In the interview, Kelly said he hopes his tenure will be judged not by what Trump did but by what Kelly prevented him from doing — not exactly a ringing endorsement of his former boss. It’s clear that by blaming others for the administration’s blunders, Kelly is trying to protect his legacy and reputation. But after serving and defending Trump, it’s probably too late for that.

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So far his appointments have favored experienced bureaucrats from a range of political ideologies — surprising critics that expected DeSantis' embrace of President Donald Trump to translate into appointments of loyal supporters with missions to destroy the agencies they lead.

For now, two Democrats — state Rep. Jared Moskowitz and longtime public official Jim Zingale — count themselves as part of DeSantis' new administration, alongside a former Trump White House communications director and many other Republican lawmakers and insiders.
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Unless a judge orders otherwise, Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley will begin to register formerly convicted non-violent felons on Jan. 8, the day the Voting Restoration Amendment goes into effect.

"It's clear" that the amendment automatically goes into effect on that day, Earley told the Tallahassee Democrat, even though that view stands in opposition to what Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis has said about waiting for the Legislature to approve enacting legislation for the amendment.

Truly transforming this country requires more than winning the White House. While Beto O’Rourke, Andrew Gillum, and Stacey Abrams would all be amazing presidential candidates—and probably excellent presidents—they are each uniquely suited to advance the larger cause of political transformation by running again for the offices they just recently sought and fell short of attaining.

https://www.thenation.com/article/beto-orourke-andrew-gillum-stacey-abrams-run-again/

A Minneapolis man has installed decorations directed at President Donald Trump — and residents apparently really like it.

Tom Hoch, a 2017 Minneapolis mayoral candidate, hung a huge holiday light display on his second-story balcony Dec. 14 that reads, “TRUMP IS A TRAITOR.” The sign is more than four feet high. Hoch’s home overlooks a lake and according to the Star Tribune, people pass by along the parkway at all times of the day and night in cars, on foot or by bike.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey will appoint GOP Rep. Martha McSally to the Senate seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Jon Kyl, Ducey announced Tuesday. Kyl was tapped earlier this year to fill the seat of the late Sen. John McCain.

McSally, who lost the race for Arizona’s other Senate seat in the 2018 midterms, will face a 2020 special election.

“With her experience and long record of service, Martha is uniquely qualified to step up and fight for Arizona’s interests in the U.S. Senate,” Ducey said in a statement.

With a chance to create a solid conservative majority on the Florida Supreme Court, Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis on Tuesday received a list of 11 nominees to fill three upcoming vacancies on the state’s highest court.

The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission, which met in a closed-door session in Orlando, advanced a list that includes seven appellate court judges, two trial court judges and two other lawyers.


DeSantis will pick from the list to replace justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince, who are leaving the court in January because they have reached a mandatory retirement age. Their terms end on Jan. 8, the day DeSantis takes office.

On a November ballot stuffed with over a dozen amendments for Floridians to vote on, Amendment 4 was hailed as one of the major wins for progressives and voting rights activists in the Sunshine State and across the nation. With the backing of 65 percent of voters, Amendment 4 passed, granting felons that have served their sentences—about 1.4 million folks in Florida—the right to vote. The amendment’s supporters say it should immediately go into effect on Jan. 8. Shockingly, the incoming Republican governor does not share this view.

Florida Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis said in an interview with the Palm Beach Post published last week that he doesn’t believe the amendment should immediately take effect. Instead, DeSantis wants the measure to be taken up by the state legislature when it convenes its first 2019 session on March 5.