>>> I THINK DISNEY HAS GOTTEN
OVER ITS SKIS ON THIS.
LOOK, THERE'S POLICY DISPUTES
AND THAT'S FINE, BUT WHEN YOU
ARE TRYING TO IMPOSE A WOKE
IDEOLOGY ON OUR STATE, YOU KNOW,
WE VIEW THAT AS A SIGNIFICANT
THREAT.
THIS WOKENESS WILL DESTROY THIS
COUNTRY IF WE LET IT RUN
UNABATED.
>> MY GOD.
>> YEAH, IT WILL DESTROY, YOU
KNOW, BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT 0.003% OF THE POPULATION.
THIS WILL DESTROY OUR COUNTRY.
LOOK AT PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES.
SERIOUSLY?
JUST BOTH SIDES, NONSTOP TALK,
NONSTOP TALK ABOUT 0.003% OF
AMERICA'S POPULATION.
>> AND THIS IS HOW DEMOCRATS
WILL LOSE.
>> SERIOUSLY, THIS WILL DESTROY
OUR COUNTRY.
WE ARE HEARING IT ON BOTH.
YES, IT IS WHAT-ABOUTISM,
BECAUSE THE INCREDIBLE FOCUS ON
THESE ISSUES IS FODDER FOR
PEOPLE LIKE.
>> TENSION BETWEEN DISNEY AND
FLORIDA GOVERNOR ARE RISING
AFTER THEY CRITICIZED THE NEW
FLORIDA LAW WHICH PREVENTS
TEACHERS FROM DISCUSSIONING
SEXUAL ORIENTATION WITH CHILDREN
IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD
GRADE.
>> THEY WERE TALKING TO THEM
ABOUT TRANSITIONING, RIGHT?
OH, WAIT, NO, NO, THEY DON'T DO
THAT.
BUT IN THIRD GRADE THEY DID,
RIGHT?
>> NO.
>> I HAVE LIKE 87 KIDS LAST
COUNT, NEVER HAPPENED.
WILLIE, NISANY OF YOUR KIDS FROM
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD
GREAT.
>> THAT STARTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION.
>> HONESTLY, THERE ARE A LOT OF
VERY UPSET PEOPLE ABOUT THIS.
>> IT IS A PHONY SET-UP.
>> YOU ARE BEING SET UP.
>> IN RESPONSE DeSANTIS WANTS TO
REVOKE DISNEY'S SPECIAL
PRIVILEGES.
SINCE 1967, 54 YEARS, DISNEY
WORLD HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO ACT
ESSENTIALLY AS ITS OWN
GOVERNMENT UNDER THE READY CREEK
IMPROVEMENT ACT.
>> I NEVER HEARD THAT.
>> IT REGULATES ITS OWN
BUILDINGS, ROADS AND ESSENTIALLY
PROVIDES SERVICES A COUNTY
GOVERNMENT TYPICALLY WOULD.
IF DeSANTIS SUCCESSFULLY REVOKES
THIS STATUTE, DISNEY WORLD WOULD
COME UNDER REGULATION OF TWO
FLORIDA COUNTIES.
>> SO THEIR COTTON CANDY
WATERFALLS WOULD COME UNDER
FLORIDA ENVIRONMENTAL
REGULATION.
>> JOINING US NOW --
>> I WAS ASKING WILLIE A
QUESTION.
>> I WAS STARTING TO SAY
GOVERNOR DeSANTIS IS WILLING TO
USE THE MOMENT TO SIGNAL --
>> EVERYBODY IS VIRTUE
SIGNALING.
>> BUT ATTACK AN INSTITUTION
THAT EMPLOYS 82,000 PEOPLE IN
HIS STATE.
HE IS GOING AFTER THEM TO MAKE A
POINT.
>> LET'S BRING IN NATIONAL
REPORTER OF NBC NEWS MARK CAPUTO
WHO KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
ALL ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR DADE
COUNTY.
DIDN'T HIS STAFF HELP WRITE
THIS?
>> HIS STAFF DID WRITE AN
EXEMPTION IN HIS ANTI-SOCIAL
MEDIA LAW FOR DISNEY.
SO TAKE WAS A MAJOR CARVE-OUT
FOR THE MOUSE.
NOW THE GOVERNOR IS SAYING, OH,
WE CAN'T HAVE SPECIAL CARVE OUTS
FOR THE MOUSE.
