Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Mitch Perry, Ryan Ray, and Jim Rosica.
COMING IN OCTOBER: THE INFLUENCE 100 — THE TOP INFLUENCERS IN FLORIDA POLITICS
The 100 most influential Floridians in state politics will be revealed in the forthcoming edition of INFLUENCE Magazine.
Set to debut during the week of Oct. 19, the fall edition of INFLUENCE Magazine will profile the 100 people who leave the biggest footprints in Florida politics, but are not in elected office.
From lobbyists and major donors to academics and journalists, the INFLUENCE 100 will set a new benchmark for recognizing Florida’s political elite.
Think Fortune 500 just for Florida’s influence industry.
Right now, we are accepting nominations for who should be considered for inclusion in the INFLUENCE 100. We also are looking for panelists to serve on an ad hoc selection committee.
The bar has been set pretty high for this list. We’re talking about Mike Fernandez–John Morgan–Mel Sembler territory here, so aim high with your suggestions.
Again, this is a list of influencers, not elected officials, so you won’t see Rick Scott or Bob Buckhorn. But it could include politicians out of office such as, say, Will Weatherford.
Please email me at [email protected] with your suggestions.
DAYS UNTIL THE NEXT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: 14
CNN AMENDS GOP DEBATE CRITERIA via Mark Preston of CNN
CNN is amending the criteria for its Republican presidential debate on September 16, possibly opening the door for Carly Fiorina to join the other top-tier candidates on the stage. The cause: a lack of national public polling following the August 6 debate has so far provided only three new polls to determine the lineup for the Reagan Presidential Debate … As a result, CNN reevaluated its criteria and decided to add a provision that better reflects the state of the race since the first Republican presidential debate in August … Now, any candidate who ranks in the top 10 in polling between August 7 and September 10 will be included.
POLL DU JOUR: A new Public Policy Polling national survey finds Donald Trump expanding his lead over the GOP field to 29%, followed by Ben Carson at 15%, Jeb Bush at 9%, Carly Fiorina at 8%, Marco Rubio at 7%, Ted Cruz at 6%, John Kasich at 6%, Mike Huckabee at 5% and Scott Walker at 5%.
JEB BUSH HITS ‘THE REAL DONALD TRUMP’ AS PRO-HILLARY NEW YORK LIBERAL via George Bennett of the Palm Beach Post
Who’d have figured a few months ago that the Jeb Bush campaign’s first negative video salvo would be aimed at Donald Trump? … the Bush camp today released a web video (an inexpensive alternative to buying TV advertising) that features 82 seconds of clips in which Trump says he’s “very pro-choice” on abortion, says single-payer health insurance has worked in Canada and Scotland, calls for “substantially” higher taxes on upper incomes, praises Hillary Clinton as a talented, “terrific woman” and says he identifies as a Democrat on many issues … ends with a clip of Trump saying “I lived in New York City, in Manhattan all my life, OK? So, you know, my views are a little bit different than if I lived in Iowa.”
“Jeb Bush’s angry ‘anchor babies’ exchange” via Marc Caputo of POLITICO Florida
JEB OPENING FLA HQ IN TAMPA NEXT WEEK via William March of the Tampa Bay Times
Bush will open his Florida headquarters for his presidential campaign in Tampa next week, according to an invitation circulating among Republicans for a grand opening Sept. 10, featuring an appearance by Jeb Bush Jr.
The event will be a 4:30 p.m., with doors opening at 4 p.m., at the headquarters at 5460 Beaumont Center Blvd., an office park at the intersection of Hillsborough Avenue and Eisenhower Boulevard.
“Invite your friends and family. All are welcome!” the invitation says.
Bush’s national headquarters is based in Miami, but earlier this summer he said the state campaign would be based in Tampa.
MARCO RUBIO: GET RID OF THE FEDERAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT via The Associated Press
Rubio says the U.S. doesn’t need a federal Education Department, arguing that its recommendations to state and local governments often turn into mandates tied to money.
The Florida senator made the comments Tuesday during a town hall meeting in Carson City. About 200 people attended the gathering in a community center, part of a tour of northern Nevada.
“What starts out as a suggestion ends up being, ‘If you want money from us, you must to do it this way,’ and you will end up with a version of a national school board,” Rubio said. “We don’t need a national school board.”
