theblaze--2020-05-06--Disturbing video of man being shot sparks outrage over lack of arrests  in February killing

Disturbing video of man being shot sparks outrage over lack of arrests in February killing An attorney for the victim @ @ @ @ @ confirms : 'This is murder . '

The release of a video purportedly showing the killing of 25-year-old Georgia man Ahmaud Arbery in February has shined a spotlight on the case, and raised questions over why no arrests have been made in connection with his death.
What are the details?
Arbery, who was black, was admittedly pursued on Feb. 23 by two white men in a truck, Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael. A third white man was also reportedly involved in chasing Arbery.
Arbery's family members say he liked to stay in shape and was simply out for a jog. Gregory McMichael told police that there had been several break-ins in the neighborhood, and that Arbery was a suspect who had been caught on surveillance video.
Gregory McMichael, a former Glynn County police officer and retired investigator with the local district attorney's office, says he was standing in his front yard when he saw Arbery "hauling ass" down the street, so he ran inside and told Travis. The McMichaels each grabbed firearms and jumped in a truck to try and chase Arbery down "in an attempt to intercept him," according to the police report obtained by The New York Times.
The McMichaels tried to "cut off" Arbery, according to Gregory's account, but Arbery ran the other away. Then they tried to block him a second time, shouting that they wanted to talk to him, and that is when Arbery was killed.
The police report reads: "[Gregory] McMichael states the unidentified male began to violently attack Travis and the two men then started fighting over the shotgun at which point Travis fired a shot and then a second later there was a second shot."
Video emerged this week, purportedly showing the footage of what happened when Arbery was shot.
Be warned, it is violent content:
Video shows fatal Brunswick shooting of Ahmaud Arbery www.youtube.com
The video was shared by S. Lee Merritt, the attorney for Arbery's mother, who said of the footage, "The series of events captured in this video confirm what all evidence indicated prior to its release—Ahmaud Arbery was pursued by three white men that targeted him solely because of his race and murdered him without justification. This is murder."
The footage was widely circulated on social media on Tuesday, and a series of news reports were published covering the incident from over two months ago.
Prior to the release of the video, two prosecutors had recused themselves from the case. The first cited a conflict of interest because Gregory McMichael had worked in her office.
The second was forced to recuse himself at the pressing of Arbery's mother due to a separate conflict of interest over a professional connection, after arguing against making any arrests in a letter the Glynn County Police Department.
District Attorney George Barnhill wrote that the McMichaels acted lawfully in pursuing Arbery, that Travis McMichael was acting in self-defense, and that "Arbery's mental health records & prior convictions help explain his apparent aggressive nature and his possible thought pattern to attack an armed man."
The Times reported that "court records show that Mr. Arbery was convicted of shoplifting and of violating probation in 2018. Five years earlier, according to the The Brunswick News, he was indicted on charges that he took a handgun to a high school basketball game."
Arbery's mother, Wanda Jones, told CBS News that her son's previous brushes with the law have nothing to do with what happened the day he died, maintaining that he was the victim. She told the outlet that the McMichaels "should have waited for the authorities to arrive."
USA Today reported the day that the video was released, the third prosecutor on the case, Tom Durden, announced in a statement, "I am of the opinion that the case should be presented to the grand jury of Glynn County for consideration of criminal charges against those involved in the death of Mr. Arbery."


theblaze--2020-05-06--Social distancing mastermind resigns after breaking his own rules to cheat with married woman

Social distancing mastermind resigns after breaking his own rules to cheat with married woman Dr. Ferguson says he believed he @ @

The leading epidemiologist who helped craft the United Kingdom's social distancing rules resigned after he was caught breaking those rules in order to cheat with a married woman.
Dr. Neil Ferguson led a team of researchers at the Imperial College in London but he relinquished his post on Tuesday after the Telegraph newspaper reported on his extramarital acts.
The report said that a married woman who lived in another house with her family visited Ferguson twice at his home in violation of the social distancing rules he helped implement. Ferguson lives with his child but is believed to have separated from his wife.
Ferguson told CNN in a statement that he had committed "an error of judgement and took the wrong course of action."
He explained that he believed he had taken the proper precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus before engaging in his romantic interests.
"I acted in the belief that I was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms," Ferguson said.
"I deeply regret any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing to control this devastating epidemic," he added.
"The government guidance is unequivocal," Ferguson concluded, "and is there to protect all of us."
The 38-year-old woman Ferguson met with was identified by the Daily Mail as a left-wing activist who joined demonstrations on climate and against fossil fuels.
Critics of Ferguson and the coronavirus lockdown policies enforced around the world pounced on the report to brand him a hypocrite and argue that his behavior made a case against social distancing.
Here's a video of Ferguson defending lockdown policies:


theblaze--2020-05-06--Nancy Pelosi will refuse to answer any more questions about sexual assault allegations against Joe B

Nancy Pelosi will refuse to answer any more questions about sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that she considered the sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden closed and she announced that she would no longer answer questions about the matter.
She made the announcement while talking to Ari Melber Tuesday evening on his MSNBC show.
"Now that he has given that answer, do you view this as a closed issue, what is your response?" asked Melber after playing a video of Biden's response to the allegations.
"Well it is for me!" Pelosi responded.
"Uh, I said I am proud to support Joe Biden for president. Uh, I believe him when he said it didn't happen, but I also believe him when he said let them look into the record, and that's what they should do," she explained.
"But I'm not gonna answer this question again," Pelosi said.
"I will just say I have every confidence that Joe Biden will be a great president of the United States. Uh, not only because of the person of integrity that he is, but the person of vision that he is for just some of the things you talked about," she continued.
"About healthcare for all Americans, about job security, about the kitchen table issues that he's so familiar with in his own family, when his father lost his own job," Pelosi explained.
"Uh, Joe Biden is Joe," she added helpfully.
Biden was accused by Tara Reade, a former congressional aide, of sexual assault in 1993 when he was a senator. He has denied the allegations but more sources have surfaced to corroborate the claims from his accuser.
Here's the video of Pelosi's comments:


theblaze--2020-05-06--Texas sheriff sends SWAT team with guns drawn to arrest armed lockdown protestors

Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis says , 'If you do n't like what 's going on , run for governor @ @

A Texas sheriff sent his department's SWAT team with guns drawn to break up a rally in support of a bar owner who reopened her business in violation of Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) coronavirus lockdown on Monday.
The protestors say they did nothing wrong and argue they were simply practicing their First and Second Amendment Rights, while the sheriff says the demonstrators exhibited "a show of force" in their demonstration. Eight people were arrested—six of them for unlawfully carrying a weapon on a premises licensed to sell alcohol.
What are the details?
Gabrielle Ellison owns Big Daddy Zane's bar in West Odessa. She announced she would be reopening her doors in violation of the state's COVID-19 lockdown, because she cannot support her family. She told KPEJ-TV, "The possibility of losing my license—heartbreaking. But they've already taken my income."
Ellison says she even called the Ector County Sheriff's Department ahead of time to let them know there would be a peaceful protest at the bar when she reopened Monday. Ellison maintains she was told there wouldn't be any trouble as long people were not seen carrying firearms on the property.
So Ellison made sure the demonstration took place in an area behind the bar, which she says is her private property. It was met with and shut down by force.
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis sent in his department's SWAT team with guns drawn. The deputies arrested eight people, including Ellison.
A SWAT team GUNS DRAWN raid peaceful protest at Big Daddy Zane's West Odessa, Texas www.youtube.com
Six of the demonstrators were arrested on felony charges of unlawfully carrying a weapon on a licensed premises, and Sheriff Griffis says more charges could be filed.
The protest was organized by a group called Open Texas, which seeks to provide support and defend the rights of small business owners to reopen and support themselves. Phillip Archibald, who is part of Open Texas, told KWES-TV, "We're here to inspire the American people to stand up. Every single one of my buddies just got arrested for doing nothing wrong. All of our rifles were slinged."
During a news conference following the incident, Griffis said he wants the state reopened, too, but his department was simply enforcing the executive order imposed by Gov. Abbott. "If you don't like what's going on, run for governor," the sheriff said. "Give us something to work with here."
Griffis noted that he had not shut down another protest held at a gym across town where people were also armed, pointing out that the demonstration was not held on a property where alcohol was sold. He said of the rally at Big Daddy Zane's, "This was not a protest of their Second Amendment rights. It was a show of force to ensure that this lady could violate the governor's order."


theblaze--2020-05-06--Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized on Tuesday after a non-surgical treatment for a gallbladder condition .
The office for public information of the Supreme Court released a statement with details of the condition of the liberal 83-year-old justice lauded widely by the left .
The statement said Ginsburg suffered from a gallstone that had blocked her cystic duct and caused an infection .
The benign condition is called acute cholecystitis .
`` The Justice is resting comfortably and plans to participate in the oral argument teleconference tomorrow morning remotely from the hospital , '' the statement read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore , Maryland , for up to two more days .
In August 2019 Ginsburg underwent a treatment to remove a malignant tumor on her pancreas .
She also was hospitalized in November for flu-like symptoms .
The Supreme Court has changed the process for their hearings to teleconferencing in order to accommodate social distancing guidelines over the coronavirus pandemic .
Ginsburg is the oldest sitting member of the U.S. Supreme Court , the highest court in the United States .
Here 's the latest from the Supreme Court @

