
Quiet man Jokic ready for crowning glory in NBA Finals
Nikola Jokic can cap an improbable journey to the pinnacle of his sport by leading the Denver Nuggets to a first ever championship when the NBA...
2023-05-31 09:19

DeSantis hits familiar targets of Fauci, Disney and ‘wokeism’ in first rally as 2024 candidate
Governor Ron DeSantis was in Iowa on Tuesday for his first rally of the 2024 Republican primary cycle — but his remarks were clearly aimed at a general election audience. The conservative governor punched at a whole host of familiar GOP foes during the evening event in west Des Moines, where voters will have the first crack at the Republican field of 2024 candidates. But Mr DeSantis himself did not swipe at any of those rivals. Instead, he focused his fire on the news media, the federal government and its related bureaucracy, and even the Disney corporation which has become embroiled in a feud with him in his home state. His list of targets was a choice selection of Republican red meat. Dr Anthony Fauci, Hunter Biden, critical race theory, “gender ideology” and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives were all up for skewering. So to was George Soros, the Jewish billionaire whose involvement in Democratic-leaning politics has spawned a host of antisemitic conspiracy theories on the right; Mr DeSantis attacked “Soros-backed prosecutors” who he blamed for supposedly refusing to enforce laws of which they disapprove. It was a campaign speech that had all the signs of both the strengths that propelled Mr DeSantis to victory twice in Florida as well as the weaknesses which may very well doom his 2024 bid for the presidency unless a major change in the status quo takes place. The main weakness it highlighted: Mr DeSantis’s unwillingness to engage in a direct fight with Donald Trump, his presumed rival for the GOP nomination. Mr Trump remains the steady favourite in all available polling of the upcoming contest, and it is difficult to see how the Florida governor reverses his recent polling slide without confronting the former president by name. That was one thing Mr DeSantis avoided completely on Tuesday, a fact that drew into question his claim to be willing to stand up to any rival or political foe who came forth. Worse, the governor took a few veiled shots at the leading candidate — references to a single term in the White House being insufficient to clear out the “swamp” in Washington, blame for “empower[ing]” Republican foes like Dr Fauci — but those attacks failed to draw serious blood and left watchers of the address wondering why Mr DeSantis is so hesitant to call out the man who has been personally and politcally degrading him in statements for weeks. “If you are faced with a destructive bureaucrat in your myths like a Fauci, you do not empower somebody like Fauci, you bring him into the office and you tell him to pack his bags, you are fired,” said the governor in one half-hearted attempt at landing a blow on his rival. In another: “At the end of the day leadership is not about entertainment. It's not about building a brand. It's not about virtue signaling. It is about results. And in Florida, we didn't lead with merely words. We followed up our words with deeds, and we have produced a record of accomplishment that we would put up against anybody in this country.“ More follows... Read More Fair-weather DeSantis’ climate change rejection is ‘politicization’ at its finest LGBTQ people are fleeing Florida in ‘mass migration’ with some fundraising via GoFundMe Ron DeSantis called out for ‘ignoring’ Hollywood beach shooting: ‘He doesn’t care’
2023-05-31 08:57

North Korea says satellite launch fails
North Korea launched what South Korea says was a satellite on Wednesday morning, triggering emergency alerts in Seoul and Japan that were later recalled.
2023-05-31 08:55

DeSantis kicks off presidential campaign in Iowa, calling for 'revival of American greatness'
Florida Gov_ Ron DeSantis has kicked off his presidential campaign in Iowa with a call for “a revival of American greatness.”
2023-05-31 08:49

California appeals court deems Manson follower Van Houten entitled to parole
By Daniel Trotta and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES A California appeals court overruled Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday
2023-05-31 08:47

SEC coaches' opinions on schedule debate range from overrated to undecided to ambivalence
The Southeastern Conference began four days of meetings on the Florida Gulf Coast for a second straight year, debating what to do with its football schedule
2023-05-31 08:46

'Buried a hatchet': Sammy Hagar says it was 'very important' to make up with Eddie Van Halen before his death
'Well, to be able to have talked to Eddie and had a wonderful rapport with him on text, it means everything to me,' said Sammy Hagar
2023-05-31 08:29

US CBO: debt ceiling bill to cut $1.5 trillion from deficit over decade
By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday its budget deficit projections would be reduced
2023-05-31 08:21

Seoul says North Korean rocket lands in sea after 'abnormal flight,' suggesting failure of launch
South Korea’s military says a North Korean rocket showed an “abnormal flight,” a suggestion that the launch might have failed
2023-05-31 08:19

Chinese tech entrepreneurs keen to 'de-China' as tensions with US soar
By David Kirton SHENZHEN, China For the ambitious Chinese tech entrepreneur, expanding into the U.S. just keeps getting
2023-05-31 08:19

Fact check: Ron DeSantis on Amanda Gorman poem being pulled from a Florida elementary school library
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he "had nothing to do with" a poem recently being moved from an elementary school library to a middle school library.
2023-05-31 08:18

Nevada Republican governor approves abortion protections in rare cross-party move
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo signed a bill into law enshrining existing protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers on Tuesday, marking a rare occurrence of a Republican governor approving measures that are part of Democrats’ vow to make the western swing state an abortion safe haven
2023-05-31 08:15