theblaze--2020-05-21--Hollywood actress discusses 'guilt' over feeling fine amid coronavirus when 'so many people aren't'

Hollywood actress discusses 'guilt' over feeling fine amid coronavirus when 'so many people aren't' — and the backlash is brutal

Hollywood actress discusses 'guilt ' over feeling fine amid coronavirus when 'so many people are n't ' — and the @ @ @ @ @ wrong with these people ?
They want attention so badly that they are n't happy @ @ @ @ @ problems ? '

Actress Shailene Woodley of "Big Little Lies" appeared on Yahoo's Reset Your Mindset event Wednesday and admitted it's difficult admitting she's doing well amid the coronavirus pandemic when "so many people aren't" — and observers shot back with brutal commentary.
What are the details?
The interviewer noted to Woodley the phenomenon of those who feel "bad right now" despite having their health and employment and who feel "guilty about feeling anxious" — and then asked Woodley what she would say to them.
Woodley replied that she was talking to a friend about that subject and said to him, "I'm actually doing really good, but it's hard to say that when you know so many people aren't."
She added that her friend advised she should "recognize what's going on, to not be ignorant about what's going on, to be in service the best that you can, and to celebrate where you're at in your life as well." Woodley also said her friend noted that "guilt is not gonna help anything, and it's not going to progress this world."
YahooLife! added that "part of the way Woodley has been coping during the coronavirus pandemic has been readdressing her relationship with guilt."
"It's enough to actually drive us crazy and to create a certain like death within our own minds," Woodley said, the outlet noted.
Here's that portion of the interview:
#ResetYourMindset: How to live your best life while staying at home | Yahoo Life youtu.be
How did folks react?
A number of commenters weren't very sympathetic to Woodley's struggle over recognizing her fortunate state at the moment:


theblaze--2020-05-21--Mayor was out partying during lockdown. When cops showed up, he hopped in a coffin and pretended to

Mayor was out partying during lockdown. When cops showed up, he hopped in a coffin and pretended to be dead.

Mayor was out partying during lockdown .
When cops showed up , he hopped in a coffin and pretended to @ @ @ @ @ : He did n't get away with it

If you're the mayor of a city and tasked with enforcing coronavirus lockdown rules but your buddies have a really great party planned where alcohol will be flowing like water, what's the responsible thing to do?
And if you decide to go to the party because you can't let the alcohol go to waste, what should you do if the cops show up and insist on harshing your buzz?
Peru's Tantara Mayor Jaime Rolando Urbina Torres thought he knew what to do: Get in a coffin and play possum.
What's that now?
Mayor Torres, whose town has been on the coronavirus lockdown for more than two months, decided Monday to party with friends — a clear violation of the town's stay-at-home rules.
When the fuzz showed up, the partygoers scrambled to hide. The mayor's buddies hid in drawers, the U.K.'s Evening Standard said.
Torres chose a more unusual hiding spot. He climbed into a coffin, put on a face mask, and pretended to be dead.
According to The Times (of Britain), the police said the mayor set up the scene to make it look like he was a victim of COVID-19, the New York Post reported.
Cops stated they arrested a drunk Torres for allegedly violating social distancing laws and curfew restrictions.
The Evening Standard said citizens have repeatedly ripped the mayor for being absent during the lockdown and breaking stay-at-home orders he has been tasked with enforcing.
The Post noted that officials have attacked Torres for failing to open emergency shelters and implement safety checks during the pandemic.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Oxford epidemiologist on COVID-19 lockdowns: 'We might have done better by doing nothing at all'

Oxford epidemiologist on COVID-19 lockdowns : 'We might have done better by doing nothing at all' 'The epidemic has largely @ @ @ @ @ way out '

A University of Oxford professor who produced a competing model to the apocalyptic Imperial College model said there's a chance that doing nothing would've been a more effective COVID-19 response than the various lockdowns implemented around the world.
During an interview on UnHerd, Sunetra Gupta, professor of theoretical epidemiology at Oxford, said the virus is on its way out in the United Kingdom, and the true infection fatality rate is likely extremely low.
"I think the epidemic has largely come and is on its way out in this country so I think it would definitely be less than 1 in 1,000 (0.1%) and probably closer to 1 in 10,000 (0.01%)," Gupta said.
Gupta is opposed to the lockdowns, pointing out that the coronavirus outbreak has followed similar patterns in different countries with different lockdown policies.
"In almost every context we've seen the epidemic grow, turn around and die away — almost like clockwork," Gupta told UnHerd. "Different countries have had different lockdown policies, and yet what we've observed is almost a uniform pattern of behavior which is highly consistent with the SIR model. To me that suggests that much of the driving force here was due to the build-up of immunity. I think that's a more parsimonious explanation than one which requires in every country for lockdown (or various degrees of lockdown, including no lockdown) to have had the same effect."
She blamed government overreaction from the worst-case scenario projections from the Imperial College model, which showed the potential for 500,000 deaths in the U.K. and more than 2 million in the United States.
"I think there's a chance we might have done better by doing nothing at all," Gupta said. "Or at least by doing something different, which would have been to pay attention to protecting the vulnerable, to have thought about protecting the vulnerable 30 or 40 years ago when we started cutting hospital beds. The roots of this go a long, long way back."


theblaze--2020-05-21--More Americans venture out in public, especially to restaurants, but the majority are staying home

More Americans venture out in public , especially to restaurants , but the majority are staying home 79 % say @ @ @ @ @ public .

As shelter-in-place orders slowly expire and the coronavirus restrictions are being lifted, more Americans are venturing out in public. However, the majority in the U.S. are still staying at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new Gallup poll found that more Americans are leaving their homes, but still 65% of people are avoiding public places. This is a decrease from the survey from the week before that showed 71% were avoiding public places. The poll also discovered 63% of people are shying away from small gatherings, compared to 71% from the week before last week and 84% in mid-April.
Americans are still not taking public transportation, 76% of respondents said they are avoiding travel by planes, buses, and subways; the figure was down from 81% last week.
People are starting to frequent restaurants once again. Based on the May 11-17 poll of 4,117 U.S. adults, 21% said they had visited a restaurant in the past 24 hours, a significant increase from 13% the week before. The poll does not specify if the people dined at the restaurant or got take-out.
According to the poll, 47% visited a grocery store in the last 24 hours, and 30% have gone to their place of employment in the last day, both have been steady since late March.
When it comes to shopping at a store other than a grocery store, 25% said they visited a store in the past 24 hours, compared to 20% in the previous survey from a week earlier.
With fears of the coronavirus spreading, 79% of Americans say they wear face masks when they go out in public. There were 71% who said that healthy people should continue to stay at home, while 29% said healthy people should live their lives as normally as possible to avoid disruptions to work and business.
There were 51% of respondents who said they were worried about personally catching COVID-19, down from 57% in early April.
Gallup said that the percentage of people who are "completely" or "mostly isolating" themselves from people outside their household was at a new low of 55%.


theblaze--2020-05-21--China's state news introduces 3D, artificially intelligent anchor that can imitate human voices, man

China's state news introduces 3D, artificially intelligent anchor that can imitate human voices, mannerisms

Nothing to see here , move along

China's state news agency Xinhua has introduced its first artificially intelligent, three-dimensional news anchor, TheNextWeb reported.
What are the details?
Xin Xiaowei is modeled after one of the agency's human news presenters, Zhao Wanwei, the outlet said, adding that search engine Sogou is one of the avatar's co-developers.
Here's a look at the 3D, AI news anchor:
In the clip, Xin Xiaowei speaks on set and says developers' technology "employs multi-modal recognition and synthesis, facial recognition, and animation and transfer learning" that "allow me to intelligently imitate human voices, facial expressions, lip movements, and mannerisms."
"In the future, I will walk out of the studio and bring you a refreshing news broadcasting style under various scenarios," the avatar adds.
More from TheNextWeb:
The anchor is the latest in a growing gang of virtual presenters used by Xinhua. In 2018, the agency introduced a digital anchor called Qiu Hao, which used machine learning to simulate the voices, facial movements, and gestures of real broadcasters.
The following year, Xinhua unveiled a Russian-speaking version, which was developed alongside ITAR-TASS, a Russian news agency. The avatar was launched on the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, which suggests there are political motivations for the work as well as promotional ones.
Xin Xiaowei's first assignment is reporting for Xinhua on the Two Sessions, an annual congress of the Chinese Communist Party that began Wednesday, the outlet said.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Former Philadelphia Judge of Elections admits to stuffing ballot boxes for Democrats from 2014-16 in

Former Philadelphia Judge of Elections admits to stuffing ballot boxes for Democrats from 2014-16 in return for bribe money More @ @ @ @

Former Philadelphia Judge of Elections Domenick J. DeMuro has pleaded guilty to stuffing ballot boxes for Democratic candidates in primary elections in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced in a news release Thursday, detailing how DeMuro, 73, defrauded the public and took bribes in doing so. He was charged and pleaded guilty on the same day.
The two counts were listed as follows:
(1) conspiracy to deprive Philadelphia voters of their civil rights by fraudulently stuffing the ballot boxes for specific Democratic candidates in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 primary elections, and (2) a violation of the Travel Act, which forbids the use of any facility in interstate commerce (here, a cell phone) with the intent to promote certain illegal activity (here, bribery).
During the plea hearing, DeMuro admitted that a political consultant, who was not named, gave him money in return for him illegally adding votes to certain Democratic candidates who had either hired the consultant or were the consultant's preferred candidates.
The bribery monies were disguised as "consulting fees" collected by the consultant and then paid to Election Board Officials, including DeMuro.
"DeMuro fraudulently stuffed the ballot box by literally standing in a voting booth and voting over and over, as fast as he could, while he thought the coast was clear. This is utterly reprehensible conduct. The charges announced today do not erase what he did, but they do ensure that he is held to account for those actions," McSwain said. "Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. If even one vote is fraudulently rung up, the integrity of that election is compromised."
The candidates who were helped by the illegal activity were also not named in the news release.
DeMuro's guilty plea was secured by cooperation between the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Pennsylvania State Police — and the investigation is still ongoing.
"I want the public to know that this investigation is active and ongoing, and my Office is taking every possible step that we can to ensure the integrity of the upcoming primary and general elections in the nine counties of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania," McSwain added.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Horowitz: Science and liberty over power: Ron DeSantis delivers for the people of Florida

Horowitz : Science and liberty over power : Ron DeSantis delivers for the people of Florida Can anyone say Ron @ @ @ @ @ ?

