Login
Big Brother News Watch
Pregnant Woman Loses Baby After Hospital Denies Her Entry Over Invalid COVID Test + More
Pregnant Woman Loses Baby After Hospital Denies Her Entry Over Invalid COVID Test
An expectant mother who was eight months pregnant miscarried outside an emergency room in northwestern China on New Year’s Day, after hospital staff refused to treat her without a valid negative COVID-19 test.
The woman, who was not named, was eventually let into the hospital in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, two hours later when medics noticed blood pooling by her feet, her niece said in a social media post. She underwent emergency surgery, but her unborn child didn’t survive.
ER staff at the privately run Xi’an Gaoxin Hospital had denied entry to the woman because the test proving she was free of the coronavirus had expired four hours earlier, her relative said.
On Thursday, a notice by the municipal government of Xi’an, where 13 million people have been under full lockdown for two weeks, said the hospital’s general manager was suspended over the incident. The respective heads of the outpatient and medical departments were dismissed, according to the statement.
The Great Disruption on Social Media Platforms
Between the last presidential election and the continuing pandemic, the last two years were a turning point for social media giants — and not a good one.
Big Tech companies that once prided themselves on facilitating the free flow of information and their commitment to liberal democracy are now routinely censoring users and content. Platforms that once had great potential to hold governments accountable have allowed themselves to become the government’s speech enforcement arm. An industry that once promised to upend the media landscape has become entrenched in it.
It turns out this kind of censorship and discrimination from Big Tech isn’t just bad for democracy — it’s a bad business model as well.
Italian Government Rules That People Aged 50 and Over Must Be Vaccinated to Go to Work
Italy is mandating COVID-19 vaccines for those aged 50 and older, its government announced Wednesday. Both public and private-sector workers need to show that they have either been vaccinated or recently recovered from COVID-19 to access their workplace, from Feb. 15.
Previously, people in this age group could also show a negative test to visit their workplace. This remains an option for people under 50.
Reuters reported that people who don’t follow the rules will be suspended from work without pay, but won’t be dismissed. People aged 50 and over who aren’t in employment need to get vaccinated or they could face sanctions, Politico reported.
The Italian government on Wednesday also introduced rules requiring proof of vaccination, recent recovery or a negative test to access public offices, post offices and banks.
Chicago School Closures Leave Parents Divided: ‘A Catastrophic Failure’
Parents in Chicago were divided as classes were canceled for a second day in a row after the teachers’ union and Mayor Lori Lightfoot‘s administration failed to agree on how to keep schools open amid an Omicron-fueled surge in virus cases.
Just two days after students returned from winter break, the Chicago Teachers Union voted to revert to remote instruction in the nation’s third-largest school district. Chicago Public Schools responded by canceling classes altogether on Wednesday. Classes were canceled again on Thursday after no agreement was reached on Wednesday evening.
District officials have blasted the union’s move as an “illegal strike” and insist that schools are safe for students with protocols in place. The union argues that those protocols are far from adequate, and is calling for a negative test result to return to school and for the in-school weekly testing program to be expanded.
Walmart Halves Paid Leave for COVID-Positive Workers
Walmart Inc (WMT.N) workers in the United States who must isolate or who have tested positive for COVID-19 will receive one week of paid leave instead of two under a new policy that aligns with a change in U.S. health guidance.
The retailer, the largest private employer in the United States with about 1.6 million workers, is among the first major retailers to reduce paid leave for COVID-19, and could serve as a bellwether for other major employers.
Thousands of Cops Deployed to Quell Public Anger in China’s Locked Down Xi’an Amid Widespread Food Shortages
Tens of thousands of police officers were deployed to China’s Xi’an where public anger has exploded among the city’s 13 million residents who were left bargaining and bartering for essential foodstuffs amid ongoing food shortages, as the city entered its 13th day of lockdown amid a wave of COVID-19 cases.
As some people took to social media to appeal for assistance as their food supplies ran low, or they were unable to access medical care, others started local trading networks in residential compounds to try to meet each other’s needs through bartering.