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized on Tuesday after a non-surgical treatment for a gallbladder condition.
The office for public information of the Supreme Court released a statement with details of the condition of the liberal 87-year-old justice lauded widely by the left.
The statement said Ginsburg suffered from a gallstone that had blocked her cystic duct and caused an infection. The benign condition is called acute cholecystitis.
"The Justice is resting comfortably and plans to participate in the oral argument teleconference tomorrow morning remotely from the hospital," the statement read.
She expects to stay hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, for up to two more days.
In August 2019 Ginsburg underwent a treatment to remove a malignant tumor on her pancreas. She also was hospitalized in November for flu-like symptoms.
The Supreme Court has changed the process for their hearings to teleconferencing in order to accommodate social distancing guidelines over the coronavirus pandemic.
Ginsburg is the oldest sitting member of the U.S. Supreme Court, the highest court in the United States.
Here's the latest from the Supreme Court:


theblaze--2020-05-07--'Maybe your purpose on this planet isn't on this planet': US Space Force launches first recruitment

'Maybe your purpose on this planet isn't on this planet': US Space Force launches first recruitment video

'Maybe your purpose on this planet is n't on this planet ' : US Space Force launches first recruitment video @ @ @ @ @ military is in the process of building a force of around 16,000

The United States Space Force has launched its first recruitment ad following the graduation of its inaugural class of cadets just weeks ago.
What are the details?
The commercial was unveiled by Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett and Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond on Wednesday during a webinar sponsored by the Space Foundation.
In the ad, the Space Force shows off planes, satellites, and dazzling views of the new frontier for military personnel while a narrator says:
Some people look to the stars and ask, "What if?" Our job is to have an answer. We have to imagine what will be imagined, plan for what's possible — while it's still impossible. Maybe you weren't put here just to ask the questions. Maybe you were put here to be the answer. Maybe your purpose on this planet isn't on this planet.
United States Space Force: Purpose :30 Commercial www.youtube.com
During his presentation, Gen. Raymond explained, "It is a critical time for space. But it's also an incredibly exciting time. There are advances being made in all sectors of the space domain, whether it is national security space, commercial space, civil space with the moon to Mars program and international space."
He added, "The average American needs to understand just how reliant their life is on space. Space fuels the American way of life. Space also fuels our American way of war."
Gen. Raymond went on to echo what he has said before about building up the newest branch of the military to around 16,000 strong. There will be a highly selective process for choosing recruits for the force that is designed to be a "lean, agile service."
Just weeks ago, 86 cadets graduated from the Air Force Academy and became the first to be commissioned into the Space Force.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick says he will pay salon owner's fine and take her place in jail so she can kee

Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick says he will pay salon owner's fine and take her place in jail so she can keep working

Texas Lt. Gov .
Patrick says he will pay salon owner 's fine and take her place in jail so @ @ @ @ @ 7 days in jail , no bail and a $ 7K fine is outrageous '

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that he would pay the $7,000 fine for a Dallas salon owner arrested for defying social distancing orders and offered to be placed under house arrest to take her place in jail.
Shelley Luther became the masked face of the anti-lockdown movement when she gave a passionate response to a judge demanding that she apologize and admit she was wrong to reopen her salon amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"7 days in jail, no bail and a $7K fine is outrageous. No surprise Texans are responding," tweeted Patrick on Wednesday.
"I'm covering the $7K fine she had to pay and I volunteer to be placed under House Arrest so she can go to work and feed her kids," he added.
Many others have been outraged at the plight of Luther, who said she was merely trying to keep working so she could feed her children. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton decried the sentence and called for Luther to be released.
"I find it outrageous and out of touch that during this national pandemic, a judge, in a county that actually released hardened criminals for fear of contracting COVID-19, would jail a mother for operating her hair salon in an attempt to put food on her family's table," said Paxton.
"The trial judge did not need to lock up Shelley Luther," he continued. "His order is a shameful abuse of judicial discretion, which seems like another political stunt in Dallas. He should release Ms. Luther immediately."
Patrick made headlines early in the outbreak of the coronavirus when he said that American grandparents would rather be infected with coronavirus and die than let the economy be damaged for their grandchildren.
Hair salons will be allowed to open on Friday, but Luther said that she had a right to keep her salon open. She will be fined $500 for every day that her salon is open. She says she will continue to keep it open and appeal the decision.
Here's more about the Luther case:


theblaze--2020-05-06--Gov. Cuomo: 'Shocking' 66% of new COVID-19 hospitalizations in NY are people who had been staying ho

Gov. Cuomo: 'Shocking' 66% of new COVID-19 hospitalizations in NY are people who had been staying home

Gov .
Cuomo : 'Shocking ' 66 % of new COVID-19 hospitalizations in NY are people who had been staying @ @ @ @ @ .
They 're not traveling ...
They were predominantly at home . '

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) disclosed Wednesday that a recent survey found a "shocking" 66% of the coronavirus patients recently admitted to hospitals in the state are people who became infected despite largely remaining in their homes during the ongoing outbreak.
What are the details?
The governor said during a news conference that more than 100 hospitals across New York participated in a survey involving roughly 1,000 patients, and the data showed that two-thirds of new admissions were individuals who had sheltered in place without much venturing out, CNBC reported.
Cuomo pulled up a chart compiled by state health officials, explaining, "If you notice, 18% of the people came from nursing homes, less than 1% came from jail or prison, 2% came from the homeless population, 2% from other congregate facilities, but 66% of the people were at home, which is shocking to us."
He continued, "This is a surprise: Overwhelmingly, the people were at home. We thought maybe they were taking public transportation, and we've taken special precautions on public transportation, but actually no, because these people were literally at home."
"They're not working. They're not traveling," Cuomo added, according to NBC News. "We were thinking that maybe we were going to find a higher percent of essential employees who were getting sick because they were going to work — that these may be nurses, doctors, transit workers. That's not the case. They were predominantly at home."


theblaze--2020-05-06--Homeowner confronts man breaking into his vehicle. Crook opens fire, but so does homeowner — it's Te

Homeowner confronts man breaking into his vehicle. Crook opens fire, but so does homeowner — it's Texas, after all — and things end badly for suspect.

Homeowner confronts man breaking into his vehicle .
Crook opens fire , but so does homeowner — it 's Texas @ @ @ @ @ things end badly for suspect .
Can you believe he tried this in the Lone @ @ @

A Texas homeowner confronted a man he heard breaking into his vehicle just before 3 a.m. Tuesday, San Antonio police told the Express-News.
Many crooks still haven't caught on to the very real possibility that their victims may be exercising their Second Amendment rights — and apparently this guy was no exception.
What happened next?
Indeed the homeowner told police he pulled out his gun, the paper said, adding that the man allegedly breaking into his car pulled out a gun, too.
The pair exchanged gunfire, the Express News reported, and the suspect was hit in the torso and fled the scene.
What happened to the suspect and the homeowner?
Police found the suspect's body in the grass at Bellaire Park, the paper said, which is around the corner from the crime scene.
The homeowner wasn't hit during the shootout, KTSA-AM reported, adding that it's unclear if the homeowner will face criminal charges.


theblaze--2020-05-06--WATCH: Texas of all places is struggling with government oppression

WATCH : Texas of all places is struggling with government oppression

On Wednesday's "Pat Gray Unleashed," Pat Gray discussed current turbulence observed in the state of Texas. Along with the apparent panic and uncertainty, COVID-19 has brought with it gross abuses of power in the form of business owners being arrested and sentenced to jail for continuing to work while under shelter-in-place orders.
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theblaze--2020-05-06--'Outrageous and out of touch': AG Paxton, Gov. Abbott call for release of jailed Dallas salon owner

'Outrageous and out of touch ' : AG Paxton , Gov .
Abbott call for release of jailed Dallas salon @

Shelley Luther, the Dallas hair salon owner who defied government mandates by reopening her business during the coronavirus shutdown, was sentenced Tuesday to seven days in jail and ordered to pay $1,000 for each of the seven days her salon was open.
State District Judge Eric Moyé found Luther in violation of both criminal and civil contempt. He told Luther she might avoid jail time "if she admitted that she was wrong, that she was selfish, and that she should apologize to the elected officials whose orders she violated."
"I have to disagree with you, sir, when you say that I am selfish because feeding my kids is not selfish," Luther answered. "I have hair stylists that are going hungry because they'd rather feed their kids. So, sir, if you think the law is more important than kids being fed, then please go ahead with your decision. But I'm not going to shut the salon."
Moyé sentenced Luther to seven days in jail and a $7,000 fine.
On Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called for Luther to be released.
"I find it outrageous and out of touch that during this national pandemic, a judge, in a county that actually released hardened criminals for fear of contracting COVID-19, would jail a mother for operating her hair salon in an attempt to put food on her family's table. The trial judge did not need to lock up Shelley Luther. His order is a shameful abuse of judicial discretion, which seems like another political stunt in Dallas. He should release Ms. Luther immediately," Paxton said in a statement.
Gov. Abbott released a statement agreeing with Paxton:
"I join the Attorney General in disagreeing with the excessive action by the Dallas Judge, putting Shelley Luther in jail for seven days. As I have made clear through prior pronouncements, jailing Texans for non-compliance with executive orders should always be the last available option. Compliance with executive orders during this pandemic is important to ensure public safety; however, surely there are less restrictive means to achieving that goal than jailing a Texas mother."
Luther's attorney Warren Norred joined Glenn Beck on the radio program Wednesday to discuss the case. He told Glenn that Luther is essentially being found guilty of not "bending the knee" and that he's never seen anything like this before.
"This is about heresy. This is not about rule of law," he said. "You [Luther] have stood before this court, and been found guilty of disrespect ... because politicians are passing laws by executive authority, instead of the standard normal procedure, which they're supposed to use. So they're not following the rule of law. But she's supposed to."
Asked what Luther was actually convicted of, Norred responded, "That's a good question. They say she's breaking what they're calling an ordinance. But it's the fourth amended emergency regulations, that's passed by nobody, but simply uttered by the mayor of Dallas. And he gets his authority, supposedly, by leaning on the county judge, Clay Jenkins, who gets his authority, supposedly, by leaning on the authority of the executive governor. So all of these people are passing, up and down, this nebulous authority."
Watch the video below to get Glenn's take:
Dallas salon owner ARRESTED for opening business? Coronavirus has made America UNRECOGNIZABLE youtu.be
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theblaze--2020-05-06--Justin Amash's candidacy could hurt Joe Biden more than Donald Trump, according to new poll

