The Daily Signal - TOP NEWS | Disney vs. DeSantis, Senators Call for Code of Conduct for Supreme Court Justices, and Trump on Trial

Starting point is 00:00:00 I'm Lauren Evans. I'm Elizabeth Troutman. And this is the Daily Signal top news for Wednesday, April 26. Here are today's headlines. Disney is fighting back against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis recently appointed new people to the board that governs the Florida land Disney is on. Those new appointees effectively reversed decisions made by the prior board. People who were considered to be on Disney's side. Disney furious over the changes is now suing DeSantis. DeSantis and Disney have been budding heads for months now over various issues. issues since the Entertainment Corporation spoke out against a parental rights bill in Florida that limited discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity topics in grades three and under. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. The lawsuit per ABC News says that, quote, a targeted campaign of government retaliation orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as a punishment for Disney's protected speech, now threatens Disney business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and by,

Starting point is 00:01:12 violates its constitutional rights. A spokeswoman for DeSantis, Teran Fensky, told the Wall Street Journal that, quote, 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. Fenske also said, quote, this lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law. Governor DeSantis told Heritage President Kevin Roberts in an exclusive interview that Florida is a reservoir of freedom that should give Americans hope for the future of the nation.

Starting point is 00:01:47 The Republican dubbed as America's governor said when he ran for re-election in 2022, he was impressed that Floridians believe the Sunshine State is going in the right direction, while thinking the rest of the country is going in the wrong direction. DeSantis said, I think people drew the distinction between a state government that was reflective of really solid policies, not indulging in woke ideology and really standing up for them. And they contrast that with what's going on in Washington, where you have a rampant bureaucracy and administrative state,

Starting point is 00:02:20 woke agenda, and really bad fiscal and monetary policy. DeSantis said the administrative state represents a distortion of constitutional government. He said Congress has failed to hold agencies accountable. DeSantis denounced the concentration of power in the executive branch. DeSantis said the founders didn't want, any power to be accumulated in one branch, but they definitely would not have wanted power accumulated in part of a branch that was not subjected to accountability. Yet the governor has hope for the future of America. He is working on anti-environmental and social governance

Starting point is 00:02:54 legislation to encourage businesses to stop adopting the woke agenda. DeSantis said, I do think that the incentives over the last 10 years have been for them to basically bend the knee to the woke mob and try to advance. But ultimately, it's not good for business or our economy writ large to have basic economic decisions subjected to political calculations. You can listen to DeSantis's full interview with Kevin Roberts on the Kevin Roberts Show, a podcast available on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. Senator Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats and represents Maine. And Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who represents Alaska, introduced legislation today that would force the Supreme Court to have a code of conduct.

Starting point is 00:03:40 According to King's office, the legislation would require the Supreme Court to develop the code of conduct within one year of the bill's passage and to publicly share it. There would also be a person appointed to review potential violations of the code. Murkowski said in a statement, quote, the American public's confidence in the Supreme Court is at an all-time low. Americans have made clear their concern with the transparency or lack thereof coming from the Supreme Court and its justices. She added,

Starting point is 00:04:06 the Supreme Court must demonstrate independence and fairness as they rule on the laws of the land, and any cracks in the public's confidence will have damaging repercussions for the state of our democracy. Meanwhile, on the Senate floor today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, was critical of the recent focus on alleged ethical violations by justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. Here's what he had to say via cease man. And then, of course, there are the desperate and never-ended, attempts to smear and defame justices appointed by Republican presidents going back years and decades. Over the last few weeks, two justices have been particularly subjected to a carousel of character

Starting point is 00:04:54 assassination. I'm sure it'll be another justices turn again before too long. This is simply how the far left treats The rule of law. The former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll testified today in her case against former president Donald Trump. She says Trump raped her and then defamed her by denying her allegations. In her testimony today, Carol said, per ABC News, I'm here because Donald Trump raped me. And when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen. He lied and shattered my reputation and I'm here to try and get my life back. Trump has denied the allegations.

Starting point is 00:05:33 In 2022, he said Carol's accusation, was a hoax and a lie in a truth social post. Trump's lawyer, Joe Takopina, said that it was significant. Carol cannot be clear about when the alleged rape happened. Takopina said, per ABC News, she can't tell you the date that she claims to have been raped, she can't tell you the month that she claims to have been raped, she can't tell you the season,

Starting point is 00:05:55 she can't even tell you the year that she claims to have been raped by Donald Trump. And that'll do it for today's episode. Thank you for listening to The Daily Signal's top news. If you haven't gotten a chance, be sure to check out our morning show right here in this podcast feed, where we interview lawmakers, experts, and leading conservative voices. Join us tomorrow morning for the Daily Signal interview edition where Kate Trinko interviews Mary Harrington about her new book, Feminism Against Progress.

Starting point is 00:06:21 Also, make sure you subscribe to the Daily Signal wherever you get your podcasts and help us reach more listeners by leaving a five-star rating and review. We read all of your feedback. Thanks again for listening. Have a great night and we'll be back with you all. tomorrow morning. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Luey and Kate Trinko.

Starting point is 00:06:48 Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheras. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more, please visit DailySignal.com.

The Daily Signal - TOP NEWS | Disney vs. DeSantis, Senators Call for Code of Conduct for Supreme Court Justices, and Trump on Trial

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