“Everything is getting bartered in Xi’an,” a resident of the city told RFA. “People are swapping stuff with others in the same building, because they no longer have enough food to eat.”
Novak Djokovic, Tennis Superstar, to Be Deported From Australia Over Vaccine Requirements
The top men’s tennis player in the world will be deported from Australia over the country’s vaccine mandate. Now, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic will not be able to defend his Australian Open title, which he has won in each of the last three years.
The tennis superstar’s attorneys said they will challenge the decision, the BBC reported. It’s unclear whether or not Djokovic will remain in Australia while his lawyers try to overturn the country’s decision.
Djokovic, who is unvaccinated and has verbally been against vaccinations, reportedly said he had an exemption into the country. Once arriving, he was placed in a room that was guarded by police. Things got dicey for Djokovic when he first landed around midnight Wednesday and there was a mistake found in his visa application.
Philippines’ Duterte Threatens Unvaccinated People With Arrest
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday people who have not taken COVID-19 shots will be arrested if they disobeyed stay-at-home orders as infections hit a three-month high.
Duterte in an televised address to the nation said he was asking community leaders to look for unvaccinated people and make sure they were confined to their homes.
“If he refuses, if he goes out his house and goes around the community, he can be restrained. If he refuses, the captain is empowered now to arrest recalcitrant persons,” Duterte said. Under existing rules unvaccinated people in the capital region of Manila can only step out of their homes for essential trips.
Vaccine Mandates, Fines, Gym Bans: How Europe Hopes to Persuade Unjabbed
European governments are ramping up the pressure on people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by making life progressively harder for those who have not done so, but few are opting to make jabs compulsory — and one country that plans to is now having doubts.
Sceptics say the real difficulty with compulsory vaccinations is likely to start after the law comes into effect: tracing those who decline to be jabbed would require merging two different databases, which comes with further legal and logistical obstacles.
“A government that pushes to make vaccinations mandatory but cannot execute such a law makes a mockery of a general mandate”, the health spokesperson of Austria’s liberal NEOS party, Gerald Loacker, said.
French MPs Pass Controversial COVID Vaccine Bill With Large Majority
French MPs have passed the government’s controversial vaccine pass bill after three days of an angry stop-start debate.
The legislation, which requires people to be fully vaccinated to enjoy social, sporting and cultural activities, was approved by a large majority in the assemblée nationale in the early hours of Thursday morning. The bill was passed by 214 votes against 93 and 27 abstentions. It will now be presented to the upper house, the sénat, to be debated on Monday.
Until now they have been able to use a passe sanitaire (health pass) that required either vaccination, recovery from COVID or a negative COVID test for everyone over the age of 12 to access restaurants, bars, museums, theatres and other public places.
Austria Shortens Coronavirus Quarantine, Presses Ahead With Mandatory Jabs
Austria will impose new COVID-19 measures from Saturday and the government is still working on a draft law to make vaccinations compulsory from Feb. 1 as the highly contagious Omicron variant spreads, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Thursday.
The new measures include shortening quarantine times to five days, requiring people to wear masks outdoors when in crowds and limiting to six months the validity of vaccine certificates, officials said.
The government will also step-up inspections to ensure shops are granting access only to people who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19. “If businesses do not comply, we will have the power to shut them down,” Nehammer said.
Google, Facebook Hit With More Than $200 Million in Fines by French Regulators
French regulators fined Google and Facebook a combined more than 200 million euros, or $226 million, saying the tech giants made it easier to users to accept being tracked online than to opt out.
An investigation found the sites “offer a button allowing the user to immediately accept cookies” but they do not provide an option to “easily refuse the deposit of these cookies,” the CNIL data privacy watchdog announced on Thursday.
CNIL said that it would fine Google 150 million euros and fine Facebook 60 million euros as a result of the investigation’s findings.
The Success of Web Browser Brave Is a Bad Sign for Google — Here’s Why
Privacy-centric web browser Brave has surpassed 50 million active monthly users for the first time, the company has announced.
“Users all over the world are looking for a private, safe and faster browsing experience, along with tools that give them independence from Big Tech. This long-term and sustainable growth reflects that user desire,” said Brave.
