Hello, Insiders. Back when I was a tech blogger (a million years ago), there was nothing more exciting than a leak about whatever Apple was up to. The next best thing was iPhone launch day. Steve Jobs was a master showman. (Yes, that’s an old blog of mine.) His successor Tim Cook, on the other hand, is a major snooze.
Casey DeSantis is the secret “co-governor” of Florida. Rivals, friends, and former colleagues say she’s behind husband Ron DeSantis’ meteoric rise.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has made national headlines for his controversial stances — including his feud with Disney and pending lawsuits alleging he lured unsuspecting migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Now, he’s making more as a possible Republican presidential candidate.
Insiders say Casey has been integral in shaping Ron’s trajectory. One former congressional staffer said she was his primary advisor during his bid for the US House seat. A Republican operative told us she’s a gatekeeper in her own right — staffers brag about their proximity to her: “It’s very Hillary Clinton 1992-esque. You’re getting the two-for-one deal here.”
As one of Ron’s former chiefs of staff told reporters Lyz Lenz and Kimberly Leonard, “It’s clear she’s the X factor. They complete the political element that is Ron DeSantis.”
Doctors say it’s time to abolish daylight-saving time once and for all. This weekend, 48 US states will gain an hour of sleep as we return to standard time. Doctors say standard time is better for our bodies — and that the US should get rid of the clock-switching altogether.
Police denied rumors of a serial killer targeting Black women — but then a kidnapped woman escaped. A man was charged, but police said no reports of a missing person were made prior to the arrest. Activists say this case shines a light on a nationwide issue of police not taking reports of missing Black women seriously. Read the full story.
“I make $18,000 a month in revenue as an Airbnb host.” Formerly an Airbnb employee, this 34-year-old pivoted to hosting on the platform and rents out a penthouse in Medellín, Colombia, for up to $1,100 a night. He shares how he achieved success.
A 25-year-old actor converted an ambulance into a home-on-wheels with $15,000. After finding the vehicle on a government auction website, Eli Young now lives rent free in New York City. His home features a full-sized foldable bed, a mini kitchen, and a shower with running hot water — look inside the ambulance here.
These identical twins were separated at birth and led different lives. Isabella Solimene was raised in America, while Ha Nguyen grew up in Vietnam. They reunited for the first time when they were 13 years old — here’s their story.
Today’s sound bite
“They were afraid that having a writer of color in their room meant there were gonna be consequences.”
Indigenous women in Mexico still make mole sauce using ancient tools like the metate grinding stone. We visited chef Evangelina Aquino Luis of Nana Vira to see how she makes her chichilo mole for funerals.