NBC Nightly News, apparently having nothing else with which to fill nearly 3 minutes, decided to fart out a report that serves little purpose except to bash an old rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis, and cast the State of Florida in a negative light. Here’s how Lester Holt introduced the report filed by, quite appropriately, Shannon Pettypiece:  LESTER HOLT: As millions of Americans picked up and moved during the pandemic, few states saw a bigger boom than Florida. But for some transplants, the Sunshine State has lost its luster. Shannon Pettypiece explains. DENNIS COLE: I mean, I agree, this is beautiful. You know, you can't ask for a nicer setting. SHANNON PETTYPIECE: Months into the pandemic, Dennis Cole sold his Connecticut home and like hundreds of thousands of Americans, headed to Florida. Many, drawn by the state's lower taxes and sunny skies. COLE: It’s not the panacea I had in my head. PETTYPIECE: But now, he's preparing to put his Florida house on the market and move back north. COLE: We have political issues in Florida that are just ugly. We have costs skyrocketing. The report went downhill from there. In an effort to build a case that somehow things are terrible in Florida, Pettypiece flings a bunch of statistics that end up undermining her argument. For example: PETTYPIECE: Florida has been among the fastest growing states in the nation since the start of the pandemic. In 2022 alone, more than 700,000 people moved there. But at the same time, nearly 500,000 left, the largest number since the Great Recession.  That number sounds awful at first blush, but Florida was the top state for net in-migration in 2022, and the mirror opposite of California- where you had just as many more people fleeing rampant crime and excrement-caked streets than moved into the once-Golden State. Pettypiece then moves to cite home prices, homeowners and auto insurance. No kidding. 200,000 net in-migration will do that to home prices, and subsequently, homeowners insurance. By the way, auto insurance prices went up nationwide, not just in Florida.  Which leads us to the real thrust of the report- the idea that people are somehow fleeing the state due to politics. And that this is somehow a bad thing. People who move down here know what they are getting into beforehand. Even so, if you are that indignant over kids not being subjected to grooming in public schools, and that  upset over Disney getting owned, then you should probably sell your home, take your profits and go back to wherever you came from. This report really served no purpose except to try to score some points in garbage time. Pardon the pun, but this really was a petty piece. And on National Alligator Day, no less. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on NBC Nightly News on Wednesday, May 29th, 2024: LESTER HOLT: As millions of Americans picked up and moved during the pandemic, few states saw a bigger boom than Florida. But for some transplants, the Sunshine State has lost its luster. Shannon Pettypiece explains. DENNIS COLE: I mean, I agree, this is beautiful. You know, you can't ask for a nicer setting. SHANNON PETTYPIECE: Months into the pandemic, Dennis Cole sold his Connecticut home and like hundreds of thousands of Americans, headed to Florida. Many, drawn by the state's lower taxes and sunny skies. COLE: It’s not the panacea I had in my head. PETTYPIECE: But now, he's preparing to put his Florida house on the market and move back north. COLE: We have political issues in Florida that are just ugly. We have costs skyrocketing. PETTYPIECE: Florida has been among the fastest growing states in the nation since the start of the pandemic. In 2022 alone, more than 700,000 people moved there. But at the same time, nearly 500,000 left, the largest number since the Great Recession. We spoke with dozens of former Florida residents who have recently left the state. Among the reasons they gave, a soaring cost of living. Florida has had one of the nation's highest rates of inflation. Last year, car insurance was up 24% and homeowner's insurance jumped 42%. Home prices have risen 60% since 2020. JOHN DESAUTELS: They love the blue skies and the dolphins and the water but this comes at a price. PETTYPIECE: John Desautels has spent two decades selling Florida real estate. Are you getting a lot of calls from people who moved down here during Covid who are now looking to leave? DESAUTELS: Yeah, we are. PETTYPIECE: And what's the number one reason they're giving? DESAUTELS: Politics, politics. PETTYPIECE: Florida has recently enacted some of the most conservative legislation in the country. Including the near total ban on abortions, and restrictions on how race and sexuality are taught in schools. DESAUTELS: My in-migration people want to move here due to politics. My out-migration people want to move out of here due to politics. PETTYPIECE: A spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron Desantis said that under his leadership, “Florida led the country in domestic in-migration in 2022 and saw the highest population growth rate in generations.” RON DESANTIS: Look, this has always been a transient state. People come and go. That's normal. I think our policies have attracted folks. PETTYPIECE: For Cole, who considered himself a moderate conservative when he moved to Florida, the state's political shift to the right has contributed to his decision to leave. COLE: Whether it was fighting with Disney, whether the whole LGBQ thing, it's just that there are so many things that make it uncomfortable for a lot of people to be here. PETTYPIECE: Leaving him and others looking for a brighter future outside The Sunshine State. Shannon Pettypiece, NBC News, St. Pete Beach, Florida.  