The uptake of privacy-centric browsers, VPNs, proxies, encrypted email and other privacy tools in recent years hints at a shift in attitudes that could have major ramifications for the largest technology companies in the world, whose businesses are predicated on the collection of vast amounts of data.
Thousands of National Guard Members in Texas Refuse Vaccine + More
Thousands of National Guard Members in Texas Refuse Vaccine
Texas officials indicated Tuesday that thousands of National Guard members are refusing COVID-19 vaccines in the latest challenge against a Biden administration order that requires all members of the military to get one.
A lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton comes a week after a federal judge rejected a similar challenge brought by Oklahoma’s governor, amid growing Republican opposition to the vaccination mandate for Guard members.
Texas has more than 20,000 National Guard members, the largest contingent of any state. About 40% of its Army National Guard are currently refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination “for either religious accommodation needs or otherwise,” according to the lawsuit filed in a federal court in East Texas.
It added that more than 200 airmen in the the Texas Guard are also refusing the vaccine.
Mayo Clinic Fires 700 Workers Who Failed to Comply With COVID Vaccine Mandate
The Mayo Clinic is firing roughly 700 employees who failed to comply with the nonprofit medical center’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.
Workers at the Mayo Clinic had been given until Monday to get their first dose of a vaccine or obtain a medical or religious exemption to the rule. They were also expected not to delay on receiving a second dose if they had already gotten the first jab.
Hundreds of employees failed to meet those requirements and were let go, the Mayo Clinic said in a statement shared with NBC News on Wednesday. The clinic added that the majority of medical or religious exemption requests made by workers were granted.
With Omicron Spreading, Will Schools Mandate COVID Vaccines for All Students and Teachers?
This week, most students in the U.S. returned to school. Also this week, the U.S. is setting grim new records for daily COVID-19 cases. The result is a full-blown logistical and policy-making mess for school and government officials, parents, and the kids themselves — mostly about whether or not to require vaccines.
Here’s a quick look at the ways school districts and local officials nationwide are responding, to help you predict how all this is likely to pan out as the spring semester unfolds.
What is the policy on vaccines at most schools? It varies tremendously, like most public-health rules for this pandemic.
Regardless of whether you’re looking state by state, city by city or school district by school district, it’s a patchwork of orders mandating vaccines and orders barring vaccine mandates.
Stigmatizing the Unvaccinated: Human Today, Not Human Tomorrow
You know you’ve entered a twilight zone of insanity when a police officer tells you you’re a criminal simply because you’re unvaccinated. That’s exactly what happened the other day in Germany. The police officer insisted the unvaccinated man was “a murderer” because he “might infect someone,” and that he’s “not a human.”
It’s beyond irrational. But then again, insanity does not obey reason, and according to professor Mattias Desmet, a Belgian psychologist, the world has indeed been hypnotized into a state of mass psychosis.
The stigmatization and dehumanization of the unvaxxed is all the more irrational when you consider that the COVID shot doesn’t prevent infection or spread of the virus. Those who have received one, two or even three doses are STILL contracting the infection, and at ever-increasing rates, and are spreading it to vaxxed and unvaxxed alike.
Real Estate Firm Sues NYC Over Workplace Vaccine Mandate
A lawsuit has been filed in federal court challenging New York City’s sweeping mandate requiring nearly all private-sector businesses to ban unvaccinated employees from the workplace, asserting that the city’s attempt to control the coronavirus pandemic deprives tens of thousands of businesses from pursuing their livelihoods.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday contends businesses like Cornerstone Realty, a Staten Island real estate firm that is the primary plaintiff in the case, are being unduly forced to fire unvaccinated workers and asserts the city’s vaccination edict lacks mechanisms for businesses to appeal.
The lawsuit argues the city is violating the constitutional rights of business owners to make a living, and New York City has no authority under federal law to impose vaccine mandates on private-sector companies, although such requirements already exist for restaurants, bars, theaters, gyms and other indoor gathering places.
CDC Recommits to Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines Without Tests
After days of criticism over new isolation and quarantine guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday doubled down on its policy, pointing to data that it says supports its guidance that Americans who contract COVID-19 or have not been boosted and are exposed to the virus can return to normal life after five days if they wear a mask.