Justin Amash 's candidacy could hurt Joe Biden more than Donald Trump , according to new poll

Independent (former Republican) Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan is considering a third-party presidential run as the Libertarian candidate. Even though he's a conservative, his candidacy might hurt former Vice President Joe Biden more than President Donald Trump, according to a new poll.
A Monmouth University poll showed that in a one-on-one election, Biden is at 50% and Trump is at 41% nationally. When the question is changed to make it a race between Biden, Trump, and Amash, Biden gets 47%, Trump 40%, and Amash 5%. In this poll, Amash takes more voters from the Democrat than the Republican.
Nationally, that doesn't make so much of a difference given Biden's current polling lead. Looking back to 2016, however, gives a picture of just how impactful a third party candidate can be one way or the other.
Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes (0.7%), and Libertarian Gary Johnson earned 146,715 votes (2.4%). Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes (0.3%), with Johnson earning 172,136 votes (3.6%). And, Trump won Wisconsin by 22,748 votes (0.7%) with Johnson earning 106,674 votes (3.6%).
That's 46 electoral votes in three key states that went to Trump due to a combined margin of victory of 77,744 votes — it can matter greatly who the third party candidate siphons votes from.
Trump trailed Hillary Clinton in national polls leading into the 2016 election; and indeed, Clinton won the popular vote by a significant margin. Whether or not Trump can hold states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin will go a long way toward determining whether he gets reelected.
The polling indicates that Trump has a tight hold on Republican voters, while some Democrats seem inclined to choose Amash over the presumptive nominee, Biden. From Hot Air:
Four points come out of Biden's support among independents with Amash in the race, which isn't surprising. More surprising is the fact that five points also come out of his support among Democrats. By comparison, Trump loses just a single point among Republicans to the libertarian, a testament to how tight his grip on the party is.
If 2016 is any indication, Amash's support as a hypothetical candidate in early polls will diminish when/if his candidacy becomes real, and as many voters get closer to Election Day and gravitate toward choosing a candidate that can actually win the election.


theblaze--2020-05-06--NY officials allowed COVID-positive workers to stay on the job at nursing homes — the facilities acc

NY officials allowed COVID-positive workers to stay on the job at nursing homes — the facilities account for 25% of deaths in the state

NY officials allowed COVID-positive workers to stay on the job at nursing homes — the facilities account for 25 % @ @ @ @ @ 'How could anyone not foresee this being a massive problem ? '

New York state officials allowed nursing home workers who had tested positive for the coronavirus but were asymptomatic carriers to continue on the job at facilities in the state throughout most of March and April.
The policy ended April 29 — well into the state's battle with the pandemic — after Steuben County officials sounded the alarm over the policy. In fact, those same officials raised concern about the policy earlier in the month, only to be circumvented by state officials, according to the New York Post.
This is a shocking revelation, given how the virus has disproportionately ravaged nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in the state. Nursing homes have accounted for roughly 25% of the reported coronavirus deaths.
But that's not all. Aside from allowing infected workers to continue on the job, state officials in New York also raised eyebrows last month by issuing a directive forcing nursing homes to accept infected patients from hospitals. New Jersey and California also issued similar rules.
In his report on the news, Guy Benson at Townhall wrote: "[New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo and everyone responsible for this failure must answer for it. And how could anyone not foresee this being a massive problem?"
Nursing homes have been ravaged worldwide
While nursing home deaths in New York account for 25% of deaths in the state, some, like David C. Grabowski, a Harvard University researcher who studies nursing homes, believe that when all is said and done, the numbers will be closer to half.
New York made headlines again on Tuesday when a new count revealed that 1,600 previously undisclosed deaths were reported at nursing homes in the state.
Nursing home deaths currently represent half or more of the total deaths in many states across the country, including but not limited to Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Similar reporting has been true in Europe, as well:
Yet lockdown measures have not focused on nursing homes
Despite the overwhelming evidence that nursing homes are disproportionately affected by the virus outbreak, it appears that state and local leaders have been slow to focus efforts on the facilities.
In an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson Tuesday, former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson slammed lockdown proponents for ignoring the facts. Berenson has been a leading critic of the often draconian lockdown measures enacted in several states.
"I'm getting sick of people saying, 'We don't know much about this virus, we don't know enough to know what the right steps are,'" Berenson said. "If that's true, why have we shut down the world?"
Rather he insisted that actually "we do know a lot about this virus. We know the average age of death in the United States and worldwide is probably about 80 or 82, and we know about half, if not more, of the people who die in the United States die in nursing homes."
Yet instead of focusing efforts on the protection of nursing home residents and the elderly, Berenson lamented that state and local leaders are "spending time haranguing us about masks and destroying the economy with lockdowns, and every day it makes less sense, and every day it's more infuriating."


theblaze--2020-05-06--Here are the 10 states where COVID-19 dropped the fastest last week — and the 10 states that saw the

Here are the 10 states where COVID-19 dropped the fastest last week — and the 10 states that saw the biggest increases

Here are the 10 states where COVID-19 dropped the fastest last week — and the 10 states that saw the @ @ @ @ @ states saw a drop ; more than a third saw an increase

President Donald Trump posted his "Opening Up America Again" guidelines on April 16 to give Americans an idea on when lockdown measures might begin to ease and to offer hope that an end was, indeed, in sight.
In order to start lifting restrictions and opening businesses, the publication said that states need to show two weeks of downward trends of new COVID-19 cases or positives tests.
So far, according to a new Axios report, not many states are meeting that standard.
What are the numbers?
Included in the president's "proposed state or regional gating criteria" that each state should "satisfy before proceeding to phased comeback" was that there should be a "downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period" or a "downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period (flat or increasing volume of tests)."
So how are the states doing? According to data from Johns Hopkins University mapped out by Axios — not great.
The outlet compared each state's one-week average from Monday, April 27 to Monday, May 4.
Only a dozen states are moving in the right direction.
More than a third (20) of the states — plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico — still had a growing number of cases over the last week.
It's important to note that some of the states' increases may be attributable to better testing and not because coronavirus outbreaks are "getting dramatically worse," as Axios noted. Which is why, the outlet noted, "health officials are also pulling in other metrics — including the number of deaths, the number of hospitalizations and the percentage of tested patients who test positive. A higher percentage means you're probably missing people."
With that said, the president's guidance does say that a steady decrease in cases should be a benchmark before a state really starts opening up.
The 10 states with biggest drops in cases
No. 1: Wyoming -63%
No. 2: Arkansas -61%
No. 3: Montana -50%
No. 4: New York -38%
No. 5: Connecticut -36%
No. 6: Massachusetts -31%
No. 7: Colorado -27%
No. 8: Rhode Island -26%
No. 9: South Dakota -24%
No. 10: New Jersey -24%
The 10 states with the biggest increases in cases
No. 1: Minnesota +155%
No. 2: Nebraska +57%
No. 3: Iowa +42%
No. 4: New Mexico +41%
No. 5: Wisconsin +36%
No. 6: Tennessee +36%
No. 7: Kansas +34%
No. 8: Texas +34%
No. 9: Arizona +33%
No. 10: New Hampshire +32%


theblaze--2020-05-06--Fundraiser for Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther explodes by the minute after she is jailed for refu

Fundraiser for Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther explodes by the minute after she is jailed for refusing to close her business

Fundraiser for Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther explodes by the minute after she is jailed for refusing to close her @

A GoFundMe page for Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther has received more than a quarter-million dollars in donations.
What's a brief history on this?
On Tuesday, a state district judge sentenced Luther to seven days in jail and handed down a $7,000 fine after she refused to close her beauty salon. Calling her "selfish," the judge said that she could avoid jail time if she apologized and closed the salon until Friday when the governor's order is lifted.
Luther told the judge, however, that she would not apologize for keeping the salon open during the COVID-19 pandemic, and reasoned that she needed a way to feed and support her children.
"I have much respect for this court and laws," she told the judge on Tuesday. "I have never been in this position before and it's not some place that I want to be. But I have to disagree with you, sir, when you say that I'm selfish — because feeding my kids is not selfish."
She continued, "I have hair stylists that are going hungry because they'd rather feed their kids. So sir, if you think the law is more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision, but I am not going to shut the salon."
By remaining open, the judge said, Luther violated city, county, and state government mandates.
Salon A La Mode Owner, Shelley Luther Arrested: 'Feeding My Kids Isn't Selfish, I'm Not Closing The www.youtube.com
What about the fundraiser?
At the time of this writing, the GoFundMe page has receive more than $336,000 and is rapidly continuing to climb by the minute.
The page reads:
Shelley Luther is an American Hero that has decided to resist tyranny by opening her business against an unlawful State Executive Order. Her business, SALON A LA MODE offers services for hair and nails, microblading, permanent makeup, professional event makeup, braiding and more! Shelley and her team will likely face legal action, fines, and more during her journey back to freedom. She is doing what everyone else is only talking about, in a patriotic move to take back her liberty! Please support Shelley, and her employees by contributing to this worthy cause. You will not just be supporting Shelley, but you will be supporting the idea that our founders put in writing in the Constitution. 100% of all donations will go directly to Shelley Luther.
The page's organizer, Rick Hire, said that Luther was remanded to jail on Tuesday.
He wrote, "Tons of people want to be sure that Shelley is getting the money. The way we setup the fund, Shelley is the sole beneficiary, and we only have an organizational role. Not only do we not have control over the money, we do not want that. This is a cause that we support and we need our hero to get every dollar."
Hire said that people can also donate to Luther's Dallas salon directly.
Hire promised that he will continue raising the fundraiser's goal. It currently has a goal of $500,000.
"When this case gets moved up to the federal levels, it will be one of the most expensive causes out there short of Hollywood criminal cases," Hire said. "We will let the donors decide and raise the goal accordingly. We get dozens of emails a day asking us to raise the goal, so the support is there. Just because salons are getting opened in a few days, this fight is long from over. They have awakened a sleeping giant and we need to fight that this may never happen again!"