Democrats pointed out that Rubio’s expensive college costs were footed in part by Pell Grants and Stafford Loans, which are administered by the Education Department.
RUBIO ANNOUNCES MASS. LEADERSHIP TEAM via Jim O’Sullivan of the Boston Globe
Perhaps only in Massachusetts can the backing of three state senators constitute a landslide. But that’s just what US Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, struggling to break through in the crowded Republican presidential primary, has done by securing endorsements from fully half of state Senate Republican caucus.
State senators Richard Ross of Wrentham, Viriato deMacedo of Plymouth, and Ryan Fattman of Webster are among those heading up Rubio’s Massachusetts “leadership committee,” according to Jim Merrill, the candidate’s top aide in New Hampshire. Together, they are good for three of the state’s six GOP senators.
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RICK SCOTT AND CABINET CELEBRATE IN ST. AUGUSTINE via Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times
America’s oldest city welcomes the Gang of Four … Scott and the three Cabinet members gather in St. Augustine in conjunction with the city’s 450th anniversary that begins Friday and runs through Labor Day weekend. The top state officials will adopt measures to evaluate the job performances of FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen and Terry Rhodes, executive director of the highway safety agency, and a five-year plan for land acquisition under the Florida Forever program.
Cabinet members arrived early … Adam Putnam did a news event with St. Johns County Tax Collector Dennis Hollingsworth … Jeff Atwater toured a city distillery … Pam Bondi went to a concert featuring ’80s rocker Rick Springfield … and posted a picture from the event on her personal Twitter account … It’s the first time in six months that the Cabinet has ventured out of Tallahassee.
SCOTT, LENNY CURRY TRUMPET JOB CREATION IN NW JAX via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
September began with good news for Scott … Lenny Curry, and Metal Container, which makes among other things 1.5 million aluminum bottles a day for the beer barons at Anheuser-Busch. Metal Container brought Scott and Curry together with a group of political luminaries, including City Council President Greg Anderson, Councilman Reggie Brown, State Rep. Mia Jones, and state Sen. Aaron Bean. The $170 million plant expansion will bring 75 advanced manufacturing jobs to Jacksonville.
Florida, which has added jobs for almost every month of Scott’s tenure, is “becoming a global destination for jobs,” claimed the governor, who touted numbers: 917,000 jobs created, and 16,000 private sector jobs last month, and unemployment at a tidy 5.4 percent.
Then Scott made the pitch … “It’s very important to continue to fund Enterprise Florida … down to its last $9 million for its fiscal year.”
SCOTT NOT SURPRISED BY FLORIDA’S GROWTH via Kevin Derby of the Sunshine State News
With Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) showcasing 74,000 people moving to Florida in 2013 … Scott said it wasn’t a surprise and made the case for why the Sunshine State is growing. “It’s not surprising Florida was the greatest recipient of new wealth of any other state in the nation … CEO magazine ranked Florida 2nd in the country for its business environment. Florida’s economy is thriving and people all over the country can see we have the best state to live, work, and raise a family.”
SCOTT ABOVE WATER IN ANOTHER POLL via Kevin Derby of the Sunshine State News
Another poll shows Scott in better shape with Florida voters … the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which supported Scott’s efforts for reelection last year and continues to back him, released a poll … showing 48 percent of Florida voters approve of the governor while 44 percent disapprove of him … Scott has clearly nailed down the Republican base in the Florida Chamber poll with 74 percent of them approving him while 21 percent disapprove. Almost two-thirds–64 percent–of Florida Democrats disapprove of Scott while 28 percent approve of him. Voters outside the major parties lean against Scott with 48 percent disapproving of him while 42 percent approve.
SCOTT’S OFFICE SCRUBBED INVESTIGATION ANNOUNCEMENT THAT CLEARED PLANNED PARENTHOOD via Christine Sexton of POLITICO Florida
Amid an outcry over a series of videos filmed at Planned Parenthood clinics outside Florida, Scott ordered health care regulators to inspect 16 Florida clinics run by the organization. The regulators reported that three clinics performed unlicensed abortions and that one did not follow its own guidelines for disposing of fetal remains.
But emails between Scott’s office, the Agency for Health Care Administration and Planned Parenthood show top officials working for Scott reworded an agency press release to delete information AHCA officials had proposed including.
