Bob Iger Pushes Back on DeSantis’ Disney Retaliation in Florida: ‘Not Just Anti-Business But It Sounds Anti-Florida’

Disney said today that “affordable and attainable housing” around Walt Disney World, which it first announced a year ago, will be ready to open in 2026. “This type of land contribution is unique and is one of many ways we are making a lasting impact in Central Florida,” according to a post on the Disney Parks Blog. It comes two days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis included a lack affordable housing on his list of reasons to slam the House of Mouse.

bar them from participating in some school activities — or will shame students who are being raised by same-sex parents.“This policy will escalate the government censorship sweeping our state, exacerbate our educator exodus, drive hardworking families from Florida, and further stigmatize and isolate a population of young people who need our support now more than ever,” Equality Florida, the state’s top LGBTQ advocacy group, said in a statement posted to Twitter.“Shame on the DeSantis Administration for putting a target on the backs of LGBTQ Floridians.”The new rule will take effect in one month after it goes through a procedural comment period, according to The Associated Press.The law’s expansion marks the latest move by the DeSantis administration targeting the LGBTQ community as the two-term governor seeks to elevate himself as a potential presidential contender in 2024.

Governor Ron DeSantis, though his Department of Education and its chair, Manny Diaz, has officially expanded his “Don’t Say Gay” law to include all public school grades, from kindergarten through 12th. DeSantis had promoted the highly-controversial and possibly unconstitutional law originally as applying only to children through third grade.“DeSantis has not commented on the proposal.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney has escalated to a point nobody probably saw coming, with the presidential hopeful threatening to build a state prison on land adjacent to the Walt Disney World property.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis insisted again today that he and the state legislature can and will overturn any Disney development deal and retake control of the acreage that’s home to Walt Disney World and was administered by the company in what’s called the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

a new Financial Times story that quotes one key Republican donor on DeSantis, saying, “Because of his stance on abortion and book banning, myself and a bunch of friends are holding our powder dry.”“Despite not even jumping into the 2024 presidential race yet, Florida governor Ron DeSantis is already losing support from key Republican donors over his extreme positions just days after the governor signed a six-week abortion ban into law,” Brzezinski said, eventually punting to Scarborough. Her co-host then meditated on the state of the so-called “culture wars” between Republicans and Democrats, and how they’ve changed even in just the last year.

Boygenius spoke out for trans rights last night (April 15) as they made their second appearance at Coachella 2023.The trio featuring – Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker – previously teamed up with MUNA the previous day (April 14) at the festival to perform the track ‘Silk Chiffon’.Arriving onstage to Thin Lizzy‘s ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’, the band played a host of tracks from their debut album ‘The Record’ including ‘$20’, ‘Salt In The Wound’, ‘Me & My Dog’ and ‘Anti-Curse’.During the set, at one point Baker spoke up for trans rights. “I don’t know if you’ve been checking the news and seeing what’s been going on in Florida and Missouri and some of the other places, but trans lives matter, trans kids matter.

Isaac Perlmutter’s time at Disney had run its course and the former Marvel Entertainment chairman’s removal “was a necessary step in the direction of us creating a more efficient company,” CEO Bob Iger said. He said the decision was not due to Perlmutter’s support of activist investor Nelson Peltz.

an extensive and wide-ranging travel advisory for anyone considering moving or traveling to Florida.Calling it an “unprecedented step,” Equality Florida says their travel advisory “comes after passage of laws that are hostile to the LGBTQ+ community, restrict access to reproductive health care, repeal gun safety laws and allow untrained, unpermitted carry, and foment racial prejudice.”Equality Florida also warns that Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has “weaponized state agencies to impose sanctions against businesses large and small that disagree with his attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”READ MORE: ‘This Is Very Serious’: Judge Sanctions Fox News, Likely to Appoint ‘Special Master’ in Dominion $1.6 Billion LawsuitThe advisory notes that “Florida has recently adopted a slate of hateful laws, and is fast-tracking additional measures that directly target the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and basic freedoms broadly.

Jen Psaki spotlighted Sunday the changing talking points, and even hypocrisies, of several Donald Trump-supporting, MAGA Republicans when it comes to defunding the police. The five-minute “Inside With Jen Psaki” segment breaks down how, despite many elected officials rallying around “backing the blue” and heralding “law and order” in the 2020 aftershocks of George Floyd’s murder, the likes of House representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan — and even Florida Gov.

Katie Reul editor Premiering the night before Easter, the latest episode of “Saturday Night Live” opened with a serene image of the sketch show cast members sitting at a long table, perfectly costumed and positioned to parallel Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” But the tranquility was short-lived with the arrival of cast member James Austin Johnson, who took over the cold open by telling the story of Easter as a monologue delivered by Donald Trump. Last week’s episode also opened with a Trump spoof after the former president was indicted by a grand jury. On April 4, Trump pled not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. His arrest and arraignment made him the first president in U.S. history to ever be charged with a crime after leaving office. And this milestone was also addressed with this week’s cold open.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is escalating his war with The Walt Disney Co., outlining a set of moves against the company in what is amounting to a standoff between a potential 2024 presidential candidate and the entertainment giant.

no-no per U.S. campaign finance law.

Selome Hailu Judy Blume stood up for the right to read at Variety‘s Power of Women luncheon, presented by Lifetime, in New York City on Tuesday. The resident Floridian spoke passionately against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent moves to censor public education in the state. “I live in Key West — even though we like to pretend it’s not in Florida — we have the same governor,” Blume said to the crowd. “A governor who wants to control everything, starting with what kids can think, what they can know, what they can question, what they can learn, and now even what they can talk about. We have a legislator who’s trying to put through a bill preventing girls in elementary school from talking about periods… Good luck there.”

Governor Ron DeSantis, seeking to gain an upper hand in his battle with The Walt Disney Co., on Monday ordered an investigation into the company’s move to retain extensive control over its sprawling Florida theme park property.

Bob Iger is back, debonaire, relaxed, articulate and talking up Disney IP via video in front of Walt Disney Word, where the company appears to have outmaneuvered Ron DeSantis for control. He also fianlly spoke his mind on the simmering feud, telling the company’s virtual annual shareholder meeting today that the governor’s apparent “retaliation” against Disney for exercising a right to free speech “is not only anti-business, but anti-Florida,” given the jobs, taxes, resources and revenue Disney provides the state.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Returned CEO Bob Iger made a rare public comment about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ moves to “punish” Disney for its position against Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” Bill last year during the company’s annual shareholders meeting Monday, calling the decision “not just anti-business, but anti-Florida.” “It seems like he’s decided to retaliate against us,” Iger said, referring to DeSantis’ power struggle with Disney in Florida, the home of Disney World, in an attempt “to punish a company for its exercise of a constitutional right.” “That seems really wrong to me,” he added. “We’re currently planning now to invest over $17 billion Disney World over the next 10 years,” Iger said, noting that Disney estimates this will lead to 13,000 new jobs within the company and “thousands of indirect jobs” in the state, thus bringing in more taxes for Floriday.

On International Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31), hundreds of students from across Florida descended on the Capitol to protest the legislature’s fast-tracking of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ agenda of book banning and classroom censorship and assaults on academic and medical freedom.

The Saturday, April 1, episode of Saturday Night Live started like any other — until Colin Jost did not receive any laughs during his “Weekend Update” segment.

Governor Ron DeSantis promised more to come on the state’s increasingly convoluted fight with Disney to wrest back the company’s control of a swath of central Florida that is home to Walt Disney World.