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Nearly One-Third of Healthcare Workers Still Not Vaccinated as COVID Vaccine Mandate Looms + More
Nearly One-Third of Healthcare Workers in U.S. Hospitals Are Still Not Vaccinated Against COVID, CDC Study Finds, as Vaccine Mandate Looms
Nearly one third of healthcare workers in U.S. hospitals are still not vaccinated against COVID-19, according to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as tensions escalate over a looming — and contested — nationwide mandate that officials worry will leave the sector with a shortage of critical workers.
Facilities, some of which have begun to fire workers not complying with mandates, are growing increasingly concerned the requirements will trigger staffing shortages.
The continued refusal of healthcare workers to get the jab has frustrated colleagues and officials, not least because most are already required to be vaccinated against a litany of other diseases in order to work.
Rupert Murdoch Slams Big Tech’s Censorship of Conservatives
Rupert Murdoch criticized Big Tech’s censorship of diverse views on Wednesday. In remarks to shareholders of News Corp., which owns the New York Post among other publishers, Murdoch attacked Facebook and Google for censoring conservatives.
“There is no doubt that Facebook employees try to silence conservative voices, and a quick Google News search on most contemporary topics often reveals a similar pattern of selectivity — or, to be blunt, censorship.”
The Post was gagged last year when Twitter shut down its account over a story about the business dealings of President Biden’s son, Hunter, and his efforts to monetize his family connections in China.
Biden’s COVID Vaccine Mandate Treats Our Heroes Like Felons. I’m Fighting to Stop It
No otherwise honorable member of the United States military should worry about losing their freedom while protecting ours.
Right now, thousands of our service members are not vaccinated. In fact, in Kansas, only 58% of our guardsmen and women are fully or partially vaccinated. Unfortunately, the policy out of the White House says that one size has to fit all and there are no exceptions to its mandate. It refuses to consider natural immunity even though we know natural immunity to COVID is the same as, if not more powerful than the vaccine.
The bottom line is, American heroes should not be treated as felons because of their personal medical choices. President Biden’s vaccine mandate is a slap in the face to so many American heroes who put their lives on the line each day to defend our freedoms and our American way of life.
Biden’s COVID Vaccine Mandate Is on Hold, but Here Are Companies Requiring Shots Anyway
While President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for employers with more than 100 employees is challenged in court, some companies are going ahead with vaccine requirements anyway — here are some of the businesses that have said their staffers must get the shot:
Major banking, tech, and media companies requiring all employees to be vaccinated in order to work from the office include American Express, Anthem, BlackRock, Citigroup, Deloitte, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Google, Lyft, Morgan Stanley, NBCUniversal, Salesforce and Uber, NBC News reports.
Germany Set to Tighten Rules for Unvaccinated as COVID Cases Rise
Germany is paving the way for the introduction of tighter restrictions on people who have so far chosen not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, in an effort to control its highest infection levels since the pandemic began.
The state of Saxony became the latest to introduce so-called 2G rules in all non-essential shops and facilities, meaning only people who can prove they have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID will be allowed entry. 2G is a reference to the German words for vaccinated and recovered (geimpft and genesen).
Florida GOP Limits Vaccine Mandates, Flouting White House
Florida Republicans approved a sweeping bill Wednesday to hobble coronavirus vaccine mandates in businesses, rejecting claims that they were sacrificing public health to hand Gov. Ron DeSantis a win in his fight against White House virus rules.
The most contentious measure would prevent private businesses from having vaccine mandates unless they allow workers to opt out for medical reasons, religious beliefs, immunity based on a previous infection, regular testing or an agreement to wear protective gear.
The measure also includes fines for businesses that fire a worker without allowing the exemptions. Additionally, it bars schools and governments in the state from having vaccine mandates and allows parents to sue schools with masking requirements. Another bill would block the public release of records regarding state investigations of vaccine policies in businesses.
We Know Better Than to Allow Facebook to Control the Metaverse
Given Facebook’s handling — or mishandling — of their current social responsibilities, we should be cautious about how much control a single company should have over the potential metaverse.
