up next disney versus desantis the disney giant sues florida over government retaliation. jim stewart who wrote the book on disney joins us next. the dow is down 211 points, you're watching "closing bell" you're watching "closing bell" on cnbc. good luck. td ameritrade, this is anna. hi anna, this position is all over the place, help! hey professor, subscriptions are down but that's only an estimated 15% of their valuation. do you think the market is overreacting? how'd you know that? the company profile tool, in thinkorswim®. yes, i love you!! please ignore that. td ameritrade. award-winning customer service that has your back. (music) up top by the hogan td ameritrade. ♪♪ woah (sfx) car racing -final boarding flight to wait... is that a phone? look at the performance! the graphics. that thing's a gaming machine. a new challenger! faker! that man's a gaming legend. everyone fasten your seatbelts. and here we goooo! ♪♪ your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers qua

we can think about disney itself.t's everything around disney. >> yeah. >> -- you have got the airport. that's all set up for you to come and have a good time at disney. the entire platform is. and it's one of the fastest-growing places in the state of florida. so, what would you do if that all of a sudden is -- >> that's why, kara, it confuses me. -- >> i have never been to disney. don't tell anyone. but i don't think -- also, he's talking about potting putting possibly a prison next door. so, it really seems to just want to drop some controversy here too. >> yeah. >> that's part of his play, that he now feels like he has some sort of power over disney. he wants to put a prison in. he wants to raise taxes on things that disney, essentially, pays for to support the entire infrastructure. he is getting a little bit of power as he has moved to changeover this board to basically install people that he knows very well better lawyers. but this fight from disney, they have so much firepower, so much financial power behind t

and the land surrounding the disney world in florida. so there's a wide variety of bills they're looking at at the state level. but there's some real question marks exactly how much further this battle is going to go, as disney's lobbyists are stepping up their game. >> according to people you're talking to, what are the odds that disney loses that special status in that district that surrounding disney world i mean, i would think that desantis and the state of florida have a lot to lose if disney, you know, says, you know what we're going to move, we're out of here, and other businesses might follow suit. >> i don't think there's any sense that disney has any plans to move out of florida when you look at their special status, there is some debate as to whether, where that exactly is going for disney. you know, there's that new board that desantis is trying to push out, have more authority over disney right now in the state of florida. and it would get that new board really all desantis-appointees, allies who are on that board looking at

disney. >> let me jump in here disney is not completely innocent if desantis was totally off base, we wouldn't be this far into the fight a lot of people perceive the company as being a little arrogant and trying to kind of be its own entity in florida without a lot of respect for the broader fallout or the climate around it. and is this is a big interestin part of what bob iger's return is about when he left the company after largely setting it on this course, things went further downhill and employees were very dissatisfied he's come back and people internally are thrilled about that, they have really tried to stand up here and end this standoff with the governor, but they are not really signaling that -- they are kind of hardening their position and digging in their heels as well both parties just seem to be unwilling to come to a compromise >> and i think that you are overlooking the fact that this is a tax district. disney not only pays over $1.1 billion in state and local taxes, and that was the amount it paid last year, but this particular thing we're talking about is a tax dis

bob iger and disney weighing into a political furor, you know why disney does it. for its own key network of people and therefore a key talking point for them is they feel their rights are not being heard at the moment by the new ways in which ron desantis is looking at parental rights in education, the fact you cannot instruct on sexual orientation or gender identity in schools. they are trying to answer to people that they feel responsible for. jon: you talk about the employee base that disney has in florida, you've also been covering on bloomberg technology the reality that disney is navigating through a challenging time with their own workforce and the cost cuts they been committed to. caroline: this is a time of company row -- company morale. the theme parks have been outperforming, the key area of concern is the amount they have to invest in the overall disney plus offering, the fact that you and i consume, in a different way. that has been a key focus. we are going to hear from meta after the bell, they too have been shedding key percentage of their own empl

let's look at what disney has done for the brand. disney is mickey mouse.hey have been using the florida tourism board -- they the florida tourism board is been using mickey mouse for the past 60 years. this is all regrettable but what we really need -- we have public schools but they have to work at restaurants, hotels, walmart the publix and disney. host: that is shelby from tallahassee, florida. the news out of tampa bay took a look at this idea special districts and how many they are and what they do. that wrap-up is from abc action news out of tampa, florida. we are discussing this topic and this is gerald in winter haven, florida, good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to say that it's about time that disney has had to come in line with everybody else. the way those people have been running that outfit, it's just about time for the whole thing to have to come in line with everybody else here in florida and these people that are calling in from all over the country voicing their opinion, they don't have a pig in the fight here so it's about t

