Kimberly Leonard
@leonardkl
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Florida Playbook author. National and Florida politics reporter for @Politico. Send tips to [email protected].
Miami, Florida
Joined June 2009
Gov. DeSantis, who is 43, still has over $21,000 in student loans. He doesn't trade individual stocks. His net worth is $318,987, far lower than many top politicians and if he runs for president he may clock in at the lowest net worth in a crowded field.
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A federal judge suspended enforcement of Florida's "Stop WOKE Act," a DeSantis-backed law restricting how workplaces and schools discuss race. In his opinion, the Obama-nominated judge compared Florida to the upside down in @Netflix's #StrangerThings.
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SCOOP: Sen. Dianne Feinstein fails to disclose husband's stock purchase, says she's willing to pay a fine via @businessinsider.
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Journalists should stop using "too wealthy" to describe those who don't qualify for subsidies under Obamacare. Instead, specify what the salary cut-off is -- $48,240 for an individual, $98,400 for a family of four. Let readers decide whether that's wealthy.
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Warnock's win in Georgia gives Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema far less power over Biden's agenda via @businessinsider.
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MAJOR UPDATE: Senate won't take up #Obamacare repeal bill from House, writing its own: via @dcexaminer.
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Florida registered GOP voters now outnumber Dems by 305,590, according to final state tallies ahead of the election.
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Ron DeSantis' memoir sold more copies in its first week than books by Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton during their one week of sales. Got the numbers right here:
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According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 40 percent of #Medicaid recipients don't work. Among them, 36 percent are ill or disabled, 30 percent are caregivers, 15 percent are students and 9 percent are retired.
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Democrats block Senate bill requiring medical care for babies that survive abortion
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STOP IT LEO IS NOT THAT SMALL IS HE 🎾.
This is Leo. And that’s a regular-sized tennis ball. He’d like to know when he’ll be big enough to catch it. 12/10 soon, buddy
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Major shift in perspective . “Voter ID laws have proved popular despite Democratic arguments that they amount to voter suppression, and some activists have concluded that they do less to suppress the vote than they initially feared.”
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People close to DeSantis say he wouldn't appoint himself or his wife to the Senate seat if Rubio joins the Trump admin. He'd instead look to: LG Jeanette Nuñez, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, former Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva or chief of staff James Uthmeier.
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NEW: Ted Cruz bill would speed FDA approval of drugs OK'd in other countries
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Billionaire Peter Thiel has a Republican US Senate candidate on his corporate payroll who is earning more than $1 million, documents show via @businessinsider.
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The $2 trillion stimulus the House is voting on contains more than $100 billion for hospitals and aims to prepare for future drug shortages. Here are the details that came out of the 880-page bill: via @businessinsider.
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Nancy Pelosi’s surprise flip on student debt cancellation came after urging from billionaire power couple by @kenklippenstein, @ryangrim.
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I want to know how some of these people find the time to have an affair.
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Among those present at the Florida Inauguration for @GovRonDeSantis were @glennbeck and @JebBush . Beck lent DeSantis the Bible: .
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Watching/reading latest news coverage. There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding going on. By law, doctors can only disclose details about a patient that the patient has authorized for disclosure. This is true for you and me, and this is true for POTUS.
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“I'll conduct myself in a way you can tell your kids, 'That's somebody you should emulate.' And we will have success as a result of that," @RonDeSantis says on CNN.
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Ivanka Trump's chief of staff contradicted the former first daughter's January 6 testimony in latest hearing via @businessinsider.
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School board races typically don't get a lot of attention. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is changing that. He was rallying all over Florida today for candidates who support his education agenda. "Florida is the state where woke goes to die," he said.
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The $200 prescription drug gift cards for Medicare patients haven’t been sent out — and Administrator Verma told me she doesn’t anticipate they will be.
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One Florida Democrat simply texted POLITICO the coffin emoji when asked what the state party could do next.
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.@GovRonDeSantis wins the Freedom Summit straw poll posted on X.
I’ll be on stage later at the @FloridaGOP Florida Freedom Summit. Lots of folks are here! They’re fired up and ready to end this disastrous Biden Regime. WATCH LIVE : Who are YOU and your friends supporting?.
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Good @nytimes story but it should include a link back on the part where it references Salena Zito's @dcexaminer interview for the quote “Defund, my butt.” It doesn't even cite the publication.
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Johnson & Johnson is moving its coronavirus vaccine into human trials by July, 2 months ahead of schedule via @businessinsider.
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We are social distancing our way through Arthur’s physical therapy! His specialist was kind enough to send us a video of his first time using the water treadmill 💦
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👀. EXCLUSIVE: Cassidy Hutchinson kept working for Donald Trump for nine weeks after he left the White House, government records show . via @businessinsider.
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A Republican congressional candidate in Florida paid her home energy bill using campaign funds, potentially violating federal law via @businessinsider.