He had everything to lose and nothing to gain by standing for liberty, balance and prudence, the Constitution, and long-standing epidemiological science in the third-largest state in the nation. It also happens to be the state with the most senior citizens at risk. He could have declared himself king of his state, as so many other governors have done, and would have received accolades instead of visceral derision from the national and local media for doing so. His approval ratings could have skyrocketed like those of Gov. Cuomo in New York. Yet he allowed his approval rating to tank because he stood on the right side of history. Can anyone say Ron DeSantis for president in 2024?
It started with the pictures of the students on spring break at the Florida beaches, where people from all over the country were likely to spread the disease everywhere, according to the media – never mind the ironclad research showing little to no outdoor transmission. "Coronavirus is killing us in Florida, Gov. DeSantis. Act like you give a damn," read an editorial from the Miami Herald on Mach 22.
They said DeSantis was killing his state's people by not issuing a stay-at home order early enough and never issuing a full lockdown against church services and other activities. Then, on May 4, he decided to end even the tepid lockdown. Last in, first out. What are the results?
Despite the fact that Florida is the haven for those most susceptible to the virus, the elderly, the state's numbers beat almost every comparable state.
Daily fatalities also plunged after he ended the stay-at-home order on May 4.
Florida never had a disproportionate surge from locking down late and then enjoyed a sharp drop in hospitalizations after opening up – much more than most other states.
Also, the number of patients on ventilators dropped by 55%:
The data are so compelling that now the media are trying to insinuate that DeSantis is cooking the books. They can't seem to believe in simple science that lockdowns don't work and that there is no outdoor transmission on beaches. Now they are just denying the data. DeSantis had some choice words for them.
DeSantis mentions an important point so many forget. His state was the top destination of wealthy New Yorkers fleeing the hardest-hit state and coming to Florida. Yet, rather than violate people's rights and shut down the entire state, DeSantis used his head and struck the right balance. Most importantly, he focused on securing the nursing homes, the exact opposite of what the celebrated Andrew Cuomo did when he purposely sent COVID-positive patients into nursing homes to kill everyone else there. While 45% of total deaths in Florida were in nursing homes (lower than the national average), the raw numbers were way down for a state this size and shockingly low considering the nursing home population of Florida.
There were more deaths in almost every individual borough of NYC than in the entire state of Florida. Also, Florida has 4.4 million people above the age of 65. Queens has just 322,000 – thirteen times less – yet had nearly three times as many deaths. Now consider that Cuomo is a hero to the media – even after the nursing home scandal – while DeSantis is treated like dirt.
While it wasn't as cool and heroic as locking up every healthy person with near-zero risk in their homes, DeSantis quietly barred hospitals from sending COVID-positive patients to nursing homes – the exact opposite of what Cuomo and many Democrat governors did. He also used the National Guard to secure nursing homes rather than to spy on people.
The results?
In New Jersey, 51 senior care residents out of every 100,000 people died. In New York, nearly 27 per 100,000 have died. Even in smaller and younger Colorado, more than 10 nursing home residents have died per capita. In Florida? Just 3.5 per 100,000. In the state of "God's waiting room," just .008% of the population died of COVID-19.
DeSantis was even pressured by the White House to go along with the flat-earth lockdown science. But he understood that the threat of the virus is limited to a known population and that outdoor transmission is negligible. So he put his resources where they were needed.
Interestingly enough, rather than shut down all road construction, as nearly every other state did, DeSantis stepped on the gas pedal and took advantage of the low levels of traffic to build more highways than ever, so as not to inconvenience people later on. This is the sort of "policy entrepreneurship" he promised on my podcast two years ago when he was in Congress running for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
What is really going on in the media is the use of coronavirus as a pretext for what can only be described as the utter despotism of lockdowns. This is the new flat-earth science. Just as with the political leaders during the time of Galileo, you are not allowed to believe in basic science when the simple facts refute the established line of thinking. Thus, all precautions must be taken to burn down anyone who questions the orthodoxy or demonstrates its folly.
What made George Washington a great statesman was not the way he projected power but the way he abdicated power when he could have abused it without any opposition. Ron DeSantis came into this crisis with one of the highest approval ratings and could have ridden the wave with everyone else and enjoyed even more power. But he trusted Floridians to exercise prudence in self-government and refused to violate their rights. That is the mark of a statesman.
As Mark Twain said, "In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot."


theblaze--2020-05-21--China plans to bypass Hong Kong legislature, impose massive new national security law on city

People 's Liberation Army soldiers march next to the entrance to the Forbidden City during the opening ceremony of the @ @ @ @ @ Conference on Thursday .
( Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images )

China announced that it is stepping up its abuse of Hong Kong citizens with a sweeping new national security law that will outlaw "foreign interference" and further quash pro-democracy forces in the once autonomous city.
What happened?
A year ago, pro-democracy forces in Hong Kong began demonstrating against pro-China polices backed by the city's leadership, especially Chief Executive Carrie Lam. In June, thousands of protesters took to the streets to protest their local government's efforts to pass a bill that to make it easier for China to extradite fugitives from the city to the mainland.
The protests upset Communist Party leaders in Beijing, so the regime announced Thursday at its annual Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference that it would bypass the Hong Kong legislature and impose an oppressive new national security edict by fiat, the Washington Post reported.
Hong Kong has enjoyed relative autonomy since the British turned it over to Communist China in 1997. But recent and repeated moves by Beijing to suppress civil liberties have led to increasingly disruptive and sometimes violent protests by pro-democracy, pro-West factions.
The communist regime cited the protests as evidence that the sweeping new security law is necessary.
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned in December that his Communist Party would not tolerate challenges to its authority or interference from "external forces," the New York Times reported. But protests continued until the coronavirus pandemic led world leaders to begin issuing stay-at-home orders.
And a Thursday letter from China's foreign ministry said, "The opposition in Hong Kong have long colluded with external forces to carry out acts of secession, subversion, infiltration and destruction against the Chinese mainland," according to the Times.
The law, which Chinese leaders declared is a "direct response to last year's protests" that were spurred on by "secessionist forces" and outside influence, the Post said, "will ban secession, subversion of state power, foreign interference and terrorism."
Stanley Ng, a pro-Beijing member of China's legislature from Hong Kong and long-time proponent of the security law, said the city's failure to quell the protests only proved that China needed to step in.
"The social unrest last year showed that the Hong Kong government was unable to handle passing [national security legislation] on its own," Ng said, according to the Post. "Hong Kong's status will be sacrificed with or without this law if society is unstable due to the protesters' violence."
Pro-democracy forces were stunned by the move. From the Post:
[U]nder Xi's leadership, the Communist Party has encroached on Hong Kong's autonomy with stunning speed.
"I'm speechless," said Dennis Kwok, a pro-democracy lawmaker, of the proposed national security legislation. Kwok was singled out for criticism by Beijing and was recently removed from his chairmanship of a key legislative council committee. "This is a complete and total surprise and I think it means the end of one country, two systems."
Kwok said that the Hong Kong government and Beijing had used the coronavirus pandemic as cover to clamp down on the city.
"When the world is not watching they are killing Hong Kong, killing one country, two systems, and using social distancing rules to keep people from coming out to protest," he said. "This is the most devastating thing to happen to Hong Kong since the handover."
After the state announced its plan to implement the new security law, calls went out for protesters to take to the streets of Hong Kong.
"The arms of tyranny have reached Hong Kong," pro-democracy leader Ted Hui said, according to the Post. “Darker days are coming."
This move follows a recent trend of anti-democracy abuse.
Earlier this week, pro-China forces within the Hong Kong legislature had pro-democracy lawmakers forcibly removed and blocked from re-entry in order to install pro-communist leadership for a key legislative committee as the body fought over a bill that would criminalize disrespect of the Chinese national anthem.
And last month, pro-Beijing Chief Executive Lam used the coronavirus quarantine to arrest democracy advocates.


theblaze--2020-05-21--VIDEO: 'Weed smoking' girls viciously attack security guard after he refuses to allow them in hotel

VIDEO: 'Weed smoking' girls viciously attack security guard after he refuses to allow them in hotel elevator

VIDEO : 'Weed smoking ' girls viciously attack security guard after he refuses to allow them in hotel elevator What @ @ @ @ @ ?