theblaze--2020-05-06--Bombshell report claims CBS coronavirus testing footage was staged

Project Veritas says that CBS News staged footage of coronavirus testing in order to make it look more dramatic at the Cherry Medical Center in Michigan .
What are the details ?
In a Wednesday release , Project Veritas reported that CBS even included fake patients in testing areas .
The release alleged that CBS News reportedly asked health care workers to make a line of patients awaiting COVID-19 testing look longer than it actually was .
According to the report , `` A CBS News crew pulled medical professionals off the floor at the Cherry Medical Center in Grand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their vehicles so a CBS film crew would have a long line for their COVID-19 coverage . ''
At least one health care professional reportedly told Project Veritas that the health care workers could have used their time better .
`` We could have done other stuff , '' she said .
A medical supervisor also reportedly told the outlet , `` Apparently , the news crew wanted more people in the line . ''
James O'Keefe , founder and CEO of Project Veritas , said that a witness divulged the story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told us that the medical personnel were taken away from treating patients and making the line longer for actual patients wait for the COVID-19 test , '' O'Keefe said .
The source told O'Keefe that there is no question CBS News was intentionally trying to manipulate the footage for a better story .
`` You 're telling me that you 're a hundred percent certain that CBS News , CBS Corporation — national , staged a fake event .
They faked the news .
They faked the reality and broadcasted that to all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This Morning ? '
'' O'Keefe asked the insider .
Another source — Nick Ross , who is a a corporate cleaning site supervisor at the facility — said that he was there when the CBS crew arrived at the testing center to film .
`` Apparently , the news crew wanted more people in the line because they knew it was scheduled , '' Ross told the organization .
In a statement , CBS News insisted that it never staged `` anything '' at the Cherry Medical Center in Michigan .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % false , '' the statement read .
`` These allegations are alarming .
We reached out to Cherry Health to address them immediately .
They informed us for the first time that one of their chief officers told at least one staffer to get in the testing line along with real patients .
No one from CBS News had any knowledge of this before tonight .
They also said that their actions did not prevent any actual patients from being tested . ''
The statement continued , `` We take the accuracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are removing the Cherry Health portion of the piece . ''

Project Veritas says that CBS News staged footage of coronavirus testing in order to make it look more dramatic at the Cherry Medical Center in Michigan.
What are the details?
In a Wednesday release, Project Veritas reported that CBS even included fake patients in testing areas.
The release alleged that CBS News reportedly asked health care workers to make a line of patients awaiting COVID-19 testing look longer than it actually was.
According to the report, "A CBS News crew pulled medical professionals off the floor at the Cherry Medical Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to line up in their vehicles so a CBS film crew would have a long line for their COVID-19 coverage."
At least one health care professional reportedly told Project Veritas that the health care workers could have used their time better.
"We could have done other stuff," she said.
A medical supervisor also reportedly told the outlet, "Apparently, the news crew wanted more people in the line."
James O'Keefe, founder and CEO of Project Veritas, said that a witness divulged the story to the organization.
"The insider told us that the medical personnel were taken away from treating patients and making the line longer for actual patients wait for the COVID-19 test," O'Keefe said.
The source told O'Keefe that there is no question CBS News was intentionally trying to manipulate the footage for a better story.
"You're telling me that you're a hundred percent certain that CBS News, CBS Corporation — national, staged a fake event. They faked the news. They faked the reality and broadcasted that to all of their audience last Friday on 'CBS This Morning?'" O'Keefe asked the insider.
The unidentified source responded, "A hundred percent. Absolutely."
Another source — Nick Ross, who is a a corporate cleaning site supervisor at the facility — said that he was there when the CBS crew arrived at the testing center to film.
"Apparently, the news crew wanted more people in the line because they knew it was scheduled," Ross told the organization.
#ExposeCBS Michigan Health Center Workers Stage “Fake Patients" In COVID19 Testing Line For CBS News www.youtube.com
Has CBS responded?
In a statement, CBS News insisted that it never staged "anything" at the Cherry Medical Center in Michigan.
"Any suggestion to the contrary is 100% false," the statement read. "These allegations are alarming. We reached out to Cherry Health to address them immediately. They informed us for the first time that one of their chief officers told at least one staffer to get in the testing line along with real patients. No one from CBS News had any knowledge of this before tonight. They also said that their actions did not prevent any actual patients from being tested."
The statement continued, "We take the accuracy of our reporting very seriously and we are removing the Cherry Health portion of the piece."


theblaze--2020-05-06--20,000 'disease detectives' to track, isolate, and perhaps quarantine California residents exposed t

20,000 'disease detectives' to track, isolate, and perhaps quarantine California residents exposed to COVID-19, Gov. Newsom says

20,000 'disease detectives ' to track , isolate , and perhaps quarantine California residents exposed to COVID-19 , Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ here , move along

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said a plan is in place to deploy 20,000 "disease detectives" across the state to track, isolate, and perhaps quarantine residents exposed to COVID-19, KPIX-TV reported.
What are the details?
Newsom said at a Tuesday press briefing that UCLA and UC San Francisco are providing a "virtual academy" to recruit and train individuals to build on the nearly 3,000 "disease detectives" already tracking and tracing people who've come in contact with residents who are COVID-19 positive, the station said.
The governor said 23 counties are presently tracking and tracing and keeping records on possible COVID-19 exposures and determining who should be isolated and/or quarantined, KPIX reported.
"This tracing that's happening includes a workforce of about 3,000 people today — 2,845 individuals to be exact — primarily conducted at the local level," Newsom said, according to the station, and that the online training academy is aiming to equip "upwards to 3,000 people a week to go through two phases ... 10,000 being our first-phase goal, 20,000 our second-phase goal. So on the high end getting about 20,000 people into this workforce … building off the existing base of 3,000."
'Ultimately, it's customer service'
In northern California recruits are redeployed civil servants and volunteers who will serve six- to 12-month-long stints that require skills ranging from "data entry and psychology to project management and crisis intervention," the Mercury News reported.
"Ultimately, it's customer service," Contra Costa County Public Health Director Daniel Peddycord told the paper. "We need people with critical thinking skills and empathy."
Bay Area health officers told the Mercury News that "disease detectives" are already catching silent infections.
"It's incredibly moving to hear all of the people in our community step forward and ask how they can help support these efforts," Dr. Nicholas Moss, acting director of Alameda County's Public Health Department, told the paper.
More from the Mercury News:
On laptops and phones, these experts seek to find everyone who has spent at least 10 minutes within six feet of a person who has tested positive for the virus — up to two days before that person felt sick.
Then they inform them of their risk, refer them to testing and urge them to stay isolated at home for 14 days.
Maybe it's someone who helped unpack boxes in a grocery aisle or shared a coffee break during a shift at the local hardware store. Perhaps they were part of a team that laid irrigation pipes or hung drywall. They may have cooked church dinner or bathed an elder.
A county's contact tracing squad — officially known as Case Investigators — gets a name and phone number for every person who has tested positive, either from their doctor or drive-through public site. During the call, the investigators ask where they have been and who they have been with in the days leading up to their illness.
The sleuthing then turns to potential contacts, narrowing down names and phone numbers.
The phone conversation, typically read from a script, starts formally: "You have been identified as a close contact to a person with a confirmed novel coronavirus infection," they say. "We would like to ask you some questions since we think you may have been exposed to the virus."
But it ends warmly, with offers of help — for food, housing, medicine, childcare, elder care or any other needs. The county also is available to provide symptom "checkups," via text, chat, email or phone.
"The responses range from tears to 'I'm glad I know,'" Peddycord told the paper. "Most people are grateful and reassured."
He added to the Mercury News that "it is a bit of 'hunt and peck' to get ahold of folks and who they've been around. That is the ugly nuts and bolts of this."
Peddycord told the paper his team will call three to five times, then deliver a letter — but people are under no legal requirement to disclose where they've been or who they've been with and that tracers won't disclose names. They also won't ask for immigration statuses, health coverages, social security numbers, or bank account information.
"First and foremost we want to protect privacy," Moss told the Mercury News. "The most important thing is to be able to build trust."


theblaze--2020-05-06--New York will make out-of-state volunteer medical workers pay state income tax

Gov .
Andrew Cuomo : 'We are in dire financial need . ''

