RFK Jr. And Elon Musk: Two Great Dicks That Taste Like Sh*t!

June 6, 2023

RFK Jr. And Elon Musk: Two Great Dicks That Taste Like Sh*t!

Post By zittrexstore Politics 2024 presidential election, antidepressants, antivaxxers, assault weapons ban, autism, big pharma, climate change denial, conspiracy theories, covid-19, Elon Musk, Fossil fuels, instagram, mass shootings, Michael Shellenberger, Mike Pompeo, robert f kennedy jr, Russia, tulsi gabbard, twitter, twitter spaces, Ukraine, vaccine mandates, vaccines No Comments

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sure has come a long way from 2014, when he angered fossil fuel lobbyists by saying that climate change deniers should be jailed. Or maybe not such a long way; by 2005 he was already spreading the anti-vax gospel and falsely claiming that childhood vaccines cause autism. And now he’s running for president and everyone is reminding you what a complete freakass whackaloon he is.

We’ll do our part. Hey, remember that long-ago time in 2022 when he said, of COVID vaccine mandates, that at least in Nazi Germany “you could cross the Alps into Switzerland, you could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did.”

Kennedy did his part to help out that educational endeavor Monday night by sitting down with chief Twitter troll Elon Musk, who seems to love conspiratorial bullshit nearly as much as Kennedy does. He started out by thanking Musk for ending all the terrible “censorship” on the platform — by making it a free-for all for COVID and vaccine disinformation, not to mention for Nazis, far-Right conspiracy theories, and rampant hatred of transgender people, but also by actually censoring people on behalf of authoritarian governments. Kennedy also explained that in 2021, “the government pressured Mark Zuckerberg” to ban him from Instagram, although now his account has been restored because he’s running for president. Talk about ineffective censorship!

Rolling Stone reports that for the first 40 minutes of the Twitter Spaces chat, Kennedy barely talked about his candidacy, because he and Musk were too busy telling each other how much they admired each other for being courageous and shit, which is honestly what free speech is for.

At one point, Kennedy asked where Musk got the courage to be like one of America’s Founders by being “willing to take this huge, massive, unspeakable economic hit on behalf of a principle for a country in which you weren’t even born?” Musk, who does kind of have US citizenship after all, replied, “I should say I do very much consider myself an American.” Musk also acknowledged that advertisers had deserted the platform because he was so very committed to democracy, at least for people who think he’s cool, so it’s been “frankly a struggle to break even” (he is not breaking even) and then everyone with an $8 blue checkmark felt very warm that they had done their part to save America and/or Twitter.

After they both agreed that free speech is the very best, and that they both really love free speech the most, Kennedy bemoaned the sad fact that “we’re no longer living in a democratic system,” because Big Pharma controls the government and silences brave advocates of medical disinformation, which would explain why we only hear from anti-vaxxers everywhere on social media but not yet in (most) doctors’ offices.

Among other great trolls, Musk and Kennedy were joined by Tulsi Gabbard and Michael Shellenberger, author of books about how environmentalism is bad for everyone and global warming is happening but is honestly no big deal, yeesh, calm down. UPDATE/CORRECTION: I initially had a brain fart and confused Shellenberger with a different “contrarian” dipshit, Alex Berenson, formerly of the New York Times. Wonkette regrets the error.

Kennedy and Musk agreed that America shouldn’t be supporting the Ukrainian government, since as Kennedy put it, the Ukrainian people are “almost equally” victimized by America as by Russians. Musk added that the war was kind of our fault anyway, since “We are sending the flower of Ukrainian youth and Russian youth to die in the trenches, and it’s morally reprehensible,” and when you think about it, we probably shouldn’t be ordering Russia’s youth flowers around like that, how would we like it huh?

The conversation got even more sane when Gabbard added that

the U.S. had turned Ukraine into a “slaughterhouse” and blamed the conflict on an “elitist cabal of war-mongers” who had seized control of the Democratic Party.
Those war-mongers, Kennedy warned, hadn’t just taken control of the Democratic party: They were in control of the Deep State as well.

He recalled being told by Donald Trump’s former CIA Director Mike Pompeo that the “top layer of that agency is made up almost entirely of people who do not believe in the American institutions of democracy,” which is pretty rich coming from a top guy in the Trump administration.