A gang of "weed smoking" girls physically assaulted a hotel security officer, according to the Daily Mail.
Video footage of the disturbing incident has since gone viral.
What are the details?
The incident recently took place at an Atlanta hotel when a security guard approached a group of women who were reportedly smoking marijuana outside the Hyatt Palace Hotel.
The outlet reported that the women reportedly pushed their way past the guard and into the hotel without providing information as to whether they were staying there or visiting someone.
According to video of the incident, the women — who were accompanied by a group of men — then purportedly tried to gain access to a guest elevator.
The video shows the male security guard refusing to allow the women onto the elevator and shouting "No!" He can be seen pushing at least one of the women out of the way to keep her away from the elevator doors.
Where it all goes south
The unnamed woman cocks her arm back and begins pummeling the guard's head with her fists. A second woman enters the melee and begins punching the guard in the face. The guard can be seen falling back onto a chair, where he attempts to shield himself from the blows and demands the women stop hitting him.
The guard demands the women cease their assault, but the women refuse and continue punching him over and over again.
Men in the group, who are nearby, apparently refuse to intervene on the guard's behalf, and instead, can be heard laughing at the women's antics.
According to the outlet, the Atlanta Police Department are searching for the people involved in the assault. The guard said he plans to press charges, the outlet said.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Seattle wants $100 million from the state to fund cash assistance to illegal immigrants

Seattle wants $ 100 million from the state to fund cash assistance to illegal immigrants

The Seattle City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution requesting emergency economic assistance from the state of Washington for illegal immigrants, according to the Seattle Times.
What's this about? The city council voted 9-0 on the resolution, which will be signed by Mayor Jenny Durkan. The resolution calls for the state to create a fund called the "Washington Worker Relief Fund" that would allocate at least $100 million to assist illegal immigrants who have lost their jobs or been harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Looking out for the most vulnerable in our community is even more critical in times of crisis," Durkan said in a statement. "It is all the more important to ensure we are not pushing people further into the shadows."
Seattle expects to have a $210 million to $300 million budget shortfall this year due to a loss in tax revenue caused by the pandemic.
Why do they want this? Illegal immigrants can't receive federal benefits, such as the stimulus checks American individuals and families have been receiving or the unemployment benefits that have been boosted by federal legislation.
According to the resolution, more than 250,000 illegal immigrants live in Seattle. Many of them work in jobs deemed essential by the government, and others are concentrated in industries that have seen severe layoffs, but cannot receive assistance.
"Yet they don't seem to be essential enough to access basic benefits," Council President M. Lorena Gonzalez said, according to the Times. "Now is the time for us to make sure we are giving voice to these needs."
Is the state on board? Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee has not committed one way or another on the resolution but is researching "how the state can best make sure everyone living in Washington has access to needed assistance," according to a spokeswoman.
High demand in California: A California program offering cash aid to illegal immigrants opened this week, and phone lines quickly crashed as hundreds of thousands of people called in attempting to apply for the benefits.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Pastor tears up cease-and-desist letter during sermon: 'God tells us how to worship him — nobody els

Pastor tears up cease-and-desist letter during sermon: 'God tells us how to worship him — nobody else gets to do that!'

Pastor tears up cease-and-desist letter during sermon : 'God tells us how to worship him — nobody else gets to @ @ @ @ @ we settle for permission , we will never have liberty again '

Stacey Shiflett — pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Dundalk, Maryland — on Tuesday read from an "intimidating" cease-and-desist letter he said he received from Baltimore County's Department of Health and Human Services, warning that the church "could be subject to a fine of up to $5,000" if further in-person services were held in violation of executive orders.
Shiflett asked those watching the video to pray for him and the church in light of the developments, saying that he and other church members have had it with not being able to gather.
"We're not satisfied with teleconferencing and Zoom services," he said. "We want to go back to church the way God intended, the way our Constitution intended."
What happened next?
Well, Shiflett went right ahead and not only held a Wednesday night service for 100 attendees in the 600-capacity sanctuary, Fox News reported — but also he tore up the cease-and-desist letter in the middle of his sermon.
"Pharaoh doesn't get to dictate to God's people how they worship their God," Shiflett said with a raised voice. "God's the one that defines the parameters, God's the one that communicates his will and his plan for his church — not Egypt."
Image source: Twitter video screenshot
He then told the congregation that "the Bible says to the New Testament church 'not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is, but so much the more as you see the day approaching,' and the closer we get to Jesus coming back, the more church we ought to be having, not less church!"
Then holding the letter aloft, Shiflett told the powers that be — in a manner of speaking — to let his people go.
Image source: Twitter video screenshot
"So I'm tearing up this cease-and-desist order right here," he said, "and I'm telling you right now, we're gonna do it God's way! ... God tells us how to worship him — nobody else gets to do that!"
What's the background?
Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan last Friday moved from a statewide stay-at-home order to a safer-at-home public health advisory in the continuing fight against the coronavirus, noting that churches and houses of worship "may begin to safely hold religious services, at up to 50 percent capacity, with outdoor services strongly encouraged."
But the reopening plan also "empowers individual jurisdictions to make decisions regarding the timing of reopenings" — and that spelled bad news for Calvary Baptist, as well as Friendship Baptist Church in Baltimore City, both of which are located in jurisdictions where officials are still adhering to a stay-at-home order that limits indoor services to just 10 people.
But both churches held services Sunday anyway under Hogan's directive — 50% capacity — and troubles soon commenced. While Shiflett was served notice by county officials, the Rev. Alvin Gwynn, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, pointed to a police car parked in front of his church that he said was meant to intimidate him and service attendees.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
"The city has no legal standing," Gwynn told WBAL-TV. "What are they going to do? Have officers come and take body cameras and record you and then go back and talk to their attorneys to see what they can do with them or not? That's nothing but intimidation."
Baltimore pastor again defies stay-home order youtu.be
'If we settle for permission, we will never have liberty again'
"Either we have liberty to worship, or we have permission to worship," Shiflett told Fox News in the aftermath. "It has become abundantly clear that if we settle for permission, we will never have liberty again."
He added to the cable network that other Maryland churches plan on reopening this Sunday over Memorial Day weekend and that organizers of a ReOpen Maryland freedom rally invited him to offer a prayer at the Friday event.
"We're challenging our local officials to render the church essential so we can get our doors back open," he told Fox News.
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced Thursday morning that he would allow retail stores and some personal services to reopen Friday morning, WJZ-TV said, but the story doesn't mention churches.


theblaze--2020-05-21--NOAA forecasts busy 2020 hurricane season, warns of the potential for 'extreme activity'

NOAA forecasts busy 2020 hurricane season , warns of the potential for 'extreme activity' 2020 : Coronavirus pandemic , then @ @ @ @ @ the possibility of an extreme hurricane season

As Americans are weathering the storm of dismal coronavirus pandemic headlines, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is reminding everyone that the 2020 hurricane season is right around the corner — and there is a potential of "extreme activity" in the forecast.
The NOAA released its predictions for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season on Thursday and forecast an above-average hurricane season with 13-19 named storms, of which 6-10 could turn into hurricanes. The federal agency is predicting that there could be three to six major hurricanes in 2020, which is a Category 3 hurricane or higher that packs winds of at least 111 mph. If the 2020 forecast is correct, this would be the fifth consecutive year with an above-average hurricane season.
Neil Jacobs, the acting administrator of the NOAA, told reporters on Thursday that "an above-normal season is most likely, with a possibility of that season being extremely active."
"At this time, it is not possible to predict how many of these potential storms will land," Jacobs said.
"The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be a busy one," said Gerry Bell, a hurricane climate specialist and research meteorologist at the NOAA's Climate Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Maryland. "We're predicting this to be an above-average season, possibly extremely active."
The NOAA explained why 2020 would have above-average hurricane activity:
The combination of several climate factors is driving the strong likelihood for above-normal activity in the Atlantic this year. El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are expected to either remain neutral or to trend toward La Nina, meaning there will not be an El Nino present to suppress hurricane activity. Also, warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, coupled with reduced vertical wind shear, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon all increase the likelihood for an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season. Similar conditions have been producing more active seasons since the current high-activity era began in 1995.
This year's concerning forecast arrives a year after the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season that was tied with 1969 as the fourth-most active season on record. There were 18 named storms and 20 tropical cyclones in 2019, including three major hurricanes. The most destructive was Dorian, a Category 5 hurricane with 185-mph winds that killed 84 and caused about $4.72 billion in damages.
The NOAA is 70% confident in its predictions and said there is only a 10% chance that this season will be below normal.
The 2020 hurricane season starts on June 1, but there has already been one named Atlantic storm with Arthur, which was declared a tropical storm on May 17. This is the sixth-straight year that there has been a named storm before the start of the hurricane season.
The NOAA is predicting near or below normal cyclone activity in the central Pacific.
"This year we will likely see less activity in the Central Pacific region compared to more active seasons," said Bell, the NOAA's lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center. "Less activity is predicted since ocean temperatures are likely to be near-average in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean where hurricanes form, and because El Nino is not present to increase the activity."
The National Weather Service shared a video of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane forecast.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli agree to plead guilty, will both serve jail time

Lori Loughlin , Mossimo Giannulli agree to plead guilty , will both serve jail time It 's the slammer for @ @ @ @ @ admissions scam

Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have reportedly agreed to plead guilty in the 2019 college admissions scam.
What's a brief history here?
Loughlin, 55, and Giannulli, 56, are accused of paying at least $500,000 to secure their two daughters' admission to the University of Southern California. Their daughters were accepted into USC as crew recruits despite neither of them having any experience as rowers.
The two are among an even larger group of parents who were reportedly involved in a large-scale scam to defraud college admissions in order to secure placement for their children.
Authorities charged the pair in March as part of the largest college admissions cheating scandal ever prosecuted in the United States.
What are the details?
The two will plead guilty to conspiracy charges in connection with the scandal, according to the Department of Justice.
Loughlin has reportedly agreed to serving two months in prison, a $150,000 fine, and two years of unsupervised release with 100 hours of community service. For his part, Giannulli reportedly agreed to five months in prison, a $250,000 fine, and two years of unsupervised release with 250 hours of community service.
The two are scheduled to appear in court Friday where they will plead guilty.
In February, Loughlin and Giannulli's lawyers said they had evidence that would exonerate the two of wrongdoing. Loughlin previously insisted that the funds sent to the school were "legitimate donations."
According to CNN, the couple could have faced up to 20 years in prison if they had gone to trial and been convicted.
Anything else?
In a Thursday news release, the Justice Department stated, "Loughlin will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, while Giannulli will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud."
U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling added, "These defendants will serve prison terms reflecting their respective roles in a conspiracy to corrupt the college admissions process and which are consistent with prior sentences in this case. We will continue to pursue accountability for undermining the integrity of college admissions."
You can read more on the background of the case here.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Chicago church of immigrants to hold Memorial Day-themed service this Sunday in defiance of state's