And for individuals exposed to the virus who are unvaccinated or are not yet boosted, the CDC recommended that they quarantine for five days and wear masks for another five days.
The CDC also said boosted Americans could return to work after exposure but that they should wear a mask for 10 days.
Public health officials and scientists criticized the agency’s decision not to recommend Americans receive a negative test before emerging from isolation and quarantine, saying testing could limit transmission post infection.
Macy’s Requests Vaccination Status of All U.S. Employees
Macy’s began requesting the vaccination statuses of employees on Tuesday, a sign it was preparing for a potential mandate of vaccinations or weekly testing ahead of a special Supreme Court hearing about such rules on Friday.
In a memo sent to employees that was obtained by The New York Times, the retailer — which also owns Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury — told workers in the United States to upload their vaccination statuses to a third-party platform by Jan. 16 “regardless of whether you work in a store, a supply chain facility, an office or are remote/hybrid.”
For employees who say they are unvaccinated, Macy’s said it would “review your submission and you may be contacted by someone from the Colleague Advisory team to discuss next steps.”
New Washington Secretary of State Mandates Vaccines for 30% of Unvaccinated Staff
The new Washington Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs, mandated a vaccine for his staff, of which approximately 30% is unvaccinated.
Hobbs, a Democrat, gave his staff of around 300 a deadline of Feb. 25 to become fully vaccinated. If they refuse, they could face termination.
Hobbs’ office will adopt Gov. Jay Inslee‘s vaccine policy, Hobbs said, which the governor announced for healthcare workers, educators and state employees last summer. Within Inslee’s vaccine mandate, there is also an option for employees to seek exemptions and accommodations to keep working.
Macron Pledges to Infuriate France’s Unvaccinated by Tightening Restrictions Amid Omicron Surge
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to make daily life more inconvenient for unvaccinated people in the country, which is facing a spike in coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant.
“I am not for pissing off the French however, the unvaccinated, I really want to piss them off,” he said in an interview published Tuesday in the French newspaper Le Parisien.
“I’m not going to throw [the unvaccinated] in prison. I’m not going to get them vaccinated by force. … We put pressure on the unvaccinated by limiting their access to social activities as much as possible.”
Macron’s remarks come as his government moves to impose more restrictions on the unvaccinated. The government is pushing through a bill that would remove the option of providing a negative test for entry.
China Places Multiple Cities Under Lockdown as COVID Cases Grow Before Olympics
At least 14 million people in China are living under total lockdown, as the country persists with a strict “zero-tolerance” COVID policy ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Public health officials are taking no chances amid a rise in infections across the country, bringing China’s seven-day average cases above 200 for the first time since March 2020.
Two cities are now experiencing a form of full lockdown not seen since the early days of the pandemic, when the former epicenter, Wuhan, in the central Hubei province, was shut down for 76 days.
Djokovic Stuck at Airport, Awaiting Australian Government Visa Decision
Novak Djokovic was left stranded at an Australian airport overnight, caught in a political maelstrom over whether to honour the World No. 1’s medical exemption from vaccine requirements or send him home due to a visa blunder.
Djokovic, who is seeking a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam win at the Australian Open, was still awaiting permission early Thursday morning to enter the country after it emerged that his team had applied for a visa that does not allow for medical exemptions.
That prompted the local government of Victoria, the state where the Open is played, to say it would not support Djokovic’s application, putting his fate in the hands of the federal government and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The 10 Tech Trends That Will Transform Our World
What makes the fourth industrial revolution so different from previous industrial revolutions is the convergence and interaction between multiple technology trends at once.
In this article, I list the ten major technology trends that are driving the fourth industrial revolution – trends that I believe will forever alter how we do business and live our lives.
Google is Manipulating Browser Extensions to Stifle Competitors, DuckDuckGo CEO Says
Google is already facing mounting legal challenges from regulators globally who accuse the tech giant of maintaining an illegal monopoly over its search and digital advertising businesses.
