Lurker > Humble_Novice

Did they say why?

Now to move Wookieepedia off of fandom

And CE as well ;)

Gov. Ron DeSantis has been urged by a group of Florida Republicans to end his 2024 primary campaign so he can concentrate on his role as governor.

The Florida Republican Assembly, a grassroots political organization, issued a declaration calling for DeSantis to return to the role he was reelected to in November 2022 and to "complete his four-year term" as Florida governor.

The declaration, confirmed by the group on social media, suggested that DeSantis' presidential campaign has "caused a distraction" and that the interests of Florida's residents have been "placed secondary" to his White House bid.

The group also said that DeSantis' 2024 campaign is not generating any positive poll results, nor has it gained any "significant momentum" since it officially launched in May.

For months, DeSantis was seen as the ideal replacement for former President Donald Trump to lead the Republican Party into the next election, with several people, including some within the GOP, blaming the influence of the former president on the party's poor 2022 midterm performance.

However, DeSantis continues to trail Trump by massive margins in the polls, with his floundering campaign dogged by a series of controversies, concerns about his ability to charm voters, and a lack of funds heading into the primaries.

"Gov. Ron DeSantis has been using his position as governor to campaign for the office of the president of the United States, taking him away from his official duties and responsibilities to the citizens of Florida, frequently at taxpayer expense," the declaration said.

"Gov. DeSantis' presidential campaign has been met with a lack of enthusiasm by voters nationally and has not gained any significant momentum, in fact, to the contrary, and [the] campaign has caused a distraction in the mechanism of government within Florida and the interests of Florida residents have been placed secondary to those of his presidential campaign."

The assembly added that they are calling for DeSantis to conclude his campaign and "return to Florida to continue to serve out the remainder" of his term as governor.

"Furthermore, the Florida Republican Assembly requests that Gov. DeSantis rededicate himself to the needs of Florida residents and prioritize their interests over his personal political ambitions," the group said.

The Florida governor has failed to make any dents in Trump's overwhelming poll leads, even as the former president faces 91 felony charges across four indictments.

DeSantis' team are seemingly hoping that a positive performance in the first-in-the-nation GOP primary caucus in Iowa in January will be the launchpad to give the campaign a much-needed boost.

Prior to his 2024 campaign being officially launched, political experts suggested DeSantis risks spreading himself too thin by running for the White House while still having the job as Florida governor.

This risk was highlighted in April when DeSantis was in Ohio to promote his book while Florida's Fort Lauderdale was experiencing major floodinga move which was leapt upon by Trump and others.

"Appearing to look like he is neglecting his duties running the state gives his potential primary opponents easy material with which to criticize him," David B. Cohen, a professor of political science at the University of Akron in Ohio, previously told Newsweek.

Well I know Im not doing it. I nipped that at the bud right then and there. She started talking about getting people to cover part of my shift and adjusting time on my next shift so it isnt so bad. Im just baffled she thought this wouldnt be a problem

I don't know, tankies do suck and make us all look bad and can all go to hell.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KFGO) Ray Holmberg, who was North Dakotas and one of the countrys longest-serving state senators until he resigned last spring, has been indicted on federal charges of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual activity and receipt of child pornography. He was arrested Monday morning in Grand Forks and appeared in a federal courtroom in Fargo Monday afternoon. Holmberg pleaded not guilty to the two counts against him.

The charges, filed October 26 and unsealed Monday, come two years after police and federal agents raided the 79-year-olds home in Grand Forks.

A federal grand jury charged Holmberg with two counts. The indictment against him claims Holmberg traveled to the Czech Republic for the purpose of engaging in sex with a minor, and that he knowingly received child pornography. Court records show Holmbergs offenses took place between June of 2011 and November 2016.

