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Top stories – Google News

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiR2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tLzIwMjEvMDIvMjYvdXMvcG9saXRpY3MvYmlkZW4tbWJzLWtoYXNob2dnaS5odG1s0gFLaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8wMi8yNi91cy9wb2xpdGljcy9iaWRlbi1tYnMta2hhc2hvZ2dpLmFtcC5odG1s?oc=5
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<div><img src=”https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/26/us/politics/26dc-prexy/26dc-prexy-facebookJumbo.jpg” class=”ff-og-image-inserted”></div><p id=”article-summary” class=”css-w6ymp8 e1wiw3jv0″>The decision will disappoint the human rights community and members of his own party who complained during the Trump administration that the U.S. was failing to hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable.</p><section name=”articleBody” class=”meteredContent css-1r7ky0e”><div class=”css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn”><div class=”css-53u6y8″><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>WASHINGTON — President Biden has decided that the diplomatic cost of directly penalizing Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is too high, according to senior administration officials, despite a <a class=”css-1g7m0tk” href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/us/politics/jamal-khashoggi-killing-cia-report.html” title>detailed American intelligence finding</a> that he directly approved the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the dissident and Washington Post columnist who was drugged and dismembered in October 2018.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>The decision by Mr. Biden, who during the 2020 campaign called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” state with “no redeeming social value,” came after weeks of debate in which his newly formed national security team advised him that there was no way to formally bar the heir to the Saudi crown from entering the United States, or to weigh criminal charges against him, without breaching the relationship with one of America’s key Arab allies.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>Officials said a consensus developed inside the White House that the cost of that breach, in Saudi cooperation on counterterrorism and in confronting Iran, was simply too high.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>For Mr. Biden, the decision was a telling indication of how his more cautious instincts kicked in, as the responsibilities of managing a difficult ally led him to find ways other than going directly after Prince Mohammed to make Saudi Arabia pay a price.</p></div></div><div class=”css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn”><div class=”css-53u6y8″><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>While human rights groups and members of his own party applauded the president for making public the official intelligence finding, whose contents leaked more than two years ago, many said that it was just a first step — and that more had to be done to hold the crown prince, known by his initials M.B.S., accountable for his role.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>Many organizations were pressing Mr. Biden to, at a minimum, impose the same <a class=”css-1g7m0tk” href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/world/middleeast/saudis-sanctions-khashoggi.html” title>travel sanctions against the crown prince as the Trump administration imposed on others involved in the plot</a>.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>Mr. Biden’s aides said that as a practical matter, Prince Mohammed would not be invited to the United States anytime soon, and they denied that they were giving Saudi Arabia a pass, describing series of new actions on lower-level officials intended to penalize elite elements of the Saudi military and impose new deterrents to human rights abuses.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>Those actions, approved by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, include a travel ban on Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief, who was deeply involved in the Khashoggi operation, and on the Rapid Intervention Force, a unit of the Saudi Royal Guard that protects Prince Mohammed — and is under his direct control.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>The declassified intelligence report concluded that the intervention force directed the operation against Mr. Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Mr. Khashoggi entered the consulate on Oct. 2, 2018, to get papers he needed for his forthcoming marriage, and, with his fiancée waiting outside the gates, was instead met by an assassination team.</p></div></div><div class=”css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn”><div class=”css-53u6y8″><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>An effort by the Saudi government to issue a cover story, contending that Mr. Khashoggi had left the consulate unharmed, collapsed in days.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>The Trump administration acted against 17 members of that team, imposing travel bans and other penalties. Mr. Biden, one official said, described the new sanctions the United States is imposing to King Salman, the crown prince’s father, in a phone call on Thursday that was only vaguely described in a White House account of the call.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>But the king is 85 and in poor health, and it was unclear to administration officials how much he absorbed as Mr. Biden talked about a “recalibration” of the relationship with the United States.