Wednesday, January 15

Tag: Rick Scott

Trump has picked his first cabinet member and she’ll be the first woman chief of staff

Trump has picked his first cabinet member and she’ll be the first woman chief of staff

Science and Nature
With her selection as President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff, veteran Florida political strategist Susie Wiles moves from a largely behind-the-scenes role of campaign co-chair to the high-profile position of the president’s closest adviser and counsel.She’s been in political circles for years. But who is Ms. Wiles, the operative set to be the first woman to step into the powerful role of White House chief of staff?She has decades of experience, most of it in FloridaThe daughter of NFL player and sportscaster Pat Summerall, Ms. Wiles worked in the Washington office of New York Rep. Jack Kemp in the 1970s. Following that were stints on Ronald Reagan’s campaign and in his White House as a scheduler.Ms. Wiles then headed to Florida, where she advised two Jacksonvill...
Your guide to a disaster-prone election year

Your guide to a disaster-prone election year

Science and Nature
Hey there and welcome to week 3 of State of Emergency, a limited-run newsletter about how catastrophes are improving our politics. I'm Jake Bittle. Cyclone Michael tore throughout the Florida Panhandle as a Category 5 storm less than 4 weeks before the critical 2018 midterm elections, eliminating lots of individuals and ruining more than 1,000 structures. In the weeks that followed the storm, then-governor Rick Scott provided an executive order that loosened up limitations around mail-in balloting and permitted city governments to open less Election Day ballot locations. "We do not discover proof that the quantity of rains from the typhoon drove turnout decreases. We do discover that ballot location closures and increased travel ranges meaningfully depressed turnout."-- Kevin Morris ...