The state released its findings of the Planned Parenthood investigations on Aug. 5. Emails between the governor’s office and AHCA, obtained by POLITICO Florida through a public records request, show the agency prepared a press release that same day noting that “there is no evidence of the mishandling of fetal remains at any of the 16 clinics we investigated across the state.”
Scott’s office revised the release to exclude that sentence, an email sent by Scott’s communications director, Jackie Schutz, shows. Additionally, the revised release noted the AHCA would refer physicians who worked at the clinics to the Board of Medicine for possible disciplinary action.
PIPELINE FOES ASK DEP TO DENY KEY PERMIT; CITE ‘CONFLICT OF INTEREST’ BY SCOTT via Dan Christensen of FloridaBulldog.org
Opponents of a proposed natural gas pipeline in North Florida are asking Florida regulators to reject the project, citing both dangers to the environment and a “conflict of interest” by the regulators’ boss … Scott. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced in July its intention to award a crucial environmental permit and rights to drill beneath riverbeds that would allow Houston-based Spectra Energy … to construct the controversial, $3-billion Sabal Trail Transmission. State records show Spectra Energy’s investors have included Scott.
Nonprofit WWALs Watershed Coalition, an affiliate of the Waterkeeper Alliance, filed an amended petition asking the DEP to deny the permit or “at the very least” re-route the underground pipeline to avoid “the sensitive karst terrain that underlies north central Florida…especially drilling under the Withlacoochee, Suwannee and Santa Fe rivers.”
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: At 9:30 a.m., Gov. Scott will attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the “diverging diamond interchange” project at I-75 in Sarasota. Press availability will be at 6125 Exchange Way (lot across from Chili’s) in Bradenton. Later, the governor will highlight job growth at a 2:15 p.m. presser in the Pratt & Whitney Engine Production Center, 17900 Bee Line Hwy. in Jupiter.
MIAMI HERALD SUES DOC OVER OPEN RECORDS LAWS via Legislative IQ powered by Lobby Tools
The Miami Herald … filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections, alleging that the agency has violated the state’s open record laws by withholding information about suspicious deaths and possible sexual and physical assaults of inmates at the hands of corrections officers in the state prison system … For more than a year, the Herald has been examining cases of physical, mental and sexual abuse of inmates, as well as a series of inmate deaths that have happened in state prisons that have had a history of violence.
The agency contends … details they have blacked out pertain to protected medical information … or would reveal information that could endanger officers or the security of the institution. DOC Secretary Julie Jones … said that while the agency is committed to “accountability and transparency” in fulfilling public records requests, the agency also must guard protected information.
PRISON DEVELOPER IN LINE TO REVIEW STATE’S CORRECTIONS SYSTEM via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics
The company slated to get as much as $300,000 for an outside review of the state prison system is itself a designer and developer of correctional facilities. The Florida Legislature last month issued a “notice of intent” to award a contract to Carter Goble Associates, part of Miami-based CGL Cos … It authorizes the state to “contract with an independent consultant to study the operations of the Department of Corrections with regard to the incarceration of inmates.”
CGL Cos. isn’t a private prison operator such as GEO Group or Corrections Corporation of America but rather makes its money on the front end, offering a team of architects and builders to design and put up a facility.
FLORIDA HEALTHY KIDS: HEALTH LAW LED TO PRICE HIKES via Kelli Kennedy of the Associated Press
Florida Healthy Kids Corporation is blaming President Obama’s health care law after notifying parents that health insurance premiums will increase for thousands of kids starting next month, jumping from $140 to as high as $284. Healthy Kids, which offers insurance options where parents can pay full-price or get subsidized coverage depending on eligibility, said the increases will affect the families of nearly 34,749 children in the full-pay program. That’s about 19 percent of the organization’s 178,873 enrollees.
The government-sponsored Healthy Kids created two new full-pay options as alternatives to the federal exchange or for parents who aren’t getting insurance through their job. Premiums in the new plans will jump from $140 a month to $205 or $284, depending on whether it’s a silver or platinum plan. Dental is not included and will cost an extra $15, the organization said.
However, federal health officials note that the vast majority of consumers on the exchange also qualify for tax credits. That means even if a family’s premium doubles, its net cost might not rise by the same proportion.