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is expressing support for student protestors in the U.S."I am writing this letter to the young people whose awakened conscience has moved them to defend the oppressed women and children of Gaza. Dear university students in the United States of America, this message is an expression of our empathy and solidarity with you. As the page of history is turning, you are standing on the right side of it," the Iranian figure said in a letter, according to english.khamenei.ir. "You have now formed a branch of the Resistance Front and have begun an honorable struggle in the face of your government's ruthless pressure—a government which openly supports the usurper and brutal Zionist regime."'The ayatollah and @TheDemocrats are supporting the same movement.'"The global Zionist elite – who owns most US and European media corporations or influences them through funding and bribery – has labeled this courageous, humane resistance movement as 'terrorism,'" he declared. "The oppressive leaders of global hegemony mercilessly distort even the most basic human concepts. They portray the ruthless, terrorist Israeli regime as acting in self-defense ­– yet they portray the Palestinian Resistance which defends its freedom, security and the right to self-determination, as terrorists!"At the conclusion of the message, Khamenei advised the students to familiarize themselves with the Quran."This should be clear as day, but if you are standing on the side of this man - the leader of a terrorist regime who kills his own people - you are on the wrong side of history," GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina declared in a post on X. — (@) "The ayatollah and @TheDemocrats are supporting the same movement. Let that sink in," GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama tweeted.Last year, terrorists perpetrated a heinous attack against Israel, slaughtering, raping, and kidnapping victims. Israel responded by launching a war effort.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The U.S. Department of Labor earned backlash on social media for referring to women as "menstruators.""#Menstruation affects half the U.S. workforce but talking about it at work can be taboo. For #MenstrualHygieneDay, here are 5 easy actions employers can take to help menstruators thrive at work," the department tweeted.'They're called women.'Both women and men rejected the ridiculous language."Insulting that I'm reduced to being a 'menstruator' rather than simply a WOMAN because a handful of mentally ill women want to be called men -- but still get their periods," Brianna Lyman wrote in response to the department's post."Joe Biden is once again referring to the women of this country as 'menstruators' because his radical base thinks that men can menstruate. Remember when he said he would be a 'moderate?'" GOP Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois declared.Guy Benson tweeted, "They're called women. That a tiny fraction of biological females identify as males does not mean that we need to replace the word 'women,' or uproot our whole language to try to satisfy the capricious demands of a fringe. And it’s not transphobic to say so. Stop it.""Defund your worthless agency yesterday," Tom Elliott tweeted.A post on the Labor Department's blog suggested that employers could take actions to "make workplaces more menstruation-friendly," such as allowing for uniform "options in dark colors," offering paid sick leave while stipulating "that menstruation is a qualifying condition for the leave," and providing "period products in bathrooms."The blog post was authored by two individuals who are policy analysts with the department's Women's Bureau."The Women’s Bureau champions policies and standards that safeguard the interests of working women, advocates for the equality and economic security of women and their families, and promotes quality work environments," according to the department.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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Sorry Spock.