Health care workers who traveled from out of state to help with the COVID-19 outbreak in New York on a volunteer basis will have to pay New York state income taxes, according to WPIX-TV.
New York officials asked for additional help from across the country as the coronavirus spread more rapidly in New York City than anywhere else in the U.S.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said that without additional financial assistance from the federal government, New York will not be able to give those volunteer workers any kind of tax break.
"We're not in a position to provide any subsidies right now because we have a $13 billion deficit," Cuomo said, according to WPIX. "So there's a lot of good things I'd like to do, and if we get federal funding, we can do, but it would be irresponsible for me to sit here looking at a $13 billion deficit and say, I'm gonna spend more money, when I can't even pay the essential services.
"If we don't get more money from Washington, we can't fund schools, right, so at the rate we want to fund them. We are in dire financial need," Cuomo said.
New York state law stipulates that if a person works in the state of New York for more than 14 days, they have to pay state income tax. This includes the thousands of emergency workers who came to New York at the request of Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. These are workers who, in many cases, are still being paid in their home states and allowed by their employers to volunteer in New York.
Cuomo and de Blasio have attacked President Donald Trump for not sending aid money to the state. Trump has said he doesn't think it's fair for Republicans to have to bail out Democratic states.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Texas Gov. Abbott and AG Paxton condemn jailing of salon owner Shelley Luther: 'A shameful abuse of

Texas Gov. Abbott and AG Paxton condemn jailing of salon owner Shelley Luther: 'A shameful abuse of discretion'

Texas Gov .
Abbott and AG Paxton condemn jailing of salon owner Shelley Luther : ' A shameful abuse of @ @

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton released statements on Wednesday condemning the jail sentence of salon owner Shelley Luther, who was sentenced to seven days in jail and a $7,000 fine for violating Gov. Abbott's executive order regarding the closing of "nonessential" businesses.
State District Judge Eric Moyé declared from the bench that he would not sentence Luther to jail if she apologized, admitted that she had been "selfish" and "wrong," and promised not to reopen her salon until Friday, when salons are permitted to open under the governor's revised executive order.
In response, Luther said:
I have much respect for this court and laws. I have never been in this position before and it's not some place that I want to be. But I have to disagree with you, sir, when you say that I'm selfish — because feeding my kids is not selfish. I have hair stylists that are going hungry because they'd rather feed their kids. So sir, if you think the law is more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision, but I am not going to shut the salon.
In their statements, Abbott and Luther condemned Judge Moyé's decision to jail Luther.
Paxton's statement said, in part, "I find it outrageous and out of touch that during this national pandemic, a judge, in a county that actually released hardened criminals for fear of contracting COVID-19, would jail a mother for operating her hair salon in an attempt to put food on her family's table." Paxton went on to call the sentence "a shameful abuse of judicial discretion."
Abbott's statement stated that he joined "the Attorney General in disagreeing with the excessive action by the Dallas judge. ... Compliance with executive orders is important to ensure public safety; however, surely there are less restrictive means to achieving that goal than jailing a Texas mother."
As governor, Abbott would presumably have the power to commute the jail portion of Luther's sentence, if he so desired. His statement did not indicate whether he intended to do so.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Surveillance camera catches Steven Crowder's editor climbing a pole after hours

This video could very well be the strangest thing you 'll ever see .
It tops my list , and @ @ @ @ @ King . ''
Here 's Steven Crowder and the crew to explain why Brendan was @ @ @ @ @ pole after hours at `` Louder with Crowder '' studios .
Enjoy .
Crowder Catches @ @ @ @ @ Camera | Louder With Crowder Use promo code LWC to save $ 30 off one @ @ @ @ @ more from Steven Crowder ?
To enjoy more of Steven 's uncensored late-night comedy that @ @ @ @ @ to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America , defend the @ @ @ @ @ dream .

This video could very well be the strangest thing you'll ever see. It tops my list, and I've seen "Tiger King." Here's Steven Crowder and the crew to explain why Brendan was seen on camera climbing a pole after hours at "Louder with Crowder" studios. Enjoy.
Crowder Catches His Employee CLIMBING POLES on Camera | Louder With Crowder youtu.be
Use promo code LWC to save $30 off one year of BlazeTV.
Want more from Steven Crowder?
To enjoy more of Steven's uncensored late-night comedy that's actually funny, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Inmate escapes Chicago-area jail by wearing COVID mask, switching identities with fellow inmate

He 's still on the loose

An escaped Chicago inmate is on the loose after reportedly escaping — with a face mask — under the guise of another inmate's identity.
What are the details?
According to WBBM-TV, 28-year-old Quintin Henderson was scheduled to be released from custody on Saturday.
However, Henderson reportedly lent his identity to fellow prisoner, 21-year-old Jahquez Scott, for a sum of $1,000, so that Scott could escape in an early release.
Scott, who identified himself as Henderson and wore a face mask as well as Henderson's sweatshirt, was able to leave jail on an individual bond. According to an Associated Press report, Scott stepped forward when corrections officers called Henderson's name for discharge on Saturday. The 21-year-old inmate signed release papers pretending to be Henderson, and exited the jail.
Scott was initially in jail on a $50,000 D-bond for "unlawful use of a weapon," WBBM reported, and was set to be placed on electronic monitoring if he made bond.
Cook County Jail staff discovered that Scott had escaped with Henderson's identity only when it was time for Henderson to provide detailed personal information for his discharge and paperwork was missing.
The station reported that an internal investigation into the incident is underway.
What else?
Needless to say, Henderson is not leaving jail, and his bond was increased to a $25,000 D-bond with additional charges of aiding Scott's escape.
Police are seeking Scott's whereabouts, and ask anyone with information on the escaped inmate to call 773-674-8477.
"The nature of the offenses isn't merely the aiding and abetting, it's who you aided and abetted. And that's weighing heavily against you," Judge Mary Marubio told Henderson at his bail hearing, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Henderson is due back in court May 20.


theblaze--2020-05-06--The man behind Sweden's no-lockdown approach says the country's high death toll 'really came as a su

The man behind Sweden's no-lockdown approach says the country's high death toll 'really came as a surprise'

The man behind Sweden 's no-lockdown approach says the country 's high death toll 'really came as a surprise' Sweden @ @ @ @ @ much higher than neighboring countries

The scientist leading Sweden's coronavirus response said recently that the country's high death toll was not a part of the no-lockdown trade-off and that it "came as a surprise."
Dr. Anders Tegnell, Sweden's state epidemiologist, told "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah on Tuesday that in choosing a less restrictive response to the virus, officials "never really calculated with a high death toll."
"We calculated on more people being sick, but the death toll really came as a surprise to us," he said.
Sweden's death toll as of Wednesday was reported to be more than 2,900, which is much higher than that of neighboring countries such as Norway, Finland, and Denmark.
Tegnell still argued that the country's controversial approach — which avoided shutting down businesses and schools and didn't implement shelter-in-place orders for residents — has still been successful in other ways, such as allowing the health system to continue functioning as usual. He also said that outside of Stockholm, the country's largest population area, the outbreak has been minimal.
Though he acknowledged: "I am not saying we are successful in all different ways. I mean our death toll is really something we worry a lot about."
Dr. Anders Tegnell - Sweden's Decision Not to Impose Quarantine | The Daily Social Distancing Show youtu.be
The death toll is linked to nursing homes
Like many places in Europe and around the world, Sweden has experienced a significant number of deaths in connection to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. The result comes even as Sweden has banned visits to such homes.
"It's very difficult to keep the disease away from there," he told Noah. "Even if we are doing our best, it's obviously not enough."
The Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported this week that at least 541 nursing homes across the country have had at least one case of the coronavirus. According to Forbes, the Swedish Health Agency is investigating the matter.
"We really thought our elderly homes would be much better at keeping this disease outside of them than they have actually been," Tegnell said.
Sweden's coronavirus response hinged on the goal of reaching some level of herd immunity in the country so that the spread could be slowed and the disease could be managed moving forward.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Wisconsin says, due to lockdown, it will give driver's licenses to teens without making them take a

Wisconsin says, due to lockdown, it will give driver's licenses to teens without making them take a road test

Wisconsin says , due to lockdown , it will give driver 's licenses to teens without making them take a @ @ @ @ @ go wrong ?

The nationwide coronavirus lockdown has stopped Americans from doing a lot of things — shopping, hitting the theaters, going to church, working — but in Wisconsin it will not stop teenagers from getting their driver's licenses.
No, the state won't be ramping up extra road tests to take care of a backlog after halting the driving exams in mid-March due to the pandemic. Instead, the state's Department of Transportation has decided to let 16- and 17-year-olds get their licenses without completing a road test.
What's that now?
The state says it currently faces a backlog of about 16,000 road test requests, WCCO-TV reported Tuesday, so the government decided it is going to give driver's licenses — they're calling them "probationary licenses" — to teens without the bothersome road test.
Starting May 11, WisDOT is waiving road test requirements for kids under 18 who have finished drivers ed, completed driving practice requirements, and have received written endorsement from their parent to skip the road test, WCCO said.
According to the outlet, the teens must meet these requirements to be eligible for a road test-free license:
They must hold an Instruction Permit (also known as a Learners Permit) violation free for at least six months prior to testing
They must have completed driver education classes
They must have completed behind-the-wheel training with a licensed instructor
They must have completed at least 30 hours of driving with their parent/sponsor and their sponsor must sign the road test waiver
Administrators said parents can still schedule a road test, but by appointment only. The limited tests will begin May 26.
It appears that the license sans road test change could last beyond the state's lockdown. According to USA Today, the stay-at-home order in Wisconsin was extended until May 26 and restrictions are easing across the state, but the new driver's license provision is expected to last throughout the 2020 calendar year, WCCO reported.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Mike Rowe blasts Gov. Cuomo over his calloused attitude for out-of-work Americans: 'Cookie-cutter br

Mike Rowe blasts Gov. Cuomo over his calloused attitude for out-of-work Americans: 'Cookie-cutter bromides and platitudes'

