Florida expands ban on sexual orientation and gender identity teachings through high school

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Board of Education expanded the state’s restrictions on teaching students about sexual orientation or gender identity Wednesday to all K-12 public schools.

Under the updated rule expanding the legislation panned as “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, teachers run the risk of losing their educator credentials for leading instruction on those topics to students through 12th grade instead of strictly kindergarten through grade 3. This new guideline, which board members approved unanimously, appears to be even stronger than the parental rights expansions that Republican lawmakers are currently advancing at the statehouse.

State education officials said the rule is meant to ensure that educators stick to Florida’s teaching standards while opponents warned it could wedge a divide between LGBTQ students and teachers who support them.

“The curriculum and the standards taught in an academic classroom have nothing to do with the school’s compassion and being able to provide services to individual students,” Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said at the meeting in Tallahassee. “They’re not being shunned, none of this is being addressed here.”

“We shouldn’t be asking our teachers to be teaching mental health or providing that,” Diaz added. “They should be more of a conduit to pass that on.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to announce a bid for president soon, defended last year’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation and signed it into law in March 2022, saying at the time that “In Florida, we not only know that parents have a right to be involved — we insist that parents have a right to be involved.” At the time, Democrats and LGBTQ advocates decried the law and warned that it could marginalize LGBTQ students and their families.

DeSantis’ support for the legislation also sparked a yearlong fight with the Walt Disney Co., which opposed the bill and law. The governor pushed the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature to curtail the California-based entertainment giant’s authority over its central Florida theme parks, though the company and state are still feuding over it.

The changes backed Wednesday bolster a rule the board initially established in October carrying out the controversial bill from last year. This policy outlined that teachers “shall not intentionally” lead instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through grade 3.

Now, it stipulates that instruction on those two topics is also prohibited in pre-kindergarten and grades 4-12 unless the lessons are required by state standards or required for a reproductive health course, which parents can opt-out students.

These provisions are baked into Florida’s professional code of conduct for educators that are meant to hold teachers accountable. As such, the state education commissioner can pursue disciplinary action against the license of any teacher who violates that code, including the expansions approved Wednesday.

LGBTQ advocates opposed the rule change, contending it unfairly targets and bullies the LGBTQ community. They also argued that it puts the careers of educators in jeopardy for violating what some consider vague policies.

“This rule is by design a tool for curating fear, anxiety and the erasure of our LGBTQ community,” Joe Saunders, former state legislator and Equality Florida's senior political director, told the board Wednesday.

The rule also had its supporters at the meeting, including conservative groups such as the Christian Family Coalition, Florida Citizens Alliance and Moms for Liberty. Members of Moms for Liberty contended the policy would strengthen relationships between parents and their children, and that it’s necessary to ensure teachers are leading lessons approved by the state.

“The crowding out of academic learning, which his already deficient, by inappropriate sexual classroom content should be considered educational malpractice,” Yvette Benarroch, who leads the Collier County chapter of Moms for Liberty, told the board.

The parental rights expansions approved by the state board go beyond grade-level scope of legislation GOP lawmakers are currently advancing in the Legislature.

One bill that already passed the House, FL HB1069 (23R), would broaden the state’s prohibition on teaching about sexual identity and gender orientation from kindergarten through third grade to pre-K through eighth grade. It also restricts how school staff and students can use pronouns on K-12 campuses.

The measure is part of the push by Florida conservatives to uproot what they say is “indoctrination” in schools and is one of several bills taken up this session focusing on the LGBTQ community and transness.

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Air Force unit in document leaks case loses intel mission

WASHINGTON — The Air Force is investigating how a lone airman could access and distribute possibly hundreds of highly classified documents, and in the meantime has taken away the intelligence mission from the unit where the leaks took place, Air Force leaders said Tuesday.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Congress he has directed the Air Force inspector general to go look at the Air National Guard 102nd Intelligence Wing based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira served and look at “anything associated with this leak that could have gone wrong."

