Also on today’s menu:
Violating Decorum In Montana Legislature
Republicans And Democrats Play Chicken
‘Build The Wall’ Fraudsters Sentenced
Disney, which became one of Florida’s biggest employers after opening Walt Disney World in 1971, is suing Governor Ron DeSantis for “government retaliation” over the company’s criticism of a state law banning the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in primary schools. Disney alleges that DeSantis’ steps to assert control over its operations have threatened its business and violated its constitutional rights.
DeSantis’ communications director, Taryn Fenske, responded to the lawsuit by saying, “We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state.”
After Disney’s public comments on behalf of its staff, Florida lawmakers voted to restructure the 25,000-acre special district that had been created to oversee development of the land around Disney World, transferring the power to appoint governing board members from district landowners to DeSantis. Disney responded by obtaining the right to review any changes to properties within its limits before the new board was installed, and limiting the board’s powers in perpetuity or until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England”. DeSantis then threatened new taxes, tolls and the possibility opening a state prison near the parks.
The lawsuit states that Disney planned to invest $17 billion in Walt Disney World over the next decade, but “development and investment of this magnitude cannot effectively take place when it can be nullified or undermined at the whim of new political leadership”.
Violating Decorum In Montana Legislature
Zooey Zephyr, a transgender legislator in Montana, said members of the House who voted in favor of a ban on gender-affirming care for children would have blood on their hands. Republicans responded on April 26 by barring her from discussing bills and amendments. Zephyr still will be able to vote and participate on committees.
Protesters interrupted proceedings earlier this week, unfurling a “Democracy Dies Here” banner and chanting “Let her Speak.” House Republicans who supported barring Zephyr from the floor accused her of placing lawmakers and staff at risk of harm by inciting protests in the chamber on April 24.
“Every time that one of these votes came; every time the speaker refused to allow me to speak; when the protesters came and demanded, my thought was twofold,” Zephyr told the Associated Press. “Pride in those who stood up to defend democracy and a hope that in some small way, I could rise to that moment individually and do the work they sent me to do.”
Republicans And Democrats Play Chicken
House Republicans in Washington, D.C., by a 217-215 majority vote on April 26, linked the honoring of its commitment to pay the nation’s bills to forcing steep spending reductions in the future. Congress needs to raise the government’s legal debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion to meet the financial obligations for spending it has previously authorized, but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy persuaded enough members of his party to go along with conservatives’ plans to default on U.S. obligations unless they get their way on future spending.
President Joe Biden Jr. has threatened to veto the package in the unlikely chance it passes in the Democrat-controlled Senate. The White House insists on there being no strings attached to meeting America’s financial obligations.
Republicans have threatened to allow the nation to default on its debt in the past, but so far the country has always met its obligations. Today’s House Republicans hope to back Biden into a corner so he agrees to roll back federal spending to fiscal 2022 levels and to cap spending increases over the next decade at 1 percent.
‘Build The Wall’ Fraudsters Sentenced
Brian Kolfage, who with Tim Shea, Steve Bannon, and Andrew Badolato co-founded We Build the Wall, Inc., a group that defrauded donors across the country of $25 million, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on April 26. Badolato received a three-year sentence, and Shea is scheduled for sentencing in June.
Badolato’s attorney, Kelly Kramer, described Bannon as “a leader and primary beneficiary” of the scheme, but former president Donald Trump had pardoned Bannon during Trump’s final hours in office. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought new, state charges against Bannon last year, and he is awaiting trial.
The group had promised to build a wall along the southern U.S. border but instead used the donations for their personal use. Judge Analisa Torres said the defendants not only cheated their donors but contributed to a “chilling effect on civic participation” by tarnishing the reputation of political fundraising.
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