YOU KNOW, DeSANTIS IS TROLLING
THE 2021 VERSION OF HIMSELF
BECAUSE THIS JUST HAPPENED LAST
YEAR.
YOU KNOW, THIS SPECIAL
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT HAS BEEN
AROUND SINCE 1967, AS YOU SAY,
AND IT HAS NEVER BEEN A REAL
ISSUE FOR FLORIDA LEADERS UNTIL
AFTER DISNEY STARTED COMPLAINING
ABOUT THE DON'T SAY GAY BILL AND
ANNOUNCED IT WAS IMPOSING
MORATORIUM ON CAMPAIGN
DONATIONS.
SO THE TIMING IS A BIT SUSPECT.
>> SO, MARK, YOU GOVERNOR
FLORIDA SO CLOSELY.
YOU UNDERSTAND THE POLITICS OF
THE STATE SO WELL.
FOR OUR NATIONAL AUDIENCE, WHAT
IS GOING ON HERE?
WHAT IS GOVERNOR DeSANTIS DOING?
>> WHAT DeSANTIS IS DOING, WHAT
YOU ARE SORT OF SEEING
NATIONALLY WITH A LOT OF
CONSERVATIVE FIGURES SUCH AS
HIM, HE'S WILLING TO GIVE
SPECIAL INTERESTS AND
BUSINESSES, SPECIAL INTEREST AND
BUSINESS CARVE-OUTS.
HE IS WILLING TO HAVE THE
BUSINESS OF THE LEGISLATURE BE
THE BUSINESS OF PRIVATE
BUSINESS, BUT HE WANTS THEM TO
STAY OUT OF THE CULTURE WAR.
IF IT IS BETWEEN -- IF IT IS A
CHOICE BETWEEN THE TWO, WHICH IS
THE SORT OF LIBERTARIAN,
REPUBLICAN HANDS-OFF GOVERNMENT,
LET BUSINESS BE BUSINESS, OR
ENGAGING IN THE CULTURE WAR AND
THERE HAS TO BE A CHOICE, HE'S
GOING WITH CULTURE.
SO DISNEY SAND IN THE EYES OF
DeSANTIS HERE WAS STEPPING OUT
AND PUTTING ITS HEAD UP AND
CRITICIZING ITS BILL.
I UNDERSTAND FOR DeSANTIS, THIS
IS SORT OF THE FIGHT HE WANTS TO
HAVE.
THIS GIVES HIM AN OPPORTUNITY TO
HAVE A FOIL, A BIG CONTRIBUTOR
HE GETS TO NOW SAY, OH, WE'RE
NOT GOING TO BE DOING THE
BUILDING OF SPECIAL INTERESTS
AND, YEAH, SURE, I TOOK THEIR
MONEY, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO DO
EVERYTHING THEY SAID.
I'M NOT GOING TO JUMP WHEN THEY
SAID JUMP AND I'M NOT GOING TO
ASK HOW HIGH.
>> HEY, MARC, JONATHAN LEMIRE.
>> HEY, JONATHAN.
>> IF IT IS DeSANTIS VERSUS
DISNEY, DON'T WE LIKE DISNEY'S
CHANCES?
THEY'RE A HUGE EMPLOYER IN THE
STATE WITH ALL OF THE MONEY, A
HUGE INFLUENCE, WHAT RECOURSE
COULD THEY HAVE?
>> THEY COULD UNDERWRITE THE
LAWSUIT TO DEFEET THEAT THE
LEGISLATION WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT, BUT IT IS BEING RELATED
PRO BONO BY A NUMBER OF LGBTQ
GROUPS.
BUT THEY COULD WITHHOLD WHAT
THEY DID, WITHHOLD THEIR
CONTRIBUTIONS.
I HAVE A SUSPICION THEY WILL BE
BACK BECAUSE DISNEY, AS DAVE
KNOWS, IS A BIG POWER PLAYER.
ONE OF THE REASONS IT GOT A BIG
CARVE- OUT IN DeSANTIS'S TECH
BILL WAS AT THE LAST MINUTE IN
2021 THEY SAID, HEY, WE THINK
THE BIG TECH CRACKDOWN BILL
MIGHT APPLY TO US, DO SOMETHING.
BEHIND THE SCENES EVERYONE
JUMPED TO MAKE DISNEY HAPPY.