Chicago church of immigrants to hold Memorial Day-themed service this Sunday in defiance of state's harsh lockdown orders

Chicago church of immigrants to hold Memorial Day-themed service this Sunday in defiance of state 's harsh lockdown orders 'An @ @ @ @ @ America looking to escape a totalitarian government '

A Chicago church plans to hold a Memorial Day-themed service this Sunday in defiance of the state's lockdown orders.
Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church, which held services last Sunday despite Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's stay-at-home order, will host a service again this Sunday in support of religious freedom.
Pritzker recently announced a plan to reopen the state, but the plan banned churches with over 50 people from gathering until there is a vaccine, highly effective treatment, or elimination of any new cases — criteria that could take more than a year.
Preaching during the service will be HIS Church Pastor Brian Gibson, who last week launched "Peaceably Gather," an initiative that calls on religious institutions nationwide to safely reopen for worship gatherings. Also joining the service will be local pastor Joseph Wyrostek, who leads Metro Praise International Chicago's Belmont Cragin neighborhood.
In a video announcing his attendance at the service, Gibson said, "We picked this church because this is a church of immigrants ... an immigrant community that came to America looking to escape a totalitarian government.
"They come to America, [and] what do they find?" asked Gibson rhetorically. "They found more restriction, they find religious targeting. They find that the Walmart, the Lowe's, and the liquor stores can all be open, but the church can't.
"The one thing that separates us from nations without freedom is our Constitution," Gibson said at the video's opening.
Peaceably Gather | Memorial Day Promo youtu.be
Since the start of the outbreak, churches and other religious institutions across the country have been in conflict with state and local leaders who have ordered worship gatherings to cease in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Last month, Attorney General William Barr warned state and local leaders in a statement to be careful not to violate the constitutional rights of Americans to assemble and worship while enforcing social distancing measures.
Later in April, Barr instructed federal prosecutors to specifically "be on the lookout" for such constitutional violations, adding that "the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis."
In a news release, Peaceably Gather said that thousand of churches around the country have joined the movement to safely reopen since the launch of the effort.
Peaceably Gather is legally represented by First Liberty Institute, the nation's largest legal organization dedicated exclusively to defending the religious liberty of Americans.


theblaze--2020-05-21--WATCH: Glenn Beck Special: Battling COVID-19 tyrants is the NEW civil rights movement

WATCH : Glenn Beck Special : Battling COVID-19 tyrants is the NEW civil rights movement

It took less than two months of the coronavirus tyranny to make America unrecognizable. Leaders from state and local governments across the U.S. have flattened the curve of some of our most basic constitutional rights, but some Americans are fighting back — and risking jail time or losing their businesses.
On Wednesday night's GBTV special, Glenn Beck argued that we're witnessing the birth of a new civil rights movement — and it's time to build a coalition of common sense to keep America as we know it free.
Watch the full special below:
Use code GLENN to save $10 on one year of BlazeTV.
Want more from Glenn Beck?
To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multiplatform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.


theblaze--2020-05-21--School board member resigns after making death threats against people not wearing masks who come nea

School board member resigns after making death threats against people not wearing masks who come near her or her family

Jennifer Rager-Kay, a doctor and school board member for the Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, School District, has resigned after making death threats against people not wearing masks.
Rager-Kay's husband — a public defender — also resigned from his position after his wife's social media faux pas. Her husband also reportedly received death threats because of his wife's posting.
What are the details of the post?
In a now-viral Facebook post, Rager-Kay threatened to shoot anyone in her or her family's path not wearing a protective mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic, PennLive reported.
Rager-Kay reportedly made the remarks in response to seeing a photo of anti-lockdown protesters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The post said, "I find it interesting that the largest group of participants in the anti-lockdown protest and refusing to wear masks in public as they see it as a violation of their constitutional rights are among those against a form of gun regulations."
She continued, "As a concerned carry-permitted gun owner, if you refuse to wear a mask and try to come within 6 feet of me or my family, I will exercise the same constitutional rights to shoot you."
What happened then?
Rager-Kay announced her resignation just days after admitting that she had "received threats against my personal and professional well-being," the Sunbury Daily Item reported.
In a statement, she said, "I would like to publicly apologize to anyone offended by my most recent post regarding the hypocrisy of those who refuse to wear face masks yet walk around openly carrying guns. I am in a profession where the threat of someone approaching me not wearing a mask while in the midst of a pandemic is equivalent to the threat against my life. Just as it would be if they approached me with their gun drawn and pointed at me."
She continued, "As a wife, mother, and physician, it is my job and responsibility to 'do no harm' and the constant barrage of protests and defiance to public health reached a boiling point for me, thus the reason for my overly dramatic and exaggerated post. My words demonstrated how constitutional rights can be misinterpreted, and were meant to serve as an example of extremism."
Rager-Kay wasn't done there.
What else did she say?
She said that she also made the remarks because people don't properly love one another.
"My post was described as hateful, but hateful suggests a lack of love. And to me, lack of love is demonstrated by refusing to wear a mask out of love for those you encounter," she reasoned.
After her apology went viral, she followed up with a second post announcing her resignation from the school board.
"I have received threats against my personal and professional wellbeing," she wrote in her letter. She also went on the offensive, and blamed Snyder County Commissioner Joe Kantz for the fallout, insisting that he took a screenshot of her private remarks and publicly shared them.
Her follow-up post read, "Our society is so divided and entrenched with the 'you vs. me' selfish mentality, that we fail to recognize the level of hypocrisy this represents."
"Someone approaching me or my family not wearing a mask while in the midst of a pandemic, and refusing to back off if asked, represents a potentially deadly threat," she complained. "Those who carry their rifles to rallies and protests speak so passionately about the right to personal defense, are the same ones now attacking me for boldly asserting that I would meet a deadly threat with deadly force."
She pointed out that "[n]o amount of inequity or injustice is worth the risk to my family and my profession."
(H/T: The College Fix)


theblaze--2020-05-21--Senate has confirmed TX Rep. John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence

On Thursday, the United States Senate held a vote to confirm Rep. John Ratcliffe (TX-R) as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
In a 49-44 vote, Ratcliffe secured the position after his nomination was announced by President Trump on Twitter. Sens. Alexander, Burr, Markey, Murkowski, Murray, Rounds, and Sanders did not vote.


theblaze--2020-05-21--New Jersey cop actually shows up in middle of business owner's Facebook Live sale and shuts it down

New Jersey cop actually shows up in middle of business owner 's Facebook Live sale and shuts it down ' @ @ @ @ @ my kids '

Katherine Hermes likely figured she was in the clear.
Amid New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's coronavirus shutdown, which closed her nonessential business, Hermes conducted a shop-from-home-style Facebook Live sale Tuesday evening inside her Country Home store in downtown Bernardsville, New Jersey News12 reported.
The only other person in the store was a friend of Hermes helping her out with the sale. What could go wrong?
The long arm of the law
Well, nearly two hours into the proceedings an officer showed up saying there were complaints about the store being open past 8 p.m. and that Hermes and her friend weren't wearing masks.
The confrontation was captured on the Facebook Live video. The action begins at the 1:56 mark:
Hermes debated with the officer, telling him she felt "totally picked on right now. ... You guys are picking on me because I'm trying to feed my kids, my store has been closed, I had a little fresh air, I'm not open, I'm doing a [Facebook] Live, I've done this time and time again, and now people are just picking on me."
Image source: Facebook video screenshot
The officer simply invoked Murphy's executive order and said that despite her store being closed to the public, she can't be operating inside it after 8 p.m.
'I was defiant'
Hermes actually defied the governor's shutdown order when she opened her doors to customers last Saturday, News12 said.
"I was defiant, and the police chief was very respectful, and I understand what he's saying, and he understands what I'm saying," she added to the station. "It's a difficult situation for everybody. But we have flattened the curve. The crisis is over."
Image source: New Jersey News 12 video screenshot
Bernardsville Police Chief Kevin Valentine told New12 that Hermes was warned once and that on Tuesday an officer saw a customer inside the store — but Hermes told the station that the customer was there only to pick up an item.
Image source: New Jersey News 12 video screenshot
The chief added to News 12 that a complaint was filed against Hermes and sent to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office for having a customer inside the store.
'I'm closing'
Whatever comes of this latest episode, Hermes told the station that even when nonessential businesses are allowed to reopen, her financial losses to date are too much to overcome.
"I'm closing," she told News12. "I don't know that I can be out of here by the end of this month, but I will be out of here by the end of next month. ... We can't take disease[s] away. We can hate them, but we can't make them go away, and we can't legislate them away by destroying businesses."


theblaze--2020-05-21--CDC has quietly released a plan for reopening America — weeks after many states have already begun p

CDC has quietly released a plan for reopening America — weeks after many states have already begun phasing out lockdowns