Mike Rowe blasts Gov .
Cuomo over his calloused attitude for out-of-work Americans : 'Cookie-cutter bromides and platitudes' Every worker @ @ @ @ @

Mike Rowe is fed up with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Speaking with Fox News host Dana Perino on Tuesday, the former "Dirty Jobs" host blasted Cuomo over his callous attitude toward the consequences of his statewide lockdown order. Specifically, Rowe was responding to Cuomo telling those left unemployed by his order to get jobs as "essential" workers.
"Thirty-three or 34 million people are out of work right now, and by definition, those people are out of work because, according to the governor, they are nonessential," Rowe said.
"But if you look at the impact of removing those workers from our economy, our macro-economy, you can see that they're absolutely essential," Rowe explained. "This is one of those instances where the headlines have caught up to our vernacular, and if we don't make some tweaks to our lexicon we're going to wind up sounding really, what's the word? Stupid."
But those words from the Democratic governor were not his only comments that "snapped my neck," Rowe explained.
According to Rowe, Cuomo's assertion that "draconian measures" by an overreaching government are justifiable if they save even one life is an asinine claim.
"Well, not to pile up on the governor, but a couple of weeks ago he said another thing that really snapped my neck," Rowe explained. "He said, 'No measure no matter how drastic or draconian should be deemed unjustified if it saves a single life.
"Safety obviously is very, very, very important, but the notion that nothing in the country is more important than staying safe, that's not something commonsensical people embrace," he continued. "That's something you hear from people who are trying to sell you something, or politicians who are trying to get re-elected. We have to get away from the cookie-cutter bromides and platitudes and start dealing with one zip code at a time."
Speaking with BlazeTV host Glenn Beck earlier in the week, Rowe said he expects the COVID-19 pandemic will make many Americans realize what their governing officials really think of them.
"I think most of the country is going to come through this with the realization that we're being treated like children and we're being fed platitudes, bromides, and bowls of warm milk by people who want us to look at them as parents," Rowe said.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Animal expert lets giant hornet — similar to 'murder hornet' — sting him on video: 'It's not somethi

Animal expert lets giant hornet — similar to 'murder hornet' — sting him on video: 'It's not something you want to get stung by'

Animal expert lets giant hornet — similar to 'murder hornet ' — sting him on video : 'It 's not @ @ @ @ @ stung by '

On the heels of news that the Asian "murder hornet" has been discovered in the United States for the first time, videos of an animal expert allowing a similar hornet sting him are lighting up the internet.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
What are the details?
Coyote Peterson — with his "Brave Wilderness" crew — had embarked on a mission a while back to experience the most painful stings in the world first hand. Among them...
An executioner wasp:
Image source: YouTube screenshot
A bullet ant:
Image source: YouTube screenshot
A swarm of bees:
Image source: YouTube screenshot
A giant desert centipede:
Image source: YouTube screenshot
A tarantula hawk wasp:
Image source: YouTube screenshot
He even endured a gila monster bite:
Image source: YouTube screenshot
In short, they don't call Peterson the "King of Sting" for nothing.
Back to the lecture at hand
In 2018, Peterson & Co. traveled to Japan, captured a Japanese giant hornet, and then Peterson went to great lengths to let it sting him to demonstrate the effects on his body while video rolled.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
After the sting, Peterson somehow managed to place a glass container back over the hornet.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
Then he howled in agony. "Absolute searing pain," he told his companions. Sprawled on the ground, he added that a wave of dizziness hit him.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
His arm also quickly swelled up — eventually to almost twice its size, he said — and the venom went to work.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
In a follow-up "Brave Wilderness" video posted Tuesday, Peterson revisited the Japanese giant hornet sting in light of the "murder hornet" news that swept the globe over the weekend.
Indeed, he confessed the "excruciating" sting felt like a "red hot poker" shoved into his arm and stayed there "for close to six hours" and that he felt "intense pain" for 36 hours.
"Trust me," he concluded. "It's not something you want to get stung by."
Helpful facts
But Peterson added in the new clip that the giant hornet's sting was merely the second most painful he's experienced — and that the executioner wasp took the crown in his estimation.
He also said the "murder hornet" moniker is a made-up term to hype its discovery in the U.S., that only one was found here, and it's unlikely to ravage America anytime soon, if at all.
Peterson also said hornets won't bother you if you don't bother them, and it would take 20 to 30 stings from a giant hornet to kill a human.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Rudy Giuliani blasts NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio for coronavirus response: 'You did such a lousy job'

'The mayor is responsible for the city' Rudy Giuliani blasts NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio for coronavirus response : 'You @ @ @ @ @ New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former New York City Mayors Michael Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ 14th anniversary ceremony of the Sept. 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks at the 9/11 @ @ @ @ @ via Getty Images )

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) criticized current Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) for his ineffective response to the coronavirus outbreak that has killed thousands in the city over the past two months.
While guest hosting on WABC-AM radio, Giuliani spoke from his own experience as the mayor during and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that brought down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
"The mayor is responsible for the city," Giuliani said. "Mayors who shift blame are bad mayors. They're like people who shift blame. What happened in the city was my responsibility. I needed help from the federal government, and I needed help from the state. But damn it, I had the best police department in the world, and I had the best fire department in the world.
"You have the best health department in the world," Giuliani continued. "Boy, if New York City can't do it, then nobody can do it."
Giuliani said de Blasio was unprepared for the crisis, and made things worse with personnel decisions related to the emergency management office.
"Let's face it: You didn't anticipate this," Giuliani said. "You didn't prepare for it. You completely neutered the office of emergency management. You got rid of a man who knows the city backwards and forward, [former OEM head Joseph] Esposito. You just didn't know what you were doing."
De Blasio has been highly critical of President Donald Trump for not sending billions of dollars in bailout money to New York City. The mayor accused Trump of "stabbing his hometown in the back."
"What kind of human being sees the suffering here and decides that people in New York City don't deserve help?" de Blasio asked, according to Politico. "What kind of person does that?"
De Blasio has continued to stand by a policy, also backed by Gov. Cuomo, that sends coronavirus patients back to nursing homes, where the virus has proven to be most fatal. Nearly 5,000 coronavirus deaths have occurred in New York nursing homes, with most of those occurring in NYC.
"So go blame other people all you want," Giuliani said. "I did your job — I actually did the job. So you're not gonna get it past me, pal. Stop with the excuses. Humility — ask for help with humility, because you've got nothing else to count on, pal. You did such a lousy job."


theblaze--2020-05-06--Former NYT reporter Alex Berenson slams lockdown governors: ‘They are fools who haven’t read the dat

Former NYT reporter Alex Berenson slams lockdown governors: ‘They are fools who haven’t read the data’

Former NYT reporter Alex Berenson slams lockdown governors : ‘ They are fools who haven ’ t read the data @

In an interview Tuesday night with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson went after proponents of continued lockdown measures, including state and local leaders, calling them "fools who haven't read the data."
What did he say?
"I'm getting sick of people saying, 'We don't know much about this virus, we don't know enough to know what the right steps are,'" Berenson said. "If that's true, why have we shut down the world?
"We do know a lot about this virus," he insisted. "We know the average age of death in the United States and worldwide is probably about 80 or 82, and we know about half, if not more, of the people who die in the United States die in nursing homes."
But instead of focusing on protecting nursing home residents, Berenson argued that "our leaders are spending time haranguing us about masks and destroying the economy with lockdowns and every day it makes less sense and every day it's more infuriating."
He went on to suggest that state and local leaders should lift restrictions to get the economy going while protecting the most vulnerable populations, rather than continuing measures that are unnecessarily destroying society.
When Carlson asked if he thought lockdown proponents were knowingly enacting unnecessary measures, Berenson responded by saying, "If they don't know, they are fools and haven't read the data which is publicly available, which is available on their own government websites."
Crazy Hypocrisy Of Leading Scientist In Favor Of Lockdowns Exposed By Tucker Carlson & Alex Berenson www.youtube.com
Berenson has been a leading anti-lockdown voice
Berenson, who worked for the Times from 1999-2010, has been one of the leading voices speaking out against draconian lockdown measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In early April, he sounded the alarm about the flawed coronavirus models that he said were leading the economy into a "freefall" by driving state and local officials to outdo one another in enacting stricter and stricter measures.
In late March, he also brought attention to Dr. Neil Ferguson, the leading epidemiologist at Imperial College London, after Ferguson drastically revised his doomsday models from 500,000 deaths in the United Kingdom to just 20,000. The same model projected 2.2 million deaths in the United States. The Imperial College model was the model that propelled the U.S. and U.K. governments to enact lockdown measures to combat the virus.
Ferguson has since stepped down from his role advising the government in emergencies after he was caught breaking his own social distancing rules to cheat with a married woman.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Guns drawn, police swarm woman in stormtrooper costume after people complain about plastic ‘Star War

Guns drawn, police swarm woman in stormtrooper costume after people complain about plastic ‘Star Wars’ blaster

Guns drawn , police swarm woman in stormtrooper costume after people complain about plastic ‘ Star Wars ’ blaster