But now one of its most prominent rivals is alleging that the titan is abusing browser extensions to favor its products and stifle competitors, adding a new wrinkle to the high-stakes antitrust debate and momentum to calls for new regulation.
DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg, whose company offers a competing search engine that touts its privacy protections, told myself and Gerrit De Vynck during an interview Tuesday that Google is deploying manipulative design features, known as “dark patterns,” to trick users into abandoning rival products.
Federal Trade Commission Settles With Data Analytics Firm After Millions of Americans’ Mortgage Files Exposed
The Federal Trade Commission has approved a settlement with a mortgage data analytics firm for a 2019 security lapse that exposed millions of sensitive mortgage documents containing private information of thousands of Americans.
The settlement, announced late December, orders the Texas-based firm Ascension to strengthen its security practices and ensure that its vendors also maintain proper data security safeguards.
The order comes two years after a TechCrunch investigation found that OpticsML, a New York-based vendor working for Ascension, left a database of highly sensitive financial data exposed to the internet without a password.
Cities With Mask, Vaccine Mandates Seeing Huge COVID Spikes Anyway + More
Cities With Mask, Vaccine Mandates Seeing Huge COVID Spikes Anyway
Cases of COVID-19 are surging across the country, including in major U.S. cities that have mandated masks and vaccinations amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
New York City averaged 36,856 reported cases per day as of Monday, which is a 517% increase from the average two weeks ago, according to government data compiled by The New York Times.
Weeks before his term expired in December, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that effective Dec. 14, the city government would require proof of vaccination for indoor dining, fitness and entertainment from children as young as 5 years old.
Other major cities that have seen large spikes of COVID-19 despite mask or vaccine mandates include Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles.
Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon From Punishing Navy SEALS Who Refused COVID Vaccines on Religious Grounds
A U.S. federal judge blocked the Department of Defense from punishing a group of Naval Special Warfare sailors who refused COVID-19 vaccines on religious grounds.
The First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit legal organization representing 35 Navy SEALS, sued the DOD and President Joe Biden in November over the administration’s vaccine mandate.
The Navy has so far approved none of the 3,247 requests for religious exemption from the vaccine, as Insider’s Bethany Biron reported last week.
The lawsuit said the 35 service members faced a range of disciplinary measures for refusing the vaccine, including being administratively separated from their vaccinated colleagues or dismissed.
Malone: Failed Government Policies Plus Failed mRNA Shots Spell Disaster
A seasoned stock analyst colleague texted me a link today, and when I clicked it open, I could hardly believe what I was reading. What a headline. “Indiana life insurance CEO says deaths are up 40% among people ages 18-64”. This headline is a nuclear truth bomb masquerading as an insurance agent’s dry manila envelope full of actuarial tables.
It is starting to look to me like the largest experiment on human beings in recorded history has failed. And, if this rather dry report from a senior Indiana life insurance executive holds true, then Reiner Fuellmich’s “Crimes against Humanity” push for convening new Nuremberg trials starts to look a lot less quixotic and a lot more prophetic.
Furthermore, we have also been living through the most massive, globally coordinated propaganda and censorship campaign in the history of the human race. All major mass media and the social media technology companies have coordinated to stifle and suppress any discussion of the risks of the genetic vaccines and/or alternative early treatments.
New Orleans Requiring Kids 5 and up to Have COVID Vaccine or Test to Visit Some Places
New Orleans on Monday started requiring kids ages 5 to 11 to have a COVID vaccine or a negative test to visit some places.
To enter restaurants and other businesses in the city, children ages 5 and up will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test, according to WWL-TV. Currently, they must only have at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, but will need both by Feb. 2.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced the mandate in December. It already was enforced for adults and children ages 12 and up. The mandate comes amid a surge in COVID cases in the nation resulting from the Omicron variant.
LA Schools Requiring COVID Tests for Students, Staff Before Return to Classrooms
Students and staff at Los Angeles schools are required to submit a negative COVID-19 test before returning to classrooms this month.
The Los Angeles Unified School District updated its guidance on Jan. 3, requiring that all students and staff get tested before resuming in-person instruction on Jan. 11. Parents must upload negative results to students’ Daily Pass accounts by Jan. 9.
