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Analysis

Before presidential bid, DeSantis has policies to push. Florida lawmakers are set to comply

By John Kennedy, Capital Bureau | USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA, Mar 4, 2023. TALLAHASSEE – Policy moves that may appeal to conservative voters across the country but will strike directly at Floridians are what Gov. Ron DeSantis is demanding from the Republican-controlled Legislature during the 2023 session. But here’s a spoiler alert. GOP lawmakers are poised to give DeSantis everything he

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Analysis

Who’s afraid of Black History?

By Henry Louis Gates Jr., The New York Times, Feb 17, 2023. Dr. Gates is the director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard. He is the host of the PBS television series “Finding Your Roots.” Lurking behind the concerns of Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, over the content of

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Analysis

Ron DeSantis shouldn’t be covered like just another Republican

By Molly Jong-Fast, Vanity Fair, February 16, 2023 Florida’s wannabe autocrat and possible 2024 contender isn’t Trump, but he’s as dangerous to democracy. Trumpism without Donald Trump has long been a fantasy of the GOP donor class. Plenty of things about the Trump presidency generally delighted Republicans, like the tax breaks for the wealthy, the desire to

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Analysis

Ron DeSantis’s war on “woke” in Florida schools, explained

By Fabiola Cineas, Vox.com,  Feb 15, 2023 From book bans to a hostile campus takeover, here’s a rundown of DeSantis’s conservative plan for Florida education. In 2020, Ron DeSantis’s administration declared him the “Education Governor” for how eager he was to dramatically change the state’s education system. Three years later, he’s provoked — and been

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Analysis

What’s really in the AP African-American Studies class DeSantis rejected?

A close look at the course reveals just the sort of interdisciplinary rigor students need to succeed. By JOSHUA ZEITZ,  Politico.com Magazine, January 31, 2023 Joshua Zeitz, a Politico Magazine contributing writer, is the author of Building the Great Society: Inside Lyndon Johnson’s White House. Follow him @joshuamzeitz. In the latest escalation of America’s ever-present political culture war, Florida

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Analysis

State estimates 1.75 million Floridians could lose Medicaid benefits once state begins purging rolls

By Christine Jordan Sexton, Florida Politics, January 19, 2023. As many as 1.75 million Floridians could lose Medicaid coverage once the state begins taking steps on April 1 to return its Medicaid program to pre-pandemic levels. Appearing before House and Senate health care panels, officials in the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida will focus its

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Analysis

Obamacare is everywhere in the unlikeliest of places: Miami

By Patricia Mazzei, The New York Times, Jan 11, 2023. MIAMI — Lídice Hernández opened an insurance agency last year on a busy street, affixing to the storefront a logo that has become deeply familiar in South Florida: a white sun rising over the red stripes of the American flag, all encased in a big, blue

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Analysis

Taking “Every County, Every Vote” to the U.S. Senate

By John Fetterman, Democracy Docket, January 5, 2023 When I decided to run for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, I knew this wouldn’t be a typical campaign. I’m not a typical candidate, and this is not a typical time. I announced my campaign just days after the Jan. 6 attack on our Capitol, with our country

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Analysis

If you’re not woke, does that mean you’re asleep?

By Jim Hightower, Tribune Media, Dec 28, 2023. The craziest political word of the year is “woke,” as in “Don’t be woke!” It’s a command barked by far-right-wing fomenters of a hokey culture war and their political toadies. Their intent is to demonize and shut up schoolteachers, preachers, librarians, historians, musicians, students, websites, business executives and

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Analysis

The Next Two Years

By Robert B. Hubbell As we enter 2023, there is no escaping the fact that we are beginning the long march toward the presidential election of 2024. As we start that journey, we have every reason to be confident about our ability to rise to the occasion. We did so in 2022, as we did

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Analysis

Challenges and opportunities for Charlotte County

By Charlotte County Administrator Hector Flores, published in The Daily Sun on Dec 31, 2022. With the New Year almost upon us, we’re looking ahead to 2023 as a year of challenges. As I wrote in last week’s column, our approach will be to turn challenges into opportunities. Ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ian will be

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Analysis

2022: the year in review

There’s no question that 2022 was challenging. A stubborn pandemic, Russia’s devastating war in Ukraine and the resulting inflation have all squeezed American families. Those challenges are real. But they’re also part of what made the year a relative success story. Even with these headwinds, the unemployment rate remains at historic lows, the workers who

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Analysis

What a closely watched SCOTUS case could mean for Florida

By GARY FINEOUT ,  Politico Florida Playbook, Dec 7, 2022. Before the court — A lot of attention will be directed to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) as it takes up a North Carolina redistricting case that could determine the future of elections nationwide, including Florida’s. The case known as Moore v. Harper centers around

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Analysis

The GOP is stuck in a doom loop begun 30 years ago

By David Von Drehle, Washington Post Columnist, Dec 2, 2022. One cannot be surprised to find the Republican Party adrift. This is what happens to ships boarded by pirates, plundered and set aflame on the high seas. Poor Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), leader of the House majority-to-be: How glum he looks as the Cuckoo Caucus binds his hands to

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