Kennedy also said he opposed an assault weapons ban, because the Second Amendment is pretty awesome, and anyway, the problem isn’t guns, it’s antidepressant meds, which turn people into mass shooters, explaining that

“prior to the introduction of Prozac, we had almost none of these events in our country. […] The one thing that we have, it’s different than anybody in the world, is the amount of psychiatric drugs our children are taking.” He then alleged that the National Institutes of Health won’t research the supposed link between these drugs and shootings “because they’re working with the pharmaceutical industry.”

It’s pretty convincing until you remember that antidepressants are prescribed worldwide, but in countries where there aren’t more guns than people, there aren’t a bunch of school shootings. Also, maybe someone could have pointed out that only about a quarter of mass shooters use antidepressants, while 100 percent of them use firearms, albeit not usually with a doctor’s prescription.

Along the way, Kennedy also insisted that COVID was a “bioweapon,” lied that after the passage of the Affordable Care Act the “Democrats were getting more money from pharma than Republicans” (it’s the other way around, according to STAT News, but then STAT News believes vaccines work), and promised to go to the US-Mexico border to “try to formulate policies that will seal the border permanently,” so he really sounds like the mainstream Democrat that everyone on the far Right has been looking for, the end and OPEN THREAD.

[Rolling Stone / Insider / NYT]

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#RFK #Elon #Musk #Great #Dicks #Taste #Sht

May 31, 2023

Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just violate the First Amendment?

Post By zittrexstore Politics Alexandria Ocasio-Coretz, AOC, AOCpress, blocking, Elon Musk, first amendment, knight case, Knight First Amendment Institute, parody account, trump No Comments

So recently the Alexandria Occasional-Cortex Ocasio-Cortez parody press account that is repeatedly marked as parody was let out of so-called ‘permanent suspension’ (seriously, never believe Twitter when they say a suspension is permanent). That brought a lot of attention to the account, as did when this exchange happened:

This might be the wine talking, but I’ve got a crush on @elonmusk
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody) (@AOCpress) May 29, 2023

🔥
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2023

So, this prompted this reaction from Ms. Ocasio-Cortez (the real one, not the intentionally funny one):

FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility.
It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread.
I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 30, 2023

And there was lots of mockery, as we reported here and here. Next thing we know, we see this:

I won. pic.twitter.com/vj8z1z2AGC
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody) (@AOCpress) May 31, 2023

If that’s genuine, then Ms. Ocasio-Cortez seems to have knowingly violated the First Amendment.

But, let’s use some caution, here. After all, this is a tweet from a parody account. By the very nature of the beast, you can’t 100% trust what it is saying—it might be their idea of a joke.

But let’s pretend it is true (our “gut” says it is, fwiw). New York is covered by the Second Circuit and the Second Circuit told President Trump in no uncertain terms that blocking people on Twitter violated the First Amendment in Knight First Amendment Inst. Columbia v. Trump, 928 F. 3d 226 (2d Cir. 2019). The Knight court (heh) described those plaintiffs’ winning complaint as follows:

In May and June of 2017, the President blocked each of the Individual Plaintiffs (but not the Knight First Amendment Institute) from the Account. The government concedes that each of them was blocked after posting replies in which they criticized the President or his policies and that they were blocked as a result of their criticism. The government also concedes that because they were blocked they are unable to view the President’s tweets, to directly reply to these tweets, or to use the @realDonaldTrump webpage to view the comment threads associated with the President’s tweets.
The Individual Plaintiffs further contend that their inability to view, retweet, and reply to the President’s tweets limits their ability to participate with other members of the public in the comment threads that appear below the President’s tweets. The parties agree that, without the context of the President’s original tweets (which the Individual Plaintiffs are unable to view when logged in to their accounts), it is more difficult to follow the conversations occurring in the comment threads. In addition, the parties have stipulated that as a consequence of their having been blocked, the Individual Plaintiffs are burdened in their ability to view or directly reply to the President’s tweets, and to participate in the comment threads associated with the President’s tweets.

This burden, the Second Circuit found, violated the First Amendment.

Now, we think that decision is ridiculous. The President is not obligated to communicate with everyone every time he or she communicates, or to create a forum in which they can communicate with each other. For instance, if the President sends out a letter, he is not obligated to mail every American, or list the addresses of every American in the letter to facilitate discussion of the contents of that letter. And if the President sends an email, the same is true: He (or she) is not obligated to email every citizen, and to do so in a way that lets every American communicate with every other American by hitting ‘reply all.’

On the other hand, there is the concept of ‘their rules,’ the idea that even if we object to a certain rule, it should be applied to the left, good and hard. We are waiting for politicians to be told that they use can’t social media that engages in viewpoint discrimination (which violates the First Amendment).

