Texas AG Launches Fraud Investigation into Media Matters

On Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-Texas) announced that the state would be launching a fraud probe into the far-left publication Media Matters.

As reported by the Daily Caller, the probe comes after Media Matters released a report on Thursday accusing the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, of putting anti-Semitic content next to advertisements. Although subsequent studies have proven this to be mostly false, multiple major corporations, including Apple, Disney, and IBM, have announced their plans to boycott advertising on the site.

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Florida Judge Declines to Toss Lawsuit Challenging Disney’s Last-Minute Effort to Maintain Self-Governing Status

A Florida state judge declined to toss a lawsuit challenging Disney’s last-minute effort to skirt the state legislature and maintain its self-governing status through an agreement it made with the prior board overseeing Walt Disney World.

Disney entered into agreement with the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), which had authority over the park, on Feb. 8, 2023 — just days before the state legislature approved a bill reforming RCID’s structure to strip Disney’s self-governing status. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District sued May 1 over the agreement, which would allow Disney to maintain control, calling it a “backroom deal” that is “not even worth the paper” it is printed on.

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Virginia Hair Salon Fires Christian Stylist for ‘Homophobic’ Post Criticizing Disney Plus on Facebook

A Virginia hair salon fired a Christian stylist over a Facebook post criticizing the streaming movie service Disney+.

“My Facebook is my page,” Sidney York, the fired stylist, told The Daily Signal in an interview Wednesday. “I understand it’s a touchy subject and people may be offended over it, but it had nothing to do with my job.”

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GOP Presidential Candidates, Sans Trump, Descend on Iowa for Senator Joni Ernst’s Annual Roast and Ride

In many ways, the start of the 2024 presidential election year began Saturday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines — with Iowa U.S. Senator Joni Ernst’s annual Roast and Ride. 

Eight Republican presidential hopefuls assembled all under one roof, making their case to some 750 Iowans on why they’re best suited to lead the most powerful nation in the world. 

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Obama-Appointed Federal Judge Who Has Criticized DeSantis Recuses Himself from Disney Case

Ron DeSantis

A federal judge known for ruling against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recused himself Thursday from Disney’s lawsuit against the governor, according to a court filing.

Chief U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Florida Mark Walker, an Obama appointee, recused himself after discovering “a relative within the third degree of relationship” owns 30 shares in The Walt Disney Company, per the a court filing. Walker blocked DeSantis’ “Stop W.O.K.E. Act”  in November, calling it “positively dystopian,” and struck down parts of his election law as unconstitutional in March 2022, citing the state’s “horrendous history of racial discrimination in voting,” according to Politico.

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Analysis: Companies That Ignore First Amendment Rights

A new database shows that some of Americans’ favorite companies—such as Airbnb, Amazon, and Disney—disregard religious freedom and free speech. 

Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization devoted to protecting religious freedom and other First Amendment rights, joined with Inspire Insight, an investment tool that provides data on the religious values of companies, to produce the second annual Business Index ranking companies by Viewpoint Diversity Score. 

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DeSantis Signs Bill Nullifying Disney’s Last-Minute Agreements

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Friday to nullify Disney’s last-minute agreements intended to curb the governor’s state control board implemented to oversee the corporation’s special tax district.

Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District anticipated the governor’s signing of legislation to revoke the company’s self-governing privileges, and made eleventh-hour agreements granting Disney control of the district’s developmental rights and privileges. DeSantis signed the bill to nullify those agreements, as they were made within the three-month window that the state control board was enacted.

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Outsider GOP Presidential Candidate Ramaswamy’s Political Stock Rising in Palmetto State

As his polling numbers climb nationally, Ohio businessman and anti-woke crusader Vivek Ramaswamy’s political stock appears to be rising in South Carolina, as well.  

The youngest GOP candidate in the field “enjoyed another well-received visit to the Palmetto State,” one of the first presidential nominating states,  according to the latest FitsNews Palmetto Political Stock Index. 

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Republicans Ripping DeSantis for Feuding with Disney Took Company Executives’ Campaign Cash

Prominent Republicans who have criticized Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ actions against The Walt Disney Company have received significant donations from the media giant’s executives, according to campaign finance records published by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

DeSantis and Disney have been at odds since early 2022, when the Florida legislature passed a law signed by DeSantis stripping Disney of municipal powers within its special district after Disney criticized Florida’s Parental Rights In Education Law. Recently, several top Republicans have come out opposing the governor’s feud with the company, arguing that it’s bad for business, at a time when DeSantis is widely expected to run for president in 2024; however, many of these Republicans raked in campaign contributions from Disney executives.

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Disney Sues DeSantis over Florida GOP Governor’s Attempt to Limit Its Control of Theme Park

Disney filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis alleging he and other state Republican lawmakers having a “targeted campaign of government retaliation,” over the so-called 2020 “Don’t Say Gay” bill. 