THAT USED TO BE THE NORMAL
COURSE OF BUSINESS IN THE
FLORIDA LEGISLATURE.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE MOST
RECENT LEGISLATION WAS DIFFERENT
IN THAT THE COMPANY, THE NEW CEO
AFTER INITIALLY SAYING, HEY, WE
WILL STAY OUT OF THIS FIGHT
SUDDENLY DECIDED TO GET INVOLVED
IN THE FIGHT AND THEY SUDDENLY
LOST AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE
CONSERVATIVES OF THE STATE AND
PERHAPS IN THE NATION BEGAN
TURNING ON DISNEY.
YOU ARE SEEING SOME OF THE
FALL-OUT OF THAT SUBSEQUENTLY.
I DON'T SEE DISNEY RUNNING A
CANDIDATE AGAINST RON DeSANTIS,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DON'T SEE
THEM CONTRIBUTING MUCH MORE
MONEY TO HIM EITHER.
>> SO, DAVE, THIS IS SUCH A
PHONY ISSUE.
I HAVE LIVED IN FLORIDA FOR A
VERY LONG TIME AS YOU KNOW.
I HAVE HAD KIDS GOING TO SCHOOL
IN FLORIDA.
I HAVE HAD FOUR KIDS IN FLORIDA,
AND I CAN SAY WITH QUITE -- WITH
CONFIDENCE NOBODY, NONE OF MY
KINDERGARTNERS, FIRST GRADERS,
SECOND OR THIRD GRADERS WERE
EVER TAUGHT ABOUT TRANS ISSUES,
WERE EVER TAUGHT ABOUT THEIR
SEXUALITY, ABOUT FLUIDITY, ABOUT
WHATEVER THIS BILL IS SUPPOSED
TO STOP.
WAS THERE REALLY A PUBLIC
OUTCRY, PARENTS DEMANDING THAT
KINDERGARTNERS NOT BE TAUGHT
ABOUT THESE ISSUES?
BECAUSE, AGAIN, THEY NEVER WERE
BEFORE, FROM MY CHILDREN OR
ANYBODY THAT I KNEW.
>> YEAH, JOE, THIS BILL IS ONLY
ABOUT FIRING UP THE GOP BASE.
THIS IS POLITICS ABOVE PUBLIC
POLICY.
IT IS A SOLUTION IN SEARCH OF A
PROBLEM BECAUSE SEX EDUCATION IS
ALREADY BANNED IN FLORIDA UP TO
THE FIFTH GRADE, JUST LIKE IT IS
IN MOST OTHER STATES.
BUT THERE ARE SOME REPERCUSSIONS
FROM THIS BILL.
THERE ARE SOME REPORTS OUT THERE
THAT SOME CASH-STRAPPED SCHOOLS
ARE ALREADY DITCHING SOME OF
THEIR LGBTQ BOOKS IN THEIR
LIBRARIES AND REPORTEDLY SOME
PLACES ARE PEELING OFF THEIR
RAINBOW SAFE SPACE STICKERS FROM
WINDOW.
THAT'S A CONCERN.
BECAUSE THE BILL, THOUGH THE
PEOPLE FOCUS ON ITS APPLICATION
OF K THROUGH THREE, THERE'S
ANOTHER PART OF THE BILL THAT
SAYS ANY PARENT CAN SEE A SCHOOL
DISTRICT IF THEY BELIEVE THAT
THE INSTRUCTION, THE DISCUSSION
IS NOT AGE APPROPRIATE OR
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE FOR
STUDENTS.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
IT IS VERY VAGUE AND IT OPENS
SCHOOLS UP TO SO MANY LAWSUITS
THAT THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
IT CHILLS SPEECH AND IT COULD
HAVE LASTING REPERCUSSIONS, AND
THEN THE BENEFIT, OF COURSE, IS
FOR DeSANTIS SO HE CAN RUN FOR
PRESIDENT IN 2024.
HE IS IN THIS MAGA ARMS RACE
AGAINST GREG ABBOTT.
HE IS CLEARLY LOOKING BEYOND HIS
REELECTION THIS YEAR TO A
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND HE
DOESN'T CARE WHO GETS IN HIS
WAY, EVEN HIS FORMER MENTOR
DONALD TRUMP.
>> ALL RIGHT.