Republican governors of Florida and Texas battle with cruise lines over vaccine requirements
CNN
The Republican governors of Florida and Texas are headed toward showdowns with some of the world's largest cruise lines, including Norwegian and Carnival, over whether passengers boarding ships leaving their states can be required to show proof they've been vaccinated.
The entrenched positions Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have staked out against so-called vaccine passports is at odds with the policies cruise lines are implementing as they seek to resume operation this summer -- potentially putting the jobs of cruise line workers based in their states at risk while causing confusion for people planning to board those ships. The cruise lines are attempting to navigate rules implemented by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that make restarting cruises far easier when passengers are vaccinated, and laws in Republican-controlled states banning businesses from requiring proof that customers have been vaccinated. DeSantis has sued the CDC over its rules.Elected officials, Jewish advocacy groups and civil rights leaders are vowing to “push back” against the message of a White nationalist group that staged a march last week near downtown Columbus, Ohio, calling the demonstration an act of hate unwelcome in their community – and the United States more broadly.
Senate Democrats have confirmed some of President Joe Biden’s picks for the federal bench this week in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for a total GOP blockade of judicial nominations – in part because several Republicans involved with the Trump transition process have been missing votes.