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After 3.5 years, this is my last day at @thisisInsider. In just a short time, the company promoted me twice and helped me do some of my best work. It's a bittersweet day for me to leave a company I loved, where I felt truly valued.
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Did you know? Polling shows GOP voters and focus groups like that DeSantis is fighting Disney:
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Hey everyone affected by layoffs! @dcexaminer has openings in healthcare reporting, national security, breaking, and business. It's a great team! Email me kleonard(at) I'd be happy to forward resumes to editors.
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Trump's purported free speech social media platform Truth Social appears to have shadow banned posts about the Jan. 6 committee hearings, and about abortion as healthcare. @Public_Citizen ran a test drive: . via @businessinsider.
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PolitiFact FL: DeSantis is right, Obama deported more people than Trump did
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Democrats are introducing a police reform bill today that would: . - Ban chokeholds.- Make it easier for police to be charged with using excessive force.- Create a National Police Misconduct Registry. Full details in an outline circulating Capitol Hill: .
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👀. “Given the decision between voting for [DeSantis] and getting a Pap smear from a girl I went to high school with, hand me the paper gown.”. A story on voters who relate to DeSantis' awkwardness but not enough to support him.
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Senate Democrats are punting a bill to ban members of Congress from trading stocks to the lame-duck session: 'It's not going to happen before the election' via @businessinsider.
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CDC is releasing five recommendations for reopening:.- Masks.- Distancing.- Hand washing.- Cleaning.- Contact tracing. Don't see vaccinations on the list. .
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DeSantis sees ‘big warning signs’ for Trump’s candidacy, he says in his first post-candidacy interview, with @SteveDeaceShow via @politico.
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BREAKING .DeSantis signs law to cover up records of his travel and visitors ahead of anticipated 2024 presidential run via @businessinsider.
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The actual prices won't go down during Biden's first term. Worth asking 2024 GOP candidates: Would you implement the law or seek to repeal it?. If Trump were to win again. he could keep his promise on lowering drug prices thanks to a law Biden signed:
Biden to name first drugs for Medicare negotiations early next week via @politico.
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And here’s @GovRonDeSantis. He was campaigning with candidates in other states this week, but today he’s addressing the hyper-local topic of school boards.
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.@RepCummings says after @POTUS meeting that majority of Americans want #Obamacare improved but not repealed.
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How are women voters going to feel about all these men essentially telling DeSantis that, if he wants to be president, his wife should be demoted to a prop rather than an equal partner?.
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Casey DeSantis responds to criticism about her appearance. “I don’t let it get to me. I’m lucky to even have hair," says Casey, who survived breast cancer.
The real Casey DeSantis isn’t some cartoon character clawing her way to the top. She’s funny, smart, loves her husband & has been through something that has given her perspective that shines through in all she does. My interviews w/her in Monday’s @nypost
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1/ ANNOUNCING MY NEW ROLE: I'm still writing about national policy and politics for Insider's DC bureau — but now I'm based out of Miami. I'm covering the 2022 midterms, Florida politics, and buzz around the 2024 presidential race.
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.@RonDeSantisFL on COVID outbreak in DC:. "If they thought their policies really were necessary, that these mitigations really were effective, they would be abiding by it. They are not abiding by it because they know it's all about politics and control." .
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Sen. Manchin just said he won't be supporting Sarah Bloom Raskin's nomination to the Fed, citing her position on energy. We reported how her spouse, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, failed to properly report one of her stock holdings from several years back:
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My self-imposed challenge for my story due today is to avoid these terms, which are vague and not known to most readers: "Patient-centered care," "Value-based care," "silos," "delivery system," "fee for service," and yeah basically all the MACRA terms. Wish me luck.
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GOP Senate candidate Blake Masters of Arizona, a close ally of billionaire investor Peter Thiel, still isn't complying with a federal financial-disclosure law via @businessinsider.
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Congress and top Capitol Hill staff have violated the STOCK Act hundreds of times. But the consequences are minimal, inconsistent, and not recorded publicly.
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@dcexaminer @josephlawler @philipaklein @hgurdon Beginning March 23 I will begin a new job as senior health reporter for @businessinsider. I'll still be covering health policy here in DC, and I'm looking forward to working with @ZTracer @lydiaramsey125 @AndrewE_Dunn and @dodgeblake.
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A potential Pelosi successor, Rep. Katherine Clark, failed to properly disclose stock trades worth as much as $285,000 via @businessinsider.
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This is a story about how Congress makes it nearly impossible to obtain and understand information designed to defend against conflicts of interest — and how over the last five months we went and did it anyway. via @businessinsider.
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NEWS: We are strengthening our Florida coverage with new moves! @leonardkl joins us as author of Florida Playbook, focusing on DeSantis, Trump and the conservative movement. Meanwhile, veteran reporter @fineout transitions to a new role tackling politics & policy in Tallahassee.