Teixeira, 21, was charged Friday in the U.S. District Court in Boston with unauthorized removal and retention of classified and national defense information. He is expected back in court for a hearing Wednesday.

The leaks have raised questions as to how a single airman could have removed so many documents without being detected, why there were not safety checks in place and how the documents could have lingered online undetected for months.

“How could this guardsman take this information and distribute it electronically for weeks, if not months, and nobody knew about it?” Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana asked the Air Force leaders testifying before a Senate defense appropriations subcommittee.

These are questions the Air Force is asking, too. For top secret information across the military, there's supposed to be accountable control officers who are responsible for recording active top secret documents and ensuring they have been either properly secured or disposed of, such as through a shredder or by burning them.

Pending further review, “The 102nd Intelligence Wing is not currently performing its assigned intelligence mission. The mission has been temporarily reassigned to other organizations within the Air Force," the service said in a statement to The Associated Press.

In addition, the Air Force is conducting a service-wide review of how each command handles classified information, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown told members of subcommittee.

The Air Force's own reviews are on top of a military-wide review directed on Monday by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Austin has ordered that all military facilities that handle classified information report to him within 45 days on how they access, share, store and destroy the nation’s secrets following the leaks.

The leaked documents exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments on the war in Ukraine, the capabilities and geopolitical interests of other nations and other national security issues.

Teixeira posted the highly classified material in a geopolitical chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers.

“He had access to some aspects based on his job as a cyber administrator. He took advantage of that access,” Brown said.

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DeSantis begins up-Hill battle for congressional GOP support

Many congressional Republicans are eager for a former President Donald Trump alternative in 2024. Yet even with Ron DeSantis right in front of them, few are committing early to Trump’s chief rival for the GOP nomination.

The Florida governor and former House member returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for the start of a prolonged courtship with his party's lawmakers — outreach he’ll need to step up if he hopes to topple Trump in a presidential primary. But among the nine Republicans who are formally co-hosting DeSantis’ congressional meet-and-greet, only three so far are willing to call it an endorsement.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said in an interview that he considers DeSantis a friend but that his co-hosting status for the governor's event is not an endorsement. In fact, Lee said he’d be willing to co-host other GOP presidential contenders in the same fashion — including Trump.

Another two of the nine lawmakers listed as co-hosts of the event harmonized with Lee: “I’m not endorsing anybody. I just think it’s always good to see who’s out there,” Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) said, adding that he participated because of his home state’s first-in-the-nation GOP primary slot. “I support any person who wants to throw their hat in the ring.”

“I'm not co-hosting — I'm a special guest,” quipped Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) when asked Tuesday about his involvement. He has also not endorsed in the 2024 primary.

The DeSantis-Hill GOP meeting marks the start of a charged battle for the attention of congressional Republicans between the party’s two presumed presidential frontrunners. The favor of GOP lawmakers won't determine the nominee, but it remains critical to campaign-trail buzz and earned media: The open distaste Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) drew from most of his Senate colleagues, for example, hurt him in the 2016 primary fight with Trump.

And institutional support still acts as a crucial validator, particularly for a nascent candidate like DeSantis, who has faced nagging questions about his viability after recent stumbles. Just three House Republicans — and no senators — have endorsed DeSantis, compared to dozens for Trump, although Tuesday’s event is the first signal that the Florida governor is looking to change that.

“Trump’s a known quantity. He’s not. I think he would probably benefit from sitting down and talking to people,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) of DeSantis. “Trump’s in a good spot. I think DeSantis brings a lot to the table and it would be a serious challenge for President Trump.”

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) said in an interview on Tuesday afternoon she would attend the event as well, making her the second senator to meet with DeSantis. Asked if her appearance equaled an endorsement, she replied: "Not yet."

"Tim Scott is forming an exploratory committee. And ... Ron DeSantis and I were very good friends in the House," Lummis said. "We're still in the kind of stay-tuned phase."

