theblaze--2020-05-12--Less than half of Americans are confident journalists act in the best interests of the public; even

Less than half of Americans are confident journalists act in the best interests of the public; even fewer say journalists have high ethical standards: poll

Less than half of Americans are confident journalists act in the best interests of the public ; even fewer say @ @ @ @ @ : poll

The American public relies on journalists to provide accurate information, but a new poll shows that most Americans are not confident that reporters act in the best interests of the public.
Even worse, even more of us believe journalists do not have high ethical standards. It's so bad, that Americans rank them behind lawyers (though they did beat out elected officials).
What's the data?
A new Pew Research poll found that only 48% of U.S. adults have a great deal (9%) or a fair amount (39%) of confidence that journalists act in the best interests of the public they serve. That's down 7 points from 2018, the last time the question was asked.
Pew also asked Americans for their thoughts on journalists' ethical standards, and the news wasn't great. Just 43% of adults say journalists have very high (6%) or high (37%) ethical standards — a 1-point drop from last year.
Not surprisingly, there's a definite partisan gap in the polling.
While 70% of Democrats have at least a fair amount of confidence that reporters act in the best interests of the public, only 23% of Republicans say the same.
On the ethical standards question, less than two-thirds of Democrats (64%) say journalists have high ethical standards and only 19% of Republicans feel that way.
They ranked behind lawyers?
Pew asked Americans about the perceived ethical standards of other professions, and journalists did not fare well in comparison. Beating them out were medical doctors, police officers, religious leaders, and lawyers.
But journalists weren't the lowest-ranked on the ethical standards ranking.
Elected officials trailed them by 16 points at 27%.


theblaze--2020-05-12--New Jersey parks fill up with ‘inordinate amount of urine and feces’ amid closures

New Jersey parks fill up with ‘ inordinate amount of urine and feces ’ amid closures

Bottles of urine and feces are piling up in parks across New Jersey amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
The state reopened its parks on May 2 but kept public restrooms closed in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
What are the details?
According to a Tuesday report from Fox News, an "inordinate amount of urine and feces," stored in plastic water bottles, are turning up in New Jersey's public and state parks.
New Jersey State Police Col. Pat Callahan said that authorities are likely making such lurid discoveries as such public bathrooms remain closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"There is a zero-tolerance policy for that," Callahan said. "The whole idea behind the parks is to give our citizens the ability to go out there and enjoy fresh air and have time outside and that report from the park police was certainly disheartening to say the least."
Callahan added that authorities are now on high alert for people urinating and defecating in public and leaving behind their messes.
"Our park police, our counties, our state police, we will be on the watch for that," he added. "We understand that the restrooms and public restrooms are closed, but people should plan accordingly and should not be urinating in bottles and leaving them behind because I think that may lead us to take a different approach moving forward if I could speak for the governor in that regard."
What else?
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) added, "You're not going to get a warning if we catch you leaving something like that behind. So folks, please don't do that."
At the time of this writing, researchers at Johns Hopkins estimate that at least 140,206 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in New Jersey, with at least 9,340 deaths attributed to the disease.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Wuhan, China, to test all 11 million residents after reportedly finding six new COVID-19 cases

Wuhan , China , to test all 11 million residents after reportedly finding six new COVID-19 cases They claimed to @ @ @ @ @ more than a month prior

The city of Wuhan, China, where the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 originated, plans to test all 11 million residents after discovering six new cases in the city over the weekend, according to Business Insider.
Chinese authorities claimed the city had seen no new coronavirus infections in the previous 35 days, although statistics coming from the Chinese government are severely unreliable. The city lifted lockdown restrictions on April 8.
The six new cases are reportedly linked to an 89-year-old man who first experienced symptoms on March 17 but never went to the doctor. He was previously believed to have recovered after 10 days. The man tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.
China's chief epidemiologist, Wu Zunyou, told state TV that in some patients, the course of the disease can last 30 to 50 days—potentially taking longer to manifest itself in older patients with weaker immune systems.
Five other people in the same residential compound as the man also tested positive, launching the city into a mass testing effort. From Business Insider:
On Monday, the epidemic prevention and control headquarters of Wuhan issued an emergency notice requiring district authorities to submit plans for mass testing on Tuesday, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Elderly and infirm people are to be tested first, followed by those living in densely populated areas and places with large migrant populations.
At least 1 million people have been tested so far, The Post said, citing the Yicai financial news website.
China knew about the COVID-19 outbreak for a week or more in January before taking action and alerting the rest of the world, and by the time they did so, it was likely too late too prevent a pandemic. Recently, China has pushed propaganda efforts to blame the United States for the pandemic, and there is evidence that the communist nation has concealed thousands of deaths from the virus.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Alarming paper concludes nearly half of coronavirus layoffs will become permanent

Alarming paper concludes nearly half of coronavirus layoffs will become permanent But there is some good news

It is becoming increasingly clear that the economic fallout from the coronavirus lockdowns may be worse than the virus itself.
According to a new paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, 42% of coronavirus-related layoffs will become permanent.
The prospect is especially alarming because officials, and the workers themselves, expected the layoffs to be only temporary. In fact, nearly 90% of the more than 20 million Americans who were laid off in April expected their job loss to be only temporary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"Broadly speaking, we anticipate permanent job losses in three buckets: jobs lost due to COVID-induced demand shifts, jobs formerly at marginal firms that don't survive the pandemic and lockdown, and jobs lost due to the intra-industry reallocation triggered by the pandemic and post-pandemic concerns about the transmission of infectious diseases," the paper explains.
Unfortunately, the paper only addresses current job losses, not future ones. That means the economic fallout could be even greater than what the paper found.
On the positive side, the paper states that policy reforms that coalesce to the economic changes induced by the pandemic could aid in economic recovery.
"There are potentially large benefits of policies and policy reforms that facilitate a speedy reallocation of jobs, workers, and capital to newly productive uses in the wake of the pandemic," the paper explains.
On the other hand, the paper states, "Policies that deter or slow factor reallocation are likely to further lengthen the lag of creation behind destruction, slowing the overall recovery from the pandemic, the lockdown, and the pandemic-induced reallocation shock."
The grim news comes as the U.S. unemployment rate skyrocketed to nearly 15% after more than 30 million Americans lost their jobs due to the stagnant economy caused by the pandemic.
And unfortunately, top economic advisers to President Donald Trump think unemployment could peak north of 20%, levels not seen since the Great Depression nearly one century ago.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Following Tara Reade interview, Megyn Kelly tells Glenn Beck that Joe Biden allegation is a 'hauntin

Following Tara Reade interview, Megyn Kelly tells Glenn Beck that Joe Biden allegation is a 'haunting case' — and victim-shamers are 'disgusting'

Following Tara Reade interview , Megyn Kelly tells Glenn Beck that Joe Biden allegation is a 'haunting case ' — @ @ @ @ @