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly released detailed guidelines for reopening America this week despite all 50 states having already begun the process of phasing out lockdowns.
The guidelines came in a 60-page document posted on the CDC's website and weren't accompanied with any public announcement, NBC News reported Tuesday.
Included in the document are recommendations for cleaning and social distancing in bars and restaurants, rotating shifts and installing physical barriers in workplace environments, and eating lunch in classrooms rather than cafeterias in schools. The language in the document does not present the guidelines as mandatory, but rather as helpful considerations.
But the late effort from the health agency is unlikely to have any significant effect as all 50 states have already started reopening processes, according to PBS. Some states such as Texas have reopened with only minor restrictions, while other states like New York still have strict limitations in place.
This is interesting: Noticeably left out of the document is any guidance for religious gatherings.
The White House and the CDC have been at odds at times regarding instruction on how to reopen the country. In April, the White House released its own guidelines, which incorporated some CDC recommendations but opted to leave much of the reopening decision-making to state and local leaders.
The Associated Press reported last week that the Trump administration had shelved a comprehensive draft CDC guidance on reopening the country. Senior administration officials told CBS News that the release of the guidance alongside the White House guidelines would send a "mixed message."
Here's more about the document release:


theblaze--2020-05-21--Chris and Andrew Cuomo joke around on air, don't address nursing home COVID-19 deaths caused by gove

Chris and Andrew Cuomo joke around on air, don't address nursing home COVID-19 deaths caused by governor's policy

Chris and Andrew Cuomo joke around on air , do n't address nursing home COVID-19 deaths caused by governor 's @

The latest comical CNN interview between host Chris Cuomo and his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), becomes less humorous when one considers the level of responsibility the governor bears for the thousands of coronavirus deaths in nursing homes.
During the Wednesday night interview, Chris Cuomo spent several minutes making fun of Andrew's nose after the governor took a nasal swab COVID-19 test during a press briefing. He even brought out some props.
"Is it true that this was the swab the nurse was actually using on you, and that it first went into your nose and disappeared so that, in scale, this was the actual swab that was being used to fit up that double-barrel shotgun that you have mounted on the front of your pretty face?" Chris asked his brother, while holding up some oversized cotton swabs for the camera.
Gov. Cuomo's face became red as he failed to suppress his laughter.
"See, I was going to be nice and sweet and cooperative," Andrew Cuomo said.
In another context, the segment may have been funny or charming. But, many felt it to be inappropriate for valuable national airtime (the interview was nearly a half hour) with the governor of New York to be used for brotherly jokes while more information comes out about the impact of a state policy that sent people infected with COVID-19 back into nursing homes to infect other at-risk people. The nursing home deaths were not addressed in the interview.
On March 25, Andrew Cuomo ordered nursing homes and long-term care facilities to admit and readmit coronavirus patients, even though many of those facilities were not equipped to treat these patients or to ensure no one else got infected. That order was finally reversed on May 11, after thousands of nursing home deaths.
About 20% of all COVID-19 deaths in New York came from nursing homes. For about a month after the order was issued, New York was undercounting COVID-19 deaths from nursing homes by not counting the deaths of people who died of the virus after being transferred to the hospital. More than 5,800 coronavirus deaths have occurred in New York's long-term care facilities.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Refreshing honesty: Liberal writer 'would vote for Joe Biden even if I believed Reade’s account' or

Refreshing honesty: Liberal writer 'would vote for Joe Biden even if I believed Reade’s account' or even 'if he boiled babies and ate them'

Refreshing honesty : Liberal writer 'would vote for Joe Biden even if I believed Reade ’ s account ' or @ @ @ @ @ and ate them' 'Taking back the White House is that important '

For weeks, liberals insisted that women who accused then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct must be believed, no matter how flimsy, uncorroborated, politically motivated, or implausible they were.
The same liberals have been forced to resort to one of two tactics when confronted with the story of Tara Reade, who has accused presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden of sexual misconduct dating back to 1993 when Biden was in the Senate: 1. Ignore the existence of the accusations entirely, as most of the media has done; or 2. lamely state that they believe Joe Biden's denials but are not turning their back on "believe all women" because reasons.
Liberal writer Katha Pollitt, writing at The Nation, has decided to state what we all know to be true: For most liberals, it doesn't matter whether the allegations against Biden are true, just like it didn't matter whether the accusations against Kavanaugh were actually true. What matters is the politics of the accused.
It should be noted, in fairness, that the bulk of Pollitt's article is devoted to an attempted debunking of Reade's account. But the debunking material contained therein might well be taken with a grain of salt given the author's frank admission in the article's subtitle that "I would vote for Joe Biden even if I believed Reade's account."
She follows that up with even more emphasis in a remarkable opening paragraph:
I would vote for Joe Biden if he boiled babies and ate them. He wasn't my candidate, but taking back the White House is that important. Four more years of Trump will replace what remains of our democracy with unchecked rule by kleptocrats, fascists, religious fanatics, gun nuts, and know-nothings. The environment? Education? Public health? The rights of voters, workers, immigrants, people of color, and yes, women? Forget them. And not just for the next four years: A Trump victory will lock down the courts for decades. I cannot believe that a rational person can grasp the disaster that is Donald Trump and withhold their support from Biden because of Tara Reade.
Interestingly, a significant portion of the debunking material provided by Pollitt consists of evidence that Reade has publicly espoused bizarre and unsavory positions (e.g., support for Vladimir Putin in 2018) and therefore her stated facts should be considered suspect. Apparently, one should not apply the same standard to the material contained in Pollitt's article, given Pollitt's explicit admission up front that she has an axe to grind.
Pollitt has been widely criticized on Twitter by conservatives for her over-the-top opening paragraph. But the reality is that she is just saying aloud what most liberals think: It doesn't matter whether Tara Reade's story is true or not, all that matters is denying Trump one of his goals. This was just as true, and as transparent, during the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, and nothing has changed since.


theblaze--2020-05-21--JPMorgan study finds COVID-19 infection rates have declined — not increased — in states that have re

JPMorgan study finds COVID-19 infection rates have declined — not increased — in states that have reopened This will not @ @ @ @ @

A report by JPMorgan finds that COVID-19 infection rates have declined, not increased, in states that have reopened. The eye-opening study from the investment banking institution was shared by CNBC financial anchor Carl Quintanilla in a series of tweets.
Research by JPMorgan shows that the coronavirus infection rates of states that have ended their lockdowns have declined, "even after allowing for an appropriate measurement lag." The incubation period for coronavirus has a median time of four to five days, and as long as 14 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"JPMorgan has a devastating piece arguing that infection rates have declined — not increased — in states where lockdowns have ended, 'even after allowing for an appropriate measurement lag,'" Quintanilla wrote of the report by Marko Kolanovic, the Global Head of Macro Quantitative and Derivatives Strategy team at JPMorgan.
"Same goes for various countries, adds JPM. 'This means that the pandemic and COVID-19 likely have its own dynamics unrelated to often inconsistent lockdown measures that were being implemented,'" Quintanilla tweeted.
"In the absence of conclusive data, these lockdowns were justified initially," the JPMorgan report states, according to Quintanilla. "Millions of lives were being destroyed ... with little consideration that [lockdowns] might not only cause economic devastation but potentially more deaths than COVID-19 itself."
The report also warns: "Demagogues will be tempted to use COVID-19 to blame immigrants, people of a different race, or use the pandemic as a pretext to intensify geopolitical tensions. We will closely monitor how these risks evolve, but at this point see them as potential tail risks.
"The initial response of the administration was to downplay the risk of the COVID-19 epidemic," the report adds. "However, since then, this simplistic thesis changed significantly. The administration shifted to forecasting a larger negative impact (setting the stage for them to 'outperform.'"
The report continues by saying that the administration was "shifting the pandemic blame to China and the WHO, and .. shifting the blame for economic pain to large blue states that are perceived to be slowing down the re-opening of the economy."
"Indeed, allowed economic activity across the country is now largely following partisan lines," the JPMorgan report states.
Quintanilla points out that Kolanovic "came close to calling the peak in US cases back on April 6."
Kolanovic retweeted an article on Wednesday that referred to a study titled, "Full lockdown policies in Western Europe countries have no evident impacts on the COVID-19 epidemic." The study claims to have found "no evidence of any discontinuity in the growth rate, doubling time, and reproduction number trends" when comparing data from before and after lockdowns in Italy, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
"Extrapolating pre-lockdown growth rate trends, we provide estimates of the death toll in the absence of any lockdown policies, and show that these strategies might not have saved any life in western Europe," the study read. "We also show that neighboring countries applying less restrictive social distancing measures (as opposed to police-enforced home containment) experience a very similar time evolution of the epidemic."
The article adds a quote from Kolanovic that said:
While our knowledge of the virus and lack of effectiveness of total lockdowns evolved, lockdowns remained in place and focus shifted to contact tracing, contemplating second wave outbreaks, and ideas about designing better educational, political and economic systems. At the same time, millions of livelihoods were being destroyed by these lockdowns. Unlike rigorous testing of potential new drugs, lockdowns were administered with little consideration that they might not only cause economic devastation but potentially more deaths than COVID-19 itself.
Another person who is skeptical of COVID-19 lockdowns is Dr. Knut Wittkowski, the former head of biostatistics, epidemiology, and research design at Rockefeller University.
"With all respiratory diseases, the only thing that stops the disease is herd immunity. About 80% of the people need to have had contact with the virus, and the majority of them won't even have recognized that they were infected," Wittkowski said in a now-deleted YouTube video.
YouTube removed Wittkowski's anti-lockdown video that had over 1.3 million views before being deleted.
"They don't tell you. They just say it violates our community standards. There's no explanation for what those standards are or what standards it violated," Wittkowski said of his coronavirus video being removed.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Michigan barber likens Dem Gov. Whitmer's shutdown to Nazis tricking Jews to get into 'cattle cars'