But let’s keep the focus on Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. She’s already gotten a dose of ‘their rules’ when she blocked New York state assemblyman Dov Hikind on Twitter (whose name sounds suspiciously like ‘Dovahkiin’ to this fan of Skyrim). Mr. Hikind sued her, which resulted in this:

“a federal appeals panel ruled that President Donald Trump could not block Twitter users who criticized him…”.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez apologizes to man who sued her for blocking him on Twitter https://t.co/5h3gE56wvh via @USATODAY
— 🤓🤪 Serge 🤨🦁☀️🚗🏎🐎 (@smilinglion71) November 5, 2019

That’s right she admitted to violating the Dragonborn’s Mr. Hikind’s First Amendment rights. From the article:

‘Mr. Hikind has a First Amendment right to express his views and should not be blocked for them,’ she said in a statement. ‘In retrospect, it was wrong and improper and does not reflect the values I cherish. I sincerely apologize for blocking Mr. Hikind.’

So, if Ms. Ocasio-Cortez really blocked the parody account—and that’s a big ‘if’ given our source of information is a parody account—then it would seem she has stopped cherishing those values.

The only defense is to say that this is a personal account and she doesn’t do official business on it … which seems kind of dubious when she tweets out stuff like this:

Presenting: Team AOC’s 2022 Unwrapped! 🎁
Ever wonder what your Representative has been up to? We’re proud to share our annual report to constituents and supporters across the country!
Here’s our 22 Wins for 2022🏆
Want to help for 2023? Share + sign up: https://t.co/0o7guZ7Hbm pic.twitter.com/ucb6Hcd6Ai
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 21, 2022

This is corruption. Plain and simple. And each day that passes, the Supreme Court is looking less like a bench and more like an auction house.
Thomas should resign immediately and Roberts should see to it that he does. https://t.co/FE9FcRNFUV
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 5, 2023

I represent Rikers. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard from both COs and the incarcerated that there are people who commit petty crimes because their easiest way to get a bed and doctor.
For many vulnerable communities – especially the mentally ill – we make living in…
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 4, 2023

In any case, there was much mockery:

I thought they couldn’t do this… lock her up! Lol
— SugarMagnolia (@SugarMAGA) May 31, 2023

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 You’ve inspired me to make a Kamala Harris parody account
— It’s 🇺🇸 Tiff 🇺🇸 (@TiffMoodNukes) May 31, 2023

That prompted this response:

Willy Brown approves this tweet
😅🤣😂
— OneNationUnderFraud (@TheRaytedex) May 31, 2023

*laughing*

Hey @AOC, @RepAOC,
You identify yourself as an elected representative and discuss public policy on both of your accounts, which makes them public and makes YOU unable to block users under the first amendment. @NYCLU, didn’t y’all provide guidelines about this? https://t.co/7RP8Zvwso0
— Silence DoGood (@ModernSilenceDG) May 31, 2023

Parody is the highest form of compliment.
Unless you’re a half-wit democrat. https://t.co/4aS8M5NtuK
— Alfred Q Holic (@JohnnyWhales3) May 31, 2023

Eh, we don’t think a person making fun of you is that much of a compliment, but you do you.

😂🤣😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/EVoPrUWQ6O
— 🌈 Tess T. Eccles-Brown, PhD – she/they 🇺🇦 (@TTEcclesBrown) May 31, 2023

I’m not certain on this, but I don’t think she’s allowed to block folks from that account. She’s a public servant, and that’s an official account.
— William Mycroft Buckmaster (@MycroftWm) May 31, 2023

She just blocked you because she wants to date you.
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) May 31, 2023

Here comes a fun first amendment law suit. Let’s go! 🚀🚀🚀🚀 https://t.co/rp915bQs6i
— Brownie Terror (@brownie_terror) May 31, 2023

Fun and, we suspect, short.

If true, that’s a remarkable infringement on the 1st Amendment. https://t.co/Xdznm0QJqg
— Dan (@patriotlawyer) May 31, 2023

@AOC Congratulations. Your tweet yesterday caused this account to set a record in terms of gains in followers. Well done. https://t.co/CCympz7BQ1
— Josef ByeDen (@JosephB60088357) May 31, 2023

Will they rename the Streisand Effect the ‘Ocasio-Cortez Effect?’