Disney World had self-governing privileges that DeSantis threatened to revoke after the company snubbed him last year when he signed a law in 2022 that his opponents labeled the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” 

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DeSantis Coming to Wisconsin as Trump Pounds the GOP’s No. 2 Presidential Contender

As he moves closer to a presidential campaign announcement, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has scheduled a trip to the Badger State next month. 

DeSantis, who is expected to officially launch his run for the White House after the Florida legislative session ends in early May, will speak at the Republican Party of Marathon County Lincoln Day Dinner on May 6.

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Florida Lawmakers Conclude Special Session, Strip Away Disney’s Special Status

The Florida Legislature concluded its special session on Friday, passing bills regarding Disney’s autonomy, transport of foreign nationals and election fraud.

Florida House Speaker Paul Renner said at a news conference before the House’s final meeting that the special session was successful and that lawmakers addressed “the complete abdication by the federal government in defending our border and stopping the flow of illegal immigrants so that the state can take action to protect our citizens.”

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Commentary: Disney Has It All

Gone are the days when parents could turn on the Disney Channel or a Disney movie and walk away. A new 50-minute documentary called Walt’s Disenchanted Kingdom exposes the radical agenda pushed by Disney to indoctrinate America’s children.

“Once upon a time, if it was a Disney movie, you knew it was going to be safe for children,” Media Research Center founder and President L. Brent Bozell III states at the beginning of this revealing documentary.

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DeSantis’ Office: No ‘U-Turns’ on Decision to Strip Disney of Special Status

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has no plans to back down against corporate behemoth Walt Disney Co. after speculation that laws put in place in April to dissolve the company’s self-governing power were going to be scaled back.

In March, then Disney CEO Bob Chapek publicly opposed House Bill (HB) 1557, the “Parental Rights in Education Act,” which was designed to restrict the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation in public schools from kindergarten through to third grade. The bill quickly became known in the media as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

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Florida Mulls Undoing Law That Revoked Disney’s Self Governing After ‘Woke’ Feud with DeSantis

Florida lawmakers are reportedly working to reverse a law that stripped Disney of its special tax status in the state after its then-CEO criticized a state law on gender classes in public schools.

The possible change, first reported by the Financial Times, follows Disney replacing CEO Bob Chapek who was in a feud with GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.

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Disney CEO Pledges to Double Down on LGBT ‘Storytelling’ in Animated Kids’ Movies

Bob Iger, the newly appointed CEO of Disney, pledged to double down on LGBT “storytelling” in the company’s animated kids’ movies during a Monday town hall with employees, according to The New York Times.

Iger served as CEO for 15 years before retiring in late 2020; he was brought back in about a year later after his successor, Bob Chapek, was fired, according to the NYT. Tumbling stock prices marked Chapek’s tenure as CEO, as did public outrage over the company’s political engagement in Florida and its alleged efforts to inject sexual content into children’s shows, particularly through gay and transgender characters.

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Disney Set for Layoffs After Billion-Dollar Earnings Miss

CEO Bob Chapek of Disney told executives that layoffs at the entertainment giant were likely, just days after a weak earnings report that missed expectations by over $1 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing an internal memo.

The email also announced a hiring freeze among other cost-saving measures including a request to limit travel without prior approval from executives, according to the WSJ. The company missed expectations for its fourth quarter earnings on Nov. 8 after losing nearly $1.5 billion on its Disney+ streaming service, nearly 40% worse than what analysts anticipated.

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Minnesota Companies to Cover Travel Expenses for Abortions

Some Minnesota businesses are joining a growing list of companies offering travel benefits to employees who want to terminate their unborn babies. This new policy comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Target Corporation 

According to multiple sources, Target Corporation will expand its existing health care travel reimbursement policy to include costs for “reproductive services” for employees in states that ban abortion. Benefits are expected to begin this month.

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Walz Commissioner Expresses ‘Deep Disagreement’ with Dobbs Decision in Staff-Wide Email

One of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s agency heads expressed his “deep disagreement” with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in a staff-wide email Friday.

“I know that for so many of you, in particular women in our agency, this is a very difficult day. My heart is with you, and I share a deep disagreement with the court’s decision today,” Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove wrote from his state email address to all agency staff, according to an email obtained by Alpha News.

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DeSantis Explains His Response to Disney’s ‘Ridiculous Course of Action’ Related to the Parental Rights in Education Bill

During a recent interview with David Rubin, Gov. DeSantis explained his actions related to Disney and their position on the Parental Rights in Education bill.

DeSantis told Rubin that early in the 2022 Florida legislative session he became aware that activists would be pushing a false narrative about the Parental Rights in Education legislation around the “Don’t Say Gay” slogan.