Holmberg, using a cane to walk, was escorted into the courtroom by U.S. Marshals just before 2:00 p.m. Monday. Magistrate Judge Alice Senechal asked Holmberg if he suffered from any physical illnesses or disabilities that would prevent him from understanding what was happening during the proceedings. Mark Friese, Holmbergs defense attorney, responded that his client suffers from some cognitive impairment, but that he would assist Holmberg if needed. Holmberg said none of his ailments would prevent him from understanding the proceedings.

Senechal said the child sex tourism charge carries with it a 30-year maximum sentence and up to $250,000 in fines plus possible restitution to victims. The receipt of child pornography charge carries with it a 5-year mandatory-minimum sentence, and a 20-year maximum, with similar fines.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota Jennifer Puhl is prosecuting the case for the Government. She is joined by Charles Schmitz, an attorney from U.S. Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C. The prosecutors agreed with the Pretrial Services recommendation that Holmberg be released to his home on supervision with electronic monitoring.

Holmberg is not allowed to possess a firearm or have contact with any victims or witnesses in the case as part of his release. He is also prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18. Holmbergs travel is restricted to Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and Fargo for medical appointments and court dates only. He was commanded to surrender his passport and can only access the internet for specific reasons as approved by Pretrial Services.

Prosecutors said Holmberg used the internet to facilitate his crimes, namely to create a fake persona and build trust with a victim in the case. The indictment lists two aliases for Holmberg as Sean Evan and Sean Evans. Prosecutors said Holmberg also used the internet to share stories about his sexual offenses in foreign countries with others.

Last spring, the Fargo Forum reported that Holmberg had been communicating by text message with a man serving time in the Grand Forks County jail for child pornography charges. That man, Nicholas Morgan Derossier, pleaded guilty to seven counts of possession and distribution of child pornography in federal court last month.

Besides the jail texts, there are a number of connections between Derosier and Holmberg. In a previous evidentiary hearing in Derosiers case it was revealed that Derosiers former landscaping business partner had been killed in a work-site accident while the two were clearing snow at Holmbergs residence. Authorities said Derosier was operating a front-end loader that ran over his business partner multiple times. Months later, the N.D. Attorney Generals Division of Consumer Protection and Antitrust issued an order of injunction to prohibit Derosiers landscaping company from doing business and Derosier was overheard by investigators on the phone with the A.G.s office trying to arrange for a meeting in Bismarck at a time when Holmberg needed to be there so that they could ride to the state capitol together.

Holmberg was one of the Legislatures most powerful lawmakers for decades, serving as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He chaired the Legislative Management committee four times. The Republican legislator was first elected to his senate seat, serving Grand Forks District 17, in 1976.

He was reimbursed roughly $126,000 for nearly 70 out-of-state trips from 2013 to mid-April 2022 to places that included four dozen U.S. cities, as well as China, Canada, Puerto Rico and several European countries, according to an Associated Press review of his travel records.

Judge Daniel Hovland has been assigned the case after Chief Judge Peter Welte recused himself. A December 5, 2023 trial date was set.

They left this part out because it would be too obvious this story didn't really happen.

Identifying as 'right wing' should be considered a mental disability.

When it comes to the CCP? Nothing. Right wing values you though? There's some decent views but I'll keep those to myself cause I already think I said too much pissing people off already.

TC you do know Democrats are a right wing party, right?

I think both political parties has some great values and morals but the dumb shit comes from extremists pushing agendas. I honestly just wish there could be common ground so the internet wouldn't look like a civil war.

I dont know who that is.

Gaaah, I thought the poll in this topic was no to that right wing minister's opinion! I didn't read the question!

What the fuck. This is why thieves should wear helmets and other safety gear.

Fuck off, I did not vote for this

never going complain about high my insurance is for a bit. Florida getting screwed hard.

the question is how do you fix this problem exactly? Florida gets hit at once a year it feels like, and they been destroying their natural barriers. The only company making money down there is construction and repairs, and thats questionable.

Florida's insurance crisis is threatening the closing of Gernelle Bokuniewiczs clients for their dream retirement home in Winter Park, Fla.