News veteran Megyn Kelly appeared on "The Glenn Beck Program" on BlazeTV and discussed her recent interview with Joe Biden sexual assault accuser Tara Reade.
Reade claims that Biden penetrated her with his fingers against her will while the two met in a Senate basement hallway in 1993.
Biden, however, has insisted that while all women should be believed, the incident Reade alleges simply never took place.
An abused woman determined to see the case through
During a Tuesday sit-down with Glenn Beck on "The Glenn Beck Program" on BlazeTV, Kelly detailed key parts of her interview with Reade, which she said contains some very credible allegations by Reade. Beck said Kelly was extremely thorough in her discussion with Reade, with "no question left on the table."
"How did you find [Reade] personally?" Beck asked.
Kelly, who said Reade was "delightful," pointed out that Reade is only just getting started in her fight against Biden but seems determined to see it through.
"She was perfectly kind, warm; she's been through the wringer. You could see that, too." Kelly said. "This is not a woman of great means. And, you know, when I got to her, she had, I think, the night before hired — well, not hired. She's not paying him. Gotten a lawyer and a PR person, for the first time in this whole thing. So she, for the first time, felt a little more steady. You know, she's had no protection. And she's out there. She's on a very thin reed."
Kelly explained that Reade, because of the accusations, has taken the full force of social media's angst. Social media, in turn, has dredged up all sorts of alleged information that is irrelevant to the case and seems only to be circulating such personal information in an attempt to smear Reade and her credibility.
According to Kelly, a variety of social media users have circulated Reade's banking history, such as bounced checks, have made death threats against the former Senate staffer, and even shared personal photos of the former Senate staffer's close family.
"I think she was expecting to have her credibility questioned," Kelly added.
She later said that Reade was taking the full brunt of social media scorn, however, over the allegations.
"People are so nasty — social media is so awful," Kelly added. "So I think she's a little rattled, but all things considered, she was holding it together."
When personal lives become partisan fodder
Kelly later told Beck that Reade is in a particularly precarious situation because she has come out with an accusation against a political leader in an election year.
Pointing to Christine Blasey Ford's accusations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Kelly said that while the #MeToo movement has been beneficial in many cases, it has also become problematic in many ways.
The news veteran said that society has "overcorrected," and in many cases, the accused hasn't received fair due process.
"That's not OK, either," she insisted.
If Reade is telling the truth, however, Kelly said that she will be the perfect person to expose "the hypocrisy" of some Democrats.
Kelly said that viewers of the interview will "walk away with a good sense as to whether they're seeing a truth-teller or not."
Beck then went on to ask Kelly her own personal thoughts on Reade's allegations and whether she believes Reade to be genuine in her allegations against the Democratic presidential front-runner.
"I want to continue reporting on this case, and I shouldn't choose a side," Kelly said. "I definitely have my own belief, but it's irrelevant."
November 2020 isn't here yet
Beck, who said that Kelly told him that this is a "haunting case in more ways than one," pressed, "What do you mean by that?"
Kelly said that if the allegations against Biden are true, then it's "deeply disturbing information" on the presidential candidate.
"What kind of a man would, in passing, in a Senate hallway, when seeing a young staff assistant, sexually assault her, right?" Kelly said. "Do you really want this man as president?"
Kelly continued, countering, "If it's not true, what has happened to the country where someone can make an allegation? It can besmirch a former vice president, a former U.S. senator, and all the media now, finally is talking about it. ... It's just very easy to put that ring around someone's neck. Maybe unfairly."
Kelly also added that it deeply upsets her to know that people who profess to be women's advocates are insisting that Reade is lying simply because Biden is a beloved Democrat.
"[This case] exposed how false these people who are pretending they're women's advocates are," she said. "It upsets me as a woman, as someone who has actually stood for female empowerment for my entire life. I don't call myself a feminist, but I defy anyone to challenge me on standing up for female empowerment."
"I have done it," she insisted. "And I have the career that proves it."
Kelly said that she's disturbed by how people previously vilified Kavanaugh day in and day out across the news spectrum, but have given Biden — because he is a Democrat — what seems to be a media pass.
"The nonsense by these people who were protesting against Brett Kavanaugh were vicious against him. ... The 180 that they have done now that the allegations are against a Democrat trying to take down Trump ... is disgusting to me. Disgusting."
The Tara Reade Interview
Kelly released the interview on Friday, containing Reade's accusations, including some new, lurid information.
During the encounter, Biden reportedly told Reade, "I want to f*** you."
"I pulled this way, away from his head, and so he was kissing my neck area," Reade told Kelly during the exchange. "And he whispered, did I want to go somewhere else, in a low voice. He said some other things, I can't remember everything he said, but he said something vulgar."
Reade, who said that she was wearing crotchless underwear during the incident, said that she was reluctant to reveal that part of the encounter because she didn't want her mother to know. Reade said that she wore the lingerie panties to work that day and planned on meeting up with her boyfriend at the time after work concluded.
"It took [my mother] a while to get it out of me because I kept, I was embarrassed about the underwear I was wearing," Reade told Kelly.
Reade said that she previously praised Biden when he was running for office with former President Barack Obama because she wasn't ready to come out with her story at that time.
"During that time — I'm an expert witness on domestic violence issues, as you know, so that was, like an account, you know, part of that awareness of domestic violence and other violent acts," Reade responded. "I've always been conflicted about Joe Biden, I didn't want to talk badly about him. And I wasn't ready to tell my history with Joe Biden at that point at all."
Elsewhere during the interview, Reade called for Biden to drop out of 2020 presidential race. She also promised that she would go under oath and subject herself to cross-examination in order to testify about the alleged incident.
The MK Interview: Tara Reade www.youtube.com
This piece has been updated.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Police believe wild dogs killed a south Georgia doctor

Police believe a roaming pack of `` wild dogs '' are responsible for the death of a south Georgia doctor whose body was found in a ditch last Thursday .
According to WTOC-TV , law enforcement found a vehicle parked on the wrong side of the road at around 3 a.m. Thursday morning with the engine still running and the driver 's side door open .
When officers approached the vehicle to investigate , they found a `` female that was deceased in the ditch . ''
Police identified the victim to be Dr. Nancy Shaw , who practiced internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lyons , Georgia , and was a known pet lover .
Autopsy results confirmed the belief that Shaw was killed by animals , and Lyons Police Chief Wesley Walker said at the time that they would initiate a search for the pack of dogs believed to be responsible .
Walker also recounted that Shaw was a warm person who often stopped by the police station to check in on the officers .
`` She was that kind of person .
She was a caring person .
She was a friend of ours .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was devastating , '' Walker said .
The suspects have been seized On Tuesday , the police department notified the public in a news release that the suspected dogs were identified and seized on May 8 , but added that the incident was still under investigation .
`` At this time , charges have not been brought against the owner of the dogs , '' the release said .

Police believe a roaming pack of "wild dogs" are responsible for the death of a south Georgia doctor whose body was found in a ditch last Thursday.
According to WTOC-TV, law enforcement found a vehicle parked on the wrong side of the road at around 3 a.m. Thursday morning with the engine still running and the driver's side door open. When officers approached the vehicle to investigate, they found a "female that was deceased in the ditch."
Police identified the victim to be Dr. Nancy Shaw, who practiced internal medicine at Meadows Regional Medical Center near Lyons, Georgia, and was a known pet lover.
Autopsy results confirmed the belief that Shaw was killed by animals, and Lyons Police Chief Wesley Walker said at the time that they would initiate a search for the pack of dogs believed to be responsible.
Walker also recounted that Shaw was a warm person who often stopped by the police station to check in on the officers.
"She was that kind of person. She was a caring person. She was a friend of ours. When I realized who it was, it was devastating," Walker said.
The suspects have been seized
On Tuesday, the police department notified the public in a news release that the suspected dogs were identified and seized on May 8, but added that the incident was still under investigation.
"At this time, charges have not been brought against the owner of the dogs," the release said.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Judge denies Michigan's request to shut down 77-year-old barber who opened shop in defiance of Democ

Judge denies Michigan's request to shut down 77-year-old barber who opened shop in defiance of Democratic Gov. Whitmer's COVID-19 order

Judge denies Michigan 's request to shut down 77-year-old barber who opened shop in defiance of Democratic Gov .
Whitmer @ @ @

A Michigan circuit court judge denied the state's request to sign a temporary restraining order against barber Karl Manke who opened his shop early in defiance of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's coronavirus restrictions, the Lansing State Journal reported.
What are the details?
Manke's barbershop in Owosso has been open since last Monday, and the 77-year-old got a packed lobby of customers the first morning, two citations before Friday — as well as a promise from Michigan Militia members that they won't let police arrest him.
"We're willing to stand in front of that door and block the entrance so the police will have no entry there today," Daniel Brewer told WEYI-TV Saturday.
Image source: WEYI-TV video screenshot
And that may not happen anytime soon. The state attorney general's office confirmed that Shiawassee County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Stewart wouldn't sign the temporary restraining order before holding a hearing, which is what Manke's attorneys said they wanted, the State Journal said.
"The Court wanted to provide Mr. Manke with an opportunity for a hearing on the request for an injunction, despite the clear public health dangers that continued operation of his business creates," spokesman Ryan Jarvi wrote in a statement, the paper reported.
'I'm gonna stay open 'til Jesus comes'
During a triumphant press conference in front of his shop late Monday afternoon, Manke told a crowd of supporters that "I'm gonna stay open 'til Jesus comes."
Image source: YouTube screenshot
At times he was drowned out by honks from passing vehicles and affirmations from the crowd, the Detroit News reported, adding that a large truck parked nearby and several signs held by supporters were adorned with phrases criticizing Whitmer's orders.
"I feel the governor is not my mother, never has been," Manke said, according to the paper. "As a matter of fact, this administration, for the most part, I've been in business longer than they've been alive."
But the barber still faces two misdemeanor charges for reopening his shop despite state shutdown orders, the State Journal said. He faces a fine of more than $1,000 and is set to be arraigned June 23, the paper added, citing court records.
In addition, state police on Friday night issued Manke a health protection order from the state attorney general's office demanding he close his shop, noting that customers from Ann Arbor, Saginaw, Detroit, Jackson, and other areas have visited his business and that it poses "an imminent danger" to public health.
Judge won't order mid-Michigan barber to close youtu.be
What is Whitmer saying?
When asked about Menke's plight and his defiance of her order, the governor said at a Monday news conference that it's all about saving his life and the lives of his customers.
"I expect people to follow the law," Whitmer said with what appeared to be a restrained smile. "These executive orders are not a suggestion, they're not optional, they're not helpful hints."
Image source: YouTube screenshot
Growing opposition
Sheriffs' offices in at least six counties have said they won't enforce Whitmer's orders, the Detroit News reported, adding that some are arguing the legality of the orders since the Republican-controlled state legislature refused to extend the governor's state of emergency past May 28.
Shiawassee County Sheriff Brian Begole on Monday said his department won't enforce Whitmer's orders and that deputies have the responsibility to uphold constitutions at state and federal levels, the News noted.
"With limited resources, staffing and facilities, our priority focus will be on enforcing duly passed laws for the protection of Shiawassee County citizens," Begole wrote in a letter, according to the News. "I have decided, within my authority, that our office cannot and will not divert our primary resources and efforts towards enforcement of ... Governor Whitmer's executive orders."
Whitmer has been under fire for weeks with protests and demonstrations over her shutdown. She's prohibited residents from visiting friends and family who live a few doors away and barred them from buying vegetable seeds and gardening supplies at a store.
Anything else?
"If you can walk down the aisles at Walmart, it would seem to me you can walk down the aisles of a church, you can walk down the aisles in Karl's barbershop and practice the same physical distancing, hand-washing, all of the things you've been hearing on and on," said one of Manke's attorneys, David Kallman, according to the Detroit News.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Joe Biden on 'Good Morning America': Believe all women, but not Tara Reade