he began the fight with disney last year when then ceo of disney spoke out about the governor's controversiall that would restrict instruction in the classroom on sexuality and gender identity issues. desantis moved to take power away from disney by nixing their special taxing district. disney is now fighting back arguing that ron desantis is weaponizing the state government to hurt its business calling the desantis moves "a targeted campaign of government retaliation orchestrated at every step by governor desantis as punishment for disney's protected speech. now threatens disney's business operations and jeopardizes their economic future in the region and violates their constitutional rights." having exhausted all other options, disney is now ask -- is bringing this complaint. a spokes fern for desantis said said that we're unaware of any legal right that a government can maintain special privileges not held by other businesses the state. the lawsuit is an unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law. ron desantis sug

so disney -- keep up with the group. yo, disney how about instead of hollering about don't say gay you don't say anything. because it may be a small world after all but it's a huge double standard if your case girlfriend. and i know desantis' republican rivals are criticizing him for taking away disney's special tax privileges and joking about building a prison next to the park. the exploitation of gender identity it now includes grades 4-12 unless it is taught in a pre productive health lessen. we can argue whether desantis is taking this too far but let's not forget where it started. a governor stood up to the outrage mob and the biggest cooperation in the state saying he wouldn't let anyone sexual eyes kindergarten kids. they tried spinning that into some sort of homophobia even a bit of transphobia with zero supporting evidence. you know the old saying when you have the facts you pound the facts but when you have nothing you pound the table. woke corporations like disney have been pounding the table but the joke is n

what did disney do. tried to read this legalese, but basically he tried to put a new board after the disney rulings on and they pulled a fast one. >> it is apprehensible, it goes back to king charles, it is ver confusing and i would recommend but also this, basic politics, disney is it doing ron de santis long favor here. disney to browbeat almost sexualizing children and keep teaching this creepy stuff to young children. it's very popular among republicans. and also among independents. whatever disney is up to, they are helping. >> they are keeping the fight alive. the man delorean kinda stinks down pretty. >> i have several of them watching, i have two issues whe it comes to this whole disney, and it has the largest corporation with coming out and taking these political stances as if everybody works there agrees with what they're saying great and as though anyone's wh wants to go busy visit disney feels the same way. their concern is to work at disney they felt bullied, discriminated and they have to w

i think disney will lose in the end. >> reporter: in the lawsuit disney wants the court to grant an injunctionhe state from taking over that special tax district, david. basically every legal analyst we have spoken to say it will be fascinated in court. david: it already has been fascinated. it will be interesting in court. thanks, ash. >> reporter: yes. david: our next guest says desantis is close to making a fool of himself with his obsession with disney. joining me now is "kudlow" host, larry kudlow. larry, i couldn't believe, you're the kindest man i know on the planet, you really are. you hesitate to point fingers and make on comments like that but you said that my own feeling is that desantis is a guy who is from a military background. god bless him. i love the military. my son is in the military but in the military you order something to be done and it gets done. a private sector guy like trump, for example, you make a deal, you negotiate. there is not much negotiation. what do you think of my theory? >> look, that is basically what i'm thinking about. look, you got to look at this poli

disney, who doesn't like disney? people have positive feelings about disney.servatives are disney as well, has woke propaganda. than our folks are like i don't like disney but this is a governor pretty especially saying we are going after you. this is targeting -- punishing a company for first amendment rights. than the question of a special deal disney got when they established disney world in florida. if you are free marketeer, wait a second, don't know if i like the idea of a company getting a special deal. the fifth layers may be desantis is doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. >> disney chief bob iger, the company has a right to freedom of speech like individuals do. the heart of this is this florida law supported by desantis against teaching sexual orientation or gender identity, used to be third-grade, now is k-12. >> i hear the 5 layer cake but to me this seems like a strawberry shortcake and here's how this plays out in where i think the governor finds himself in hot water. disney is one of the number one employers in the state of florida. bri