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>In an effort to signal wider action against countries and officials who reach beyond their borders to repress dissent, Mr. Blinken is also adding a category of sanctions, a newly named “Khashoggi ban,” to restrict visas to anyone determined to be participating in state-sponsored efforts to harass, detain or harm dissidents and journalists around the world. In a statement, Mr. Blinken said 76 Saudis would be designated in the first tranche.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>That review, officials said, would be part of the annual State Department human rights report. It is part of an effort, officials said, to create a new category of human rights abuses — one called “extraterritorial repression,” a growing issue as Russia, China and even allies like Turkey try to silence critics who are living in Europe, the United States or other free societies.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>While the initial bans will apply to Saudis, officials said they would quickly be used around the world.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>A few hours after the release of the report and the new sanctions, the Saudi government issued a blistering response. “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia completely rejects the negative, false and unacceptable assessment in the report pertaining to the kingdom’s leadership, and notes that the report contained inaccurate information and conclusions,” it wrote.</p></div></div><div class=”css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn”><div class=”css-53u6y8″><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>“It is truly unfortunate that this report, with its unjustified and inaccurate conclusions, is issued while the kingdom had clearly denounced this heinous crime, and the kingdom’s leadership took the necessary steps to ensure that such a tragedy never takes place again.”</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>The hardest issue debated inside the administration was how to deal with the crown prince himself. Bans against sitting world leaders are rare. A study by administration officials found that the United States had acted against adversaries like President Bashar al-Assad of Syria; Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea; President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela; and Robert Mugabe, the former prime minister of Zimbabwe. But none led countries that were major allies.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>“Over all, I’m hugely pleased by the declassification,” said Representative Tom Malinowski, Democrat of New Jersey, who was the assistant secretary of state for human rights in the Obama administration. But he said that a “visa ban for M.B.S. should be mandatory” under existing law “if the secretary of state has credible information that he committed a gross human rights abuse, which the secretary just told us he has.”</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>Mr. Blinken, Mr. Malinowski said, had the power to waive the visa ban, but only with a report to Congress, with a written justification.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>Dennis Ross, a former Middle East negotiator, applauded Mr. Biden for “trying to thread the needle here.”</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>“This is the classic example of where you have to balance your values and your interests,” Mr. Ross said.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>“We are now doing things that show a clear difference from Trump on democracy and human rights,” he added. “On the other hand, there isn’t an issue in the Middle East where we don’t need them to play a role — on Iran, on competing with the Chinese. And if you sanction the crown prince directly you basically create a relationship of hostility, and you force them to show that there is a high price the United States has to pay for that.”</p></div></div><div class=”css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn”><div class=”css-53u6y8″><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>Mr. Biden and his aides have repeatedly said that they intend to take a far tougher line with the Saudis than did President Donald J. Trump, who vetoed legislation passed by both houses of Congress to block weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>While Congress did not have the votes to override the vetoes, Mr. Biden announced this month that he was banning billions of dollars in arms shipments to Saudi Arabia for its continuing war in Yemen, which he called a “humanitarian and strategic catastrophe.”</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>The release on Friday of a declassified summary of the American intelligence findings on the Khashoggi killing was also a reversal of Trump administration policies. Mr. Trump refused to make it public, knowing it would fuel the action for sanctions or criminal action against Prince Mohammed.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>Human Rights Watch, one of the main advocates for moving human rights issues to the center of American diplomacy, praised the release of the report and said it made “clear that the U.S. needs to act now to put human rights at the forefront of its relationship with Saudi Arabia.” That is exactly what Biden administration officials say their raft of new actions will do.</p><p class=”css-axufdj evys1bk0″>But the group added that the United States should declare that its freeze on offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia would not be lifted until the Saudis themselves brought those implicated in the killing to justice, “including the crown prince.”</p></div></div><div></div></section><p><strong><a href=”https://blockads.fivefilters.org”></a></strong> <a href=”https://blockads.fivefilters.org/acceptable.html”>(Why?)</a></p> Fri, 26 Feb 2021 19:30:05 +0000 By David E. Sanger
