Free Republic

The entire staff of the Defense Digital Service (DDS), the Pentagon’s decade-old technology development office, is leaving by the start of May, with nearly all individuals resigning, a current member of the office confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday. The mass exodus, first reported by Politico, means the service will effectively shutter in less than a month. Of the 14 members of the office, a dozen including Director Jennifer Hay have requested the Trump administration’s deferred resignation option and plan to leave by May 1. Two other staffers are also leaving in that time frame. “Although DDS was excited to...

Forget about Disney princesses. Mickey Mouse might have just proved who’s the real king of Florida. The Walt Disney Co. used a legal clause that name checks King Charles III to apparently thwart Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attempt to strip the company of its self-governance power in the state. For nearly a year, state legislators, encouraged by DeSantis, have sought to exert more control over the company’s Florida-based theme parks by passing a bill that would dissolve Disney’s special tax district. DeSantis also wanted to rename the area the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and plant a new board of...

Elon Musk admitted that the H1-B visas are “broken” and floated a potential fix as he sought to cool a raging civil war within the MAGA base over the immigration program for highly skilled foreign workers. Just a day after vowing to “go to war on this issue” and telling detractors to “F— yourself,” Musk, the world’s richest man, acknowledged some of the criticisms of the program getting abused and argued that the US should make it more costly to hire foreigners. “Easily fixed by raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H1B, making...

The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily banned drone operations over parts of New Jersey until mid-January and warned that the government may respond with “deadly force” against drones that pose a threat. Beginning on Wednesday and through Jan. 17, unmanned aircraft are barred from flying within a nautical mile of specified airspace outlined in an FAA Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM. The government may use “deadly force” against the drones if they present an “imminent security threat,” the NOTAM said.

DeSantis is on the field, avoiding being in the booth with Trump, Thune, Johnson, Vance, Musk and Hegseth. Is DeSantis upset that he isn't SecDef pick? Is he too socially awkward to be around politically powerful people? DeSantis needs to learn how to interact with powerful people, even those he doesn't like.

In recent months, mysterious drone sightings have been sparking a surge of public outrage and fear across the globe. Whether it’s a small quadcopter hovering over a suburban neighborhood or a larger, more advanced drone seen near sensitive government facilities, these incidents are causing widespread alarm. The phenomenon, dubbed Drone Derangement Syndrome (DDS), refers to the irrational and often heightened fear that drones are being used for surveillance, control, or even sinister political and military objectives. As sightings increase, so does the intensity of public paranoia—leading many to question the government’s ability or willingness to address the problem. People are...

A Riverview woman has been arrested after authorities say she made online death threats to Governor Ron DeSantis. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says the Florida Department of Law Enforcement alerted them about "threatening messages" received by the governor's office on its website. The messenger, who identified herself as 20-year-old Danyele Callaway, requested to meet with DeSantis in...

Florida's blanket restrictions on medical care for transgender children were ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge on Tuesday, striking down a key pillar of Gov. Ron DeSantis' platform. In his ruling from Tallahassee, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle invalidated a Florida health code rule and a new state law that prohibited Medicaid payments for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. He found these bans violated federal laws, including the Affordable Care Act's prohibition on sex discrimination in healthcare. "Florida has adopted a statute and rules that ban gender-affirming care for minors even when medically appropriate," Judge Hinkle wrote in his 105-page...

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Ron DeSantis - who's come out swinging against a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational marijuana - on Friday delivered a victory to potential pot competitors by vetoing a measure that would have severely restricted the sales and production of euphoria-inducing hemp-based products. Lawmakers passed the bill (SB 1698) in March, with supporters arguing it would address safety concerns as the use of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, has boomed. The bill would have banned the sale of products containing what is known as delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol and limited the amount of delta-9 THC. Delta-8 and delta-9 are cannabinoids...

Might the former President pick the wrong Florida man for his ticket? Florida’s senior Senator may not offer former President Donald Trump as big a boost as some other potential running mates might … including the current Governor of Florida. That’s the takeaway from the new Harvard-Harris Poll, which finds voters want Gov. Ron DeSantis and not Marco Rubio on the ticket. DeSantis leads a host of potential picks with 12% top-choice support among the electorate, including 23% of Republicans, 7% of no-party voters, and 4% of Democrats. Rubio has 4% support but just 3% among Republicans, 4% among no-party...