The Los Angeles school district said it will continue testing students and employees weekly throughout the month of January, and will still require masks at all times, including when indoors and outdoors.
‘They Want to Exclude Us’: Unvaccinated Germans Bemoan COVID Laws
Liz Meier, now 56, was a young mother when her two-year-old son Matthias was given the triple vaccine against mumps, measles and rubella.
But the jab, made mandatory last year for school-age children in Germany, did not react well. Matthias was left with serious disabilities that continue to shape his and his family’s lives, decades on.
Meier has not been immunized against COVID, a position she says she is committed to. If Germany does implement a vaccine mandate next year, a move being discussed, she would consider leaving the country.
“Before, only a free test was needed to go swimming, so each time I went I did that. Then the rules changed to a PCR test, which would have cost me around 300 euros [$340] a week. It is clear that through these measures, they want to exclude us.”
Violence Flares at Pandemic Protests in Germany
Tens of thousands of people in total took to the streets in scores of German towns and cities for weekly marches that organizers have labeled “strolls” in an attempt to bypass restrictions on public gatherings. Counter-protests were also held in towns such as Rostock and Trier, the dpa news agency reported.
Most of the rallies passed peacefully, though many broke rules on social distancing, prompting officers to intervene. People detained dozens of people, some of whom face criminal charges or fines for breaching COVID-19 rules.
The protests took place before a meeting Tuesday of Germany’s pandemic expert panel, which is expected to submit new recommendations to the government for how to respond to the outbreak. A meeting of state and federal leaders is scheduled for Friday.
Blow for Macron’s Party as Opposition Join Forces to Hold up COVID Bill
The Centrist Party of French President Emmanuel Macron was left red-faced after opposition parties joined forces to hold up a bill tightening measures against COVID-19.
The lower house National Assembly was debating the implementation of a health pass that will require a full course of vaccination to attend events, eat out or travel by inter-city train, rather than a recent negative test or proof of recovery.
In an embarrassment for Macron’s Republic on the Move (LREM) party that controls parliament, not enough of its lawmakers were still present in the chamber when the vote by a show of hands was taken on continuing the debate.
Novak Djokovic Will Compete in Australian Open Unvaccinated After Securing Medical Exemption
Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked men’s tennis player, announced Tuesday he will defend his Australian Open title in Melbourne later this month after securing a medical exemption from being vaccinated against COVID-19, ending weeks of speculation about whether he would skip the contest over its vaccine requirements.
Djokovic’s refusal to reveal his vaccination status — something he called a “private matter” — left a cloud of uncertainty hanging over his participation in major tournaments in 2022.
This uncertainty intensified when the Serbian national withdrew from the country’s ATP Cup team in late December.
Apple Becomes the World’s First $3 Trillion Company — Albeit Briefly
Early demand for the iPhone 13 saw Apple regain second place in the global market for smartphones. However, in spite of fears of a reversal due to the chipset shortage, the Cupertino-based tech giant became the first company to be valued at $3 trillion on Monday (January 3).
Just in case you’re wondering whether Apple is a lone ranger in the trillion-dollar club, that’s not the case. This elite group has Amazon, Google’s parent company Alphabet, Microsoft and Tesla already on board.
Facebook‘s parent company Meta had breached the $1 trillion market cap in June but its valuation has since dropped.
Amazon and Google Deploy Their Armies to Thwart Antitrust Bills
Amazon and Google are mobilizing a powerful force to counter Congress’ increasing appetite for corporate trust-busting — the throngs of business owners and ordinary users who have made the tech giants a part of their daily lives.
Trade groups backed by the giants, meanwhile, are spreading the message that the bills could mean the end of services popular with tens of millions of Americans, such as Amazon Prime and Google Docs.
The campaign, carried out by petitions, email blasts and Zoom calls, seeks to reverse the usual David-vs.-Goliath portrayal of Washington’s antitrust debates — pushing the narrative that two of the world’s wealthiest corporations are on the sides of the underdogs.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Suspended From Facebook for 24 Hours for COVID Misinformation, One Day After Twitter Account Suspension
Facebook suspended Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for one day for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, a day after Twitter permanently suspended her personal account for repeatedly violating the company’s policy.