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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/us/politics/biden-mbs-khashoggi.html


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiUGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS91cy1wb2xpY3kvMjAyMS8wMi8yNi9iaWRlbi1zdGltdWx1cy1jb3ZpZC1yZWxpZWYv0gFfaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3VzLXBvbGljeS8yMDIxLzAyLzI2L2JpZGVuLXN0aW11bHVzLWNvdmlkLXJlbGllZi8_b3V0cHV0VHlwZT1hbXA?oc=5
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<div><img src=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2A5DLNTYJYI6XFEJR562ZVI6OU.jpg&amp;w=1440″ class=”ff-og-image-inserted”></div><div class=”teaser-content”><section><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>The House moved toward a vote Friday on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion <a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/01/14/biden-stimulus-covid-relief/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2″ target=”_blank”>stimulus plan</a>, with Democrats pushing forward despite united GOP opposition to the massive relief package aimed at stabilizing the economy and boosting <a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2″ target=”_blank” class=”contextual_link”>coronavirus</a> vaccinations and testing.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Biden’s first major legislative package has the overwhelming support of House Democrats, who narrowly control the chamber. Republicans are expected to oppose the legislation en masse, ensuring a sharply partisan outcome just a month after Biden was inaugurated with calls for bipartisanship and unity.</p></div></section></div><div class=”remainder-content”><section><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>The vote was expected late Friday. House passage would send the legislation to the Senate, where bigger fights await.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>The action in the House comes a day after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the $15 minimum wage in the legislation is not permitted under Senate rules. Nonetheless, House Democrats intend to pass the legislation with the $15 minimum wage included, and it is unclear how the issue will ultimately get resolved.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Beyond the minimum-wage increase, the<a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/02/26/american-rescue-plan-house-coronavirus-stimulus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_9″ target=”_blank”> sprawling relief bill</a> would provide $1,400 stimulus payments to tens of millions of American households; extend enhanced federal unemployment benefits through August; provide $350 billion in aid to states, cities, U.S. territories and tribal governments; and boost funding for vaccine distribution and coronavirus testing — among myriad other measures, such as nutritional assistance, housing aid and money for schools.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Democrats hope to push the legislation through both chambers and get it signed into law by March 14, when enhanced unemployment benefits are set to expire. It is uncertain whether disputes over the minimum wage or other issues could complicate that timeline.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>On Thursday night, the Senate’s parliamentarian <a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/02/25/minimum-wage-increase-imperiled-covid-relief-bill-by-senate-officials-ruling/?itid=lk_inline_manual_13″ target=”_blank”>ruled the wage hike as written</a> could not proceed under “reconciliation,” the budgetary maneuver Democrats are using to pass the stimulus bill through the Senate without GOP votes.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Liberals erupted, with some even suggesting the nonpartisan parliamentarian <a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/26/senate-parliamentarian-minimum-wage-overrule/?itid=lk_inline_manual_14″ target=”_blank”>should be fired</a>, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the wage increase would stay in the bill, at least for now.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>“The Senate parliamentarian’s ruling is disappointing; raising the minimum wage would give 27M+ Americans a raise during this devastating economic crisis,” Pelosi said Thursday night on Twitter. “House Dems are determined to #FightFor15. This policy will remain in [the bill] and pass tomorrow.”</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>As an alternative to the minimum-wage increase, Senate Democrats are exploring a tax hike on large corporations that do not pay a $15-an-hour minimum wage. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) is considering a move to include the provision in the relief bill in the Senate, according to two Democratic aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal thinking. It was uncertain whether the proposal would command enough support to advance.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>The vote on the massive legislation neared as the economy has been showing some signs of progress. Personal income rose 10 percent in January, the Commerce Department reported Friday, thanks largely to the December stimulus package Congress passed. New claims for unemployment insurance fell sharply last week as coronavirus cases continues to decrease and vaccine distribution becomes more widespread.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Still, only slightly more than half the 20 million jobs lost during the pandemic have returned, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell has said the real unemployment rate is closer to 10 percent, meaning the economy <a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/02/23/powell-senate-stimulus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_21″ target=”_blank”>has a long way to go</a> to recover to its pre-pandemic levels.