this week what took so long, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was blunt: "There are probably a variety of reasons - probably none of them good." "The reality is, there's such great talent at that position, Black and white," Goodell said at his annual state-of-the-league media briefing. He told the New York Times that year that Black quarterbacks had not "been given the opportunity and the patience" their white counterparts had. "I never felt it was thing where people said it was harder to win with Black quarterbacks, it was more about durability. 'A PROUD MOMENT'At Super Bowl 57, Hurts will be only the eighth Black quarterback to start the title game.

☆ Republican who defied Trump tapped to oversee Pennsylvania elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania's newly elected Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro has named a Republican who resisted former President Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud to oversee the battleground state’s elections. Schmidt also rejected Trump's claims that thousands of dead people were counted as Democratic votes in the election, calling the allegations "fantastical" and "ridiculous." President Joe Biden narrowly won Pennsylvania, and the state became a central front for Trump’s bogus fraud assertions. Pennsylvania law allows the governor to choose the state's elections chief. That made last November’s election, in which Shapiro defeated Republican Doug Mastriano who backed Trump's election lies, particularly consequential in the wake of efforts by Trump and his supporters to undermine the 2020 results.

☆ The Republican wave that wasn't could dim Trump's White House hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

House Republican leaders have already threatened the nightmare scenario of a debt default to extract deep spending cuts to Democratic priorities. With control of House oversight committees, Republicans could also launch probes of President Joe Biden's administration ahead of the 2024 presidential election that could weaken or embarrass Biden. But in 2022, people's votes were also influenced by their views on a former occupant of the White House - Donald Trump. Trump's misfortunes may benefit Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who romped to a re-election victory that cemented his status as a Republican rising star. Democrats in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin all won governor's races, likely limiting the ability of Republicans in those states to interfere with the presidential election.

Dec 21 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Republican Kari Lake, who lost her bid last month to become Arizona’s governor, were in court Wednesday arguing that the election was invalid and should be overturned. Lake lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs by about 17,000 votes in the Nov. 8 election. A central tenet of her gubernatorial campaign was endorsing former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Marc Elias, an election attorney whose firm is representing Hobbs, said on Twitter that Lake had little chance of prevailing under the law. “Proving intentional wrongdoing and that it affected the outcome of the election will be impossible for Lake,” Elias wrote.

☆ Trump-backed Walker loses: Three takeaways from Georgia U.S. Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker gives a concession speech during his election night party after losing the U.S. midterm runoff election to Democratic U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock beat Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a Georgia runoff election that fortified Democrats' Senate majority and handed the Republican Party another bitter loss to cap a disappointing midterm election season. Trump held two rallies for Walker in Georgia, but did not come to the state for the runoff, only phoning in to boost supporters on Monday night. That forced uncomfortable congressional Republicans to respond to Trump's statements in the days before the runoff election, pulling the focus from Walker's candidacy. At one rally prior to the runoff, Walker publicly mused about whether a werewolf could kill a vampire.

"Donald Trump is the only Republican that would lose" in 2024, he said. Trump launched a fresh campaign for the Republican nomination on Tuesday, before the final midterm votes have even been tallied. "We have to stay strong and we have to fight and frankly, you better hope a certain person wins the election in 2024," Trump said to cheers. The man who could pose the largest threat to Trump, DeSantis, also received a fervent response as the final featured speaker on Saturday night. Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent had "diminished" the party, he said.

Slightly over 15 million Twitter users voted in the poll with 51.8% voting in favor of reinstatement. Trump will be reinstated," Musk tweeted. Some users initially reported being unable to follow the reinstated account on Saturday evening. He also said Twitter would not reinstate any banned users until there was a "clear process for doing so." He has used Truth Social to promote his allies, criticize opponents and defend his reputation amid legal scrutiny from state, congressional and federal investigators.

Slightly over 15 million Twitter users voted in the poll with 51.8% voting in favor of reinstatement. But Trump also said Twitter suffered from bots, fake accounts and that the problems it faced were "incredible". He also said Twitter would not reinstate any banned users until there was a "clear process for doing so." Truth Social has been Trump’s main source of direct communication with his followers since he began posting on the app regularly in May. He has used Truth Social to promote his allies, criticize opponents and defend his reputation amid legal scrutiny from state, congressional and federal investigators.

☆ Analysis-Trump is still Trump and that could be a problem for him in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Former U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement of his plans to run for president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. November 15, 2022. In a series of Republican Party primaries this year, Trump played the role of kingmaker, largely succeeding in his efforts to boost like-minded candidates. As Florida’s governor, DeSantis has fought against abortion rights, social media companies and the teaching of race and gender in the classroom. To some Republicans, DeSantis at age 44 looks more like their party’s future than Trump does. Add to the mix Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who may appeal more to establishment-minded Republicans than Trump does.

☆ Analysis: Trump is still Trump and that could be a problem for him in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

His potential rivals, notably Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have been sparking enthusiasm among Republican voters and, just as importantly, raising money from enthusiastic donors. In a series of Republican Party primaries this year, Trump played the role of kingmaker, largely succeeding in his efforts to boost like-minded candidates. As Florida’s governor, DeSantis has fought against abortion rights, social media companies and the teaching of race and gender in the classroom. To some Republicans, DeSantis at age 44 looks more like their party’s future than Trump does. Add to the mix Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who may appeal more to establishment-minded Republicans than Trump does.

Trump in turn has blasted back, accusing the media without evidence of favoring DeSantis in a conspiracy to deny him the nomination. There is also an effort underway to get Trump to focus less on past grievances. In a Friday post on his Truth Social network, Trump called Youngkin "Young Kin" and said, "sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?" The day earlier, Trump posted a long harangue about DeSantis that again called him Ron "DeSanctimonious" and said he owes his political fortunes to Trump. Two Florida Republicans close to DeSantis predicted the governor would be wary of responding directly, keeping his focus on the state's recovery from Hurricane Ian and policy issues.

Search resuls for: "Oliphant"

25 mentions found