CNBC reports:

From horse racing to college basketball, Kentucky is known for many things. But it may not be the best state to spend your post-work years.

Kentucky ranks as the worst state to take up retirement in 2023, according to a WalletHub study. This year, the state landed in last place which was occupied by New Jersey in 2022.

Last place! What if you’re only here half time?

I don’t often get enthused about a TV show these days, but we watched the first season of Netflix’s The Diplomat last week, and wow! Great writing and acting, a cool plot and location. *Really* interesting characters. It’s The West Wing dialogue meets a Tom Clancy plot. Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell do a spectacular job as a brilliant, intense, and dysfunctional couple in high-level government service.

Loved it and can’t wait for season 2, which unfortunately won’t be until mid-2024.

Ron Desantis, busy making Florida a better place to live.

From The New Republic:

Just weeks ago, Ron DeSantis made it legal in Florida to conceal carry a gun without a permit, training, or even a background check.  —  And on Friday, he signed a bill to prevent credit card companies from tracking the sale of firearms and ammunition.

From The Guardian:

As the summer holidays approach, Florida teachers are feeling anxious, confused and beaten down by new laws, championed by DeSantis, that limit how issues of race can be taught, what teachers can say about sex, especially about homosexuality, and what books are permitted in schools. In promoting this legislation, DeSantis angered many teachers when he denounced “indoctrination in our schools” and let his press secretary accuse teachers of “grooming” students.

In interviews with the Guardian, Florida teachers said they’re feeling more disrespected, unappreciated and under attack than ever before, worried that they’ll be fired or otherwise punished if they run afoul of the controversial – and often vague – new laws. As a result of these laws and their emboldening parents to challenge and even castigate teachers, many Florida teachers say they’re considering either giving up teaching or finding a teaching job in another state – all when Florida, which ranks 48th among states in teacher pay according to a recent study, is already suffering from a shortage of 5,300 teachers. Florida teachers complain that DeSantis – who is expected to announce plans to run for the Republican presidential nomination – has targeted them as part of a culture war aimed at winning over GOP voters.

This is definitely the guy I want shaping US culture as POTUS. What a tool.