GROUP PUSHES PAM BONDI TO CRACK DOWN ON ‘RESORT FEES’ via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida
A Washington-based consumer group is asking … Pam Bondi, Florida’s congressional delegation and federal officials to put a stop to what they say are deceptive fees tied to hotel and resorts … Travelers United, says some hotels will advertise a nightly rate but later in the booking process add a “resort fee” that can range from $25 to more than $75.
“If resort fees are mandatory, they must be included in the nightly rate hotels advertise to consumers … Families who travel to Florida for Florida for its beaches, theme parks and resorts … should not leave with a bad taste because their hotel added a mandatory resort fee.”
A Florida poll — timed to coincide with Gov. Rick Scott’s statewide tourism conference in Tampa … found that 86 percent of the 625 registered voters polled said they were less likely to stay at a hotel if it charged a “resort fee on top of the room rate.”
RAPPER PITBULL NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR FLORIDA TOURISM via Justine Griffin of the Tampa Bay Times
Miami-based rapper Pitbull is partnering with Visit Florida to promote the state as a tourism destination. Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Pérez, is Visit Florida’s newest ambassador … will film his upcoming video for the single, Sexy Beaches in Florida … will use and feature Visit Florida’s #LoveFL hashtag on all his video screens at concerts around the world … will also promote Visit Florida during his New Year’s Eve concert from Miami on Fox, and do a week-long takeover on the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on iHeart Radio.
HAPPENING TODAY: State Sen. Don Gaetz joins Santa Rosa Commissioner Jayer Williamson from 6:30 – 8:30 a.m. at the Coffee Break Café, 4620 Woodbine Road in Pace. According to the invite, it’s “no agenda, no program, no meeting. Just coffee and conversation.”
TOP ED — SHINE LIGHT ON FLOOD INSURANCE PREMIUM PROCESS via Rep. Bill Hager for the Palm Beach Post
Recently, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty concluded that flood insurance premiums charged to Floridians may be “unfairly discriminatory.” What he was saying was that premiums charged to Floridians for flood insurance, as issued by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), could well be too high. I join McCarty and other members of the Legislature in calling on the federal government to come clean when it comes to determining how these rates are set.
I can assure Floridians that there is no magic involved in the mathematics used to formulate premiums. Indeed, it is all a matter of mathematics — applied to, in this case, flood insurance data … there are well-recognized methods used in formulating premiums … the federal government should show its hand; it should set out, for all of Florida to see, just how these rates are formulated.
There is no reason that Floridians should be left in the dark, wondering whether the federal government is fleecing them when it comes to their flood insurance premiums.
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RON DESANTIS SEEKS TO INJECT IRAN DEAL INTO U.S. SENATE RACE via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times
Democrat Patrick Murphy announced his support for the “flawed” deal and portrayed it as a way to stop war … Ron DeSantis, one of a handful of Republicans running for the nomination, went after Murphy today.
“Patrick Murphy’s decision to support a deal that infuses the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism with $150 billion, confers international legitimacy on Iran’s expansive nuclear program, and even allows Iran to inspect its own military sites demonstrates a lack of judgment and inexperience in matters of national security … While Murphy thinks this deal will lead to ‘peace in our time,’ the Iran agreement will make the Middle East more volatile, increase the likelihood of war, and undermine the security of the United States.”
CD 6 CANDIDATE ADAM BARRINGER TAKES ANTI-TAX PLEDGE via Florida Politics
As part of his campaign to replace U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis in Northeast Florida’s Congressional District 6, Adam Barringer has followed suit with other fiscal conservatives and signed a pledge to under no circumstances raise taxes.
The two-term former mayor of New Smyrna Beach said in a release such a pledge just makes sense.
“As a small business owner and former mayor, I know that lower taxes will lead to more prosperity,” Barringer said.
The move comes one day after 2nd Congressional District candidate Mary Thomas – who is running for U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham‘s seat likely to be drastically altered by redistricting – took the same pledge.
JACK LATVALA: HOW DARE ANYONE QUESTION MY GOP LOYALTY via Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times
Joe Negron may have declared victory in his campaign for Florida Senate president, but that message failed to reach more than 400 people turned out to a luncheon fundraiser in St. Petersburg for … Jack Latvala, who is still campaigning for the job. “I love my Republican party … I have never been anything but a Republican” … a veiled swipe at Negron, who used to be Martin County Democratic Chairman and once ran unsuccessfully for the Florida House as a Democrat.