Michigan barber likens Dem Gov. Whitmer's shutdown to Nazis tricking Jews to get into 'cattle cars' during Holocaust

Michigan barber likens Dem Gov .
Whitmer 's shutdown to Nazis tricking Jews to get into 'cattle cars ' during @ @ @ @ @ those cattle cars .
I refuse to get into a cattle car ! '

Michigan barber Karl Manke — who's gained national attention by defying Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's coronavirus shutdown "'til Jesus comes" and then having his license suspended for keeping his shop open — said Whitmer's lockdown is akin to Nazis tricking Jews to get into "cattle cars" during the Holocaust.
What are the details?
Manke spoke to demonstrators on the steps of the state Capitol Wednesday during "Operation Haircut," a protest he inspired that featured barbers and stylists giving free haircuts in defiance of Whitmer's social distancing requirements, MLive reported. State police cited a number of barbers and stylists for their actions, the outlet added.
During Manke's speech he referenced a novel he wrote about the Holocaust that included the factual accounts of Jews tricked by Nazis to enter cattle cars which took them to death camps.
Manke said Nazi propaganda at the time told the Jews "that they could get into these cattle cars, and they would take them to these new homes that they had prepared for them. They willingly got into those cattle cars. I refuse to get into a cattle car!"
Here's the clip. The relevant portion starts at the 14:45 mark:
"I will not stand down," Manke added as cheering mounted. "I will continue my work with or without a license. I feel I have been denied my livelihood by this governor ... this is not a police state. I refuse to live in a police state."
A Court of Appeals panel ruled that a judge should hold a hearing on the state's motion to temporarily close Manke's barbershop in Owosso and decide on the request by the end of the day Thursday, the Detroit News reported.
Anything else?
As you might expect, Manke also participated in the hair cutting at the Capitol, the Lansing State Journal said.
It isn't clear if he was among those who received citations.
"They were warned that if they continue to cut hair they will be cited; and then finally they were cited as a disorderly person," MSP spokeswoman Shannon Banner told MLive. "A person convicted of disorderly person/conduct is subject to up to 90 days in jail or a fine of no more than $500, or both."
Whitmer said earlier this week it's "unlikely" that barbers, salons, and personal care services would reopen when the stay-home order expires on May 28, the outlet said.
"It hurts me to say it because I would love to go to get my hair done, too," Whitmer noted, according to MLive. "But the fact of the matter is, the nature of that personal service is such that it is intimate, it is close, you can't social distance and get your hair cut. That's why it is important that we have all the protocols in place. My hope is that we get into phase four and then phase five and we are able to do those things. But at this juncture, it's too early to say precisely when we will get there. We're going to get there."
Republican state Sen. Kevin Daley told the outlet he got a haircut from barber Suzanne Dodoro during the demonstration because he needed it and wanted to help small businesses.
"We need to support the people making a living," Daley told MLive. "We need to save life, but we need to save livelihood, too."


theblaze--2020-05-21--Over 600 doctors send letter to Trump urging an end to lockdowns, calling it a 'mass casualty incide

Over 600 doctors send letter to Trump urging an end to lockdowns, calling it a 'mass casualty incident'

Over 600 doctors send letter to Trump urging an end to lockdowns , calling it a 'mass casualty incident '

More than 600 doctors from around the country signed onto a letter Tuesday urging President Donald Trump to end lockdowns in America, describing the widespread lockdown orders as a "mass casualty incident" and warning of "exponentially growing health consequences."
In the letter obtained by Fox News, the doctors describe several of the unintended negative consequences of the shutdown orders, which include patients missing check-ups with doctors that could detect cancer and other serious conditions, an increase in alcohol and substance abuse, and financial instability leading to poverty and poor health.
"Millions of Americans are already [in critical condition]," the letter argued. "These include 150,000 Americans per month who would have had a new cancer detected through routine screening that hasn't happened, millions who have missed routine dental care to fix problems strongly linked to heart disease/death, and preventable cases of stroke, heart attack, and child abuse. Suicide hotline phone calls have increased 600%.
"We are alarmed at what appears to be the lack of consideration for the future health of our patients," the doctors added, noting real-life examples they have witnessed in their practices. "The downstream health effects ... are being massively under-estimated and under-reported. This is an order of magnitude error."
The doctors noted that since many of the resulting problems will be spread over a large area and not directly linked to confirmed cases of COVID-19, they may go unnoticed.
"The millions of casualties of a continued shutdown will be hiding in plain sight, but they will be called alcoholism, homelessness, suicide, heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure. In youths it will be called financial instability, unemployment, despair, drug addiction, unplanned pregnancies, poverty, and abuse," the letter stated.
Four of the undersigned doctors told Fox News they believe the indirect effects of the shutdowns outweighed the direct consequences of lifting them.
"The very initial argument ... which sounded reasonable three months ago, is that in order to limit the overwhelmed patient flux into hospitals that would prevent adequate care, we needed to spread out the infections and thus the deaths in specific locales that could become hotspots, particularly New York City ... It was a valid argument at the beginning based on the models that were given," said Dr. Mark McDonald, a psychiatrist. "What we've seen now over the last three months is that no city — none, zero — outside of New York has even been significantly stressed."
The letter comes as many states have begun to reopen in phases, but much more slowly than perhaps was initially expected. Americans in several states across the country have taken to the streets in protest of stay-at-home orders, which have kept businesses, churches, and schools closed.
Millions have been laid off or furloughed from their jobs or forced out of business since the start of the outbreak, and many are concerned that the country has shifted from flattening the curve to indefinitely locking down until a cure is found.


theblaze--2020-05-21--Church refuses to close during lockdown, angering locals. Now it has been burned to the ground.

Church refuses to close during lockdown , angering locals .
Now it has been burned to the ground .

A Mississippi church whose leadership refused to close the church's doors during the state's COVID-19 lockdown is now no more.
What are the details?
An as-yet identified suspect reportedly burned the church down Wednesday morning.
The First Pentecostal Church of Holly Springs was vandalized, which caused an explosion to the rear of the facility.
Authorities are investigating the vandalism as a criminal act of arson.
One message spray painted on the church property read, "I bet you stay home now you hypokrits [sic]."
Stephen Crampton, an attorney for the church, told WHBQ-TV on Thursday that the unknown vandal or vandals spray-painted the church and set it on fire.
"There was a major explosion in the back of the church that blew out the front," Crampton said.
Crampton also said that he believed the church was targeted for "being outspoken and somewhat firm about seeking to protect their constitutional rights" by refusing to close during the pandemic.
"We're in a time where I don't think it's any secret that there's a growing hostility toward churches across the board," he said. "And now, here are churches like First Pentecostal that are sort of stirring up the waters by being outspoken and somewhat firm about seeking to protect their constitutional rights."
He added, "[The church has] had bad comments [sent their way] on social media. There is just a segment that takes issue with the church standing up, and the church just being the church."
What else?
Pastor Jerry Waldrop promised that the church would be rebuilt.
"We are going to keep the faith, and we're going to keep doing what we have always done, and maybe not on this location," Waldrop said. "I'll get with our faithful people, and maybe we'll rent a building or whatever we need to do for the time being."
He added that the church will be rebuilt on site, and said that he didn't feel new construction would be an issue for the church and its community.
"We have the means, so whatever it takes, that's what we will do," Waldrop continued. "We have a tight group that's been faithful, so whatever means are necessary, that is what I will do.
"It's just hard to wrap your head around the idea that someone may have orchestrated this or done this," he concluded.


theblaze--2020-05-22--Trump says he will take a 'strong position' to pressure Democrat governors to reopen churches soon

Trump says he will take a 'strong position ' to pressure Democrat governors to reopen churches soon He also said @ @ @ @ @ fifth coronavirus relief bill

President Donald Trump told reporters that he is urging states to reopen churches as the coronavirus pandemic appears to be easing around the country.
He added that Republicans are working on another relief bill to alleviate the effects of the pandemic and the lockdown.
The president made the comments to reporters as he left for Michigan from the White House on Thursday, according to the New York Post.
"One of the others things I want to do is get the churches open. The churches are not being treated with respect by a lot of the Democrat governors," Trump said.
"I want to get our churches open, and we're going to be taking a very strong position on that very soon," he added.
The president said he had met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to work out the details in a new coronavirus relief bill.
"We just had a meeting with Mitch McConnell and the group and we're working on a package of very positive things," he said.
More than 93,000 Americans have died from the pandemic.
Churches have been at the forefront of many protests against the coronavirus lockdown, as the orders tend to infringe on the free exercise of religion.
Here's the video of Trump's comments:
President Trump wants churches in America open; unemployment numbers soar | EWTN News Nightly www.youtube.com
Update: President Trump's trip Thursday was to Michigan.


theblaze--2020-05-22--The FBI is now investigating the death of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police in 'botched' raid

The FBI is now investigating the death of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police in 'botched ' raid The case has @ @ @ @ @ nation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that it was investigating the shooting death of Breonna Taylor by police who opened fire on her and her boyfriend during a "botched" raid.
Three plainclothes Louisville Metropolitan Police Department officers attempted to serve a no-knock warrant on Taylor's home on March 13 when her boyfriend Kenneth Walker shot at the police, believing them to be intruders. Police fired back and struck Taylor, who died from her injuries. She was shot 8 times.
Walker is a licensed gun-owner and said he owned guns for the purpose of self-defense.
The case has resulted in public uproar throughout the nation because Taylor's tragic death could have been prevented, and because Walker was charged with assault and attempted murder on a police officer. Attorneys for Walker and Taylor say that neighbors did not hear the police identify themselves before they entered the home.
On Thursday, the FBI branch in Louisville announced that it would be investigating the matter.
"The FBI will collect all facts and evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough, and impartial manner," the statement read.
Here's more about the controversial lethal police shooting:
Louisville police accused of using false information to obtain no-knock warrant for Breonna Taylo… www.youtube.com
More questions arose when Tony Gooden, the U.S. postal inspector in Louisville, denied one of the claims from the police about how they confirmed their suspicions about alleged criminality at Taylor's home.
Others are questioning whether a "no-knock" warrant was used inappropriately by police and led to the tragic incident.
Taylor was 26 years old and worked as an emergency medical technician before she was killed by police. The raid was conducted as part of an investigation into illegal drug sales, but no drugs were found at Taylor's home.
A GoFundMe for Kenneth Walker's legal defense has raised more than $215,000.
Also on Thursday, Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad abruptly announced that he would be retiring after eight years in the position. He said he would serve out his term until it ends in June.
Here's a local news report about the developments in the Breonna Taylor case:


theblaze--2020-05-22--Suspect arrested after video surfaces showing violent beating of elderly nursing home patient

The helpless victim was hospitalized for treatment of his injuries , but did survive the attack .