Not a good look @AOC, but an excellent look for @AOCpress !!!!! https://t.co/2Fr9vyh2Ni
— randy redler (@RandyRedler) May 31, 2023

Of course, the congresscritter had some support:

I’m glad the only people socially acceptable to bully now days is politicians. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
— Dave Black (@Dave_Blackest) May 31, 2023

The term ‘bully’ is one of the most misused terms in modern English.

I think parody accounts should have parody in front of the name not in the end. @elonmusk https://t.co/R54d4smLi6
— Rainman ◎ (33.3%) (@FelixRainman) May 31, 2023

Twitter should not verify parody accounts of public figures https://t.co/YxXm9AJGW2
— schizo poster with extra schizo (@Vaygann) May 31, 2023

Look, everyone, she is not going to date you.

Finally, one person made an observation:

This has been the most interesting saga on twitter the last few days https://t.co/vtZZ1BgsXz
— Jinx’s Social Worker🈳 (@JinxSocialWork) May 31, 2023

We think he had a typo. He wrote ‘interesting’ when the correct word is ‘hilarious.’

***

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May 31, 2023

What were FDA’s concerns over Elon Musk’s Neuralink chip?

Post By zittrexstore World brain-computer interface, class 3 medical device, data privacy, Elon Musk, human clinical trials, Implant/r1 surgical robot, Neuralink, US FDA, wire electrodes, wire migration No Comments

Since its founding in 2016, Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink has had the ambitious mission to build a next-generation brain implant with at least 100-times more brain connections than devices currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The company has now reached a significant milestone, having received FDA approval to begin human trials. So what were the issues keeping the technology in the pre-clinical trial phase for as long as it was? And have these concerns been addressed?

What is Neuralink?

Neuralink is making a Class III medical device known as a brain-computer interface (BCI). The device connects the brain to an external computer via a Bluetooth signal, enabling continuous communication back and forth.

The device itself is a coin-sized unit called a Link. It’s implanted within a small disk-shaped cutout in the skull using a precision surgical robot. The robot splices a thousand tiny threads from the Link to certain neurons in the brain. Each thread is about a quarter the diameter of a human hair.

Potential benefits

If Neuralink’s BCI can be made to work safely on humans, I believe the potential benefits would make the effort worthwhile.

The company says the device could enable precise control of prosthetic limbs, giving amputees natural motor skills. It could revolutionise treatment for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and spinal cord injuries. It also shows some promise for potential treatment of obesity, autism, depression, schizophrenia and tinnitus.

Several other neurotechnology companies and researchers have already developed BCI technologies that have helped people with limited mobility regain movement and complete daily tasks.

BCIs have also been used to help older people train their motor and cognitive abilities to moderate the worst effects of ageing.

Long road to human trials

In February 2021, Musk said Neuralink was working with the FDA to secure permission to start initial human trials later that year. But human trials didn’t commence in 2021.

Then, in March 2022, Neuralink made a further application to the FDA to establish its readiness to begin humans trials.
One year and three months later, on May 25 2023, Neuralink finally received FDA approval for its first human clinical trial. Given how hard Neuralink has pushed for permission to begin, we can assume it will begin very soon.

The approval has come less than six months after the US Office of the Inspector General launched an investigation into Neuralink over potential animal welfare violations.

What were the FDA’s concerns?

The FDA had quite a list of issues that needed to be resolved before human trials could commence, as was reported in a Reuters investigation, which claimed to have spoken to several Neuralink sources.

Most of these concerns called for Neuralink to perform thorough and repeated testing and data collection over an extended period. This was likely a deciding factor in why the approval process to begin human testing took as long as it did.

It can’t be said with certainty that all of the issues have been fully resolved. But considering the rigour of the FDA’s approval process, we might conclude they have at least been resolved to a point of satisfaction for the FDA.

Safe surgery – A precision robot known as Implant/r1 performs the surgical procedure to implant the Neuralink BCI. This robot surgeon had to be put through its paces to gather evidence that it could reliably and safely implant and remove the Neuralink BCI without damaging surrounding brain tissue, or creating the risk of infection, bleeding, inflammation or scarring.

Harmful side effects – Once implanted, the Neuralink BCI must function as intended. It must not unintentionally influence other brain functions, or cause any unwanted side effects such as seizures, headaches, mood changes, or cognitive impairment.

Safe power supply – In particular, overheating lithium-ion batteries can pose great risk to BCI users. When defective, such batteries have historically been known to overheat. They can even explode if the insulation between the cathode and anode (the metal electrode components) breaks down, resulting in a short circuit.