sÓlo es anti y negocios sino anti florida, pues disney es el primer empleador del estado.tenemos que comentar que la ex estrella de miami heat dwayne wade, dijo que ya no viven a florida con su familia debido a lo que considera polÍticas restrictivas de ron desantis ya que su hija es gay, y que no se sentirÍa bien en un estado que no abraza a su hija transgÉnero. carolina: estamos hablando de ron desantis que posiblemente se convierta en candidato a la presidencia de estados unidos, contrincante de donald trump. tambiÉn asusta bajar de peso y posiblemente la meta de muchas personas en "ediciÓn digital" estamos hablando de medicamento contra la diabetes que segÚn expertos serÍa una revoluciÓn para bajar de peso. borja: este medicamento es nuevo. y quÉ tiene que ver los ronquidos con los divorcios? muchas cosas. vamos a ver quÉ hace la gente cuando su pareja hace ronquidos demÁs. ♪ [mÚsi de "ediciÓn digital" hacemos un inter en la es con el abogado. —— instagram en live carolina: esta ahora son millones de personas que sufren los estragos del mal tiempo en el sur, en texas y

everybody likes disney. >> who doesn't go to disney? >> or they wear mandalorian outfits. this is not hard everybody in florida loves disney except ron desantis >> your credentials as a florida man on full display here, joe. thank you for that >> yes, you are a florida man. >> this is an unpopular battle, start to finish. i mean, outside of the sliver of perhaps desantis' most devoted fans who are just to -- anything he declares woke, that i going to fight this is an economic engine in florida. i know we're going to get to a little later how some of desantis' potential political opponents are capitalizing on this, saying, hey, you don't want disney in florida, we'll take it in our state getting shots at desantis while doing so donald trump, nikki haley now, among those doing that this is something where she just looks small. to your point about bob iger, this is the big leagues, also a beloved american institution and economic driver for the state of florida. it's happening, this fight desantis won't let go, and we're seeing it and other things take a toll on poll numbers,

so the hard thing for disney to prove his will in florida took that special privilege away and made disney like everybody else who has a company in florida where they really punishing disney for its point of view on the don't say gay bill or dosage of spring to attention something they have paid a lot of focus on what a sweetheart deal disney got. it will be hard for disney to fight that incorporate >> and the desantis office says the following in their response, the lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their help to undermine the will of the florida voters operate outside the bounds of the law and as you were saying disney did for a long time. outside the law. >> disney is not having any property taken away from it or any theme parks interfered with and all they want to do a say in the future disney doesn't just get to have its own rules and run its own government. you have to go to a county government or a florida government to get the same business every other government gets. and if sweetheart had some sweetheart deal saying they will have to pay taxes ever forever and ever. o

does disney have a strong case? >> i think disney does have a strong case.hat it comes in this political season. what's particularly interesting about it is governor desantis is taking a position that is the opposite of small government free market capitalism that has always undergird republican and conservative thought. and, so, in a sense, this is a bridge too far in punishing with this legislation, a company that disagrees with him is a fundamental violation of first amendment principles, disney i think was smart to include contracts clause and takings clause charges, the equal protection and due process means they didn't really have a right to present their case. and it seems at this stage like a real overreach. while it is fighting the woke company, that is different from this kind of government intrusion and government punishment of one company that disagrees with the government power. >> you mentioned desantis and the woke company. that's his word. that's what he does and he think it's works for him. every time he mentions disney, he talks about it as

but disney disagrees.y claiming it was all aboveboard saying in a statement, quote, all agreements signed between disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with florida's government in the sunshine law. governor desantis, says, disney did break the law. ordered an inspector general to investigate and state legislature is also considering an amendment that would take back droll of disney. where will it end up here? the legal experts say it could end up in court with both sides claiming they have the law on their side. it is ugly and getting uglier still. back to you, neil. neil: doesn't change. thank you for that, ashley webster following that little drama. meantime political action committees are pushing their respective candidates. you've seen a lot of nasty ads on both the part of donald trump and of course the, as yet unannounced candidate ron desantis but this particular ad for ron desantis is an interesting one to watch partic

disney, the parent company of "abc news," is one of the state's largest taxpayers in disney world is largest single site employer in the country. disney, filing its suit just minutes after new board of desantis appointees overseeing the district voted to invalidate a set of development agreements made earlier this year. something desantis had promised to do. >> we just wanted them to live under the same rules, pay the debt, pay the taxes. >> reporter: disney alleging a targeted campaign of government retaliation is threatening its business operations and jeopardizing its economic future in florida. during a recent shareholder call, disney ceo bob iger saying desantis' action seek to punish a company for its exercise of a constitutional right. and that just seems really wrong to me." tonight presidential candidate nikki haley, who could face up against desantis for the republican nomination saying she would welcome disney in her state. >> if disney would like to move their hundreds of thousands of jobs to south carolina and bring their billions of dollars with them, i'll let them know