A man has been arrested in connection with the beating of a 75-year-old nursing home patient in Detroit, after a leaked video of the violent attack went viral.
What are the details?
Disturbing footage circulated on social media this week, showing a male suspect beating a helpless elderly man in what appears to be a room in a care facility. The perpetrator repeatedly punches the victim to the point of drawing blood, then cussing at the elderly man — calling him the N-word and repeatedly telling him, "get the f**ck off my bed."
According to the Daily Caller, "additional unconfirmed videos of the suspect assaulting other elderly individuals have surfaced across social media," and "it appears the assault was racially motivated."
The Detroit Police Department made an arrest in the case on Thursday, and wrote on Twitter, "Thank you to everyone for your assistance in bringing the senior home incident to our attention." Police have not named the suspect, but did disclose that he is a 20-year-old male who was also a patient at the Westwood Nursing Center, where the incident occurred.
During a press conference, Detroit Police Chief James Craig told reporters, "The nursing home was unaware of the assault until they saw the video."
The Detroit News reported that "the suspect was taken into custody at the nursing home and transported to the Detroit Detention Center without incident." The victim was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
WXYZ-TV reported that it is unclear why the suspect was being treated at the nursing home, and that "it appears the person who set up the phone to take the video is the 20-year-old suspect himself."


theblaze--2020-05-22--Judge rules against Michigan trying to shut down barber defying lockdown — for the second time

Judge rules against Michigan trying to shut down barber defying lockdown — for the second time Karl Manke has become @ @ @ @ @ movement

A judge ruled against the state of Michigan in their attempt to shut down the barber shop of a man who has become the symbol of resistance to social distancing edicts.
Shiawassee County Circuit Judge Matthew Stewart refused to grant a request from the state for a preliminary injunction against 77-year-old Karl Manke, who owns a barber shop in Owosso.
Stewart said it was a "close call" but ultimately he said the state did not prove their allegation that Manke's shop was an imminent public health and safety threat, according to the Detroit News.
He went to distinguish between an "actual and not theoretical" threat to public health, and that of the barber shop.
Just ahead of the ruling, Manke compared the socialist distancing lockdown by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Nazis tricking Jews into getting into cattle cars that led to their horrific demise.
"They willingly got into those cattle cars. I refuse to get into a cattle car!" he said.
The ruling from Stewart was the second time the state lost in court while attempting to shut down Manke's barber shop. Officials also suspended his license but he persisted in cutting hair.
Here's more about Manke's defiant hair-cutting:


theblaze--2020-05-21--Man who recorded the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery is arrested and charged with murder

Man who recorded the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery is arrested and charged with murder He was also charged with @ @ @ @ @

Authorities arrested the man who recorded the video of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery and charged with felony murder on Thursday.
50-year-old William "Roddie" Bryan Jr. is a neighbor of the two men who were recorded on the video shooting and killing Ahmaud Arbery. The father and son claimed that they were trying to apprehend Arbery believing that he had been responsible for a series of burglaries in their neighborhood.
The family of Arbery says he was merely out jogging when the lethal altercation occurred.
In addition to felony murder, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation charged Bryan with criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
Prior to his arrest, Bryan released a statement through his lawyer indicated that he had taken a polygraph test about his involvement and shared the results to the authorities in Georgia.
"Contrary to speculation, the polygraph examination confirms that on Feb. 23 2020, the day of the shooting, William 'Roddie' Bryan did not have any conversation with either Gregory or Travis McMichael prior to the shooting. Nor did William 'Roddie' Bryan have any conversation with anyone else that day prior to the shooting about criminal activity in the neighborhood," claimed attorney Kevin Gough.
The case has drawn national outrage and scrutiny as many have blamed racial animus for the shooting.
The GBI will hold a media briefing about the developments in the controversial case on Friday morning.
Here's a local news video about the arrest:


theblaze--2020-05-23--Watch: Harris Faulkner's powerful, personal reaction to Biden's insult to black voters

The Fox News host explained why Biden 's statement was 'more than just a little offensive '

Fox News host Harris Faulkner delivered a powerful, personal explanation for why it was "more than just a little offensive" when Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden asserted Friday that African Americans "ain't black" if they don't vote for him.
What are the details?
During a Friday morning interview with New York radio show "The Breakfast Club," Biden told African American host Charlamagne tha God, "I'll tell you what: If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black."
Biden's comment drew outrage, both online and in the media.
Fox News's "Outnumbered" addressed the issue, and Faulkner, who is African American, was asked by co-host Melissa Francis to weigh in. What she said left the panel momentarily speechless.
In reaction to Biden's remarks, Faulkner said:
I've been fighting against this notion that you're not black enough unless you think a certain way, you vote a certain way, you speak a certain way, you do certain things, my whole life. I grew up military—pretty much neutral along the zone of 'can we all just get along no matter what we look like.'
I have bi-racial daughters, Melissa, you know them. This is more than just a little offensive. It is short-sighted, it is a blind spot for this former vice president. He should have gotten up immediately on whatever venue, microphone he had—I would have said it for him immediately, right there in the one that he was already in on 'The Breakfast Club' and say, 'You now what, let me restate that.'
Faulkner added, "But, you know, I think this says it better," and she read a portion of the statement issued by Black Voices for Trump, which says:
White liberal elitists have continuously dictated which Black Americans are allowed to come to the table and have a voice. It is clear now more than ever, following these racist and dehumanizing remarks, that Joe Biden believes Black men and women are incapable of being independent or free thinking. He truly believes that he, a 77-year-old white man, should dictate how Black people should behave. Biden has a history of racial condescension and today he once again proved what a growing number of Black Americans and I have always known: Joe Biden does not deserve our votes."
After reading the quote from Trump 2020 senior advisor Katrina Pierson, Faulkner added, "You don't have to be any particular race to know when someone puts you down because you're different."


theblaze--2020-05-22--DISTURBING new evidence suggests brutal elder-abuse in viral video was racially motivated

On Friday's episode of "Slightly Offens*ve," host Elijah Schaffer argued that the violent beating of a 75-year-old nursing home patient in Detroit was likely a racially motivated hate crime.
A video of the disturbing incident has been circulating on social media this week, showing a young male suspect beating an elderly man in what appears to be the Westwood Nursing Center on Detroit's northwest side.
Elijah uncovered additional footage from the suspect's personal YouTube channel, which reveals the 20-year-old's disdain for other races, especially white people, and shows him claiming that "black people" are the "chosen race" made to rule over all other races.
So was this strictly a case of elder-abuse, or was the assault racially motivated?
Watch the video below to hear Elijah break down the details:
You can catch the full "Slightly Offens*ve" episode here.
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theblaze--2020-05-22--Breaking: FBI Director Wray orders internal investigation of alleged misconduct in Mike Flynn probe

The FBI is investigating itself now

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray announced an internal investigation into the alleged misconduct by FBI agents in the probe of former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn.
Wray made the announcement in a statement on Friday after revelations about the FBI questioning of Flynn that led him to plead guilty for lying.
"FBI Director Christopher Wray today ordered the Bureau's Inspection Division to conduct an after-action review of the Michael Flynn investigation," said the Bureau in the statement according to Fox News.
The statement said that the purpose of the probe was to see if any FBI employees acted improperly, and also to determine whether the bureau's policies need to be amended and updated.
"Although the FBI does not have the prosecutorial authority to bring a criminal case, the Inspection Division can and will evaluate whether any current onboard employees engaged in actions that might warrant disciplinary measures," the FBI added.
The investigation is in response to accusations that the investigation into Flynn was a politically motivated partisan hunt to ultimately seek prosecution against President Donald Trump.
Democrats have countered that Republicans have leaked partial documentation in order to mislead the public on efforts from the FBI that they say were done "by the book."
In response to the allegations former Obama national security advisor Susan Rice, infamous for pushing the narrative that the Benghazi terror attack was sparked by a YouTube video, has called for the release of unredacted transcripts of calls between Flynn and a Russian ambassador.
Here's more about the FBI probe into Mike Flynn:


theblaze--2020-05-22--Trump campaign selling '#YouAintBlack' t-shirts quoting Biden

The new merchandise was rolled out hours after the Democratic candidate 's controversial statement