Despite the desire for new blood at the top of the ticket, Hill Republicans still prioritize avoiding Trump's anger. And the general hesitancy to back DeSantis, who still has not officially declared his intent to run, underscores a persistent reality in GOP politics that he will have to confront: Crossing the former president remains a risky endeavor. Trump and his team are paying close attention to which members have — or have not — backed his campaign, and have been strategically rolling out endorsements from inside the Capitol in recent weeks.

There was at least one exception, though: First-term Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), who served as DeSantis' secretary of state until she was elected last November, endorsed DeSantis just hours before the event was set to begin Tuesday.

"His leadership and his vision made Florida a shining beacon of freedom,” Lee said in a statement, becoming the first in the Florida delegation to back him.

Trump's team, though, had an answer for that. His campaign had already rolled out his endorsement from Rep. John Rutherford of Florida hours earlier, the second from the state's delegation within 24 hours. (Rep. Greg Steube endorsed Trump on Monday night).

Across the Capitol, Trump has nearly doubled his Senate endorsements over the past month, with nine senators now endorsing him — roughly 20 percent of the conference. That support includes Graham, Tennessee Sens. Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn, as well as Sens. Ted Budd of North Carolina, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, J.D. Vance of Ohio and Eric Schmitt of Missouri.

And there may be more on the way.

“I think Trump will clean them up. I think the polls are pretty indicative of where most would be. Despite Trump's challenges, he was the original,” said Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), who hasn't endorsed a presidential candidate.

And Trump started wooing members months ago. He recently held a 3.5-hour dinner with GOP lawmakers over the weekend while he was in Nashville for the RNC retreat, where he ate with Hagerty, Blackburn and Tennessee GOP Reps. Chuck Fleischmann, John Rose and Diana Harshbarger, according to Fleischmann.

“I don’t know many people going to the DeSantis event,” Fleischmann said on Tuesday afternoon, a day after he formally endorsed the former president. “I think he and the other candidates who might seek to challenge President Trump for the nomination are going to realize very, very quickly that it's Trump's nomination.”

Several House Republicans, when asked on Tuesday if they planned to attend the DeSantis meet-and-greet, cited vague scheduling conflicts.

Another early Trump endorser, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), called the gathering “a meeting for supporters of the governor's 2024 presidential aspirations” but declined to comment further beyond saying: “I wish the governor well."

It’s not yet clear exactly how many members will attend the DeSantis event: People familiar with the planning offered a variety of numbers when asked about attendance. Some GOP lawmakers on Tuesday said they hadn’t yet decided whether to go, given the busy week in D.C.

The "special guests" listed on the invitation include Feenstra, LaHood, Reps. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Bob Good (R-Va.) as well as Sens. Lee and Lummis — in addition to Reps. Lee, Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas), all of whom have formally endorsed the Florida governor.

In a brief interview, Massie suggested that some members might fear their Trump-supporting voters would turn on them if they endorsed the former president's potential opponent. He also appeared to suggest that some lawmakers might be looking for a quid-pro-quo as they try to get through their own elections.

“I think when somebody comes out for DeSantis, it's meaningful to DeSantis,” said Massie, who once fought for his own Trump endorsement back home. ‘When somebody comes out for Trump, it's meaningful for the person who's endorsing Trump, not necessarily Trump.”

At least one Republican who doesn’t plan to attend, though, said he’s happy the Florida governor is here — and happy he’s apparently looking to enter the race.

“I met him, great guy ... But I’ve already got my candidate,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who has endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. “We got a good stable to pick from ... This will be competitive. We gotta win in 2024. We gotta change course.”

Olivia Beavers contributed.

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Why the Ralph Yarl shooting is reigniting the ’stand your ground’ debate

It took four days. But the octogenarian accused of shooting Ralph Yarl is now facing criminal charges. They include armed criminal action and first-degree assault, a class A felony which carries a penalty of no less than 10 years and up to 30 years or life imprisonment, if convicted.