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Congressional Republicans argued that Biden’s stimulus is poorly targeted, is too expensive and includes measures unrelated to the pandemic. Congress approved some $4 trillion to fight the pandemic last year, including $900 billion in December, and Republicans said that is more than enough, especially in light of signs the economy is improving.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>“This isn’t a relief bill. It takes care of Democrats’ political allies while it fails to deliver for American families,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Friday. “We already know what is the best stimulus plan out there: It is to fully reopen our economy. To do that, we need our economy to go back to work, back to school and back to health.”</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Democrats, however, argued that more assistance is sorely needed.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>“Millions are going hungry and even more don’t know how they’ll pay next month’s rent,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.). “Their pain is our pain and we can’t expect them to ride this out without our help. This landmark and life-saving legislation is not a partisan wish list — it’s an American wish list.”</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Ahead of the floor vote, Democrats and Republicans on the House Rules Committee sparred angrily over the legislation, with Republicans complaining that they had been shut out of negotiations. Democrats argued that even if the legislation did not command support among Republicans in Congress, it was broadly supported by the public and by many GOP mayors and some governors.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Biden made some efforts at bipartisan outreach after unveiling his proposal, including meeting with a group of 10 Senate Republicans who made a $618 billion counteroffer. He ultimately dismissed their ideas as too meager and made the decision to move forward without GOP support, repeatedly defending his proposal in recent days and challenging critics to tell him: “<a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/02/19/schumer-pledges-final-passage-19-trillion-relief-bill-ahead-march-14-unemployment-insurance-deadline/?itid=lk_inline_manual_31″ target=”_blank”>What would they have me cut</a>?”</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>Republicans fumed over Democrats’ go-it-alone approach, but Democrats countered that Republicans took the same tack when they controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House at the start of the Trump administration and pushed through an unpaid-for $1.5 trillion tax-cut bill.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>House passage of the relief legislation appeared all but assured Friday, but the outlook is trickier in the Senate, where moderate Democrats have raised questions about a number of provisions, including the structure of the state and local aid. The Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, so if Republicans remain opposed, Democrats can pass the legislation only if they stay united and Vice President Harris breaks the tie.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>The “budget reconciliation” process allows legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority vote instead of the 60 votes usually required. But it also contains limitations, prohibiting certain measures that do not affect the federal budget in particular ways. The parliamentarian determined that the minimum wage did not pass that test.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>If the Senate passes the bill without the minimum-wage increase and sends it back to the House, liberals will have to decide whether to support it anyway. For some, raising the minimum wage from its current level of $7.25 an hour was their top priority in the bill, and they were irate over the parliamentarian’s decision. Some called on Schumer to try to overturn it or move to eliminate the filibuster, the 60-vote threshold that protects minority rights in the Senate.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>“Democrats are just going to have to make a choice about using, really going to the mat and really using every lever of power that we have to govern for the majority of the American people,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “In two years, I don’t think we can go back to voters and say, ‘Look, I know Republicans, Democrats, independents support this, we promised it, but because of an unelected parliamentarian who gave us a ruling, we couldn’t do it.’”</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “>The White House, however, has indicated that Biden intends to respect the parliamentarian’s ruling. And Democrats do not have the votes to overrule the parliamentarian or eliminate the filibuster in the Senate anyway, because of opposition from at least two moderate Senate Democrats: West Virginia’s Joe Manchin III and Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema.</p></div><div><p data-el=”text” class=”font–body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md “><i>Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report.</i></p></div></section></div><p><strong><a href=”https://blockads.fivefilters.org”></a></strong> <a href=”https://blockads.fivefilters.org/acceptable.html”>(Why?)</a></p> Fri, 26 Feb 2021 19:58:00 +0000 Erica Werner
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/02/26/biden-stimulus-covid-relief/