We have an opportunity to be proactive regarding the construction of social worlds within virtual reality rather than the reactive state we find ourselves in regarding Meta’s current social products.
We should all be concerned about how Facebook could and will use the data collected within the metaverse.
COVID Lockdowns Saw Global Increase in Helpline Calls About Loneliness, Suicide: Report
As countries around the world imposed strict COVID-19 lockdowns to offset rapid infections amid the pandemic, calls to global helplines from people experiencing loneliness and suicidal thinking or behavior increased.
An examination of 8 million calls made to helplines across 19 countries, published by Nature on Wednesday, illustrated the impact of the pandemic on mental health around the world. Swiss and German researchers who conducted the analysis looked into suicide-prevention and crisis counseling helplines in 14 European nations, the U.S., China, Hong Kong, Israel and Lebanon.
Thousands Turn Pro-Democracy Celebration Into Protests Against Coming COVID Restrictions
Rallies commemorating the anti-communist Velvet Revolution of 1989 turned into protests against COVID-19 restrictions.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia both held rallies celebrating the anniversary of the revolution. However, both countries saw those rallies turn into protests against both countries’ new COVID-19 mandates.
Slovakia is expected to implement a three-week ban against unvaccinated people from nonessential places. Affected places around the country include gyms, pools and shopping malls. Mass public gatherings among unvaccinated people are also discouraged.
Dozens of Health Groups Urge Businesses to Voluntarily Adopt Biden’s Vaccine Rule
The American Medical Association and more than 60 other healthcare associations on Thursday called on employers to voluntarily implement President Biden’s contested vaccine-or-testing mandate, saying businesses had no time to waste ahead of the busy holiday season.
“We — physicians, nurses and advanced practice clinicians, health experts, and health care professional societies — fully support the requirement that workers at companies with over 100 workers be vaccinated or tested,” the organizations wrote in a joint statement.
Woman ‘Nauseated’ After Finding Apple Tracking Device Hidden Under Her License Plate
A woman has claimed she discovered a tracking device had been attached to her car without her knowledge, as she filmed herself furiously searching the vehicle for it.
Kayla, who lives an hour and a half from Chicago, later shared a follow-up video claiming that she had spoken to the police and Apple and neither had been able to find the owner of the AirTag.
AirTags were unveiled by the tech giant in April, designed as a way to “easily locate the items that matter most.”
Thousands of Navy Sailors Face Being Discharged Over Vaccine Refusal + More
Thousands of Navy Sailors Face Being Discharged Over Vaccine Refusal
Thousands of sailors face being discharged from the U.S. Navy as the deadline for getting COVID-19 vaccines approaches.
The Navy’s deadline for active-duty sailors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is Nov. 28. Sailors had until Nov. 14 to get their second dose of the vaccine to ensure they are fully vaccinated by the deadline.
3,500 active-duty sailors have yet to begin the process of getting vaccinated, and about 17,500 won’t be fully vaccinated by the deadline.
Biden’s Vaccine Mandate in Hands of Republican Appointee-Dominated 6th Circuit Court
The federal U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit based in Cincinnati, Ohio won a lottery Tuesday to hear the consolidated lawsuit that challenges President Joe Biden‘s vaccine mandate for workplaces with over 100 employees.
The circuit was randomly selected by a court clerk, who drew the name from a container holding each of the 12 regional appeals courts, according to The New York Times.
The majority of the judges in the 6th appeals circuit were appointed by Republican presidents, and the circuit as a whole leans heavily towards the GOP. The filing represents numerous states challenging the legality of the mandate and consolidates at least 34 individual lawsuits into one case.
OSHA Suspends Enforcement of COVID Vaccine Mandate for Businesses
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is suspending enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large private businesses after a federal appeals court upheld a stay on it last week.
OSHA said in a statement on its website that while it is confident in its power to protect workers amid the pandemic, it is suspending activities related to the mandate, citing the pending litigation.
