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DeSantis threatens to sue the CDC. Here’s why–

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Florida Gov Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has threatened to sue the federal government if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not permit cruises to resume operations by summer.

At a Friday news conference with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and leaders of Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney and Norwegian cruise lines, DeSantis made a case for lifting the cruise ban.

“They did the No-Sail Order in March of 2020,” DeSantis said. “And it’s never been really to the point where they’re making an effort to really get it back.”

The CDC has indicated that the No-Sail Order will remain in place until November 1, 2021.

It has been over a year since all cruise lines were forced to close due to the pandemic outbreak. This move has cost Florida $3.2 billion in the first six months of the pandemic, as well as 49,500 jobs and $2.3 billion in wages. In addition, Florida’s tourism industry was impacted – from airports and ground transportation to hotels, restaurants and tourist destinations.

Florida is the nation’s cruise capital and is home to three of world’s busiest ports.

At Friday’s new conference, DeSantis said the ban is affecting all Florida businesses.

“This has a kind of ripple effect throughout all businesses,” he said. “When they’re sailing, there is more economic opportunity for people across a wide range of businesses. It affects a lot of jobs. What we need is a way forward.”

“Is it OK for the government to idle an industry for a year with no end in sight?”

DeSantis and cruise industry executives argued that with widespread testing and vaccines becoming more available, the danger is now no worse than air and train travel. They added that many other major countries have begun to operate cruises safely under health guidelines.

“The federal government has provided guidance to all other passenger transportation modes and other industries; however, it has failed to issue guidance for the cruise industry to assist in its recovery,” DeSantis said in a press release.

“Let’s get people back to the work. The health situation has changed,” said Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney Cruise Line. “Cruise lines are cruising very successfully outside the United States, proving that with the right protocols cruising is a very safe and beautiful experience.”

“The Biden administration is keeping our cruise liners docked—while many other major countries begin to operate cruises safely under health guidelines. The rationale for keeping U.S. cruises shuttered through the foreseeable future is based on outdated data and guidelines put in place before we had a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “This heavy-handed federal overreach is harming our nation’s economy and is especially damaging to Florida’s economy and our vital tourism industry. That is why, we are calling on the Biden administration to lift the outdated lockdown order on Florida’s cruise industry and allow workers who rely on this important industry to get back to work.”

DeSantis also recommended that the cruise industry receive over $250 million to account for the losses accrued due to the no-sail order.

“If there is one thing we’ve learned over the past year, it’s that lockdowns don’t work, and Floridians deserve the right to earn a living,” said DeSantis.

“The cruise industry is essential to our state’s economy and keeping it shut down until November would be devastating to the men and women who rely on the cruise lines to provide for themselves and their families. I urge the CDC to immediately rescind this baseless no-sail order to allow Floridians in this industry to get back to work.”

Follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy

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Economy

House inquiry opened as to whether IRS is using artificial intelligence to invade Americans’ financial privacy

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Screen Shot 2022 09 09 at 11.23.59 AM

An inquiry has been opened by the House Judiciary Committee as to whether the IRS is using artificial intelligence to invade Americans’ financial privacy. The inquiry comes after an agency employee was captured in an undercover tape suggesting there was a widespread surveillance operation underway that might not be constitutional, reports Just the News.

The inquiry was opened by Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., who sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen demanding documents, and answers as to how the agency is currently employing artificial intelligence to comb through bank records to look for possible tax cheats.

The House Judiciary Committee has been investigating why the FBI was obtaining Americans’ bank records, including those who partook in the January 6 Capitol riots, without using search warrants or subpoenas.

Jordan’s and Hageman’s letter said lawmakers have evidence and reason to believe that the IRS and Department of Justice (DOJ) are actively monitoring millions of Americans’ private transactions, bank accounts, and related financial information—without any legal process—using the AI-powered system.

“This kind of pervasive financial surveillance, carried out in coordination with federal law enforcement, into Americans’ private financial records raises serious doubts about the IRS’s—and the federal government’s—respect for Americans’ fundamental civil liberties,” the letter said.

“So one of the things that I have learned since I’ve been in Congress is that there are quite a few people in government who do not recognize our constitutional protections,” Hageman told Just the News. “They’ve kind of forgotten or at least ignored our Bill of Rights.”

Just the News also reported that the Treasury Department has since acknowledged it has “implemented an enhanced process using AI to mitigate check fraud in near real-time by strengthening and expediting processes to recover potentially fraudulent payments from financial institutions’ since late 2022.”

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