Joe Biden on 'Good Morning America ' : Believe all women , but not Tara Reade

Former Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden appeared on Tuesday's airing of "Good Morning America," where he said that all women's sexual assault allegations should be believed — but then immediately pushed back against the woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her.
Former Senate aide Tara Reade insists that the former vice president sexually assaulted her in 1993 when he was a senator. Reade revealed that Biden reportedly penetrated her with his fingers against her will during an exchange in a private Senate hallway.
Biden has since denied all allegations.
What are the details?
On Tuesday, Biden told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that all women should be believed.
Last week, Reade told journalist Megyn Kelly that Biden assaulted her, and called for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to drop out of the 2020 presidential race.
During the exchange, Stephanopoulos asked the former vice president, "[W]hat do you say to Americans who believe Tara Reade and won't vote for you because of it?"
Biden responded that it's a voter's "right" to choose to support the Democratic nominee.
"Well," he responded, "that's their right."
"Look, here," he continued. "I think women should be believed. They should have an opportunity to have their case and state it forthrightly what their case is. Then it's the responsibility of responsible journalists like you and everyone else to go out and investigate those. At the end of the day, the truth is the truth."
Biden went on to insist that while it's important for women to be heard and to be believed, the alleged incident that purportedly took place between him and Reade simply never happened.
"[Truth is] what should prevail and the truth is this never happened," he insisted. "This never happened. That's the truth."
What else?
Last week, Reade retained the lawyer who represented several Harvey Weinstein accusers.
In a statement, her attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said that it is imperative for sexual assault survivors to be heard.
"We at Wigdor LLP firmly believe that every survivor of sexual assault has the right to competent legal counsel," Wigdor said, "and we will all represent Ms. Reade zealously, just as we would any other victim of sexual violence."
"As Mr. Biden himself has acknowledged, 'Believing women means taking the women's claims seriously when she steps forward, and then vet[ting] it and look[ing] into it ... women have a right to be heard,'" Wigdor's statement continued. "We will help Ms. Reade be heard."


theblaze--2020-05-12--Chinese constitutional scholar detained and questioned after criticizing the government online

Chinese constitutional scholar detained and questioned after criticizing the government online 'Three police cars came to his house '

A Chinese constitutional scholar was temporarily "taken away" and questioned by police Sunday after posting an open letter criticizing the Chinese communist government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the widely circulated letter — which was viewed by the South China Morning Post but has since been removed from social media sites — Zhang Xuezhong, 43, reportedly called on China's legislature to carry out political reforms such as instituting freedom of speech.
He wrote that in the absence of a modern constitution, China's governance was backward and that "the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 epidemic is a good illustration of the problem."
Zhang also slammed the Chinese government's police state tactics such as silencing early whistleblowers amid the outbreak.
"Twenty-two days before the [lockdown] in the city, Wuhan was still investigating and punishing citizens who had disclosed the epidemic, including Dr. Li Wenliang ... showing how tight and arbitrary the government's suppression of society is," he wrote.
He was 'taken away'
A day after posting the letter on his WeChat, Zhang was removed from his Shanghai home by police, according to friends.
"He was taken away on Sunday night. Three police cars came to his house," said Wen Kejian, a close friend of Zhang who is also an independent political analyst.
Another friend, who remained anonymous confirmed that Zhang had been taken into police custody, but said that "he [was] mentally prepared after his open letter."
In his WeChat post, Zhang wrote, "The best way to fight for freedom of expression is for everyone to speak as if we already have freedom of speech."
While allegedly in police custody, the SCMP reported that calls and texts to Zhang and the Shanghai municipal police bureau went unanswered.
He is now back home
Roughly 24 hours after being taken into custody, Zhang was reportedly allowed to return home, friends close to him confirmed, saying that "his physical condition seems all right."
Late Monday, Zhang posted a message to friends on his WeChat thanking them for their support.
"I saw so many friends expressing concern for my current situation. Thank you very much. I am now at home and all is well. Good night everyone. I need to get some sleep first, apologies for not being able to reply to your messages," Zhang wrote.
The outlet noted that Zhang, a former political science and law professor at East China University, is a "regular contributor to overseas publications and a well-known critic of China's political and legal system."
Zhang was reportedly removed from his post at the university in 2013 due to his critical stance against the government. After that, he worked as a defense lawyer for activists before having his license revoked by authorities last year.
The Chinese government has been accused of attempting to cover up the facts surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic since the outbreak started in Wuhan late last year. Since then, the virus has infected more than 4 million people worldwide, resulting in over 285,000 deaths.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Report: John Durham's investigation now going 'full-throttle,' rapidly expanding

United States Attorney John Durham 's investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation is reportedly expanding and now going `` full-throttle . ''
Last May , Attorney General William Barr appointed Durham , the U.S. attorney for Connecticut , to oversee a probe into the Russia investigation and whether the Justice Department and FBI lawfully conducted its investigation , which included an extensive inquiry into the Trump campaign and its associates .
Now , less than one week after the Justice Department dropped its charges against Michael Flynn , Fox News reported that Durham 's investigation is expanding .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. attorneys are assisting Durham .
Jeff Jensen , U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri , was originally tasked with overseeing a review of the Flynn case ; he has reportedly stayed on to help Durham .
Sources told Fox News that interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy Shea is also assisting Durham 's investigation .
`` They farmed the investigation out because it is too much for Durham and he did n't want to be distracted , '' one source said .
`` He 's going full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything . ''
Additionally , sources told Fox News that Durham is examining a `` pattern of conduct , '' which includes the FBI 's erroneous FISA applications to obtain surveillance warrants against Carter Page .
Durham reportedly talks to Barr about the investigation `` every day , '' another source told Fox News .
The investigation should conclude by late summer , CNN reported .
It is not yet clear what conclusions will arise from Durham 's review .
However , Barr suggested last month that a day of reckoning may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ view is that the evidence shows that we 're not dealing with just mistakes or sloppiness , there was something far more troubling here ; and we 're going to get to the bottom of it , '' Barr said last month when asked about the investigation .
`` And if people broke the law , and we can establish that with the evidence , they will be prosecuted , '' he declared .

United States Attorney John Durham's investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation is reportedly expanding and now going "full-throttle."
Last May, Attorney General William Barr appointed Durham, the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, to oversee a probe into the Russia investigation and whether the Justice Department and FBI lawfully conducted its investigation, which included an extensive inquiry into the Trump campaign and its associates.
Now, less than one week after the Justice Department dropped its charges against Michael Flynn, Fox News reported that Durham's investigation is expanding.
According to the report, two additional U.S. attorneys are assisting Durham. Jeff Jensen, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, was originally tasked with overseeing a review of the Flynn case; he has reportedly stayed on to help Durham. Sources told Fox News that interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy Shea is also assisting Durham's investigation.
"They farmed the investigation out because it is too much for Durham and he didn't want to be distracted," one source said. "He's going full throttle, and they're looking at everything."
Additionally, sources told Fox News that Durham is examining a "pattern of conduct," which includes the FBI's erroneous FISA applications to obtain surveillance warrants against Carter Page.
Durham reportedly talks to Barr about the investigation "every day," another source told Fox News. The investigation should conclude by late summer, CNN reported.
It is not yet clear what conclusions will arise from Durham's review. However, Barr suggested last month that a day of reckoning may be on the horizon.
"My own view is that the evidence shows that we're not dealing with just mistakes or sloppiness, there was something far more troubling here; and we're going to get to the bottom of it," Barr said last month when asked about the investigation.
"And if people broke the law, and we can establish that with the evidence, they will be prosecuted," he declared.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Highly anticipated hydroxychloroquine study shows no benefit, increased risk for COVID-19 patients

An employee of a Syrian pharmaceutical factory shows pills of the hydroxychloroquine drug .
( LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images @

An analysis of more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients in New York found no noticeable benefit in using hydroxychloroquine to treat the disease caused by the novel coronavirus from Wuhan, China, Politico reported.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, also affirmed recent research indicating that patients who took hydroxychloroquine, especially in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin, were at higher risk for cardiac issues.
The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization in March to allow hydroxychloroquine to be used to treat COVID-19 after some physicians and researchers in the United States and abroad provided anecdotal evidence of the anti-malarial drug's potential effectiveness against the coronavirus.
President Donald Trump was an early vocal advocate for the use of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment, despite reservations from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top public health adviser on the White House coronavirus response task force. Enthusiasm about the drug's promise has diminished in recent weeks as studies have not found evidence of its effectiveness.
Remdesivir is now seen as the drug with the most potential as a coronavirus treatment, although early studies have produced results that are mixed and, so far, unclear.
A study that was conducted from Feb. 6 to March 12 among more than 200 adult patients in severe condition in China's Hubei province found that "Remdesivir use was not associated with a difference in time to clinical improvement" when compared to patients receiving placebo treatments.
The results of the study were published on April 29 in The Lancet, and noted that 66% of the remdesivir patients suffered "adverse events" leading doctors to stop the treatment for 12% of them.
More clinical studies of remdesivir are being conducted in the United States, including studies by Gilead Sciences and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Bryan Adams ripped for 'racist' rant about 'f***ing bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus mak

Bryan Adams ripped for 'racist' rant about 'f***ing bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards' after canceled concerts

Bryan Adams ripped for 'racist ' rant about ' f***ing bat eating , wet market animal selling , virus making @ @ @ @ @ concerts 'People look up to public figures .
He is seen as an idol by @ @ @ @ @ so irresponsible and just so , so , so , so racist . '