The longevity of the battery was also taken into account, as well as how easy it would be to safely replace from its position under the skin behind the ear. Since the FDA’s previous rejection, extensive tests have been conducted on the specially designed Neuralink battery to evaluate its performance, durability and bio-compatibility.

Wire migration – Then there is the risk of wire migration. The Link consists of a disk-shaped chip with very thin wire electrodes that connect to neurons in the brain.

Connecting these wires by means of a surgical robot is a major challenge in itself. But there is also the possibility the electrodes could move elsewhere in the brain over time due to natural movement, inflammation, or scar tissue formation. This would likely affect the proper functioning of the device, and could cause infection or damage to the brain tissue.

Neuralink had to conduct extensive animal studies and provide evidence its wires did not migrate significantly over time, or cause any adverse effects on the brain. The company also had to show it had a method for tracking and adjusting the position of the wires if this became necessary.

Implant removal – Another challenge Neuralink faced was that of safe implant removal. The FDA wanted to know how easy or difficult it would be to remove the device from the brain if this became necessary.

Data privacy and security – Strong safeguards are required to prevent data collected by the Link from being hacked, manipulated or otherwise misused. Neuralink would have had to assure the FDA it could avoid nightmare scenarios of hackers rendering its Link users vulnerable to interference, as well as guaranteeing the privacy of brain-wave data generated by the device.

The way ahead

Critics acknowledge the potential benefits of Neuralink, but caution the company to hasten slowly. Adequately addressing these issues will take time – and corners must not be cut when arriving at a solution.

Beyond the Link’s potential medical uses, Musk has made many radical claims regarding his future vision for the technology. He has claimed Neuralink could augment human intelligence by creating an on-demand connection with artificial intelligence systems – allowing, for example, improved cognition through enhanced memory, and improved learning and problem-solving skills.

He has even gone as far as to say the Link could allow high-bandwidth telepathic communication between two or more people connected via a mediating computer. Common sense would suggest these claims be put in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” category.

The situation with Neuralink has clear parallels with current advancements in artificial intelligence (and the growing need to regulate it). As exciting as these technologies are, they must not be released to the public until proven to be safe. This can only be achieved by exhaustive testing.

David Tuffley is senior lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University. This article was republished from The Conversation.

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May 24, 2023

2024 U.S. presidential campaign | Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launches bid to challenge Donald Trump

Post By zittrexstore World 2024 us presidential campaign, donald trump, Elon Musk, Federal Election Commission, florida, fox news, Joe Biden, nikki haley, ron desantis, ron desantis presidential nomination, trump, trump rival No Comments

Florida Guv. Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race on May 24, stepping into a crowded Republican primary contest that will test both his national appeal as an outspoken cultural conservative and the GOP’s willingness to move on from former President Donald Trump.

The 44-year-old Republican revealed his decision in a Federal Election Commission filing before an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk.

It marks a new chapter in his extraordinary rise from little-known congressman to two-term Governor to a leading figure in the nation’s bitter fights over race, gender, abortion and other divisive issues. Mr. DeSantis is considered to be Mr. Trump’s strongest Republican rival even as the Governor faces questions about his readiness for the national stage.

Mr. DeSantis’ audio-only announcement was to be streamed on Twitter Spaces beginning at 6 p.m. EDT. He was following up with prime-time appearances on conservative programs, including Fox News and Mark Levin’s radio show.

Editorial | Second innings hopes: On Biden announcement and repeat U.S. presidential candidates

Mr. DeSantis’ entry into the Republican field has been rumoured for months and he is considered one of the party’s strongest candidates in the quest to retake the White House from Democratic President Joe Biden. The 80-year-old incumbent, Republicans say, has pushed the nation too far left while failing to address inflation, immigration and crime.

The Republican nominee will face Biden on the general election ballot in November 2024.

He joins a field that already includes: Mr. Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Former Vice President Mike Pence is also considered a likely presidential candidate but has not yet announced a bid.

Mr. DeSantis begins his campaign in the top tier of two alongside Mr. Trump based on early public polling, fundraising and campaign infrastructure.

The two GOP powerhouses have much in common.

Mr. DeSantis, who likely would not have become the Florida governor without Mr. Trump’s endorsement, has adopted the former President’s fiery personality, his populist policies and even some of his rhetoric and mannerisms.

Yet Mr. DeSantis has one thing Mr. Trump does not: a credible claim that he may be more electable in a general election than Mr. Trump, who faces multiple legal threats and presided over Republican losses in three consecutive national elections.