Greene recently published a tweet falsely suggesting “extremely high amounts of COVID vaccine deaths.” Included was a chart featuring data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which details self-reported post-vaccine health issues that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns do not imply causation.
“Who appointed Twitter and Facebook to be the authorities of information and misinformation,” Greene asked on Gettr. “When Big Tech decides what political speech of elected Members is accepted and what’s not then they are working against our government and against the interest of our people.”
The State Tech Policy Battles That Will Rage in 2022
States will ramp up the momentum they’ve built in tackling key tech policy priorities through 2022, speeding ahead of any potential federal legislation.
As Congress continues to make little tangible progress passing new rules for the tech industry, state legislatures have taken the lead in enacting new tech regulations.
These are the tech policy fights that will play out in the states next year, according to industry watchers.
Federal Judge Blocks Biden’s COVID Vaccine Mandate for Head Start Program + More
Federal Judge Blocks Biden’s COVID Vaccine Mandate for Head Start Program
President Biden cannot require teachers in the Head Start early-education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a Louisiana federal judge ruled Saturday, handing a victory to 24 states that had sued the federal government.
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty wrote that the Biden administration unlawfully bypassed Congress when ordering that workers in Head Start programs be vaccinated by Jan. 31 and that students 2 years or older be masked when indoors or when in close contact with others outdoors.
Saturday’s ruling affects Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wyoming and West Virginia.
Doughty’s ruling is similar to one made Friday, in which a federal judge blocked the Head Start mandate in Texas.
COVID Vaccine Mandates for Student-Athletes Implemented in Several School Districts Across U.S.
Some school districts nationwide are implementing a vaccine mandate for student-athletes as COVID-19 cases surge across the country.
Fox News correspondent Molly Line reported the latest from Cambridge, Massachusetts, on “America’s Newsroom,” Monday, telling Dana Perino the mandate also affects extracurricular activities in some instances as well.
“For Cambridge Public Schools, CPS is requiring all students aged 12 plus to be fully vaccinated in order to participate in CPS-sponsored before and after school activities — including athletics clubs, visual and performing arts programs, and school-sponsored social events.”
Other locations implementing a vaccine mandate for athletes include Chicago, Cambridge, New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Fairfax, and Washington D.C.
The Marine Corps Has Now Discharged More Than 200 Service Members for Refusing to Follow COVID Vaccination Mandates
The U.S. Marine Corps has now discharged a total of 206 service members for refusing to adhere to a vaccination mandate, up from more than 100 troops who were first removed on Dec. 16.
Under the mandate, all active-duty Marines and Reserve members were required to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 14 and Dec. 14, respectively.
Jay Hernandez, spokesperson for Marine Corps Aviation, told Insider in a statement that members who fail to obtain a “pending or approved administrative exemption, medical exemption, or religious accommodation, or appeal, will be processed for administrative separation.”
Starbucks to Require Vaccine or Weekly Testing for U.S. Workers
Starbucks Corp. said its U.S. employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing by Feb. 9.
The new rules, which are in line with government standards for large employers, apply to staff in cafes, offices, plants and distribution centers, according to a message to employees dated Dec. 27 from Starbucks North America President John Culver. The company is also requiring U.S. workers to disclose their vaccination status by Jan. 10.
The Seattle-based chain is requiring workers to pay for their own tests, should they choose not to vaccinate.
Former FDA Commissioner Says Schools Should Not Mandate Boosters for Children
Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Sunday that he doesn’t believe schools should require booster shots against COVID-19.
“I certainly don’t think schools should be mandating boosters. I think this should be left up to the discretion of parents and their physicians,” Gottlieb said in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“It’s going to depend on the individual circumstances: What is the risk that the child’s facing? Are they in a setting where they are more likely to come in contact with the infection? Do they have some underlying health conditions that put them at increased risk of bad outcomes?” Gottlieb continued.