DeSantis said, “I started fighting back against them because they were just lying to people and it’s offensive when they’re lying and so we start fighting back and I would literally have these reporters, I’d say ‘okay where does it say that in the bill?’ okay it doesn’t say that in the bill what does it say?”

DeSantis then discussed Disney’s decision to get involved with opposing the legislation.

DeSantis said, “Then you had this situation where you had the corporations, mostly Disney, deciding to get involved and I think people look at that they’re like first of all I don’t know why they got involved in this, it was a huge mistake for them …. I think they’ve lost 60 billion in market cap since they got involved.”

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Commentary: The Long, Slow Death of ESPN

So our readers will know, for the near entirety of your author’s life, pro and college sports have been an obsession.

Looking back on it, probably an unhealthy one. Age and maturity and the vicissitudes of 21st-century life are sharply curtailing the fever, though I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully quit LSU and the Saints (though a possible change in geography might do it; I used to be a Lakers and Yankees fan as a kid and couldn’t give a tinker’s damn about either team now).

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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Filed Against DeSantis over Reedy Creek Special Status Abolishment

A lawsuit filed be residents of Orange and Osceola counties against Gov. Ron DeSantis in the wake of the Governor’s battle with Disney has been struck down. 

Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida Cecilia Maria Altonaga Tuesday issued her order summarily dismissing the lawsuit, which challenged DeSantis after he stripped Reedy Creek, home to Disney’s theme park, of its special status. 

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Behind the Scenes of Christopher Rufo’s ‘Drop Disney’ Campaign

Disney is known as the “happiest place on Earth.” Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo could not disagree more.

Rufo, who has done extensive reporting on Critical Race Theory (CRT), launched the “Drop Disney” campaign against the company earlier this month over the company’s opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, as well as its CRT trainings and promotion of gender ideology in children’s programming. Rufo’s goal is to instruct conservatives to “stop giving money to people who hate you,” and involves boycotting the company’s services and products.

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Corporations Stay Quiet on Abortion After Disney’s Disastrous Tangle with DeSantis

Ron DeSantis

Corporations previously outspoken about hot-button social issues have stayed quiet on the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade after a dramatic fight between Disney and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over the company’s political activism.

Following the leak of a draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, Democrats are trying to ram through a bill legalizing third trimester abortions; however, corporations are largely staying out of the fray, following Disney’s disastrous battle with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that ended with the company losing its special tax privileges.

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Disney Executive Who Led Company Response to Florida Bill Leaves Position After Just Three Months

The Disney executive who helped the company develop its response to Florida’s parental rights bill has left his position after just three months on the job, according to media reports.

Geoff Morrell, who as corporate affairs chief led the company in its ill-fated response to the Florida bill that critics labeled “Don’t Say Gay,” called the job “not the right fit” in a letter to his team obtained by media outlets.

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DeSantis Teases Additional Legislation Regarding Disney’s Tax Status

Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was a featured guest on Fox News’ Ingraham Angle hosted by Laura Ingraham and said his administration is working on additional legislation to address Disney’s tax status after the Florida Legislature repealed the 1960s-era law that established the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

The district allowed Disney to operate relatively autonomously with the ability to tax at its own rate, provide its own police, and supervise its own utilities. Florida Republicans have indicated that the repeal of the improvement district was long overdue.

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Florida House Rep Accuses Candace Owens of Supporting DeSantis for ‘Coins’

In what appears to be a racially-motivated attack, a member of the Florida House of Representatives attacked conservative commentator Candace Owens for her support of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

“He knows how to break the law, violate constitutional rights, lie and bully. There I fixed it for you @RealCandaceO You should be ashamed of what #DeSantisDestroysFlorida is doing to Black communities in Florida. But of course…get them coins girls,” said State Rep. Angie Nixon (D-District 14) on Twitter.

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DeSantis Calls Special Session to Review Disney’s ‘Special District’ Status

In what is being viewed as an escalation in the conflict between Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and The Walt Disney Company, the Florida governor has called a special legislative session to review a 1968 law – designed for the company – that allows it to govern itself. 

According to a proclamation from the governor’s office, “it is necessary to review such independent special districts to ensure that they are appropriately serving the public interest,” and that it is “also necessary to consider whether such independent special districts should be subject to special law requirements of the Florida Constitution of 1968.”

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Disney Helps Employees ‘Transition’ Their Transgender Children and Themselves: Report

Disney is reportedly assisting employees and their children with sex change and “gender affirmation” procedures through the company’s benefits program.

The company’s “benefits team” is reportedly offering resources and guides to employees transitioning to the opposite gender, as well as information for employees’ children who are transitioning, according to a video shared by Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo.