For Andrew D. Lester, the alleged shooter, that’s essentially a death sentence.

It would also mark a stark turn of events for the white man who, immediately after the shooting on Thursday, was taken into custody but promptly released after about an hour. Lester surrendered Tuesday and is back in custody. He told police he was “scared to death,” citing the teenager’s size. Fearing that he could not defend himself, Lester discharged his weapon, striking Yarl in the head and in the arm.

The incident has triggered another round of all-too-familiar outrage and horror, and ignited fresh scrutiny over our nation's gun laws — in particular, Missouri’s “stand your ground” law, which protects people in some cases who use potentially lethal force if a proportionate threat is encountered.

The perceived threat in this case: Yarl, a Black teenager who was sent to pick up his younger twin siblings, mistakenly arriving at the wrong door.

This case has all the ingredients to revive the national debate over “stand your ground” laws, which over much of the last decade have been central in trials for civilians accused in fatal shootings of Black teens and young men, including Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis in 2012.(Davis’s mother is Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), a prominent gun control advocate.)

Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, argued during court proceedings that he was suspicious of the teen, who was visiting relatives in a gated community in Florida. Zimmerman then pursued Martin, got into a physical altercation with him, shot him and was acquitted. In Davis’ case, Michael David Dunn got into an argument over loud rap music at a gas station, then shot into a vehicle carrying Davis and his friends, killing Davis. Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder.

“It’s been my goal from the very beginning to get justice for the child involved in the case,” Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson told reporters Monday afternoon after charges had been announced.

“I can tell you there was a racial component in this case,” he added, without giving further details.

The split-screen politics here are hard to miss. Politicians and celebrities alike have weighed in, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who tweeted: “Let’s be clear: No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell. Every child deserves to be safe. That’s the America we are fighting for.”

President Joe Biden spoke to Yarl and shared his hope for a swift recovery, the White House announced Monday evening.

Yet as demonstrators rallied through the weekend in Kansas City calling for justice for Yarl — ensuring national media didn’t turn its focus elsewhere and ramping up pressure on the law enforcement investigation — some 500 miles east in Indianapolis, the National Rifle Association held its annual convention.

It was attended by a handful of potential 2024 GOP hopefuls, including former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, and the Kansas City incident was not mentioned.

However, other recent shootings were evoked — including mass shootings in Nashville last month and another in Louisville just over a week ago — to argue before the reported 70,000 attendees that more guns are needed.

As the criminal case involving Lester works its way through the Missouri legal system, discrepancies between some of the details that led to the shooting will be addressed.

For instance, Lester told police he shot after he saw Yarl pulling on an exterior storm door, thinking he was trying to break in, while Yarl told police he waited outside after he rang the doorbell and did not pull on the door, The Kansas City Star reported.

Those details could be the crux of whether Lester walks free. But the reason we are talking about this at all seems to be clear, according to a joint statement from Democratic state lawmakers in Missouri: Reps. Ashley Aune, Jamie Johnson, Maggie Nurrenbern and Eric Woods.

“While we may want to think that race did not play a factor, it is naive to assume that a white teenager in the same situation would face the same violence,” the group wrote on Monday. “This is a time when we must be willing to have hard conversations about racism in this country and, sadly, in our communities.”

This article first appeared in an edition of The Recast newsletter.

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‘So unnecessary’: Republicans pile on DeSantis over Disney

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and other potential GOP presidential hopefuls slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' handling of his ongoing feud with Disney this week.

"That's not the guy I want sitting across from President Xi [Jinping] ... or sitting across from [President Vladimir] Putin and trying to resolve what's happening in Ukraine, if you can't see around a corner [Disney CEO] Bob Iger created for you,” Christie said Tuesday during a livestreamed interview with Semafor, adding: “I don’t think Ron DeSantis is a conservative, based on his actions towards Disney.”