UPDATE 1:45 p.m. EST: Rocker Bryan Adams apologized Tuesday for his Instagram post the previous day which contained a profane rant against wet markets as the cause of the coronavirus.
His new Instagram post reads, "Apologies to any and all that took offence to my posting yesterday. No excuse, I just wanted to have a rant about the horrible animal cruelty in these wet-markets being the possible source of the virus, and promote veganism. I have love for all people and my thoughts are with everyone dealing with this pandemic around the world."
Original article below
Like many musicians have done amid the coronavirus shutdown, veteran rocker Bryan Adams hopped on Instagram Monday with a video of him performing a song. It was his '80s hit "Cuts Like a Knife."
But the Canadian singer-songwriter had a message to go along with it.
What did he say?
In the text accompanying the clip, Adams explained that Monday night was supposed to be the start of series of concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall, "but thanks to some f***ing bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards, the whole world is now on hold, not to mention the thousands that have suffered or died from this virus. My message to them other than 'thanks a f***ing lot' is go vegan."
(Content warning: Rough language):
The World Health Organization last week said wet markets shouldn't be closed — despite the possibility they played an important role in the emergence of the coronavirus.
"To all the people missing out on our shows, I wish I could be there more than you know," Adams also wrote in his post. "It's been great hanging out in isolation with my children and family, but I miss my other family, my band, my crew and my fans. Take care of yourselves and hope we can get the show on the road again soon. I'll be performing a snippet from each album we were supposed to perform for the next few days."
As of Tuesday morning, Adams' post has been viewed more than 130,000 times.
What was the reaction?
Amy Go, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice, told CBC News that the post is "racist" and could contribute to attacks against Chinese people.
"People look up to public figures. He is seen as an idol by many," Go added to the outlet. "It justifies this racist hatred against Chinese. … This is so irresponsible and just so, so, so, so racist."
Adams was trending Tuesday morning on Twitter where many users blasted him for racism and selfishness. But others supported Adams, such as United Kingdom conservative figure Katie Hopkins who wrote, "What a legend."
Others agreed and didn't see racism in his words:
"Bryan Adams. LOL. Selfish tweet but racist? Get a f***ing grip. Truth hurts. China lied, people died. But that's OK. Blame everyone else."
"I f***ing love Bryan Adams now."
"Why couldn't have Corona Virus wiped out the people calling Bryan Adams racist? Normal intelligent people have died, yet people who call everything racist even pure facts are still alive to tweet their crap. So embarrassed for them."
"Nothing racist he's bang right on the money. The propaganda machine in China will be working in overtime for this one."
"Another day another faux outrage. There are far more egregious things to be upset about. He didn't say anything that a lot of people weren't already f***ing feeling!"
"Give us a break! Objectively — what did he say that was wrong? Get off your soap box of irrationality — it is wearing thin!"
CBC News said it contacted Adams' representatives for a response but did not receive an immediate reply.
Anything else?
You might say Adams is in good company, as legendary Beatle Paul McCartney also blasted wet markets in a recent interview with Howard Stern, saying "I really hope that this will mean the Chinese government says, 'OK guys, we have really got to get super hygienic around here.' Let's face it, it is a little bit medieval eating bats."
McCartney also said celebrities should call for the end of the wet markets.
"It's not a stupid idea, it is a very good idea. They don't need all the people dying. And what's it for? All these medieval practices. They just need to clean up their act. This may lead to it. If this doesn't, I don't know what will," McCartney said.
In the meantime, the WHO has remained under scrutiny after reportedly botching its initial response to the pandemic. President Donald Trump cut funding to the WHO in April over its purported role in repeating China's lies and misinformation about COVID-19 and its origins and transmission. In addition, the WHO didn't call out the Chinese government when it refused to admit that it misled the global community about the virus.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Dr. Fauci is testifying before the Senate today. Here's what some brave senator should ask him.

Dr. Fauci is testifying before the Senate today .
Here 's what some brave senator should ask him .

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has become the public face of the president's coronavirus response, is scheduled to testify before the U.S. Senate today. Dr. Fauci apparently emailed the New York Times the Cliff's Notes version of his anticipated remarks, which is not a great way to build trust in middle America, but I digress.
According to the Times, Fauci's email said, "The major message that I wish to convey to the Senate HLP committee tomorrow is the danger of trying to open the country prematurely. If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to: 'Open America Again,' then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal."
This, of course, has been Fauci's mantra all along. The longer the country remains shut down, the better, according to the Book of Fauci.
The New York Times makes a lot of hay in its writeup of Fauci's email about the fact that Tuesday's appearance before Congress will be his first in a very long time without President Trump by his side.
However, Tuesday's appearance is different for another reason: It will be the first time in a long time that Fauci faces questions from people other than the national press corps, which is all too eager to carry the "remain shut down forever" water.
So today would be a great opportunity for some brave senator to ask Fauci the following question: "Let's say the country remains totally shut down for an extra three months. Or heck, let's be totally safe and say through Christmas. Would THAT cause any suffering and death?"
Look, it's pretty clear that infectious diseases like coronavirus cause death. Obviously, that is a result that we want to avoid. I am legitimately curious as to whether Dr. Fauci is aware that other things cause death, too. I am curious as to whether Fauci has even considered the possibility that reopening America is not about jumpstarting the economy, it's about keeping people alive.
Dr. Fauci is an expert on infectious diseases and we are told that we should not question his expertise, which is fair.
I am curious whether Dr. Fauci is interested in questioning the expertise of other experts, such as the director of the U.N. World Food Program, who has already said that the economic effects of global shutdowns are likely to kill more people than the virus itself, and that the shutdowns are going to push hundreds of millions of people to the brink of starvation.
I am curious whether Dr. Fauci is interested in questioning the expertise of mental health experts, who are estimating that at least 75,000 people may die "deaths of despair" such as suicide due to the economic ruination caused by the shutdowns.
I am curious as to whether Dr. Fauci has even considered the certainty that malnutrition/poor nutrition caused by lockdown-induced increased poverty will kill people.
The entire tenor of Dr. Fauci's comments thus far has treated the extension of shutdown as something that is basically "free," in terms of human lives lost. In other words, all we need to be concerned about is people dying from the coronavirus, and everything we do to reach that goal will only cost money, not lives.
I want to know if he really thinks that way. If he's ever even considered the possibility that extending shutdowns will also cost lives.
If he is aware of it and says that he's not blind to the fact that extending the shutdown will cost lives, then I have additional questions.
I want to know if his office has modeled the number of deaths that will be caused by extending the shutdowns by a certain number of days. If not, why not?
After all, a ton of money has been spent modeling how many people will get, and die from, the coronavirus based on whether social distancing is continued or not. If Fauci is aware that the shutdowns will also cost lives, wouldn't it be relevant to try to model that or quantify it in some way? Is that not an important enough question for anyone to attempt to study? Do the lives lost due to economic ruin not matter as much, or at all, or should we at least consider them in some sort of balancing equation? I certainly hope it's the latter.
And if we are trying to balance lives lost due to the coronavirus versus lives lost due to shutdowns, why is literally all the energy being spent to determine how many lives will be lost due to the coronavirus and zero being spent determining how many lives will be lost due to shutdowns?
I hope someone will ask these questions. I hope at least one of the 100 elected senators in today's chamber thinks that the lives lost due to shutdowns matter just as much as lives lost due to COVID-19, and acts accordingly. Otherwise, I suppose we will just go on pretending that they don't even exist and remain shut down indefinitely.


theblaze--2020-05-12--Paula Faris explains why she quit her co-hosting gig at 'The View' and left a powerful career behind

Paula Faris explains why she quit her co-hosting gig at 'The View ' and left a powerful career behind The @ @ @ @ @ it all out

Paula Faris was at the height of her career when she abruptly decided to leave it all behind.
Despite sweeping success as co-host of "The View" and co-anchor of "Good Morning America: Weekend Edition," Faris was burnt out, exhausted, and on a quest to refocus on what truly mattered.
"I was at the height of my career ... and I really felt like I was walking in my ... God-given calling," she recently told "The Billy Hallowell Podcast." "And I leaned in so hard to what we're told to lean into — to work and vocation ... that I burnt out."
Listen to Faris reveal why she walked away from her dream job:
Faris, author of the new book, "Called Out: Why I Traded Two Dream Jobs for a Life of True Calling," said her career was "soaring," but that her personal life was failing.
From her marriage to her health, nothing was where she wanted it to be. Faris, a longtime Christian, said she simply "didn't have an ease" in her spirit, and that she had become consumed by her job.
"I knew that I had taken it to an unhealthy place," she said. "I had become addicted to what I did, addicted to the accolades ... accomplishment, and the high [of] the spotlight."
Faris added, "It became about what I was doing, not who I was doing it for."
(Read also: 10 Comforting Bible Verses About Sadness)
And before her departure from her hosting duties, it all came to a head. Amid a flurry of chaos, the journalist faced a miscarriage, an emergency surgery, a concussion, a head-on car accident, and a bout with the flu that turned to pneumonia.
"My life just felt like it was falling apart," Faris said.
The personal pandemonium and the recognition that her career had overtaken everything else left Faris with the realization that she had misplaced her identity.
"My identity had been so misplaced in what I did," she said. "Here I am a professing Christian and it wasn't good enough to just be 'Paula.'"
So, the TV host stopped, paused, and did the unthinkable: She quit both of her dream jobs. At first, the transition was quite difficult.
"I didn't know what to do with myself," she said. "I had a full-on identity crisis."
But Faris said she started getting herself rooted back into the Bible and began to surround herself with the right voices who spoke into her life about what truly matters.
Over time, it all came together. And now she's sharing her insights and realizations in "Called Out," a new book that not only tells her story, but also inspires others not to fall into the same pitfalls of misplacing significance and identity.
"God's calling me into a different space now," Faris said of her journey. "My worth is not my work."
And for anyone looking for guidance in their own lives, she offered an encouraging word: listen to God.
"God speaks to you. He speaks to you through people ... and that song on the radio ... through scriptures and sermons," Faris said. "You just have to listen for God's voice."
This piece has been updated.
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.