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DeSantis Threatens Disney’s Special Governing District

Ron DeSantis

The latest escalation in the feud between Governor DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company over the Parental Rights in Education bill involves the possibility of repealing a law that gives Disney special governing privileges.

The  Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) was formed in 1967 to serve the interests of Disney by a special Act of the Florida Legislature and subsequently validated by the Florida Supreme Court.

The arrangements allow Disney to shape the park environment without government oversight.

Richard Foglesong, a Rollins College professor, told the Washington Post that “It’s legal magic. The Reedy Creek government can regulate land use, provide police and fire services, license the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages, build roads, lay sewer lines, construct waste-treatment plants, carry out flood projects–even build an airport or nuclear plant, all without local or state approval.”

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‘Gay Agenda’: Disney Employees Reportedly Reveal Effort to Inject ‘Queerness’ into Children’s Shows

Walt Disney corporate employees were reportedly caught on camera discussing efforts to include more LGBT content in the company’s programming during company meetings discussing a Florida education bill, according to videos shared by Manhattan Institute senior fellow and activist Christopher Rufo.

A woman Rufo identified as Latoya Raveneau, an executive producer at Disney, reportedly boasted about injecting “queer” content into children’s shows and said the company made no effort to stop her during a meeting discussing Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, according to one of the leaked videos. The legislation, which bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, was signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Monday.

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DeSantis Not Concerned About Possible Boycotts Due to Signing ‘Anti-Grooming’ Parental Rights Bill

Not long after signing the Parental Rights in Education bill into law on Monday, Governor DeSantis’ office fielded questions about concerns related to possible boycotts of Florida businesses.

Critics of the bill have used the “Don’t Say Gay” slogan to generate opposition to the legislation. This opposition has included protests and employment boycotts aimed at the Disney Corporation.

Christian Pushaw, Governor DeSantis spokesperson, tweeted that a reporter had inquired about possible backlash in Florida from the new law.

The reporter said  “in other states we have seen boycotts and business impacts from controversial bills, is this a concern in Florida…that tourism could be impacted, as it still rebounds from the pandemic.”

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Poll: Florida Democrats Support Limits on Teaching Sexual Orientation in Schools

A new poll of Democrat voters in Florida shows that a majority of Democrats support limits on teaching sexual orientation in schools as required by the Parental Rights in Education bill.

The poll was conducted from March 17-20 for Floridians for Economic Advancement, a political committee that has supported state legislative candidates from both parties.

The poll comes amid national protests against the Parental Rights in Education bill that critics have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The bill “prohibits a school district from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”

The main focus of the poll was the Democrat gubernatorial primary. Those results indicated that shows 43% of likely Democratic Primary voters favor Charlie Crist, with 33% picking Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, and 15% liking state Sen. Annette Taddeo. Only about 8% of respondents started out unsure.

However, the poll also asked about a specific provision of the Parental Rights in Education bill.

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Florida Democrats Boycott Disney Due to Parental Rights Bill

Mickey and Minnie Mouse riding on a float in Magic Kingdom

First it was Governor DeSantis blasting Disney, now Florida Democrats have decided to take a shot at the mega-corporation that employees over 60,000 Floridians.

The Florida Democratic Party said Tuesday that it is moving its major fundraising event from a Disney World venue due to pressure from the LGBTQ community. The event was initially scheduled to take place on June 18.

The move comes after the Florida Democratic Party’s LGBTQ caucus called on candidates to oppose the party’s gala at Disney amid the fallout from the controversial “Parental Rights” bill.

“Scheduling Leadership Blue at Disney during Pride Month this year is nothing but tone deaf. To put it another way: FDP — read the room,” Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Stephen Gaskill said prior to decision to move the event. 

In addition, Disney has been faced with employee staged walkouts and social media campaigns in response to the Florida legislation.

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Florida Republicans Cool on ‘Woke’ Corporations, Let $1.2 Billion Income Tax Break Expire

During the 2022 legislative session Florida Republicans took actions to distance themselves from some of Florida’s biggest corporations – Governor DeSantis called out Disney, and the Florida Legislature let a corporate income tax break expire.

The publisher of floridapolitics.com, Peter Schorsch, tweeted that corporations “got (royally) screwed during Session.” This assessment goes against the traditional narrative that corporate political donations pad Republican campaign accounts and tax breaks and lax regulation follow.

The most public rebuke of corporate interests was on display during the controversy between Governor DeSantis and Disney CEO Bob Chapek as related to the Parental Rights in Education legislation. The controversy made headlines across the U.S. and put the two powerful executives in a very public battle.

A day after Chapek publicly condemned the bill that would ban classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity before fourth grade, DeSantis ripped Disney before a roomful of supporters. He called Disney a “Woke corporation” and criticized its business interests in China.”

But Chapek should not have been surprised by the DeSantis response.

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