“That’s why I work so hard to keep from ever going back to a minority. That’s why I fight the arrogance I see in many of the people in our party in Tallahassee … looking after certain interests but forgetting the interests of the people at large and consumers and so forth … That’s why I’m a little different.”
TWEET, TWEET: @AdamSmithTimes: If @JeffreyBrandes saw the 400+ ppl at @JackLatvala lunch today, he’d b very nervous re redistricting and prospect of running vs Latvala
TWEET, TWEET: @SaintPetersBlog: Big news out of Latvala luncheon: Fmr. Bush advisor, lobbyist David Rancourt joining Team Latvala for leadership fight
FUNDRAISING UPDATE via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics
The special session last month paused fundraising efforts for lawmakers, but political committees for top senate Republicans made a quick rebound after Sine Die.
Despite Negron declaring victory in the race for the next senate president, Latvala bested him in fundraising for the month. Negron brought in $26,000 through his political committee, Treasure Coast Alliance, buoyed by $10,000 checks from AT&T and Comprehensive Health Management. The Florida Shopping Center PAC and Atlanta-based AGL Resources Florida City Gas PAC chipped in $5,000 and $1,000, respectively.
Latvala’s Florida Leadership Committee raised about $63,000 on the back of an end-of-August flurry including $10,000 checks from Duke Energy and St. Petersburg veterinarian Richard D. Wilkes. Florida Blue also gave FLC $10,000 before the second special session began. Most of the rest of FLC’s August funds came from individual donors chipping in $1,000 or less. In total, FLC brought in 44 checks to TCA’s four.
Heading into September, Latvala and Negron’s committees are virtually tied in fundraising. Negron leads by a few thousand dollars in cash on-hand, with both candidates sitting around the $1.1 million mark. Latvala has raised more overall, with nearly $3.6 million in total contributions to FLC compared to TCA’s $3 million.
Bradenton Republican Sen. Bill Galvano, who is in line for the senate presidency after the winner of Latvala v. Negron, also had a solid close to the month. His committee, Innovate Florida, reports $65,000 in contributions for August, with $50,000 of that money coming in after the redistricting session. The tally includes a $30,000 check from Floridians United for Our Children’s Future, a PAC heavily funded by conservative casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Galvano had about $595,000 cash on-hand at the end of August.
Sen. Wilton Simpson outdid them all. The Pasco County senator, who is the presumptive Senate President in 2021, raised nearly as much as the other three senators combined. His committee, Jobs For Florida, brought in about $147,000 last month. The largest contribution, $30,000, came from the Florida Jobs PAC, which is backed by some of Florida’s biggest companies, including Florida Power & Light, Disney and Publix. The August numbers put Simpson over $400,000 cash on-hand.
LAUREN BOOK MAKES IT OFFICIAL
South Florida Sun Sentinel, Hollywood’s next state senator, Lauren Book – “… was among the worst kept secrets in state politics … Last September, Book opened a political action committee, Leadership for Broward, which is a fundraising first step when running for office.” Broward/Palm Beach New Times, It’s official: Lauren Book is running for state Senate – “Miramar, Hollywood, Davie, Plantation, and Dania Beach, meet your next state senator: 30-year-old Lauren Book … She hopes to ‘be a voice for Broward. I hope to learn [from the constituents].’” South Florida Sun Sentinel, Activist Lauren Book to run for Florida Senate – “… one big sticking point for Book — she has no idea yet who her constituents would be … districts will be redrawn in a special legislative session in late October and early November.”
NEW ON THE TWITTERS: @BookForSenate
OTHER CANDIDATE FILINGS
— Steve Miller for House District 26
— Arthur Sosa for House District 37
— Charlie Davis for House District 41
— Neil “Paul” Paulson for Orlando Mayor
— Michael Mikurak for Pinellas County Commission District 3
— Tim Schock for Hillsborough County Commission District 6
— Robert “Bobby” Olszewski for Orange County Commission District 1
— Ted Edwards for Orange County Commission District 5
— Mike McLean for Seminole County Clerk of Courts
HAPPENING TONIGHT: Republican state Rep. George Moraitis hosts a fundraiser for his re-election to House District 93. The poolside reception begins at 6 p.m. at the Beachside Village Resort, 4564 N. Ocean Drive in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. RSVP to Karin Hoffman (954) 729-9244 or [email protected].