DeSantis has been in a back-and-forth with Disney over the control over the thousands of acres that’s home to the Magic Kingdom and other theme parks. In February, Disney quietly, through a bureaucratic vote, gained back control of the Orlando-area park — though state officials didn’t learn of it until March. Disney’s move left DeSantis administration officials scrambling to respond, and the governor ordered an investigation into the California-based corporation. DeSantis is widely expected to run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, but has not yet announced his bid.

Former President Donald Trump also criticized DeSantis' feud with Disney on Tuesday, writing in a Truth Social post that DeSantis is being "absolutely destroyed by Disney."

"Disney’s next move will be the announcement that no more money will be invested in Florida because of the Governor — In fact, they could even announce a slow withdrawal or sale of certain properties, or the whole thing. Watch! That would be a killer. In the meantime, this is all so unnecessary, a political STUNT! Ron should work on the squatter MESS!" Trump said.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who has strongly hinted at a 2024 bid, said DeSantis’ feud with Disney is becoming a tit-for-tat because it's not going as he had planned.

“Look, this has gone from kind of going after a headline to something that has devolved into an issue, and it convolutes the entire Republican message,” Sununu said on CNN Monday night. “I just don't think — it's not good for Governor DeSantis. I don't think it's good for the Republican party.”

The Nikki Haley-launched leadership PAC Stand for America PAC said in a statement that after the Florida governor's latest bid to “one-up Mickey Mouse after a devastating and embarrassing blow to his efforts to rein in Disney World, Ron DeSantis has proposed some new neighbors to the amusement park – criminals.” The former ambassador to the United Nations launched her presidential bid in February.

The PAC’s statement references DeSantis’ comments Monday that Florida might consider building a prison next to land owned by Disney.

A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond for a request to comment. At a press conference on Monday, DeSantis announced that the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature will attempt to change state law to subject the company theme parks to new inspections and said that Disney is “not superior to the laws that are enacted by the people of the state of Florida. That’s not going to work, that’s not going to fly.”

In the interview, Christie said that he’ll make a decision in the next couple of weeks on whether he’ll run for president in 2024. Christie was seen speaking to more than three dozen of his former staffers and advisors about a possible 2024 presidential run Monday night in Washington.

“If we go forward, we want all of you to be with us,” Christie told the room Monday. “Thank you to all of you for everything you’ve already done for us. It’s been really, really an amazing ride. And you know what? It might not just be over yet.”

Christie said Tuesday the field for 2024 looks “vacant compared to what I dealt with in 2016.”

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Biden administration developing plan to get Covid vaccines to the uninsured

The Biden administration plans to roll out a new initiative this week guaranteeing free Covid vaccines, treatments and tests for the uninsured into 2024, two people briefed on the matter told POLITICO.

The program comes as the White House prepares to wind down its pandemic response operation. It also represents an effort to ensure vulnerable Americans can still access shots and treatments once the government shifts broader responsibility for Covid care to the private sector.

Biden officials are preparing to begin that so-called commercialization process later this year. Under its forthcoming plan for the uninsured, the administration would keep a limited supply of vaccines, therapeutics and tests on hand to distribute free for months after the transition.

The people briefed on the matter cautioned that the plan’s specifics are not yet final and could still change. An HHS spokesperson did not immediately comment on the details of the program.

The administration, for example, has yet to finalize contracts with vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer to purchase additional shots for the program. It is also still building out a distribution network to continue administering vaccines and treatments to the uninsured.

But HHS has set aside as much as $1.1 billion for the program, with the hope that it will keep Covid care free for uninsured adults through at least the summer of 2024, the people briefed on the matter said. Much of that money would go toward purchasing new vaccines in the fall, when drugmakers are expected to update their shots, and paying its distribution partners to administer them.

The stockpile for the uninsured will likely be small, given the lack of continued demand for the vaccine. Fewer than 40,000 people are now getting vaccinated per day as the pandemic recedes in people’s minds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the lowest rate since the Covid shots became widely available.

