System Update with Glenn Greenwald Ron DeSantis Twice Went to Israel to Sign Censorship Laws (Bonus Episode)
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Jan 14, 2026 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's controversial trips to Israel to sign local laws take center stage. The legislation targets anti-Israel speech and escalates punishments against boycott movements. Glenn highlights unique political dynamics, including the shift of neocon donors from DeSantis to Trump. Free speech advocates raise alarms over the impact on campus discourse and the implications of signing laws abroad. As DeSantis faces public scrutiny, the episode sheds light on Israel's profound influence on American politics.
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Governor Signed Florida Laws In Israel
- Ron DeSantis twice flew to Israel to ceremonially sign Florida laws restricting speech and punishing certain conduct toward Israel and Jews.
- This practice reveals an unusual foreign influence dynamic where a U.S. governor publically aligns domestic lawmaking with a foreign government.
Foreign Signing Seen As Political Humiliation
- Greenwald stresses the peculiarity and symbolic humiliation of signing domestic laws abroad, saying no other country would allow governors to sign home laws in a foreign capital.
- He frames the acts as demeaning to Florida citizens and revealing of political obeisance to Israel.
Laws Target Speech And Boycotts For Israel
- The laws signed targeted speech, hate crimes, and boycotts related to Israel, expanding state punishments and restricting campus expression.
- Greenwald argues these measures uniquely prioritize protecting Israel over typical free-speech norms in American states.