theblaze--2020-05-13--Howard Stern says the people Trump 'despises' most are the ones who love him the most

Howard Stern says the people Trump 'despises ' most are the ones who love him the most 'Go to Mar-a-Lago @ @ @ @ @ any people who look like you '

Shock jock talk radio host Howard Stern went into a tirade against Trump supporters and told them that they are the kind of people that the president would have despised the most.
He made his latest comments on Tuesday on his SiriusXM show.
"One thing Donald loves is celebrities, he loves the famous. He loves it. He loves to be in the mix," Stern explained.
Stern was once very friendly with President Donald Trump, but he has since said he had hoped Hillary Clinton had won the election in 2016.
"The oddity in all of this is the people Trump despises most, love him the most," Stern continued.
"The people who are voting for Trump for the most part... he wouldn't even let them in a [expletive] hotel. He'd be disgusted by them. Go to Mar-a-Lago, see if there's any people who look like you," he added. "I'm talking to you in the audience."
Stern has also said he's "all in" for Biden in the 2020 election and joked that he wished the president and his followers would all drink bleach at a rally and die.
"I don't hate Donald," Stern continued. "I hate you for voting for him, for not having intelligence."
He went on to say that it would be patriotic of Trump to admit that he's over his head and step down from the presidency.
A poll in April from Fox News showed that support for Joe Biden has collapsed and that he and Trump were tied with 42% of support each.


theblaze--2020-05-13--'The Price is Right' donates nearly $100k to Planned Parenthood

'The Price is Right ' donates nearly $ 100k to Planned Parenthood The show hosted a primetime special to raise @ @ @ @ @ amid the coronavirus crisis

CBS's "The Price is Right" hosted a primetime special raising almost $100,000 for Planned Parenthood this week, during a nighttime episode featuring guest contestant and famous drag queen RuPaul.
What are the details?
The network promoted the special, dubbed "The Price is Right At Night" ahead of time, noting that Drew Carey, the host of the "#1-rated daytimes series and the longest-running game show in television history," would be joined on stage by RuPaul, who would "be playing to raise money for the charity Planned Parenthood."
Fox News reported that "contestants won big during the special, totaling $97,266 in prizes," meaning "that the same dollar amount" would be donated to Planned Parenthood. The outlet noted that the move to raise funds for America's most famous abortion provider sparked online debate between viewers.
On the game show's Twitter feed, several people expressed their frustration over the move, with one saying, "Never thought I would see the day The Price is Right would support the murder of babies." Another wrote, "What a disgrace #priceisrightatnight Long time fan but u lost me with support of PP. They don't even let clients see the ultrasound while restrained during abortions. Shame."
But others supported the game show's initiative, with one cheering, "Totally here for this and the support of @PPFA," and another tweeting, "Thank you for supporting Planned Parenthood! For many women, this is their only access to reproductive health care."
The Hill pointed out that it wasn't just viewers who took notice of the politically-charged fundraising initiative by "The Price is Right." Planned Parenthood took to Twitter to thank RuPaul for his actions because it "is what we NEED right now!"
Prior to its airing, pro-life organization Live Action tweeted the details of the special while pointing out, "Planned Parenthood slaughters 947 Americans every day and has over $2 BILLION in assets. Despicable."


theblaze--2020-05-13--Fresno City councilman caught on video shoving anti-lockdown protesters — and gets cited for assault

Fresno City councilman caught on video shoving anti-lockdown protesters — and gets cited for assault He claims they were trying @ @ @ @

Protesters against the lockdown in California over coronavirus videotaped their altercation with a Fresno City Council leader outside his home. He was later cited with three counts of assault.
The protesters confronted Fresno City Council President Miguel Arias at his home when he began to push and shove them. The altercation was caught on video.
Arias told police that the protesters tried to gain entry to his home while his two children were inside.
Fresno police responded by sending officers to the homes of all the other members of the Fresno City Council.
One of the protesters talked to Fox News 26 about the fight.
The protesters were led by activist Ben Bergquam who runs a media outlet named "Frontline America."
Police said that after reviewing the video that they were citing Arias with three counts of assault.
Other members of the Fresno City Council decried the incident and condemned the protesters according to the Fresno Bee.
"I can't even begin to express the outrage I feel regarding this incident," said Councilmember Garry Bredefeld on Facebook. "This is completely unacceptable and should never happen. While we can have disagreements politically and express different points of view, it completely crosses the line of safety, decency, and respect of personal and family boundaries. If any crimes were committed by these individuals, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This disturbing and outrageous incident must never, ever happen again!"
Council member Luis Chavez agreed with the sentiment.
"As a councilmember that has been publicly threatened before, I take these threats very seriously and that's why I have a concealed carry weapons permit," Chavez said. "I will not tolerate anyone threatening me or my family."
Here's the video from Frontline America:


theblaze--2020-05-13--Watch: Archbishop takes to the skies over San Antonio so he 'could bless the entire city'

Watch : Archbishop takes to the skies over San Antonio so he 'could bless the entire city' The Tex Hill @ @ @ @ @ Force gave Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller a lift

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller hopped aboard an airplane to take a low-altitude flight over San Antonio on Monday, so that he "could bless the entire city" after announcing that the parishes of the Archdiocese of San Antonio would be reopened for mass next week.
The archdiocese's 170 churches, which span across 19 counties, have not held full masses for several weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
What are the details?
The Archdiocese of San Antonio teamed up with the Tex Hill Wing of the Commemorative Air Force for an operation called "Mission: Hope," in an effort "to inspire unity and healing," KXAN-TV reported.
At around 2:00 p.m, Archbishop Garcia-Siller set off as a passenger in a 1942 SNJ "Ole Yeller," and was flown over 30 locations at around 1,000 feet on a flyover of the city of San Antonio while offering prayer and blessings for the community.
Ahead of the flight, Tex Hill Wing executive officer Col. Darren Bond said in a statement posted to the archdiocese's Facebook page, "The aircraft is very visible, and I believe the sight of the archbishop flying overhead will be truly inspirational. We have had so much bad news lately. It's time to give people a positive sign."


theblaze--2020-05-13--Judge refuses to drop charges against Mike Flynn immediately — he wants to see challenges from outsi

Judge refuses to drop charges against Mike Flynn immediately — he wants to see challenges from outside groups

The effort to exonerate Mike Flynn from charges related to the Russian investigation hit a snag when a judge said he wanted to hear objections from outside groups.
The order was issued after lawyers for Flynn filed a request to strike an amicus brief from a group referring to itself as "Watergate Prosecutors."
U.S. District Judge Judge Emmet Sullivan of Washington D.C., refused the request and said he would allow other groups to file their objections.
Flynn pled guilty to charges of lying to the FBI during an interview in the Russian investigation, but he later filed to withdraw the guilty plea.
In April the notes of the FBI agents who interviewed Flynn were released and many argued that they proved there was a politically motivated bias against Flynn.
On Thursday the Department of Justice said it would be dropping the charges against Flynn. Critics of the move accused the DOJ of acting politically in order to reward friends of the president, but defenders of Flynn said he had been targeted unfairly for prosecution.
Here's more about the charges against Mike Flynn:


theblaze--2020-05-14--Judge considering holding Flynn in contempt, taps retired judge to argue against dismissal

Judge considering holding Flynn in contempt , taps retired judge to argue against dismissal The Department of Justice has requested @ @ @ @

The federal judge presiding over the case against Michael Flynn is now considering holding the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump in criminal contempt, and has appointed a retired judge to argue against the Department of Justice's move to drop the case.
What are the details?
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued an order Wednesday naming retired judge John Gleeson to "present arguments in opposition to the government's motion to dismiss," and to "address whether the Court should issue an Order to Show Cause why Mr. Flynn should not be held in criminal contempt for perjury."
Politico reported that the second order was "apparently for [Flynn] declaring under oath at two different court proceedings that he was guilty of lying to the FBI, before he reversed course in January and claimed he had never lied."
But recently-released documents from the investigation into Flynn show the retired lieutenant general was targeted by the FBI and agents who spoke out against the election of President Trump. Flynn maintains that he only pleaded guilty because the FBI threatened to prosecute his son.
Sullivan's latest move further intensifies the politics surrounding the case.
Flynn was prosecuted as a result of the Mueller investigation that failed to find any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and several Democrats cried foul and accused Attorney General William Barr of bending to pressure after the Department of Justice moved last week to have the case dismissed.
Meanwhile, Sullivan, a Clinton appointee, named Gleeson, another Clinton appointee, to step in and argue against the government's position under a Republican administration. Earlier this week, Gleeson co-wrote an opinion for The Washington Post arguing that "the Flynn case isn't over until the judge says it's over."
Judge Jeanine Pirro DESTROYS Corrupt Flynn Judge Emmet Sullivan for Politicizing Case www.youtube.com


theblaze--2020-05-14--President Trump says he 'totally' disagrees with Dr. Fauci on his comments about the lockdown

President Trump says he 'totally ' disagrees with Dr. Fauci on his comments about the lockdown 'You 're having bedlam @ @ @ @ @ you ca n't do this . '