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiPWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL21lZGlhL2NwYWMtcm9uLWRlc2FudGlzLXJ1c2gtbGltYmF1Z2jSAUFodHRwczovL3d3dy5mb3huZXdzLmNvbS9tZWRpYS9jcGFjLXJvbi1kZXNhbnRpcy1ydXNoLWxpbWJhdWdoLmFtcA?oc=5
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<div><img src=”https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2021/02/Ron-DeSantis-1.jpg” class=”ff-og-image-inserted”></div><p class=”speakable”>Florida Gov. <a href=”https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/ron-desantis”>Ron DeSantis</a>, R.,&nbsp;kicked off the Conservative Political Action Conference (<a href=”https://www.foxnews.com/category/news-events/cpac”>CPAC</a>)&nbsp;this year with a roaring speech that paid tribute to his “friend,” the late conservative talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p class=”speakable”>”Rush displayed the courage of his convictions time and time again,” DeSantis said.&nbsp;”Rush was one of the first to fight and win against cancel culture. Rush showed that fighting the left requires strength and that conservatism devoid of&nbsp;backbone is doomed to fail.”</p><p><a href=”https://www.foxnews.com/media/cpac-2021-how-to-watch-streaming-coverage-fox-nation”><strong>JOIN CPAC 2021 FROM HOME: HOW TO WATCH STREAMING COVERAGE, EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FROM FOX NATION</strong></a></p><p>DeSantis, who ordered flags&nbsp;to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the late icon’s passing, referred to Limbaugh as “one of our&nbsp;greatest field generals” in the battle for conservatism.&nbsp;</p><p>”So at this moment in our history, and I think Rush showed us this, but particularly now, standing for the right things comes at a cost,” he said. “You may be attacked, you might be smeared, you may even be canceled by the major organs of the political left … When the left comes after you, will you stay strong or will you fold?”</p><p>DeSantis, who has been widely named as a potential 2024 presidential hopeful, welcomed&nbsp;out-of-state attendees to Florida’s “oasis of freedom” and celebrated the Sunshine State for steering clear of&nbsp;”oppressive lockdowns.”</p><p><strong><a href=”http://try.nation.foxnews.com/cpac/?cmpid=org=NAT::ag=owned::mc=referral::src=FNC_web::cmp=article::add=CPACstreaming_FNC_SeriesDetail&amp;utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=FNC_web&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_content=CPACstreaming_FNC_SeriesDetail” target=”_blank”>CLICK HERE TO LIVESTREAM CPAC 2021&nbsp;ON FOX NATION</a></strong></p><p>”While so many governors over the past year have kept locking people down, Florida lifted people up,” DeSantis said. “In Florida, schools are open. Every Floridian has a right to earn a living and all businesses have a right to operate. And we are&nbsp;stronger as a state and much happier as a people because of this&nbsp;leadership.”&nbsp;</p><p>The GOP governor touted the state’s low&nbsp;unemployment and its “great shape” budget, which he noted has “not touched one red cent” from the “rainy day fund.”&nbsp;</p><p>”Florida got it right and the lockdown states got it wrong,” DeSantis said.&nbsp;</p><p><strong><a href=”https://try.nation.foxnews.com/cpac/?cmpid=org=NAT::ag=owned::mc=referral::src=FNC_web::cmp=article::add=CPACstreaming_FNC_SeriesDetail&amp;utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=FNC_web&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_content=CPACstreaming_FNC_SeriesDetail” target=”_blank”>CLICK HERE TO FOR A 30 DAY FREE TRIAL OF FOX NATION</a><a href=”http://try.nation.foxnews.com/cpac/?cmpid=org=NAT::ag=owned::mc=referral::src=FNC_web::cmp=article::add=CPACstreaming_FNC_SeriesDetail&amp;utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=FNC_web&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_content=CPACstreaming_FNC_SeriesDetail”>&nbsp;WITH CODE ‘CPAC'</a></strong></p><p>DeSantis promoted Florida’s election integrity, pointed to the “11 million” votes that were counted by midnight on the November election, saying “In Florida,&nbsp;your vote counts and we continue to have a process that is transparent and that inspires&nbsp;confidence.”&nbsp;</p><p>He took aim at Big Tech and singled out billionaire Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, touting his plan to sign legislation combatting political censorship and safeguarding personal data&nbsp;into law.&nbsp;</p><p>”In Florida, we are not going to&nbsp;let the terms of the debate in our country be set by oligarchs in Silicon Valley,” DeSantis vowed.&nbsp;</p><p>DeSantis then offered a vision for the future of the GOP.</p><p><strong><a href=”https://www.foxnews.com/apps-products” target=”_blank”>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</a></strong></p><p>”We cannot, we will not go back to the days of the failed Republican establishment of yesteryear,” DeSantis urged conservatives.&nbsp;”We reject open borders and instead support American sovereignty and the American worker. Building a movement on the foundation of amnesty and cheap foreign labor is like building a house on a field of quicksand. We reject weakness in the face of the threat posed by China, including their actions in international&nbsp;trade. We reject military adventurism [and] instead&nbsp;support a strong defense solely for the&nbsp;purpose of protecting our nation and its people.”</p><p>The governor concluded, “When you do&nbsp;engage in the battles ahead, hold the line, stand your ground, and&nbsp;don’t ever, ever back down.”</p><!—-><p><strong><a href=”https://blockads.fivefilters.org”></a></strong> <a href=”https://blockads.fivefilters.org/acceptable.html”>(Why?)</a></p> Fri, 26 Feb 2021 16:01:00 +0000 Fox News
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https://www.foxnews.com/media/cpac-ron-desantis-rush-limbaugh

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