clear violation of disney's federal constitutional rights to retaliate against disney for expressingition to florida's bill which banned conversation about sexual orientation in schools now in its suit, disney writing that it has exhausted efforts to seek a resolution and is, quote, left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponize government power against disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain state officials desantis' communications director responding saying, quote, we are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state. going on to say this lawsuit is another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law. now, it looks like neither side is willing to back down. disney shares not really moved by this, down fractionally >> at its core, julia, it seems as though we kn

they say it's about disney being punished. the state government was weaponized against them because they expressed a view that was unpopular with state officials. so they're coming at this with a number of counts but expect the governor's legal teams to meet this in federal court and say it doesn't pass the first blush. don't put it to a trial. >> sandra: very interesting. i had a chance to ask nikki haley about this as it was breaking earlier today on america reports. this was an exclusive interview. here's her reaction. >> this is obviously dramatically escalating the feud between disney and ron desantis. they are alleging that the republican governor has wage add relentless campaign to weaponize government power over the company. what is your reaction to that as we still have yet to see him jump officially in to the race? >> you know, as governor, i took a double digit unemployment state and turned it into a economic power house. businesses were many i partners. if you take care of your businesses, you take care of your eco

they could say, look, we don't want to be the next disney. we've got to stay out of this stuff, and we've got to focus on the task at hand. a corporation should not be taking positions on this stuff or be felt like they have to take positions. earlier this year, florida's legislature decided not to end the special tastic tax designation for disney because of concern that local residents would then have to pay for fire and police services. tucker carlson is speaking out for the first time since leaving fox news. he tweeted that monologue last night, making no mention of his dismissal from box. instead he vented about the current political debate in the media. when honest people say what's true calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful. at the same time, the liars who've been trying to silence them shrink and they become weake that'sniverse. trus prevail. see you soon. meanwhile the new york times reports fox executives found private messages from carlson containing highly offensive remarks just before they settled the lawsuit with

in a story with more twists and turns than any disney movie, the former disney controlled really quickmprovement district board pulled a fast one just before governor ron desantis and his hand picked board took over this development agreement essentially strips the government of the government powers and give those powers to disney. the board quietly approved the agreement on february 8th as florida lawmakers met in a special session to give dissenters control of the district. i cannot imagine orange county also l, a county, the city of orlando or any other central government, central florida government allowing or agreeing to allow any private developer or property owner to have this order control over a government and in the officials that run in the agreement was signed before desantis had a chance to pick his board members. this development agreement. which in my opinion is void as illegal, naledi. was passed the same day the florida house passed the bill creating this board. and it was done. to prevent us from doing our job. under the new deal, disney would maintain control over m

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what did disney do? i tried to rea?d this whatdo legalese, alese, but basically he tried to put a new board over the disney ruling zone down there and they pulled a fast one . >> yeah, no, i mean, if yout ise get into the weeds, it's incomprehensible. and it all goes back to charles king charles . yeah, it's very confusing. and i wouldn't recommend butalsi i will say this like basic politics, disney is doing ron desantis a huge favor hereor by keepingon the story alive. as long as ron desantis has disney to to browbeat over sexualizing childrenteachi and teaching, you know, thisg cr creepy stuff to young children. ron desantis has something to talk about and it's very popular. it's very popular among republicans, but it's also very popular among independentsan and i think evend also among some democrats. so ind whatever disney is up to, they're actually helping ron desantis. yes, they're keepinghelpin the t alive. >> dr. saphire. plus the mandalorian kind of stinks now, doesn't i ? them you know, i have three sons and s

it's no the just about disney. it's about all the other business that disney drives.so, you're picking this fight with this company but it's also affecting communities, real people on the ground in florida. so, i think this might backfire. i think nikki haley's little dig there was a shoutout to trump to say this -- the way that trump is branding ron desantis, i think it is sticking. this disney case proves a point. >> let me pick up one point. this action is so anti-conservative. >> you call it conservative for so long. what do you make of this? this is the least conservative thing you can imagine. state government punishing a private corporation for expressing an opinion. one of the state's largest employers in a tourism huff backed -- tourism-backed economy. >> go ahead. >> it shifted. it used to be so pro h-business and corporate america. now it is family values, anti-wokism. the republican party he is trying to cater to is not thinking about the fact they're going after corporations. their thinking about the fact that they're protecting familiar values. >> we'll