President Donald Trump thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting him during a donor event hosted by the governor, raising over $3 million to benefit Trump’s 2024 campaign, Florida’s Voice has learned. The former president called into the Fort Lauderdale event and thanked DeSantis and the couple dozen supporters for their investment into his campaign efforts. The funding is going to Right For America, a super political action committee, a source familiar with the event told Florida’s Voice. A super PAC is technically separate from the campaign, and the organization supports Trump’s bid for presidency this year. Trump emphasized during a...

Hodgetwins @hodgetwins Ron DeSantis knew about the raid on Trump and told Merrick Garland "Thanks for the heads up" (Garland to topple Trump. Cyberspace Command reportedly has text messages in which Garland writes, "We're coming," and DeSantis responds, "Thanks for the heads up," timestamped three hours before the FBI swarm illegally and unprecedentedly violated the home of a President of the United States.)

I told you all @RonDeSantis had advance Knowledge of the FBI raid on Mar a Lago! It came out today in newly unsealed court documents that the FBI authorized “deadly force” to be used against President Trump and his family during the raid on his home in August 2022! Essentially, this means @RonDeSantis had advance knowledge of a possible assassination attempt of President Trump by the Biden regime and FBI! Sick. Totally disqualifying!!!!

Both Trump and DeSantis spoke on friendly terms, according to the Post’s sources, and DeSantis agreed to help the 45th President. Trump’s team is hopeful such assistance will include the Florida governor helping raise money for the campaign, which is lagging behind Biden in fundraising. The meeting will also produce renewed speculation that Trump is looking at tapping DeSantis as his running mate. Trump previously suggested that the Florida governor was on the list of people he was considering. This seems like a long shot considering a good number of Trump’s staff still despise Ron DeSantis. After initial calm, DeSantis...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told donors and supporters at a private retreat last weekend that he plans to help raise money for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, according to three sources familiar with the matter. “He did say it in front of a group of people at the Hard Rock,” a DeSantis adviser told NBC News. A Trump campaign adviser said they were not aware that DeSantis was going to start raising money from them but added that “everyone should be working towards defeating Joe Biden and electing President Trump.”

RON DESANTIS IS BACK TO RUNNING Florida’s government. But he hasn’t really stopped running for president. Next month, DeSantis hosts a two-day presidential-donor gathering at the Hard Rock Hotel in South Florida that’s billed as—don’t call it a “fundraiser”—an “Investor Appreciation Retreat.” It’s the latest phase of an image makeover DeSantis started after he officially dropped out of the 2024 race on January 21 and endorsed Donald Trump. For the past month, DeSantis has hosted one-on-one thank-you calls with donors, small meetings with more of these “investors” in Naples and in Miami, and conference calls with former volunteers. In a...

Ron DeSantis isn’t committing to running for President again in 2028. At least not publicly. The Governor told Fox News Channel viewers that he didn’t “have any plans for the future” when asked about a future run by Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures. The comments are interesting in light of those being his first public remarks since a reported conclave with donors and supporters in South Florida,

PALM BEACH, Fla. (NewsNation) — With dueling events this weekend, some of the nation’s biggest GOP donors will have to choose between former President Donald Trump or former presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump is expected to attend a major joint fundraiser between his campaign and the RNC on Saturday. A campaign source confirmed to NewsNation that it will be hosted at a private residence in Palm Beach. Expectations are high for Trump to offset President Joe Biden’s recent $25 million fundraiser, with the Trump campaign anticipating an estimated $43 million fundraising haul Saturday. That’s an effort that could...

Today, the NAACP sent a letter to current and prospective members of the NCAA, calling for Black student athletes to reconsider their decisions to attend public colleges and universities in Florida. The letter comes following recent news that the University of Florida had dismantled its DEI department at the direction of the DeSantis administration's Stop WOKE Act. The bill, which was passed last year, prohibits the use of state funds for any diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. While the University of Florida has been the first to follow the directive, Florida is home to some of the nation's largest public...

Not so long ago, former President Donald Trump said that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was on his short list of vice presidential candidates. Looking at all the things DeSantis has been doing since “abandoning” his presidential election campaign, I think he might think he still has a chance at being on the ballot in November. But perhaps it’s that DeSantis thinks with the former president facing considerable legal jeopardy, he still has a chance. It’s all speculation for sure! But it begins to make sense when you put everything together. And when you know the way DeSantis thinks.