Officials have estimated they probably have enough of the antiviral Paxlovid on hand to cover future demand for the treatment from the uninsured.

The population that would qualify for free care would also be somewhat limited. There are about 30 million adults without health insurance, though that number could grow as pandemic-era protections expire and more people lose their Medicaid coverage. A separate, pre-existing federal program will continue providing free vaccinations for uninsured children.

Still, the program has taken on heightened importance within the administration amid scrutiny of its plans to hand off major responsibilities tied to a pandemic still killing more than 1,300 a week, according to the CDC.

Officials are particularly eager to avoid reports of low-income Americans going without Covid treatments because they can’t afford to pay out-of-pocket prices likely to reach hundreds of dollars per dose.

Top health officials, including CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O'Connell, are slated to appear Wednesday before Congress to discuss their priorities for the coming year.

Both Moderna and Pfizer are planning to charge at least $110 per dose for their vaccines on the private market, though they argue much of that cost will be covered for those who have insurance.

And while the companies have pledged to make the shots free for the uninsured through "patient assistance" programs, Biden officials remain skeptical they will be structured in a way that makes the vaccines easily accessible.

“We are going to have a plan to make sure that uninsured Americans continue to get access to vaccines and treatments for free,” White House Covid response coordinator Ashish Jha said in March on the “In the Bubble” podcast. “This is a really important goal, and we have set aside money to make sure we can meet that goal.”

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McHenry clashes with SEC's Gensler over crypto crackdown

House Republicans ripped into SEC Chair Gary Gensler at his first oversight hearing in 18 months, claiming his crackdown on cryptocurrency has failed to bring stability to digital asset markets.

“Your approach is driving innovation overseas and endangering American competitiveness,” Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) said Tuesday.

Cryptocurrency lobbyists have been pushing lawmakers for months to take a more aggressive tack with Gensler, who has significantly dialed up SEC enforcement since last year's spectacular collapse of the FTX exchange, setting its sights on some of the biggest companies like Coinbase.

Gensler has long argued that much of the lightly regulated $1 trillion market violates U.S. securities rules because many of the products consist of unregistered securities.

Gensler, an ally of top progressives like Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), has been on a collision course with McHenry since the GOP took control of the House in January. The veteran regulator's turbocharged rulemaking agenda includes planned overhauls of the private equity industry and stock market trading, along with a sweeping climate change proposal that Republicans have battered with claims of government overreach.

But much of the fireworks Tuesday focused on crypto. McHenry – along with other Republicans like Reps. French Hill of Arkansas and Bill Huizenga of Michigan – attacked Gensler over his approach to regulation. They said he was focused too much on enforcement and not enough on providing clarity for the industry. They also blasted the SEC chair for stonewalling their efforts to investigate his response to the FTX failure.

In one contentious exchange, McHenry challenged Gensler to explain whether Ether — the second-largest crypto token after Bitcoin — is a security, while hinting at a potential turf war between the SEC and another regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. CFTC Chair Rostin Behnam, whose agency oversees derivatives products, has said that Ether falls under the CFTC’s jurisdiction.

“Do you think it serves the market for an object to be viewed by the commodities regulators as a commodity and the securities regulator to be viewed as a security? Do you think that provides safety and soundness for the products?” McHenry asked Gensler, who led the CFTC during the Obama administration. “I think `no' should be a very simple answer for you here.”

But Gensler declined, citing a longstanding precedent for SEC officials to not comment on the “facts and circumstances” of specific cases. Instead, he offered a high-level response explaining the SEC’s test for determining whether an asset is a security.

The SEC chair called on exchanges, brokers and issuers to comply with the same rules that Wall Street follows.

“It’s not a matter of a lack of clarity,” Gensler said. “This is a field that in the main is built up around non-compliance.”

Democrats, led by ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), defended Gensler’s digital asset strategy. Waters argued that his approach marked a “stark difference” from that of previous SEC officials.

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