should be taking on disney.es marco rubio stand? >> i don't have a problem, if disney had an arrangement giving them governmental power, it is legitimate thing. when you start creating the idea and not saying we're there yet, the idea if you run crossways with us politically, you may wind up in the cross hairs of the legislature for political purposes. i don't think disney is going anywhere, they invested money and time. i do worry if this happens too many times, businesses thinking of coming to florida will not want to go there. they may come after our business. again, hypothetical ub issue. i don't know why disney should have government powers, that was given to them a long time ago. >> brian: i would love for corporations to stay out of this, they have no business weighing in on any type of bill. >> ask budweiser. >> brian: today is draft day. it is getting bigger every year, so many good quarterbacks in this draft, including anthony richardson of the florida gators, tell me about this guy. >> the guy is know

hoy la guerra entre disney y el gobernador de florida ron desantis subiÓ de tono la compaÑÍa demandaesto amenaza sus operaciones comerciales su futuroro econÓmico en la regiÓn viola sus derechos constitucionales >>> disney pide una orden de declaraciÓn diciendo que acciones tomadas por el gobierno en contra de disney se permiten >>> la demanda se presenta luego de ver disney votara para invalidar acuerdos de desarrollo favorecido entre desde disney y la junta anterior >>> los acuerdos tienen limitar el poder de la nueva junta el conflicto fue cuando disney hablÓ de no digas gay tras hacerse pÚblicos los acuerdos el gobernador dijo que serÍan invalidados. (hablan en inglÉs) >>> >>> la secretaria de la prensa del gobernador dijo que es una compaÑÍa que quiere operar asÍ >>> todo lo contrario disney tiene un tratamiento preferencial bajo la ley de la florida >>> disney es el mayor contribuyente en el centro de florida con mÁs de mil millones de dÓlares pagados el aÑo pasado ademÁs de ser el principal empleador con mÁs de 75 mil trabajadores en florida entre residentes del estado hay opi

there's this whole disney saga, which is unfolding.egal feud and now a suit by disney against governor desantis. jonathan turley says he's underwhelmed by disney's case. he's standing by. first to mark meredith who lays it out from washington. hi, mark. >> good afternoon. florida governor ron desantis says he's not ready to talk about any potential presidential campaigns. given the travel in the u.s. and abroad, all signs point to a campaign launching soon. he met with top israeli officials in jerusalem. this is being built as a global trade tour. he made stops in japan, south korea. it's the battle back in florida which is generating the headlines. on wednesday, disney sued desantis claiming he's using his political power to punish the company by revoking some of the authorities it has. now, this war of words dates back to over a year now after disney criticized desantis over an education policy which limits gender and sexual identity discussions in the classroom. today the governor brushed off the lawsuit. >> i don't think the suit h

they got no fly zones around this disney stuff. i simply say all that to say that this is a pretty well entrenched institution like this reminds me a lot of the idea that the base loves this. they love it, but they're still going to disney world, right? reminds me of chick fil a when some of their more right leaning politics really offended a lot of people who went right in there and got them chick fil a sandwiches. they were like, yeah, this is real bad. you're gonna stop going, huh? what what? what? what do you mean? you're not gonna win a fight? with american people against the wall disney company, particularly not as you say in a state where they employ everybody, like the whole idea of orlando as a city only exist because this place is there like this is how we get here so he could keep doing this. he can keep going about it. he might say some funny things. but when the rubber really meets the road like you said, you're gonna put a prison next to disney. we'll also magic kingdom is so i mean, first of all i have been i have li

agreement with disney.lowed the entertainment giant autonomous control over its theme park, expansion and utilities. today it was shoved right in the governor's face. a florida court issued this summons in the disney lawsuit against desantis which says very plainly, a lawsuit has been filed against you. if disney says the governor is retaliating against it for expressing its opinion on the don't say gay law, its first amendment right of free speech s and desantis claims the lawsuit has, quote, no merit. let's take it live to the home of disney world, orlando, florida, and ashley webster. you know, ashley, how bad could the get? could disney in the worst case she e mare owe pull up and leave florida? >> reporter: well, probably very unlikely, liz, but it was unlikely that this dispute would get this far, and now we're headed to court which has surprised a lot of people. but neither side will back down. you mentioned disney leaving, and you know what? never let a good opportunity go to waste, and that's certa