Canada police can be seen pulling their guns on a woman dressed as a "Star Wars" stormtrooper after she was seen walking the streets of Lethbridge, Alberta, toting a fake plastic blaster.
The unnamed woman — an employee of Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina — was dressed up for the restaurant's "May the Fourth" event and was walking in front of the restaurant in full "Star Wars" stormtrooper gear.
The ordeal was caught on video, which quickly went viral on the internet.
What are the details?
In the video, three Lethbridge police cars can be seen pulling up in front of the business after reportedly receiving calls that the woman was brandishing a firearm in public.
The unnamed employee immediately drops the fake blaster and puts up her hands.
The officers then can be seen swarming the woman with their weapons drawn, demanding she get on the ground.
She complies as best as she can — considering she's in a full-body hard plastic costume — as the officers shout, "Get down on your belly!"
The woman can also be heard sobbing while her boss, who emerges from the restaurant, pleads with officers and tells them that the female employee's blaster is nothing more than a piece of plastic and that she's participating in a promotion for the cantina.
No charges were filed in the case, according to the outlet.
According to Calgary TV News, Lethbridge's police chief has reportedly called for an investigation into the actions of the responding officers.
What else?
The owner, Bradley Whalen, told Lethbridge News Now that the police reaction was unnecessary.
"We had music playing in the parking lot, we had one of our staff dress up as a stormtrooper, kind of waving to people walking up and down the road, we had people stopping by and getting pictures with the stormtrooper, we put a couple of promotions on in the restaurant to entice people to come," Whalen explained.
Whalen added that the employee kept telling officers that she was having a hard time getting down on the ground.
"She kept yelling at them that she couldn't kneel down because, in that stormtrooper costume, you can't even sit down in it, like it's impossible to sit down," Whalen said. "She kept telling them that she couldn't get down is what she explained to me after we talked to her.
"It wasn't a matter of her not wanting to cooperate," Whalen continued. "She dropped the gun when they told her to and just forcing her, making her get down on the ground after they determined that she wasn't a risk and that the gun wasn't even a real gun, it was a plastic Star Wars blaster."
Whalen added that the woman "suffered a bloody nose after she was tackled to the ground by officers and handcuffed."
(Content warning: Rough language):


theblaze--2020-05-06--Retired Kansas farmer gets honorary degree after his touching gesture toward NYC medical professiona

Retired Kansas farmer gets honorary degree after his touching gesture toward NYC medical professionals

Dennis Ruhnke, a retired farmer from Kansas, has been awarded an honorary degree from Kansas State University after his gesture toward New York City medical professionals went viral last month.
Ruhnke first made the news when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) tweeted out a picture of a letter Ruhnke wrote along with an enclosed unused N95 mask that he had kept from his days as a farmer. Cuomo's tweet has had more than 40,000 retweets and 200,000 likes.
In the letter, which Cuomo praised as "humanity at its best," Ruhnke says, "I seriously doubt that you will read this letter as I know you are busy beyond belief with the disaster that has befallen our country. We currently (as of March 26, 2020) are a nation in crisis. Of that there is no doubt."
Ruhnke states in the letter that he is "hunkered down in N.E. Kansas with my wife who has but one lung and occasional problems with her remaining lung. She also has diabetes. We are in our 70's now and frankly I am afraid for her."
Ruhnke went on to state, "Enclosed find a solitary N-95 mask left over from my farming days. It has never been used. If you could, would you please give this mask to a nurse or doctor in your city. I have kept four masks for my immediate family. Please keep on doing what you do so well, which is to lead."
Ruhnke's story came to the attention of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D), who attended a presentation Tuesday in which Ruhke was awarded an honorary degree from Kansas State University.
According to a post on Kelly's Facebook page, "In 1971, [Ruhnke] was two credits away from earning his degree in agriculture when his father passed away. He chose to leave school to take care of his mother and the family farm. Dennis' kindness and lifelong career in agriculture make him more than qualified to receive a degree."


theblaze--2020-05-06--Accused pedophile Kevin Spacey claims living with sexual assault allegations is like losing a job du

Accused pedophile Kevin Spacey claims living with sexual assault allegations is like losing a job during the coronavirus lockdown

Embattled actor Kevin Spacey has spoken out about his life amid the sexual assault and harassment allegations laid against him in 2017 and likened losing his acting gig to the job-loss experience tens of millions of Americans have suffered during the coronavirus lockdown.
The Daily Mail reported that Spacey was asked during a recent podcast to reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on workers.
What are the details?
In a 7-minute audio clip obtained by The Sun, Spacey, 60, described what he says was a "bleak and horrible" experience during his life following the allegations.
In 2017, several men — some of whom were reportedly just young teenagers when the alleged incidents took place — came forward and accused the award-winning actor of sexual misconduct. At one point, at least 20 male accusers came forward to lay accusations against the actor at one time. The actor has denied all allegations.
"My world completely changed in the fall of 2017," the former "House of Cards" star can be heard complaining in the audio, which reportedly was taken from a recent "Bits & Pretzels" podcast. "My job, many of my relationships, my standing in my own industry were all gone in just a matter of hours."
He then likened his experience to those of Americans who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus lockdown.
"I don't often like to tell people that I can relate to their situation because I think it undermines the experience that they may be having, which is their own unique and very personal experience," he said. "But in this instance I feel as though I can relate to what it feels like to have your world suddenly stop. And so, while we may have found ourselves in similar situations, albeit for very different reasons and circumstances, I still believe that some of the emotional struggles are very much the same. And so I do have empathy for what it feels like to suddenly be told that you can't go back to work or that you might lose your job and that it is a situation you have absolutely no control over."
You can listen to the remarks here.
What about the accusations?
Some of the more lurid accusations include a then-14-year-old who said that Spacey tried to physically take advantage of him in the '80s. Spacey also reportedly groped another teen at a restaurant as recent as 2016.
In another video obtained by the Daily Mail, Spacey said, "When my career came to a grinding, screeching halt, when I was faced with the uncertainty that I might never be hired as an actor again, I had to ask myself a question that I've never asked myself before, which is, 'If I can't act, who am I?'"
You can read more about the many disturbing allegations — most of which revolve around underage boys — against Spacey here.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Mark Levin: Joe Biden is the MASTER of the cringe

Mark Levin : Joe Biden is the MASTER of the cringe Why do n't the Dems seem concerned ?

When it comes to embarrassing gaffes and awkward moments, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden just keeps getting worse and worse. He can't seem to make it through one interview without saying something that makes us all just cringe.
"These are telltale signs," said BlazeTV host Mark Levin of the former vice president's apparent confusion. "I mean, if you're a relative, you're his spouse, wouldn't you say you're concerned about this at this point? If you're the Democrats, aren't you concerned?"
Watch the video below to see Levin's commentary on some of Biden's most cringeworthy moments:
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theblaze--2020-05-06--'The very definition of tyranny': Judge blasts Wisconsin Democratic governor's strict lockdown order

'The very definition of tyranny ' : Judge blasts Wisconsin Democratic governor 's strict lockdown order

As the coronavirus lockdown nears two months across America, judges are weighing the implications of strict stay-at-home orders issued by Democratic governors.
On Tuesday, a Wisconsin judge even suggested that Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' lockdown order is "the very definition of tyranny."
Evers issued Wisconsin's stay-at-home order on March 24. But on April 16, the state Department of Health Services extended the order, which is now set to expire on May 26.
Republican state lawmakers responded by filing a lawsuit challenging the legality of the extension, fearing the irreparable harm that would happen to Wisconsin businesses deemed "nonessential" if they remain closed for more than two months, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Wisconsin's Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday, and one conservative justice, Rebecca Bradley, did not hold back.
"My question for you is, where in the Constitution did the people of Wisconsin confer authority on a single, unelected cabinet secretary to compel almost 6 million people to stay at home and close their businesses and face imprisonment if they don't comply, with no input from the Legislature, without the consent of the people?" Bradley asked state Assistant Attorney General Colin Roth.
"Isn't it the very definition of tyranny for one person to order people to be imprisoned for going to work, among other ordinarily lawful activities?" she asked.
Roth, of course, claimed the extension was necessary for public safety, arguing more Wisconsinites would have died had the stay-at-home order not been extended.
The court will decide two issues: Whether state Health Secretary Andrea Palm violated state law governing emergency orders by extending Evers' lockdown order and whether the state DHS has exceeded its power.
Ultimately, the GOP legislators who brought the suit are seeking to have the stay-at-home order rolled back as the COVID-19 curve flattens.
Conservative justices hold a 5-2 majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, indicating they may grant the legislators the relief they seek.
Wisconsin has had at least 8,566 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and at least 353 deaths from the virus.


theblaze--2020-05-06--Medical researcher 'on the verge of making very significant' coronavirus discoveries found shot to d

Medical researcher 'on the verge of making very significant' coronavirus discoveries found shot to death

Medical researcher 'on the verge of making very significant ' coronavirus discoveries found shot to death An engineer who knew @ @ @ @ @ dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a car nearby , authorities said

A University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researcher "on the verge of making very significant findings" about the coronavirus was found shot to death over the weekend, NBC News reported.
What are the details?
Bing Liu — a 37-year-old assistant professor — was shot around noon Saturday inside his Ross Township home, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported, adding that an autopsy indicated he was shot multiple times, including in the head, neck, and torso.
Ross police believe Liu was shot by another man — Hao Gu, 46, of Pittsburgh — who subsequently entered his car parked about 100 yards away and killed himself, the paper said. Investigators told NBC News that Gu died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said the apparent murder-suicide wasn't connected to Liu's research, WTAE-TV reported, adding that Gu was an engineer and that the men knew each other on a personal level. The station also said smartphone data shows frequent communication between the two but that the communication is in Chinese as both men were Chinese nationals.
A formal medical examiner ruling on the cause and manner of Gu's death is pending, the Post-Gazette reported.
Authorities declined to disclose a possible motive for the homicide but told the paper nothing was stolen from his townhouse, there was no forced entry, and no other suspect is at large. Liu had the front and rear patio doors open at the time he was killed because the weather was nice, police added to the paper.
WTAE said Liu's wife found his body in the couple's bedroom with a tablet and smartphone. The Post-Gazette said his wife was not home at the time of the shooting and that neighbors said the couple were mostly quiet and kept to themselves.
Ivet Bahar, head of the computational and system biology department in Pitt's School of Medicine, told the paper the couple had no children, that Liu was an only child, and that both of his parents lived in China.
"He was a very talented individual, extremely intelligent and hard-working," Bahar said of Liu, the Post-Gazette reported.
Liu's work
Liu earned his doctorate at the University of Singapore in 2012, the paper said, adding that he came to the U.S. and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University under renowned computer scientist Edmund M. Clarke and then moved to the university and Bahar's lab about six years ago.
The university statement said Liu co-authored over 30 publications, including four in 2020, the Post-Gazette said, adding that Behar said he had just begun research on the novel coronavirus.
"He was just starting to obtain interesting results," she told the paper. "He was sharing with us, trying to understand the mechanism of infection, so we will hopefully continue what he was doing."
The school of medicine's statement said Liu "was on the verge of making very significant findings toward understanding the cellular mechanisms that underlie SARS-CoV-2 infection and the cellular basis of the following complications. We will make an effort to complete what he started in an effort to pay homage to his scientific excellence," the Post-Gazette reported.