Joe Rogan Leads Move to GETTR After Twitter Bans Dr. Robert Malone, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Podcast titan Joe Rogan opened a GETTR account Sunday and encouraged 7.8 million Twitter followers to join him on the alternative social media app.
Rogan’s move to GETTR came on the same day that Twitter permanently banned the personal account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for spreading what the social media company deemed COVID-19 “misinformation.”
Last week, Twitter also banned Dr. Robert Malone days before he appeared on Rogan’s podcast to discuss the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines. Malone, a contributor to mRNA vaccine technology, also opened a GETTR account.
NYC Mayor Adams Weighs Mandated COVID Vaccine Boosters for City Workers
New York City may require its workers to get COVID vaccine booster shots, Mayor Adams said on Sunday, after the city set a new record for coronavirus cases.
The entire municipal workforce already has had to have the standard vaccinations since November, and the city will “examine the numbers” to decide if a booster mandate is needed for teachers, cops and other workers, Adams said on ABC’s “This Week.”
On Adams’ first day in office on Saturday, he signed an executive order extending his predecessor Bill de Blasio’s “Key to NYC” policies. Those include requirements for people to show proof of vaccination at most indoor settings and a controversial mandate for on-site employees at private businesses to get jabbed.
COVID Vaccine Mandate Starts Monday, but How Will Chicago Restaurants Enforce It? Here’s What to Know.
Chicago’s vaccine mandate arrives Monday as COVID-19 cases skyrocket yet again, near and far.
Do most restaurant owners prefer a vaccine mandate to another industrywide shutdown or reduced capacities? Undoubtedly.
“Indoor closures were super painful,” said Dan Raskin, fourth-generation owner of Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen. “It wasn’t good for anybody. Our economy needs people to be going out and doing life.”
But a degree of dread over carrying out the mandate is clearly on the minds of several restaurateurs who spoke with the Tribune in the days leading up to its enforcement.
Thousands Gather to Oppose Dutch Virus Measures Despite Ban
Thousands of people in the Netherlands defied a ban on assembling and demonstrated Sunday against the Dutch government’s coronavirus lockdown measures, gathering on a central square before marching toward a park in Amsterdam.
A small group of demonstrators briefly clashed with riot police as officers worked to clear the crowd from Museum Square based on an order from Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. Reporters at the scene saw at least one person being detained.
There was a heavy police presence on the square and in nearby streets. The municipality designated the area as a security risk region, giving police the authority to frisk people preventatively.
Unvaccinated U.S. Travelers Added to French Quarantine List
France has put the United States on its COVID-19 travel “red list”, meaning unvaccinated people coming into the country will have to quarantine for 10 days.
The rules will not change for fully vaccinated people coming into France from the United States: they still have to show proof of a negative test before boarding their flight.
The move puts the United States, where new infections are topping 300,000 a day due to the Omicron variant, on the same list as countries such as Russia, Afghanistan, Belarus and Serbia.
United Arab Emirates to Ban Non-Vaccinated Citizens From Traveling Abroad From Jan. 10
The United Arab Emirates will ban non-vaccinated citizens from traveling abroad from Jan. 10, the state news agency WAM reported on Saturday, citing the foreign ministry and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.
The report said that fully vaccinated citizens would also require a booster shot to be eligible to travel. The ban would not apply to those with medical or humanitarian exemptions.
The Creepy TikTok Algorithm Doesn’t Know You
No algorithm seems closer to omniscience than TikTok’s, which is reportedly helping users discover their sexuality and unpack their childhood trauma.
Whereas Facebook asks you to set up a profile, and hand over a treasure trove of personal information in the process, TikTok simply notices — or seems to. The results can feel magical, writes Jess Joho in Mashable, as if TikTok is “reading your soul like some sort of divine digital oracle, prying open layers of your being never before known to your own conscious mind.”
While recommendation algorithms from Amazon to Netflix are designed to guess what you’d like to see next, TikTok can feel as if it’s showing you who you’ve always been. In the process, we are opening ourselves to the peril and promise of “outsourcing self-awareness to AI.”
In case it wasn’t clear, TikTok’s real motivation isn’t psychoanalysis, it’s profit.