>> let's contrast fox with disney, for instance disney means the same thing to everybody.a kind of the same thing to everybody fox is one of these brands that is such a child of the media echo chamber, i was talking to somebody who didn't even know about the case fox as a brand means two completely different things. we did a focus group of people who are more progressive democrats. they would say fox is right wing, the arbiter of falsehoods and are very up to speed on dominion if you talk to trumpers, if you will, this is -- well, no, fox is where i trust they're not even getting this information. so fox as a brand is one of the very unique things that is bipolar as a brand depending on the audience you talk to for something that's such a big brand, it's so segmented. >> that's such a great point. >> and people who watch wake up in the morning -- i know, because my family, my mom did near the end of her life turn on the channel. they keep it on fox all day. go to bed all night on it and it is fascinating -- >> so they won't get this story. >> and i see it with so many of m

disney ceo bob iger. slam florida governor ron desantis today is anti business during an annual shareholders meeting. it is just the latest, an increasingly visible fight between the iconic american company, the likely republican presidential candidate whose attacks on disney and what he calls woke, corporations have been achieved selling point for many republican voters. disney last year posed a law to santa's champion that would limit discussions of lgbtq issues in florida schools. the census later tried to strip away unique governing powers that the company had over its disneyworld home in orlando today, bob iger called desantis his actions and attack on disney's ability to create jobs. and so our point on this is that any action that thwarts those efforts simply to retaliate for a position the company took sounds not just anti business, but it sounds anti florida said by disney ceo is that the company appears to have outmaneuvered desantis and a fight that's been central to his political image. randi

as a feud with disney gets heated. disney has always viewed itself as being exempt from that constitutional process. well those days are over here in the state of florida. start your day with nature made the number one pharmacist remmended vitamin and supplement france. nex on hind the series. let me tell you about the greatest roste ever assembl monster the outlaw and you can't forget about the boss sometimes. i just want to eat your heroes subway series greatest menu of all time . ergo automatically enhance your hearing. wherever you are. ours comes with buttons on the back. you can fiddle around to your heart's content by the eighties all over again. cool, right. limited time. get $300 off our latest device yet. this is my husband, arthur. you wouldn't believe her and i seventies have recommended consumer silas to so many people want to convince me to come over to her side that's right over to consumer cellular and start saving, get unlimited talk and text with the flexible data plans starting at just $20 a month. t

and now it's disney, disney, disney, except for some bad reviews for how things went overseas. in the end, if he's going to paint himself to be a fighter, he's going to have a pretty big opponent down the line with president trump. so this might be a test case that's making the trump people pretty happy. >> all right. great stuff as always. thanks so much for your time, gentlemen. really appreciate it. >>> we're getting closer to the deadline for a hollywood writers strike. if it happens, it could stall production of movies and tv shows. the latest on the talks to avoid it next. you're live in the "cnn newsroom." my mom says that breyers is made with real milk. i think i can hear the mooing. breys natural vanilla is made with 100% grade a milk and cream. and only sustainably farmed vanilla. better stas with breyers. hi, i'm jill and i've lost 56 pounds on golo. hi, i'm barry and i've lost 42 pounds. jill and i are a team. if she tells me to do something, i usually jump on board. golo was doable, it's realistic, and it's something we can do the rest of our lives. ♪ these are the

that he might even put a prison right next to disney. >> yeah, i mean, it's a poke in the ire of disneyticularly unnecessary. what's going to happen to the tourists? which is ron desantis think that does two families coming choose a disney theme park with their kids, if what they're driving past is some kind of maximum security prison on their way in. it's not the most inviting route to go and see your princess or mickey mouse, right? it just seems to make no sense, and understandably, you've now got nikki haley, chris christie saying, hey, you don't want to have disney, we're very happy to welcome -- we won't go to prison on the front door either. >> you know, you wonder, i mean, this seems like he shooting himself in the foot, maybe he will go after formula 1 and the others. it's just so politically seems like malpractice, let's just put it that way. >> coming up, joe biden officially launches his reelection campaign, pledging to finish the job, but some of his biggest hurdles so this time around our a panel of all-stars. they really are all starts. no red sox on these teams, they wei