President Donald Trump voiced his disagreement with his own coronavirus task force director over his recommendations on further lockdown policies to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The president was speaking to the media about lifting the lockdown restrictions when he addressed Dr. Fauci's concerns about opening up too quickly.
"I was surprised by his answer, actually, because, you know, it's just, to me it's not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools," Trump said.
"The only thing that would be acceptable, as I said, is professors, teachers, et cetera, over a certain age. I think they oughtta take it easy for another few weeks, five weeks, four weeks, who knows, whatever it may be," he concluded.
The president had earlier explained his disagreement in an interview with Maria Bartiromo of Fox News.
"So Anthony is a good person, a very good person – I've disagreed with him," Trump said in the interview.
"We have to get the schools open, we have to get our country open, we have to open our country. Now we want to do it safely, but we also want to do it as quickly as possible; we can't keep going on like this," he explained.
"You're having bedlam already in the streets; you can't do this," he added. "We have to get it open. I totally disagree with him on schools."
The coronavirus task force released guidelines for slowly and methodically opening up parts of the country with some restrictions in order to prevent a second spike of the pandemic. Fauci voiced his concerns that if the economy opened too quickly, certain regions could experience needless and preventable deaths.
The president had previously blasted the mainstream media for attempting to drive a wedge between him and Dr. Fauci.
Here's the video of Trump's comments:


theblaze--2020-05-13--Biden campaign aide excoriated for attacking respected journalist who reported Flynn 'unmasking' lis

Biden campaign aide excoriated for attacking respected journalist who reported Flynn 'unmasking' list

Biden campaign aide excoriated for attacking respected journalist who reported Flynn 'unmasking ' list

An aide representing the Joe Biden campaign online attacked CBS News Chief Investigative Correspondent Catherine Herridge on Wednesday, after the journalist reported the list of officials—which included Biden—who purportedly sought to "unmask" Gen. Michael Flynn during the Obama administration.
The attempt to smear Herridge did not go over well.
What are the details?
Herridge—an Ivy League-educated journalist who joined CBS News in November after a long tenure at Fox News—tweeted, "SCOOP: @CBSNews obtains @RichardGrenell notification to congress declassified 'unmasking list' Flynn between late 2016 and January 2017 - Read 3 pages provided by NSA here."
The accompanying attachments showed that former Vice President Joe Biden was the last person named on the list "who may have received Lt. Gen. Flynn's identity in response to a request processed between 8 November 2016 and 31 January 2017 to unmask an identity that had been generically referred to in an NSA foreign intelligence report."
The date listed next to Mr. Biden's name was Jan. 12, 2017, just days before President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
In reaction, the Biden campaign's director of rapid response, Andrew Bates, replied, "SCOOP: Catherine Herridge is a partisan, rightwing hack who is a regular conduit for conservative media manipulation ploys because she agrees to publicize things before contacting the target to ask for comment."
Pundits, journalists, and politicos across the spectrum roundly lambasted Bates for his attack, defending Herridge and letting the Biden aide know that Herridge has one of the best reputations in the business for delivering solid, fair, unbiased reporting. Several called on the Biden campaign to apologize.
Attorney Mark Zaid, who represented the whistleblower that spurred the impeachment of President Donald Trump, replied, "I've worked with @CBS_Herridge for many years & this isn't true. It is also beneath the integrity of Biden campaign. You do not help your candidate by going maliciously low like Trump and his campaign. You should apologize and delete this tweet. Be better than this."
Jake Tapper, anchor for left-leaning network CNN, tweeted, "Gross. Personal attacks on journalists for sharing facts is obnoxious and indecent. @JoeBiden approves this message?" Tapper went on to add, "not only does the Trump campaign do this regularly, the White House and the president do it as a matter of policy."
Bates eventually deleted the tweet amid waves of backlash.
The Daily Caller's Henry Rodgers noted, "Looks like @AndrewBatesNC realized how awful his take was on REAL news and deleted this tweet. Good for you, bud! Still amazing you thought that was a good idea."


theblaze--2020-05-13--Disabled transgender wants police protection from criminals to avoid owning a firearm

Disabled transgender wants police protection from criminals to avoid owning a firearm Also , same disabled transgender thinks we have @ @ @ @

Ah, the game of having it both ways. Danny, the disabled transgender, refuses to choose a gender. Zim also demonstrates an unwillingness to choose if cops should be the sole protectors of the innocent from bad guys or if cops are the bad guys. Danny is confident of one thing, though. An app that calls the untrustworthy police is the best solution for self-protection, NOT guns.
I have a theory that explains why folks like Danny struggle with easy decisions. You know, like the difference between male and female, the in your face obviousness of determining their gender, and the importance of gun ownership.
The problem and solution for the Danny's of the world to understand the gun issue is confidence. Recognizing the critical role confidence plays within each of us may seem simple to perceive, but Danny and the rest of the gun-fearing population prove otherwise.
Progressive thought leaders often tell the Danny's of the world they are brave for being a disabled transgender person and that cops corrupt and guns are bad. The truth is that brave people know who we are and what we believe. We don't wait to be told what to think. We damn sure know that calling 9-1-1 won't stop a bad guy with a gun who is pulling the trigger now.
Bravery requires a person to have confidence in their ability to handle life without the help of another. This inner strength develops over time through trial and error, and eventually, we learn to trust ourselves in most situations, within reason.It takes courage to learn the proper use of a firearm and requires the confidence to trust one's ability to survive danger at the hands of a criminal.
So when a Danny comes along, afraid of their own shadow and uncommitted to shopping in the men or women's clothing department, of course, they choose to avoid learning how to defend their own lives with a gun. They need to start learning to trust themselves, and the confidence will follow.
Watch the video below and watch the signs of Danny's low confidence as Crowder hits zim with facts about personal protection and firearms.
Change My Mind Clips: The Magical Police App! | Crowder Classics youtu.be
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theblaze--2020-05-13--Republican Mike Garcia wins upset victory for California's seat in Congress

It 's the first time in decades a California seat has flipped from 'D ' to ' R '

After a drawn out election contest, Republican Mike Garcia won an upset victory in California's 25th district after Democratic California State Assemblywoman Christy Smith conceded the special election on Wednesday.
The seat had flipped from Republican control to the Democrats when Katie Hill won the seat in 2018. She resigned in disgrace after her "throuple" relationship made for sensationalistic headlines and great controversy in October.
Garcia, who is a former Navy fighter pilot, will serve out the rest of the term until November, when the seat will go up for election again.
Smith conceded with a statement on Facebook.
"[W]e believe that the current tally shows Mike Garcia is the likely victor in the May 12 special election," she said. "As such, I'd like to congratulate him."
President Donald Trump weighed into the special election when he tweeted a warning that Democrats were trying to rig the election against the Republicans.
"Dems are trying to steal the Mike Garcia Congressional Race in California. Republicans, get out and VOTE for your terrific candidate, ASAP!" he tweeted on May 11.
After the election as the votes were still being tabulated, the president congratulated Garcia.
"Big Congressional win in California for Mike Garcia, taking back a seat from the Democrats," Trump tweeted.
"This is the first time in many years that a California Dem seat has flipped back to a Republican," he added.
Democrats hoped to retain the seat as a sign that they were gaining strength and enthusiasm in the run up to the presidential election. Those hopes have been dashed away.
Here's more about the election for California's 25th district:


theblaze--2020-05-13--Joe Biden, James Comey, and Obama's chief of staff on list of officials who requested to 'unmask' Mi

Joe Biden, James Comey, and Obama's chief of staff on list of officials who requested to 'unmask' Michael Flynn

Joe Biden , James Comey , and Obama 's chief of staff on list of officials who requested to 'unmask @ @ @

Former Vice President Joe Biden and other high-profile Obama administration officials were included on a list of people who may have requested to "unmask" Michael Flynn's identity, which had previously been obscured in an NSA foreign intelligence report, Fox News reported.
Other officials on the list included former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former President Barack Obama's then-chief of staff, Denis McDonough.
What does this mean? Flynn, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, had his December 2016 calls with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak picked up in surveillance. The identity of U.S. citizens in such conversations are protected if their participation is incidental.
The NSA report referred to Flynn generically, not by name. However, certain national security officials have the ability to request that the identity of individuals in such reports be revealed; this is the "unmasking." It's not an uncommon process; according to Politico, there were nearly 8,000 different "unmasking" requests made last year.
The list declassified by current acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell shows Obama administration officials who "may have received Lt. Gen. Flynn's identity in response to a request processed between 8 November 2016 and 31 January 2017 to unmask an identity that had been generically referred to in an NSA foreign intelligence report."
Grenell sent this list to GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Ron Johnson (Wis.), who have been actively looking into the origins of the Russia investigation for potential wrongdoing.
What are the implications? Flynn was fired in February 2017 after being caught lying to the FBI about his conversations with Kislyak. In December 2017, he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Last week, however, the Justice Department moved to drop the charges against Flynn.
Handwritten FBI notes from the FBI agents who interviewed Flynn appeared to show them considering setting a perjury trap for Flynn, asking "What is our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?"
The list of Obama administration officials seeking to unmask Flynn in the last days of Obama's presidency fuels accusations that they were targeting incoming Trump administration officials like Flynn.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, will also have to answer for his involvement as the election season progresses. He stumbled over his answer on "Good Morning America" this week when asked about the investigation into Flynn, first saying he knew nothing about it, then backtracking and saying that he thought the question was about prosecution. Biden then said he was aware that "they asked for an investigation."


theblaze--2020-05-13--Gym owner defied closure orders because of inspiration 'from the people.' The city cited him 4 times

Gym owner defied closure orders because of inspiration 'from the people.' The city cited him 4 times in 2 days.