Frustration began to brew when her client received a premium quote of $17,000 a year for homeowners insurance, even though the current owner is paying just $5,000 for the same coverage. Things got worse when the insurance company retracted its quote, citing the high risk associated with the property, leaving Bokuniewiczs clients scrambling for another insurer before the deal dies.

"I've run into issues before but nothing like this where I couldn't find any insurance for home," Bokuniewicz, the founder of Lively Real Estate, told Yahoo Finance. "It's pretty scary if there is nobody to provide insurance."

Thats becoming a bigger reality and problem for Florida homebuyers who typically must obtain homeowners insurance as a condition of a mortgage. But as multiple insurers pull out of the state altogether due to rising costs, thats getting harder to do at a reasonable price and as mortgage costs in general rise.

"[Homeowners insurance] has outrageous prices and trying to get coverage is a problem," Bokuniewicz said.

Floridians already pay the highest home insurance premium in the nation at an average of $6,000 a year in 2023, a year-over-year increase of 42% and 3.5 times higher than the US average of $1,700.

"If you were to go back to 2019, our average premium in this office was about $900 for a home," David Pojero, insurance agency owner based in Debary, Fla., told Yahoo Finance. "Its $2,400 today."

"It's quite a significant change in price," Pojero added.

Florida's insurance crisis can be attributed to the increase in reinsurance and litigation fees. Companies that cannot afford the rising prices either leave the state or pass down the cost to consumers.

The state recently repealed a long-standing provision called the one-way attorney's fee that requires insurers to pay a reasonable amount of litigation fees for policyholders if they secure any amounts against the insurance company. Legislators saw this as a way to reduce insurance costs, although Floridians may face a financial burden when going after insurance companies for claims.

"This is definitely one of the harsher things that's hitting the Florida real estate market right now," Pojero said. "Insurance costs are so high so it's almost like a risk of how high your payment can go."

Reinsurance, essentially an insurance company's insurance, surged as hurricanes increased in frequency and severity in the state. Reinsurance rates escalated 45% to 100% in January 2023, and another 20% to 40% in June after Hurricane Ian caused almost $114 billion in inflation-adjusted costs.

"There is a lot of unpredictability when it comes to weird kinds of anomalies storms and fires and all kinds of stuff especially here where our biggest issues obviously are going to be hurricanes or wind storms," Pajero said. "So when there is a lot of uncertainty, a reinsurance company will plan for the worst and hope for the best and jack the pricing up."

In tandem with soaring premiums, insurance companies are cracking down on policyholders.

The house in Winter Park that Bokuniewicz represents was deemed uninsurable due to four prior insurance claims both the buyers and homeowners made.

Bill's new style is unfortunately leaning heavily into angry boomer territory. Which makes me sad, but it also makes me uninterested in this movie

is this some new yorker bullshit or something
police in tokyo were way less friendly than your average small town america cop, and why tf you gonna stare at an obvious tweaker
i make eye contact w/ ppl all day in US, ppl in japan felt less inclined to do so

Won't they just stall like Ohio did? Now Ohio made the maps even worse for 2024.

Her over-controlling people that eventually placed a conservatorship over her?

Ok, I don't care about all this and I'm pretty out of the loop, but what in the world is super terrible about him sleeping with other women weeks AFTER they broke up? I mean the abortion thing looks bad but that thing there is kind of a stretch.

No different from Republicans praising Israel but hating Jews in their own country for being too liberal. Or Victor Orban's Hungary promoting antisemitism at home while being a personal friend of Bibi.

People sure do like taking sides of mentally unwell celebs in pointless fights they know nothing about.

Swing and a miss bruh.

if you got empathy you'd be empathetic to the literally millions of more tragic and important things that are happening right now not wasting it on Britneys abortion from 20 years ago.

*does weird dance with knives and bega for attention*

Also what sane person actually cares or feels a need to side with either?

That has nothing to do with this Britney drama