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New! . Speaker Pelosi was able to secure vaccines for all Capitol police after @businessinsider.reported that there was no plan to get them their shots. No word yet on the thousands of other essential workers who help keep the Hill running.
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Story update: The US Qatar Business Council tells us it did not pay for the camel rides that Reps. Swalwell and Gallego took (shirtless) on an $84,000 trip to Qatar with their spouses: Still not word on whether taxpayer money funded any part of the trip.
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DeSantis does a good deal of press conferences all over the state where press can ask questions on any topic. They’re also streamed live. Not every gov does this. It’s one of the main ways he generates national headlines.
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Some unexpected history in the DeSantis-Disney saga:. The DeSantises had their wedding at Disney World, exchanging their vows in 2009 at the Grand Floridian's pavilion that overlooks Cinderella's castle.
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BREAKING: Supreme Court upholds Indiana law requiring burial or cremation after an abortion
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There are 1,510 people in Jeffrey Epstein's little black book. Now you can search them all for the first time. via @businessinsider.
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Operation Warp Speed is getting a new name. Peter Marks, longtime FDA career official, was reportedly the one who came up with the name. He's a big Star Trek fan.
OWS is the Trump team's name for their program. We are phasing in a new structure, which will have a different name than OWS. Many of the public servants will be essential to our response, but urgent need to address failures of the Trump team approach to vaccine distribution.
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Second day in a row where major publications don't bother to link back to news I reported first, weeks ago.
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THREAD: . Lavish travel for members of Congress, paid for by special interest groups, is back after a pandemic-induced hiatus. We dug into the data and here is what I found.
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Under Elizabeth Warren's "Medicare for all" plan, hospitals would get 110% of Medicare payments. Right now a lot of them get nearly twice as much from private insurers as they do from Medicare
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Scooplet from @Reporter_Mia: @RepMoskowitz is considering a run for #Florida governor in 2026. The congressman noted Florida has more registered GOPs than Dems. “What Democrat can win that? Maybe a Democrat who worked for a Republican can win that.”.
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TONIGHT, on the eve of 4/20: . The House will vote on a bill that'd let cannabis companies access banks. Customers could use their credit and debit cards at shops, too. It has bipartisan support, so it's expected to pass. With @jesse_yeji and @jfberke .
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DeSantis, 43, has over $21,000 in student loans. He doesn't trade individual stocks or own property. His net worth is $318,987, far lower than many top politicians and if he runs for president he may clock in at the lowest net worth in a crowded field.
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My latest story adds additional context to DeSantis' net worth. Also, there are ways he could still get rich.
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Erasing Trump policies on climate, immigration, and healthcare: Here's what Biden promised for his first day in the White House. via @businessinsider.
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A group of mental health experts who have concluded that President Trump is dangerous will argue in an online event Tuesday that the #MuellerReport shows the president is mentally unsound and shouldn't have war powers.
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@NikkiHaley koozies knocking CNN’s Don Lemon for sexist remark raised $25,000 in one day, she tells @bariweiss .
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Corporations who said they wouldn't give money to the 147 members of Congress who objected to the certification of Joe Biden's victory are now doing just that only a few months after their pledge.
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Meet Ron Klain, Joe Biden's soon-to-be White House chief of staff. He's the guy Democrats call to fix things and may soon be one of the most important people in DC. via @businessinsider.
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Biden made this promise last year after reversing on the Hyde Amendment. This'll be tough to pass legislatively without watering down Roe v. Wade as well as Doe v. Bolton, which often gets left out of the conversation but has influenced state laws codifying abortion rights.
Biden says that if Amy Coney Barrett were to be part of a Supreme Court majority overturning Roe v. Wade, his response would be "to pass legislation making Roe the law of the land.".
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Professional news: This is my last day at @dcexaminer. I'm so grateful to @josephlawler for making me a better reporter, to @philipaklein for bouncing around story ideas on health policy, and to @hgurdon for bringing me on three years ago!.
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.@adamwren writes, "The film appears to be rated R largely because of @Lis_Smith's language.
After covering Buttigieg for years I watched a screener of the new 'Mayor Pete' documentary that follows his presidential campaign. Here are 8 things that struck me. via @businessinsider.
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A lot of people don't know that #Medicaid coverage for low-income people is something that each state decides. Some have moved during the pandemic to non-expansion states. They've been shocked to learn they cannot get healthcare coverage. My latest: .
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GAO to investigate Ryan Zinke's alleged threats against Lisa Murkowski for Obamacare vote via @dcexaminer.
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.@NikkiHaley doesn’t hesitate when the @RuthlessPodcast asks what her last meal would be: unlimited French fries, chocolate chip cookies, and pink champagne.
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The White House's policy chief in an exclusive interview spells out a second term Trump agenda that includes more tax cuts, lowering drug prices, and moving manufacturing jobs back to the US via @businessinsider.
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