Gym owner defied closure orders because of inspiration 'from the people . '
The city cited him 4 times in @ @ @

Pennsylvania gym owner Dan Cronauer said the people inspired him to open up on Monday despite the state's COVID-19 lockdown orders. In response, he received no fewer than four citations in two days.
Despite the local community crying out for his services, Cronauer ultimately ended up closing up shop — which he had temporarily reopened for free — on Tuesday night for the foreseeable future.
According to ABC News, Cronauer announced the abrupt closure in a Facebook post, writing, "Unfortunately, due to citations, we will have to close our doors once again until further notice. In preparing to take this unprecedented stand, we did expect these consequences."
What are the details?
Cronauer spoke with CNN on Wednesday in a defense against his decision to reopen.
"I myself suffer from anxiety, depression, panic attack disorder," he admitted. "I know how bad that feels for a lot of people. And it got to the point where others were expressing to me, 'I need the gym. I need the gym.' Like it was their medication. They needed to get back in the gym, so our decision came from the people. ... [I]t got really hard for us to close the doors because people look back at us like, 'I'm so glad you're doing this for me,' and they're thrilled."
Cronauer added that there's nothing like a "good gym environment."
"Whether we're 10 feet or 15 feet away, seeing your friend or buddy, a recognizable face, you're waving hello to them," he said. "That comes with the gym. It's not just lifting things up and putting them down, right? It's about the social interaction as well, the mental clarity, and when you're in your house, there's always this other thing that can be done, right? You're doing your pushups, and then, 'Oh, crap, I've got to do the laundry.' There's always something else in the back of your head running. But when you enter the gym, your mind gets to shut off. You get to put that music on and really just decompress for that hour that we're limiting people to."
He insisted that he and his patrons were taking proper precautions to up the ante on hygiene, and said that people only wore masks if they wanted to.
“We had some people wearing masks. Others weren't. It was really up their requirement — or up to their preference if they wanted to or not," he said.
What else?
On Tuesday, Cronauer told ABC News that he believes gyms should be considered essential businesses.
"I think that we have to look at gyms and ask, how important are they for people and for their mental health?" Cronauer said. "I don't think it's right to lump certain businesses in certain categories."
He continued, "How's a gym not essential? Not everyone has access at home. The gym can be essential to a lot of people."
According to ABC News, Pennsylvania began to lift certain restrictions on work and social interactions in certain counties across the state under a phased plan.
But all gyms statewide remained closed.
Pennsylvania's stay-at-home order is in effect in Lackawanna County at least through June 4.


theblaze--2020-05-13--Little Richard shares his Christian faith in unearthed 2017 broadcast: 'I started just thinking abou

Little Richard shares his Christian faith in unearthed 2017 broadcast: 'I started just thinking about Jesus'

Little Richard shares his Christian faith in unearthed 2017 broadcast : ' I started just thinking about Jesus' ' I @ @ @ @ @ I 'd rather have Jesus than anything the world could afford '

Gone was his famous pompadour and mustache. And confined to a wheelchair, he wasn't about to bound up to a piano and assault it with one of his legendary rock 'n' roll songs.
But Little Richard — who died Saturday at age 87 — one day in 2017 spoke at an Illinois church and agreed to an interview with WSIL-TV. And he unquestionably was in command of his audience as he spoke about his Christian faith.
Image source: Facebook video screenshot
"At the time you would think about how you could become bigger and bigger and make more money," the singer — whose real last name is Penniman — told the station of his heyday during the infancy of rock 'n' roll.
But soon the adulation shifted: "I didn't feel right anymore. I would sing and do things, but you know, I wasn't a part of the in-crowd anymore."
'God Is Real'
Rolling Stone said he gave up music in 1957 and began attending Alabama Bible school Oakwood College where he was ordained a minister — and his 1959 album "God Is Real" was full on the gospel. Little Richard went back to entertaining mainstream audiences, even while newer acts such as the Beatles took over, the magazine said. Yet the Fab Four as well as the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan still looked up to and paid tribute to him.
Rumors about his sexuality also swirled throughout his career, Rolling Stone said, and he struggled with addictions. But late in his life he had long past given up drugs and also denounced gender-bending and alternate sexual lifestyles.
"I just started thinking about Jesus," Little Richard said in his 2017 interview with WSIL. "I started thinking the world was going to end soon and all the trouble of the world."
He added that "I made up my mind that I'd rather have Jesus than anything the world could afford."
Speaking to the church crowd, Little Richard was in full-on preacher mode.
"And I'm so glad that I know Jesus. 84 years old; I know Jesus. 85 this year — if i live — I know Jesus. [There's] nothing like Jesus. Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, remember I don't care what color you are black, white, red, brown, purple, yellow — it don't matter. Jesus loves you. He made you. Jesus, the word of God. In times like these, I just say that we need a savior. You've got to remember that Jesus is the Word of God, and all Scripture is given by inspiration of God ..."
He added that when he goes to bed at night, he sleeps with a Bible in his arms: "It makes me feel comfortable."
Little Richard added that one night the lights went out, and it was "a horrible feeling." Not knowing what to do with nobody there to help him and being unable to walk, he said he simply called out to God.
"We need Jesus," Little Richard added. "Don't let nobody tell you anything different."


theblaze--2020-05-13--The CIA believes Chinese officials threatened the WHO to keep the truth about COVID-19 dangers secre

The CIA believes Chinese officials threatened the WHO to keep the truth about COVID-19 dangers secret. Meanwhile, they stockpiled medical supplies.

The CIA believes Chinese officials threatened the WHO to keep the truth about COVID-19 dangers secret .
Meanwhile , they @ @ @ @ @ them to the growing list

The CIA believes that Chinese officials pressured the World Health Organization not to alert the global community about the dangers of COVID-19 during the pivotal early stages of the outbreak — while the communist country stockpiled medical supplies.
What are the details?
"China threatened the WHO that the country would stop cooperating with the agency's coronavirus investigation if the organization declared a global health emergency," Newsweek first reported, citing two anonymous U.S. intelligence officials.
The bombshell new report, titled, "U.N.-China: WHO Mindful But Not Beholden to China," is the second Western intelligence report to surface in recent days suggesting that China and the WHO were involved in a cover-up during the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak.
The first such report came from Germany's intelligence service, known as the Bundesnachrichtendienst, and alleged that Chinese President Xi Jinping asked WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in January to keep quiet about the dangers of COVID-19.
In response to the news, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told Newsweek: "We don't comment on specific discussions with member states but we can say that at all times during the pandemic WHO has acted in accordance with its mandate as an evidence-based technical organization focusing on protecting all people, everywhere."
"Dr. Tedros did not communicate with President Xi on Jan. 20, 21 or 22. Dr. Tedros and his senior team met with President Xi in Beijing on Jan. 28," Lindmeier added. "The issue of PHEIC did not come up in that meeting."
The two U.S. intelligence officials who spoke to Newsweek were not able to say whether President Xi took part in the pressure campaign.
China was stockpiling medical supplies in January
A third report, put together by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and obtained by the Associated Press, suggested that Chinese leaders "intentionally concealed the severity" of the pandemic so that it could hoard medical supplies.
The report found that in January, while China and the WHO was denying that the virus could be spread through human-to-human transmission, China increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies.
Moreover, China tried to cover up doing so by "denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data," the report states, according to the AP.


theblaze--2020-05-13--TRUTH: Sharyl Attkisson lists 132 of the most egregious media 'mistakes' in the Trump era

TRUTH : Sharyl Attkisson lists 132 of the most egregious media 'mistakes ' in the Trump era The conspiracy theories @ @ @ @ @ proven to be absolutely true

Sharyl Attkisson, a five-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting, joined Glenn Beck on the radio program Tuesday to discuss her article, "Media Mistakes in the Trump Era: The Definitive List," in which she documents the notable mistakes, and in some cases out-and-out lies, in mainstream media reporting since President Donald Trump took office.
"I think that a lot of the conspiracy theories we heard about four years ago — that I didn't put much stock in because they sounded so far fetched in some cases — have to a large degree proven, through documentary, evidence, and testimony, to be absolutely true," Sharyl told Glenn. "No one's more surprised than I am because, again, it just seemed like, who would do that?"
You can find more of Sharyl Attkisson's nonpartisan reporting on "Full Measure."
Watch the video clip below:
Watch the full interview with Sharyl on BlazeTV.com.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, BlazeTV is offering our BIGGEST discount ever! Get $30 off your subscription when you use promo code GLENN. Offer expires Friday, May 15.
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 multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.


theblaze--2020-05-13--CNN puts teen climate activist Greta Thunberg on coronavirus panel with health experts — and observe

CNN puts teen climate activist Greta Thunberg on coronavirus panel with health experts — and observers are in mockery mode

CNN said Wednesday it's featuring teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg on a coronavirus panel alongside health experts.
In addition to Thunberg, the network's "Coronavirus — Facts and Fears" live town hall Thursday night will include former acting Centers for Disease Control Director Richard Besser and former Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius, as well as Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Thunberg is among a number of environmental activists who are celebrating significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions as a result of worldwide lockdowns amid the coronavirus. She also claimed on social media to have recovered from mild symptoms of COVID-19.
However, it's unclear if those are the reasons the Swedish 17-year-old is on the coronavirus panel with health experts. CNN on Wednesday didn't immediately reply to TheBlaze's request for comment regarding why she's appearing alongside Besser and Sebelius.
A controversial figure who's drawn praise from leftists and scorn and skepticism from just about everywhere else, Thunberg is known for her passionate speeches about climate change. She was infamously mocked for a tirade last year in which she angrily asked detractors and nonbelievers, "How dare you?" She also was named Time's 2019 Person of the Year and nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
How are folks reacting?
While some are defending the network and Thunberg, as you might expect, a whole bunch of Twitter users are dragging CNN for including a teen climate activist on a coronavirus town hall panel with health experts.
Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire, was incredulous:
Others saw it exactly the same way:


theblaze--2020-05-13--Media outlets keep using COVID-19 stats without context, pushing anti-reopening narrative