. >> disney punches back against ron desantis. how the florida governor's war against what he calls "wokeism" has turned into a drawn-out legal battle. geoff: an army base is renamed for two black veterans--part of the pentagon's broader plan to stop honoring the confederacy. >> the names that are on the base signs should reflect the values of our country and the values of the american people. >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour, including leonard and norma clorevine, and koo and patricia yuen. >> on a voyage with cunard, the world awaits. a world of diverse destinations and immersive experiences. a world of entertainment and british style. with one star service. >> the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the frontlines lines of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour. ♪ >> this program was made possible by the corporation for pu

however these latest actions that he is threatening would turn disney and disney special district intoasically his his own operation . i mean, he's already appointed five of the board members. now he is threatening to use that new board potentially tax disney's property putting in state inspections selling off the utilities that operate in that district to other private companies, so everything he is putting on the table suggests that he is not backing down and is in fact threatening further action in a way that could actually harm disney's bottom line. okay you'll be watching closely, steve. thanks very much. there's a new study. we're going to talk about next, and it finds that having black doctors in a community raises life expectancy of black residents. even if they don't visit, those doctors will tell you why next interesting plus fire festival. take two. white frosts are billy mcfarland claims he is considering a sequel to his botched music festival. that's straight ahead. why would any performer or festivalgoers or investor or anyone want to do anything with you? considering wha

to, disney and we have a first amendment that says that is not all of, great and disney is suing.eels like a weird fights to have picked. >> except for the very basic human emotions of vanity and vengeance, which is what this has always been about, with ron desantis. remember that it started a year ago when they passed the don't say gay bill. disney, under some pressure -- it took them sometime, but some internal pressure from the disney, community, and their employees -- he said i'm glad he's the powers of the state to change your tax status. but what looked like a strong culture war hand at the time, a year ago, ron desantis looking very powerful, has really turned into complete debacle that could sink his presidential run. ali, the question tonight is what does a win now look like for ron desantis in this fight? because if he actually extracts a cost from disney, now he is a big government republican to use the powers of his office to punish corporate speech and the first amendment rights of the disney community, or does he lose this and then he looks weak and ineffective? ron

bob iger and disney has made it very clear they're hiring tons of people, investing, and they need that jurisdiction >> yes well, i don't know, republican voters, i guess, will maybe have to choose between hating woke companies or disney. a lot of people like disney. >> thanks, julia let's get to melissa lee and "the half. >>> welcome to "the halftime report." i'm melissa lee in for scott wapner front and center tech earnings, deal drama and what it means for stocks with one week to go until the next fed decision. joining us to break it down, josh brown, kari firestone, joe terranova and jenny harrington our chart of the day, a bullish outlook on ai a major blow to the deal to buy activision blizzard microsoft shares are up nearly 8.5% this hour it feels like the street wants to rerate microsoft. does it deserve that, kari >> yes, melissa, it does this is a sigh of relief to start with, but, also, it was a better number than people were looking for, slightly better on the revenue and better on the cost side and they did some discipline margin improvement. the numbers, i think, were comf

. >>> we have still more to come this evening disney is now suing governor ron desantis because thatntly where we're at in this endilous war on woke, and another florida man is trying to use his allies in congress to help him out a legal jam. that is next ax blood when you brush could lead to worse over time. help stop the clock on gum disease now. parodontax toothpaste... ...is 3x more effective at removing plaque bacteria, one of the main causes of bleeding gums. parodontax. the gum experts. away things. fit together with away things. ♪ ♪ that's our thing. ♪ ♪ we planned well for retirement, but i wish we had more cash. you think those two have any idea? that they can sell their life insurance policy for cash? so they're basically sitting on a goldmine? i don't think they have a clue. that's crazy! well, not everyone knows coventry's helped thousands of people sell their policies for cash. even term policies. i can't believe they're just sitting up there! sitting on all this cash. if you own a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more, you can sell all or part of it to coventry. ev

nothing done about disney. the state being too the district and changed it. we have every right to do that. the legislature has every right, it could abolish special districts, reform special districts. the thing is, we had a debate on this last november, i had my position that was very clear. i was criticized, it is interesting, media in central florida used to hate this disney arrangement and wanted it to go away. i brought it to an end, they have to be against me, they are shilling for disney to get subsidies, can you believe that? that is what they're doing. the people of florida understand it is an issue. do you want one company to have their own laws or everyone live under the same laws? not only did they re-elect me in the area where disney is, we did better than any republican has done in quite sometime. that is all there and here is the thing. we have people flooding into the state, i've never had a business leave some of the northern states like new york and say it is harder to do business in florida

disney real dispute whether disney's lawsuit has merit.ever, as a political foil, a lawsuit against the governor by disney in particular, in a republican primary setting in particular, i think probably helps him. i would guess he and his team would be spoiling for that fight. >> bret: leslie, last word. you know, the former president is leading by not only double digits. sometimes 30 points in some of these polls coming up lately. >> i disagree with guy. i think fighting mickey mouse was really foolish. i understand why he is in israel but people in florida want him here in the united states and want him in their state of florida. and just look at the numbers. this fight against disney and being away from florida has already hurt ron desantis against donald trump. >> bret: all right, panel, thanks so much. ♪ ♪ >> bret: finally tonight, did you see this? well, it was a special day. ♪ the day the music died [cheers] >> bret: south korean president union showing off talent. one of the songs american pie last night. president biden at the end