Mr. DeSantis, just six months ago, won his reelection in Florida by a stunning 19 percentage points— even as Republicans in many other states struggled. He also scored several major policy victories during the Republican-controlled Legislature’s spring session.

Aware of Mr. DeSantis’ draw, Mr. Trump has been almost singularly focused on undermining Mr. DeSantis’ political appeal for months. Mr. Trump and his team believe that Mr. DeSantis may be Trump’s only legitimate threat for the nomination.

Hours before the announcement, Mr. Trump argued in a social media post that “Ron DeSanctus” cannot win the general election or the GOP primary because of his previous votes in Congress on Social Security and Medicare.

“He was and is, a disciple of horrible RINO Paul Ryan, and others too many to mention,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Also, he desperately needs a personality transplant and, to the best of my knowledge, they are not medically available yet. A disloyal person!” “RINO” stands for Republican In Name Only.

Mr. Trump’s kitchen-sink attacks and nicknames won’t be Mr. DeSantis’s only hurdle.

Mr. DeSantis may be a political heavyweight in Florida and a regular on Fox News, but allies acknowledge that most primary voters in other States don’t know him well.

A Florida native with family roots in the Midwest, Mr. DeSantis studied at Yale University, where he played baseball. He would go on to Harvard Law School and become a Navy Judge Advocate General officer, a position that took him to Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

He ran for Congress in 2012 and won an Orlando-area district, becoming a founding member of the far-right Freedom Caucus on Capitol Hill.

Despite his lengthy resume, friends and foes alike note that Mr. DeSantis struggles to display the campaign-trail charisma and quick-on-your-feet thinking that often defines successful candidates at the national level. He has gone to great lengths to avoid unscripted public appearances and media scrutiny while governor, which is difficult, if not impossible, as a presidential contender.

Would-be supporters also worry that Mr. DeSantis has refused to invest in relationships with party leaders or fellow elected officials, raising questions about his ability to build the coalition he will ultimately need to beat Trump. By contrast, the more personable Mr. Trump has already scooped up an army of endorsements in key states, including Florida.

Beyond the primary, Mr. DeSantis’ greatest longer-term challenge may rest with the far-right policies he enacted as governor as an unapologetic leader in what he calls his war on “woke.”

The Florida Governor sent dozens of immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast to draw attention to the influx of Latin American immigrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. He signed and then expanded the Parental Rights in Education bill— known by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans instruction or classroom discussion of LGBTQ issues in Florida public schools for all grades.

More recently, he signed a law banning abortions at six weeks, which is before most women realize they’re pregnant. And he single-handedly removed an elected prosecutor who vowed not to charge people under Florida’s new abortion restrictions or doctors who provide gender-affirming care.

Mr. DeSantis also signed a law this year allowing Florida residents to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. He pushed new measures that experts warn would weaken press freedoms. He also took control of a liberal arts college that he believed was indoctrinating students with leftist ideology.

The Governor’s highest-profile political fight, however, has come against the beloved Florida-based entertainment giant Disney, which publicly opposed his “Don’t Say Gay” law. In retaliation, Mr. DeSantis seized control of Disney World’s governing body and installed loyalists who are threatening to take over park planning, among other extraordinary measures.

Mr. DeSantis himself has threatened to build a State prison on park property.

The dispute has drawn condemnation from business leaders and his Republican rivals, who said the moves are at odds with small-government conservatism.

Mr. DeSantis delayed his announcement until Florida’s legislative session was over. But for much of the year, he has been courting primary voters in key States and using an allied super political action committee to build out a large political organization that is essentially a campaign in waiting and already claims at least $30 million in the bank.

More than any of his opponents, except perhaps Mr. Trump, Mr. DeSantis is positioned to hit the ground running thanks to the super PAC’s months-long efforts to install campaign infrastructure across Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, which will host the first four contests on the GOP’s primary calendar early next year.

The super PAC also established more than 30 Students for Mr. DeSantis chapters across at least 18 States.

Mr. DeSantis gave no hint as to his plans during a meeting of the State clemency board in Tallahassee on Wednesday morning, where he granted several pardons to former prisoners charged mostly with drug-related crimes decades ago.

“You are what the country needs,” one man said after getting his pardon.

A smiling Mr. DeSantis chuckled and thanked him.

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May 24, 2023

2024 U.S. presidential campaign | Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launches bid to challenge Donald Trump

Post By zittrexstore World donald trump, Elon Musk, Federal Election Commission, florida, fox news, Joe Biden, nikki haley, ron desantis, trump No Comments