The 2020 reelection campaign for President Donald Trump wasted no time in offering supporters an opportunity to protest against controversial comments made by presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Friday, by offering a t-shirt quoting his rival with the hashtag: "#YouAintBlack."
What are the details?
While trying to wrap up an early-morning interview on New York radio show, "The Breakfast Club," Biden told African American host Charlamagne tha God, "You've got more questions? Well, I'll tell you what: If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black."
Biden's remarks set off a firestorm of backlash online and garnered widespread news coverage and reactions.
The Trump campaign immediately condemned Biden's comments, with senior advisor Katrina Pierson issuing a statement saying, in part, "White liberal elitists have continuously dictated which Black Americans are allowed to come to the table and have a voice. It is clear now more than ever following these racist and dehumanizing remarks, that Joe Biden believes Black men and women are incapable of being independent or free thinking."
Hours later, the Trump campaign rolled out a new t-shirt design, that reads, "#YouAintBlack - Joe Biden."
President Trump endorsed the new merchandise, himself, posting an image of the shirt on his Facebook page with the message, "Joe Biden actually told Black Americans they 'AIN'T BLACK' if they support me! Buy this shirt and make sure NO ONE forgets the words 'You Ain't Black' came out of Joe Biden's mouth!:


theblaze--2020-05-22--CHECKMATE: Michigan barber defies 'vindictive' Gov. Whitmer’s shutdown — AGAIN

Michigan barber Karl Manke is n't a troublemaker .
He 's a law-abiding citizen who has done everything possible to financially survive during the COVID-19 lockdown .
Eventually , he had no other option : he had to reopen his business in defiance of Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer 's stay-at-home orders .
In an interview on the `` Glenn Beck Radio Program , '' Manke , 77 , told Glenn , `` I 'm not backing down '' despite Whitmer 's seemingly vindictive attempts to shut down his business .
Shortly after reopening , Manke was ticketed for violating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a misdemeanor .
When he still refused to close his doors , the governor 's office went a step further and suspended his barber license .
`` It 's kind of a vindictive thing , '' said Manke .
`` I 've become a worm in her brain ... and she is going full force , illegally , when legislators told her that she was out of place and this was not her assignment , she decided to take it anyway . ''
On Thursday , the Shiawassee County Circuit Judge refused to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Read more on this update here .
Watch the video clip from the interview below : Want more from Glenn Beck ?
To enjoy more of Glenn 's masterful storytelling , thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos , subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multiplatform network of voices who love America , defend the Constitution and live the American dream .

Michigan barber Karl Manke isn't a troublemaker. He's a law-abiding citizen who has done everything possible to financially survive during the COVID-19 lockdown. Eventually, he had no other option: he had to reopen his business in defiance of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home orders.
In an interview on the "Glenn Beck Radio Program," Manke, 77, told Glenn, "I'm not backing down" despite Whitmer's seemingly vindictive attempts to shut down his business.
Shortly after reopening, Manke was ticketed for violating Whitmer's stay-at-home order and charged with a misdemeanor. When he still refused to close his doors, the governor's office went a step further and suspended his barber license.
"It's kind of a vindictive thing," said Manke. "I've become a worm in her brain ... and she is going full force, illegally, when legislators told her that she was out of place and this was not her assignment, she decided to take it anyway."
On Thursday, the Shiawassee County Circuit Judge refused to issue a preliminary injunction against Manke. Read more on this update here.
Watch the video clip from the interview below:
Want more from Glenn Beck?
To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multiplatform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.


theblaze--2020-05-22--More than 4,300 coronavirus patients were sent to New York nursing homes: report

More than 4,300 coronavirus patients were sent to New York nursing homes : report States that forced nursing homes to @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 have some of the highest long-term care death tolls .

More than 4,300 recovering coronavirus patients were sent to nursing homes in New York under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's directive to free up hospital beds during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report.
A report from the Associated Press states that since Cuomo's March 25 directive, which was in place until it was rescinded on May 10, over 4,300 coronavirus-infected elderly patients were discharged from hospitals and sent to "New York's already vulnerable nursing homes."
The directive to send recovering COVID-19 patients to nursing homes is speculated to have been a significant contributor to the more than 5,800 nursing and adult care facility deaths in New York. During Cuomo's coronavirus news conference on Friday, the Democratic governor was not asked by the media about the AP report that was published hours earlier.
Earlier this month, the New York state health department added more than 1,600 new deaths to the total number of people who have died from COVID-19 in nursing homes. Last week, the New York State Department of Health acknowledged that it only reported coronavirus deaths from long-term care patients who died while physically present at their facility.
Other states with the highest death tolls from nursing homes and long-term care facilities are New Jersey with over 5,500 deaths, over 3,700 in Massachusetts, more than 2,800 in Pennsylvania, 2,200 in Connecticut, over 1,900 in Illinois, and California had more than 1,700, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California also have or had directives that forced nursing homes and long-term care facilities to accept recovering COVID-19 patients.
Michigan also has a similar directive, but the state has not released its nursing home deaths. WDIV-TV reports that 29.7% of Michigan's COVID-19 deaths were from Metro Detroit nursing homes. The site also reported that there are 1,157 nursing home and long-term care facility deaths from three counties: Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne.
A New York Times report from May 11 found that nursing home and long-term care facility deaths of residents or workers account for 35% of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths. Research from the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity said that nursing homes and assisted living facilities made up for 40% of all coronavirus deaths, despite accounting for only 1.6% of the U.S. population.
"It was the single dumbest decision anyone could make if they wanted to kill people," Daniel Arbeeny said of New York's directive. Arbeeny told the AP that he withdrew his 88-year-old father from a Brooklyn nursing home where more than 50 people died. His father would later die of the coronavirus at Arbeeny's home.
Cuomo has refused to accept any responsibility for the nursing home deaths in his state, and even blamed President Donald Trump for the fatalities.
"Anyone who wants to ask why did the state do that with COVID patients and nursing homes, it's because the state followed President Trump's CDC guidance," the Democratic governor told reporters this week. "So they should ask President Trump."


theblaze--2020-05-22--Preacher who actually knew Norma McCorvey — aka 'Jane Roe' — speaks out amid claims that she faked h

Preacher who actually knew Norma McCorvey — aka 'Jane Roe' — speaks out amid claims that she faked her pro-life stance

Preacher who actually knew Norma McCorvey — aka 'Jane Roe ' — speaks out amid claims that she faked her @ @ @ @ @ FX documentary very suspicious

Norma McCorvey's profound influence over American culture is more than evident.
McCorvey, who was the plaintiff in the infamous Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion across the U.S., started off as a pro-choice activist and later shocked the world by becoming a fixture in the pro-life movement.
McCorvey's change-of-heart came after she had a very public conversion to Christianity and began to openly oppose abortion, an about-face that stunned people on both sides of the aisle.
Though McCorvey died in 2017, she has dominated headlines this week ahead of the release of FX's "AKA Jane Roe" documentary. The reason? The film has sparked claims that McCorvey's pro-life inclinations were all an act — something well-known pro-life activists are decrying.
Promos for the documentary seem to indicate that McCorvey made some shocking claims during the filming: Mainly, that she was paid and coached on what to say during her pro-life tenure.
"I was the big fish. I think it was a mutual thing," she said in "AKA Jane Roe." "I took their money and they'd put me out in front of the cameras and tell me what to say."
Someone who really knew her
She also seemed to say that she was a "good actress" and that it was all some sort of act. While the nation debates McCorvey's life and legacy, people like Flip Benham, a preacher who knew McCorvey both before and after her public conversion to Christianity, are speaking out.
"Norma and I were wrestling with each other verbally in the streets for a long, long time," Benham told "The Church Boys" podcast on Thursday.
Listen to Benham speak on McCorvey:
Benham was the director of Operation Rescue, a pro-life organization, when he first met McCorvey in 1994. At the time, she was working at an abortion clinic.
Their paths collided when Operation Rescue moved next door to McCorvey's clinic. But things really kicked into high gear when Benham showed up at McCorvey's book signing with a pointed message.
"Norma was having a book signing. When I saw her coming in ... I said, 'Norma McCorvey, as a result of your life and this law, over 35 million boys and girls have been slaughtered in this country,'" Benham recalled. "She turned around and she walked out ... I saw that that crushed her and in my heart I knew that I needed to say something to her."
He later apologized to McCorvey, and the two struck up a friendship. He said she soon started to come by to ask for prayer. Over time, that friendship blossomed, as McCorvey dove deeper and deeper into the pro-life pool.
Despite the documentary's purported claims, Benham believes McCorvey was truly pro-life, and he revealed a plethora of details about their friendship. While he painted McCorvey as a complex person, he didn't back away from his belief that her general pro-life inclinations were authentic.
"She loved us. We loved her," he said. "I don't know how to explain her other than the fact that God uses broken things."
Not the only pushback
Benham, who also appears in "AKA Jane Roe," is not the only person to push back against the claim that McCorvey was simply acting, as other friends have also been outspoken that her conversion was real.
Plus, pro-life advocate Abby Johnson revealed on Facebook that she spoke with McCorvey just days before her death and she believes the former "Roe" plaintiff was sincere in her convictions.
"Her many years as a dedicated pro-life advocate was not a lie. Her tearful conversation (which I will keep private) with me days before her death was not a lie," Johnson wrote. "The hours she spent praying in front of abortion facilities was not a lie. Her life with Christ was not a lie."
The story continues to unfold, so stay tuned. And be sure to also watch "Beautiful Lives," hosted by pro-life advocate Abby Johnson. The series explores the experiences of former abortion industry workers who have survived — and thrived — after abandoning their past work and finding true hope.
This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free trial here.