theblaze--2020-05-06--NYC police union warns the 'city will fall apart' if cops are made to enforce social distancing

NYC police union warns the 'city will fall apart ' if cops are made to enforce social distancing A New @ @ @ @ @ to clear the platform of passengers at the last stop Wednesday at the Coney Island @ @ @ @ @ COREY SIPKIN/AFP via Getty Images )

A New York City police union has had enough of the coronavirus social distancing enforcement, and warned city leaders that continued efforts to enforce social distancing could cause the city to "fall apart."
The statement from Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch issued Monday accused Mayor Bill de Blasio of putting officers in a bad position with policies that are unreasonable to enforce.
"The situation is untenable: the NYPD needs to get cops out of the social distancing enforcement business altogether," the statement read. "The cowards who run this city have given us nothing but vague guidelines and mixed messages, leaving the cops on the street corners to fend for ourselves. Nobody has a right to interfere with a police action. But now that the inevitable backlash has arrived, they are once again throwing us under the bus."
The PBA's statement comes after the release of a video showing police officers beating and violently arresting a bystander in Manhattan during a confrontation that reportedly began as a social distancing enforcement action. One of the men who was arrested, Donni Wright, was hospitalized with back, chest, and rib injuries.
One officer, Francisco Garcia, has been placed on "modified assignment" pending an investigation into his conduct. From the Washington Post:
Just before Wright was arrested, Garcia and other plainclothes officers stopped to investigate a corner where they saw people "walking by, milling about" and not wearing masks, Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea said Monday. Garcia and several officers in the video were also not wearing masks during the arrest.
The NYPD has said the police began arresting people because they spotted a bag of marijuana, and that Garcia felt threatened by Wright.
There is no "hard and fast rule" on when officers should aggressively enforce social distancing policies, Shea said. That vagueness increases the likelihood of negative interactions with citizens whose only crime may be standing with a group of people outside or not wearing a mask.
"As the weather heats up and the pandemic continues to unravel our social fabric, police officers should be allowed to focus on our core public safety mission," the PBA statement concluded. "If we don't, the city will fall apart before our eyes."


theblaze--2020-05-06--Co-founder of Politico: I don't want 'justice' for Tara Reade — 'I want a coronation of Joe Biden'

Co-founder of Politico : I do n't want 'justice ' for Tara Reade — ' I want a coronation of @ @ @ @ @ 'the removal of Trump from office '

A veteran journalist in a letter to the editor published Tuesday in the New York Times panned the paper's call for an investigation into sexual assault allegations against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden by former congressional aide Tara Reade.
Martin Tolchin, who previously worked for the Times' Washington bureau before co-founding The Hill and serving as an adviser for Politico in a pre-launch phase, wrote that he doesn't want "an investigation," he wants "a coronation of Joe Biden."
(Editors' Note: This ID line has been revised from an earlier version to clarify Mr. Tolchin's former role at Politico. The headline has been changed to reflect the update, as well.)
Here's Tolchin's full letter:
I totally disagree with this editorial. I don't want an investigation. I want a coronation of Joe Biden. Would he make a great president? Unlikely. Would he make a good president? Good enough. Would he make a better president than the present occupant? Absolutely. I don't want justice, whatever that may be. I want a win, the removal of Donald Trump from office, and Mr. Biden is our best chance.
Suppose an investigation reveals damaging information concerning his relationship with Tara Reade or something else, and Mr. Biden loses the nomination to Senator Bernie Sanders or someone else with a minimal chance of defeating Mr. Trump. Should we really risk the possibility?
Tolchin added that he doesn't care for "justice" to come from an investigation, "whatever that may be," but that he only wants "the removal of Donald Trump from office."
Reade has alleged that Biden sexually assaulted her by forcing her against a wall and penetrating her with his fingers in 1993 after she had been sent to take him his gym bag. She worked on the then-senator's staff at the time.
Since going public with the allegations in late March, Reade has renewed calls for his Senate records to be released and more have come forward to potentially corroborate the alleged incident, but mainstream media has, until recently, dragged its feet on that matter.
Up until May, Biden had not faced a single question regarding the allegations. In fact, President Trump was asked about the allegations before Biden. Then in the May 1 interview on "Morning Joe," Biden publicly denied the allegations for the first time, but refused to release his Senate records.


theblaze--2020-05-07--People are marveling at Adele's weight loss, but others are outraged at the fat-shaming

People are marveling at Adele 's weight loss , but others are outraged at the fat-shaming ' Y'all hate successful @ @ @ @ @ much '

Singer Adele astounded her fans with her weight loss, but others were angered by the comments that they perceived as "fat-shaming" those who had trouble with their weight.
Adele celebrated her birthday by posting a photograph of herself to her Instagram account and her more than 35 million followers. Many praised her for her weight loss, which she had previously discussed in an interview with Vogue in 2016.
"I was trying to get some stamina for my tour, so I lost a bit of weight," Adele said.
"Now I fit into normal, off-the-shelf clothes," she added, "which is a really big problem for me!"
The post received more than 8 million "likes" and 183,000 comments, mostly of support and approval.
The angry online reaction
Others decried the celebratory comments to Adele as having a sinister side effect of shaming those with "body positivity" issues.
"Fellow thins, don't be fatphobic. I see you tweeting about Adele. Fat people can see you tweeting about Adele too," said Muslim bisexual historian Blair Imani.
"[G]ood morning, deeply depressed by everyone fawning over adele's weight loss," tweeted writer Marisa Kabas, "the most impressive thing a woman can do is lose weight."
"Your weight doesn't determine your beauty. Your appearance doesn't determine your beauty. The number on the scale doesn't make you worthy or unworthy," responded disability blogger Melissa Blake.
"To my fellow fats who are looking at everyone telling Adele how beautiful she is now she's skinny - you're valid, beautiful and celebrated at the weight you are NOW. You don't need an "Adele" moment to feel validated. You can achieve and be whatever you want to be RIGHT NOW," replied lgbtqiap+ activist Lottie L'Amour.
"The discourse on Adele is gross and ridded with fat shaming under the guise of 'concerns about health' and the belief that becoming thinner is the same as having a "glow up." I know this song and dance all too well. Y'all hate successful and happy fat people so much," responded writer B.J. Colangelo.
Adele also used the Instagram post to thank the medical workers on the front line fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Here's more about Adele's weight loss:


theblaze--2020-05-07--Toilet flush alleged during Supreme Court conference call, prompting social media investigation

Only one potential suspect has come forward to deny guilt

The sound of a toilet flushing was allegedly heard during an oral argument held in a conference call before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, sending social media into a frenzy.
The high court has thus far refused to comment on the incident, but one potential suspect has come forward to declare his innocence.
Regardless of who the guilty party may be, the internet has had a lot of fun over the disruption — and so has the media.
What are the details?
The Huffington Post reported that "the flush heard around the internet occurred while attorney Roman Martinez, appearing for the American Association of Political Consultants, was discussing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a law meant to restrict intrusive robocalls."
During the recording of the call, Martinez can be heard saying, "What the FCC has said is that when [BLARING SOUND OF ALLEGED TOILET FLUSH] the subject matter of the call ranges different topics, then the call is transformed, and it's a call that would've been allowed, which is no longer allowed."
Listen: Toilet Flushes As Supreme Court Holds Oral Arguments By Teleconference | NBC News NOW www.youtube.com
But those listening in were more interested in the prospect that a justice might be occupied in a proverbial cloakroom than in what the attorney had to say.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, whose agency was mention during Martinez's argument, tweeted, "To be clear, the @FCC does not construe the flushing of a toilet immediately after counsel said "what the FCC has said" to reflect a substantive judgment of the Supreme Court, or of any Justice thereof, regarding an agency determination."
HuffPost compiled a litany of tweets from people speculating over who could have been the offending party, but Martinez is the only one who has gone on the record to clear his good name. The lawyer told Law360 the flush did not come from his commode, and BuzzFeed News argued he has a good defense, pointing out that "Martinez seems an unlikely suspect given he was midsentence."
As for who might have been the alleged perpetrator given their record, KMOX-AM reported: "Now, no one is pointing fingers — nor has the Supreme Court commented yet — but on Monday and Tuesday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor forgot to unmute herself, and to be fair, it was only for a moment. Sotomayor told Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday, 'I'm sorry, Chief. Did it again.'"
Anything else?
According to this writer, the best headline written in coverage of the scandal came from Steven Nelson of the New York Post, who declared, "Mystery swirls after toilet flush heard on Supreme Court conference call."