Media outlets keep using COVID-19 stats without context , pushing anti-reopening narrative A security guard checks a customer 's temperature @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday in Charleston , South Carolina .
( Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images )

"Texas is reopening stores and restaurants as coronavirus death rises."
"Florida coronavirus cases rise above 40,500 as businesses continue to reopen."
"Georgia coronavirus deaths reach 1,000 amid reopening effort."
These kinds of headlines are factually accurate, but also misleading. Yet, they are commonly aimed at states that have decided, to varying degrees, to lift lockdown restrictions relatively early.
The intent seems clear: To tie reopening efforts to increases in case numbers and deaths, leading readers to a conclude that the reopening caused the new cases and deaths and that, therefore, lockdowns must persist everywhere indefinitely.
Many of these stories, however, lack important statistical context that might cause readers to draw a different conclusion: That maybe, allowing people to go to barbershops or retail outlets or beaches doesn't have a significant impact on the spread of the coronavirus, when some level of social distancing and precaution are observed.
Axios conducted an analysis of every state, and how the seven-day average number of new cases for May 4-11 compared with the previous week. The results suggest we should probably be seeing more headlines highlighting how much better reopenings have gone than expected.
According to Axios, the average number of new COVID-19 cases in Florida declined by 14%, when comparing the seven-day average of May 4-11 to the previous week. Georgia declined by 12%. Texas remained flat. Oklahoma, another state that reopened earlier than most, has seen a 25% decrease.
California, on the other hand, has shut down its public universities for the entire upcoming fall semester, which doesn't even start until September. Los Angeles County plans to extend its stay-at-home order through July. Despite locking down earlier than anywhere else, California still saw a 23% increase in new cases during May 4-11, compared to the previous week.
Oregon, another notably strict lockdown state, saw a 30% increase. Minnesota, which recently extended its stay-at-home order, is up 33%.
What we've observed so far is that, despite the headlines and the predictions of disaster, reopening society in a careful and gradual way does not seem to create a noticeably worse coronavirus environment than total lockdown.
This writer's perspective
Sure, outlets can keep writing headlines that say "death rises" and "cases increase," because no matter what decisions are made by states, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States will increase, as will the number of deaths. That's a number that can only ever go up.
That's why it's more useful to highlight statistical trends than it is to throw big, scary numbers into a headline without context. If the goal is to "flatten the curve" and "slow the spread" of COVID-19 so that our health care system can adequately handle the volume, the numbers currently indicate that those goals are attainable without a full lockdown.


theblaze--2020-05-13--Veterans' graves could go unhonored on Memorial Day as Pennsylvania officials tell flag makers they

Veterans' graves could go unhonored on Memorial Day as Pennsylvania officials tell flag makers they can't ship US flags

Veterans ' graves could go unhonored on Memorial Day as Pennsylvania officials tell flag makers they ca n't ship US @ @ @ @ @ hostage by our governor '

A Pennsylvania flag maker will not be allowed to sell American flags for this year's Memorial Day observances, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's administration ruled, according to a Tuesday report by the Reading Eagle.
The move could leave tens of thousands of veterans' graves unmarked by flags in Berks County and beyond this Memorial Day, as the local flag distributor, FlagZone LLC, has been forced to close operations amid the state's stay-at-home order.
"As the administration's main priority is protecting the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians, flagmaking operations are thus deemed non-life-sustaining," Casey Smith, the communications director for the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, said in a statement to the local news outlet. "While FlagZone will unfortunately need to suspend its operations this year, we are hopeful that in the years to come, it will be able to continue to provide Pennsylvanians with a symbol of our patriotism for future Memorial Day celebrations."
FlagZone President Daniel Ziegler had appealed to the state to issue an exemption for his business so that the tradition of dressing 53,000 graves of fallen veterans could go on May 25 despite the coronavirus pandemic, but that appeal has been denied.
'Held hostage by our governor'
In an interview with Newsradio KDKA-AM host Wendy Bell Tuesday, Ziegler discussed how his company has been forcibly shut down and will likely be unable to reopen anytime soon.
"The best way I can describe it is that our stick flags have been held hostage by our governor," Ziegler said.
According to the local station, FlagZone, "the last American flag producer in the state," produces 5 million to 7 million stick flags each year for counties in Pennsylvania and around the country.
On Memorial Day, the 53,000 flags were scheduled to be distributed to 233 cemeteries across the county by a volunteer workforce. But after the company's closing, the flags — which have already been produced — are unable to be shipped.
Ziegler told the Reading Eagle last week that he could easily have the flags shipped on short notice if just a handful of workers were allowed to return to the factory. He even suggested that people could potentially come pick up orders of the flags, but that reportedly isn't allowed, either.
Allowed to make face masks, but not flags
A local manufacturer, Colebrook Enterprises, which works with FlagZone to make flags was reportedly granted exemption by the state in order to make face masks in recent weeks — but not flags.
Colebrook's president, Vincent Naso, lamented the move, arguing that it sent an incoherent message to the workers.
"The people are here saying we're making face masks, why can't we make flags since we're here?" he asked.
Despite complaints, the Wolf administration has not backed off their hard stance. The governor threatened withholding earmarked funds to local municipalities that refuse to comply with his stay-at-home order, which now extends to June 4.
President Trump plans to travel to Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, which is just an hour outside of Berks County. It's unclear at this point whether Trump plans to make mention of Wolf's lockdown measures, but the president has expressed support for Pennsylvanians who are urging that the state reopen.


theblaze--2020-05-13--Facebook deletes Michigan anti-quarantine group with more than 380,000 members — but members won’t s

Facebook deletes Michigan anti-quarantine group with more than 380,000 members — but members won’t stand down

Facebook deletes Michigan anti-quarantine group with more than 380,000 members — but members won ’ t stand down

The organizer of Facebook group, Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine, said that Facebook shut down the activism page, which had garnered more than 380,000 members since the COVID-19 outbreak.
What are the details?
Garrett Soldano, organizer of a Michigan anti-quarantine group, said that Facebook shut down the page on Tuesday.
WEYI-TV reported that the group had more than 380,000 members when Facebook pulled the plug on the growing page. According to Fox News, Soldano was moved to start the page in April after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) expanded the state's mandated stay-at-home order.
After the group took off, Soldano at the time said, "I was like, 'I'm going to reach out to 500 people, hopefully there are 500 people like me.' The solution to this can't outweigh the potential of what can happen if we continue to shut our economy down. The suicides, the stress. All these other things that will happen if we continue to extend this out."
In a Tuesday tweet, Soldano wrote, "They just shut us down. We have a new page. Here's the new one. ... Invite invite invite. We will not be shut down! #StandUpMichigan"
The new page, Stand Up Michigan, has amassed more than 38,000 followers at the time of this writing.
On Wednesday, Soldano tweeted, "Bid [sic] day for our movement. Our new page 'Stand Up Michigan' is growing faster than the old one. We will NOT quit on you Michiganders. #StandUpMichigan #controlthecsroll[.]"
Stand Up Michigan's "about" section states:
Who We Are: A relational organic movement of We The People of Michigan. Our Vision: Reclaim and defend the rights and liberties of We The People of Michigan. Our Mission: Equip and empower We The People to stand up for sacred values, citizen rights
What else?
Facebook has not issued a statement on why it decided to drop the group off of the social media networking site.
In April, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who appeared on "Good Morning America," said that Facebook is and will continue to monitor pages that are accused of spreading COVID-19 "misinformation."


theblaze--2020-05-13--Gov. Inslee to Washington state restaurants: Want to reopen? You'll have to help us track citizens'

Gov. Inslee to Washington state restaurants: Want to reopen? You'll have to help us track citizens' movements

Gov .
Inslee to Washington state restaurants : Want to reopen ?
You 'll have to help us track citizens @ @

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) on May 1 published his state's four-phase plan to reopen, which went into effect May 5. Dine-in restaurants can finally begin reopening in Phase 2.
Until Monday, no one knew what the requirements would be for restaurants wanting to do business. But now, restaurants in eight counties that have been approved to jump to Phase 2 immediately are discovering that Inslee's order includes maintaining a log of customers that would lay the groundwork for a contact-tracing plan that would track citizens' movements.
What's that now?
Gov. Inslee's plan always included a Phase 2 that would allow dine-in restaurants and taverns to open at 50% capacity, but he offered zero initial details on what the businesses' requirements would be should they choose to reopen.
After a total of eight counties were approved Friday and Monday to move to Phase 2, the governor posted his 13 requirements for any dine-in facilities that wanted to do business.
The new requirements include party-size limits, a ban on bar seating, hand-sanitizer stations, occupancy caps, distance between seats, proscriptions on buffets, single-use-only menus, and staffing guidance.
But one requirement is raising eyebrows.
Inslee told restaurants they must keep a log of all customers' names, phone numbers, emails, and arrival times, and maintain those logs for at least 30 days.
The logs will reportedly be part of a statewide plan to track citizens' movements.
From the governor's website:
If the establishment offers table service, create a daily log of all customers and maintain that daily log for 30 days, including telephone/email contact information, and time in. This will facilitate any contact tracing that might need to occur.
Eater noted that no one knows how the tracking info will be maintained and handled. Also, the governor was not clear on what would happen to the data once it's no longer needed.
Inslee addressed concerns about the state's contact-tracing plan Tuesday and said the state would have the authority to prevent restaurant data from being used for anything other than contact tracing, Eater reported.
However, he said the state is still working on how exactly it would protect the data.