SAVE THE DATE: Republican attorney Erin Grall hosts a campaign fundraiser on Thursday, September 10 to support her bid for House District 54. The event begins 5:30 p.m. at the Quail Valley Boat Club, 2345 Florida A1A in Vero Beach. RSVP at [email protected].
ELEANOR SOBEL ON RUNNING FOR MAYOR: MAYBE via Buddy Nevins of BrowardBeat.com
State Sen. Sobel … has answered the statewide speculation that she will run for Hollywood mayor with a great, big “maybe.” In a news release … Sobel she will “forestalling any decision until after the legislative session is completed in March” 2016. Sobel is term limited in 2016 after eight years in the Florida Senate.
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NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
David Ramba, Ramba Consulting: AJT Media
Nancy Stewart Black: Tropiflora
CONTEXT FLORIDA: CORRINE BROWN, WEATHER SCARES AND A VIBRANT PENSACOLA
On Context Florida: U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown filed a federal lawsuit opposing the reshaping of Florida’s CD 5, the district she represents. Brown contends that redrawing her district in an east-west configuration – as the Florida Supreme Court has ordered state lawmakers to do – would deprive African-American voters the opportunity to elect the candidate of their choice. But would it, Julie Delegal asks. Two annual events occur whose sole purpose is to scare people, says Marc Yacht. Halloween, where the little boys dress up like Superman and the girls rush about the neighborhood as Little Bo Peeps. Halloween is more fun than scare, but media efforts to terrify the public during hurricane season produce real chills. The Studer Community Institute’s Metro Dashboard aims to be a roadmap to help build citizen-powered change, to make Pensacola a more vibrant community for all of her citizens. That’s not a mix Pensacola always has gotten right, says Shannon Nickinson.
Visit Context Florida to dig in.
FACEBOOK STATUS OF THE DAY via David Johnson: “My platform remains constant, year after year, and if we can just up and rename a big mountain, we can certainly move a couple of holidays. … From 2011: My campaign revolves around two points: Taking the artificially placed Labor Day holiday and moving it to the Monday after the first weekend of NFL football, and taking the poorly timed President’s Day holiday in February and moving it to the Monday after the Super Bowl. Let’s make these holidays work for us. Elect me.”
FLORIDA PASTOR SAYS WOMEN SHOULD GREET THEIR HUSBANDS LOOKING ‘SPIFFED UP’ WITH A HOT MEAL WAITING via Bethania Palma Markus of RawStory
Stay-at-home mothers should meet their husbands at the door looking “all spiffed up,” Florida pastor Bill Lytell told his congregation in a sermon about being a good “manager” … Women who stay at home with children and don’t have a “secular job” are responsible for a laundry list of items, Lytell said, including buying groceries and making sure the house is kept “impeccable,” having the baby fed and squared away and having a hot meal waiting when their husbands get home … And on top of all that, women must meet men at the door looking like “a million bucks.”
In April, Lytell also said that he was proud of a “male leadership” sign outside the church and that this is a man’s world.
BEST NEWS YOU’LL READ TODAY – AMAZON TO LET PRIME MEMBERS DOWNLOAD VIDEOS TO WATCH OFFLINE via the Associated Press
Amazon … will now let members of its $99 annual Prime loyalty program download some shows and movies on its streaming video service to watch offline, or when there is no Internet connection available, for free. To watch the content users can download the Amazon Video app for iOS or Android.
Shows will be downloadable to Apple and Android phones and tablets, including Amazon’s Fire devices — but not desktops or laptops … downloadable videos are available to prime members in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Austria.
BEST NEWS YOU’LL READ TODAY (PART 2) – MCDONALD’S SET TO OFFER ALL-DAY BREAKFAST via Julie Jargon of the Wall Street Journal
McDonald’s Corp. is embarking on its biggest operational change in years with plans to offer breakfast items all day at its more than 14,300 U.S. restaurants … will start Oct. 6 … the latest initiative under Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook, who took over on March 1 vowing to revamp the burger giant’s stale image and end a sales slump in the U.S. that began nearly three years ago. McDonald’s customers for years have asked the company to sell breakfast items past the traditional 10:30 a.m. cutoff, but the challenges of cooking Egg McMuffins alongside Big Macs deterred the company.