to raise disney's taxes or build something right near disney's land near orlando, people have said,u know, maybe maybe have another. maybe create a state park. maybe try to do more amusement parks. uh someone even said, like, maybe you need another state present. who knows? i mean, i just think that the possibility these are are endless. desantis aides say he was joking, according to journalist marc caputo, but the stakes are high in his battle against the magic kingdom. desantis is vowing to retaliate against disney after the entertainment and theme park giant thwarted desantis attempt for the state to take over power of disney's special taxing district in that area of florida just needs a big job generator. it's an incredibly popular place like people come to florida to go to disney world. disney produces very popular films. how much is this going to be a benefit to ron desantis and the long run a risk that the man who won his last election in november by almost 20% points has seemed very willing to take desantis spat with disney started last year when a florida law was passed tha

>> let me just say, i preferred disney land to disney world.articular issue on disney, ron desantis pushed this fight with disney. he pushed the six-week abortion ban. the majority of republican voters are with him, but only about two thirds or 60 to 66% are with him. there's about one third of the republican party who is not with him on disney and not with him on the six-week abortion ban. so this actually splits the gop in some sense, right? so when he has this majority and significant minority disagree. more, is this really working in his republican primary fight against donald trump? and what do we see in the polling? fox news had polled out the last three months. go back to february, what did we have? we had trump ahead but only ahead by about 15 points. now you look at that lead, 30 points in march and 32 points in april. so, this fight -- these fights that he's pushing, maybe they are popular with the republican voters, the bread that's rising, it's not rising the way he wants it to rise. >> joey, what's the timing on a case at this stag

disney firing back with governor desantis in florida, disney suing him accusing him of unconstitutionalaign ashley webster has the full story after this. ♪ municipal bonds don't usually get the media coverage the stock market does. in fact, most people don't find them all that exciting. but, if you're looking for the potential for consistent income that's federally tax-free, now is an excellent time to consider municipal bonds from hennion & walsh. if you have at least 10,000 dollars to invest, call and talk with one of our bond specialists at 1-800-217-3217. we'll send you our exclusive bond guide, free. with details about how bonds can be an important part of your portfolio. hennion & walsh has specialized in fixed income and growth solutions for 30 years, and offers high-quality municipal bonds from across the country. they provide the potential for regular income... are federally tax-free... and have historically low risk. call today to request your free bond guide. 1-800-217-3217. that's 1-800-217-3217. disney sued florida's governor desantis claiming government retaliation. ashley

to raise disney's taxes or build something right near disney's land near orlando.le have said, you know, maybe maybe have another. maybe create a state park. maybe try to do more amusement parks. uh someone even said, like, maybe you need another state present. who knows? i mean, i just think that the possibility these are are endless. desantis aides say he was joking, according to journalist marc caputo, but the stakes are high in his battle against the magic kingdom. desantis is vowing to retaliate against disney after the entertainment and theme park giant thwarted desantis attempt for the state to take over power of disney's special taxing district in that area of florida just needs a big job generator. it's an incredibly popular place like people come to florida to go to disney world. disney produces very popular films. how much is this going to be a benefit to ron desantis and the long run a risk that the man who won his last election in november by almost 20. percentage points has seemed very willing to take desantis spat with disney started last year when a

you can't attack disney if you're the governor of florida.t's like running for prime minister of canada on the slogan "[bleep] maple syrup!" desantis isn't just losing his fight against disney, he's also losing the support of fellow florida republicans, like congressman greg stubee, seen here as the cover model for this month's angry beeeeper. steube recently went on right-wing tv to throw his weight behind desantis's main rival. >> yeah, rob, i want to give you the opportunity to look back -- thank you to give me the opportunity to talk about it on. i'm excited to endorse donald trump for 2024. he said it. he said "donald j. chump!" quite a freudian slip. "i'm proud to engorge "my" pick for the sinner of the 2024 erection: mommy." [laughter] there's some news about new york congressman george santos. ever since he lied his way into office on a cloud of fanciful volleyball-holocaust make-em-ups, santos has faced calls to quit from fellow new york republicans and voters in his district 78% of whom want him to resign. of course, the other 22% a