DeSantis Is In

Happy Thursday! The days of free riding off a friend or relative’s Netflix account are coming to an end, as the company finally begins to crack down on password sharing.

If you’re caught breaking the rules, the streamer might have to sic its new Chief Action Officer on you.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

  • U.S. intelligence officials reportedly now believe the Ukrainian military may have executed a drone attack on the Kremlin earlier this month. The intelligence assessment is purportedly based partly on intercepted Russian and Ukrainian communications—American officials say their confidence that the Ukrainian government has a direct role is “low” as they cannot identify the specific Ukrainian units or leaders responsible. President Volodymyr Zelensky previously denied Ukrainian involvement in the attack, and some U.S. officials reportedly believe he was unaware of it.
  • State Department official Rick Waters—head of the department’s internal China policy shop—announced Wednesday he will step down by the end of next month. Waters is the third top U.S. official focused on China to announce an exit in recent months: Laura Rosenberger, the National Security Council’s senior director for China and Taiwan, left her position in March, and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, a point person on China policy, announced her retirement earlier this month.
  • Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said in a speech Tuesday that he plans to address ethics concerns surrounding the court, though he didn’t specify how. “I am committed to making certain that we as a court adhere to the highest standards of conduct,” Roberts said at the American Law Institute’s annual dinner. “We are continuing to look at things we can do to give practical effect to that commitment, and I am confident there are ways to do that that are consistent with our status as an independent branch of government under the Constitution’s separation of powers.” Roberts declined to testify at a Senate Judiciary hearing last month on the court’s ethics rules, citing the precedent of judicial independence.
  • The House voted 218-203 Wednesday to pass a resolution which would overturn the Biden administration’s student debt relief program and remove the pause on federal student loan payments. President Joe Biden has pledged to veto the measure, but the forgiveness plan is already on hold as the Supreme Court weighs its constitutionality. Loan payments are set to resume 60 days after the court’s ruling.
  • Mayor Trent Staggs of Riverton, Utah, announced Tuesday he will challenge Sen. Mitt Romney for the state’s GOP Senate nomination in 2024. Romney, 76, has not confirmed whether he plans to run for reelection.
  • Rock-and-roll superstar Tina Turner died yesterday at age 83 after what her spokesperson said was a long illness. Born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939, Turner began her singing career alongside her husband Ike Turner in the 1960s and ‘70s. She divorced him after suffering physical abuse and began a meteoric solo career with her 1984 album “Private Dancer,” which won four Grammys.

DeSantis’ Twitter Debut

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks with attendees of an Iowa GOP reception. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks with attendees of an Iowa GOP reception. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Coming on the heels of one of the “most productive” legislative sessions in Florida history, the statement “I will get the job done,” from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday night to several hundred thousand circular profile pictures might sound believable. But DeSantis’ pitch to GOP primary voters–“Trump, but competent”—was immediately put to the test yesterday with his campaign launch. 

After months of build-up and “will he, won’t he” speculation that always circled back around to “he will,” DeSantis tried to announce his 2024 presidential bid last night in an audio-only Twitter Spaces chat with the platform’s owner, Elon Musk. Initially hoping to be a part of a “groundbreaking” new frontier in free speech and presidential campaigning, the governor probably wishes he’d been a little less avant-garde in his approach. 

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