“The court ordered that OSHA ‘take no steps to implement or enforce’ the [Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS)] ‘until further court order.’ “
Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Is on Hold, but Companies Are Moving Ahead Anyway
For most employers, it’s full-speed ahead on COVID vaccine mandates, regardless of whether the courts uphold or strike down President Joe Biden‘s requirements.
A Federal Court of Appeals put on hold the Biden administration’s plans to mandate vaccines or weekly tests for staff of businesses with 100 or more employees. But a flash survey of 300 businesses conducted Tuesday by Gartner showed that 60% of companies are going ahead with plans as if Biden’s Jan. 4 deadline remained in place.
2nd Group of States Challenges Health Worker Vaccine Mandate
A second set of states has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.
The latest suit, dated Monday, was filed in Louisiana on behalf of 12 states and comes less than a week after another lawsuit challenging the rule was filed in Missouri by a coalition of 10 states.
Both lawsuits say the vaccine mandate threatens to drive away healthcare workers who refuse to get vaccinated at a time when such workers are badly needed. They also contend the rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services violates federal law and unconstitutionally encroaches on powers reserved to the states.
Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated: Europe’s COVID Culture War
Sven Müller is proudly unvaccinated. He thinks COVID vaccines are neither effective nor safe but a way to make money for pharmaceutical companies and corrupt politicians who are taking away his freedom.
Under state rules to stem coronavirus infections, he is no longer allowed to go to restaurants, to the bowling alley, to the cinema or to the hairdresser. From next week, he will be barred from entering most shops, too. But that has only strengthened his resolve.
Hundreds Protest COVID Vaccine Mandates at Florida’s Capitol
Hundreds of people gathered outside Florida’s Capitol on Tuesday to protest vaccine and mask mandates.
The rally took place on the second day of a special legislative session to pass a package of bills that target a federal rule to require workers at businesses with 100 employees or more to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit weekly negative coronavirus tests.
Bills under consideration this week include a measure that would make it easier for private-sector workers to opt-out of their employer’s vaccination requirement.
Disney Cruise to Require Children 5 and up to Have COVID Vaccination
Disney Cruise Line will require children ages five and up to be vaccinated before sailing after Jan. 13.
The mandate is an expansion of one that already exists for the cruise line, where it requires all vaccine-eligible guests to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Those who are not eligible because of age will need to have proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken between three days and 24 hours of their sail date. Children who are between the ages five and 11 may complete testing instead of being vaccinated before sailings that depart on Jan 13.
Facebook’s ‘Metaverse’ Must Be Stopped
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse is no utopian vision — it’s another opportunity for Big Tech to colonize our lives in the name of profit.
Mark Zuckerberg wants us to believe he’s figured out how we’ll socialize in the future. On Oct. 28, he outlined his vision for the metaverse, a virtual environment where we can hang out, shop, and work.
Yet its realization depends on Facebook and various other companies jumping into the metaverse space to develop the technologies it will depend on, and requires the public to buy into a vision where we spend more time sitting at home with virtual reality headsets on instead of going out into the physical world.
Austrian Police Conduct Random Checks to Enforce COVID Lockdowns for the Unvaccinated
Austria has imposed fresh lockdown measures on around 2 million unvaccinated people, with individuals facing fines if they fail to comply with the rules.
Those who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have been back under lockdown since Monday, with federal police stopping people in public places to check their vaccination status.
Unvaccinated people who breach the lockdown rules face fines of up to 500 euros ($567), and anyone who refuses to comply with vaccination status checks could be fined 1,450 euros.
Artists, Activists Sign Petition Against Amazon Palm Scanners
A recent open letter by the nonprofit Fight For The Future is urging music venues to halt the implementation of Amazon palm scanners and similar types of ID. Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello and Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna are two of many against the use of these new ticket and entry alternatives, which are vulnerable to hacking in the cloud, its data could be targeted by law enforcement, and make marginalized groups more vulnerable, the letter argues.
“Palm scans and other forms of biometric data collection, like facial recognition, are tools of state violence,” Siena Mann, campaign manager for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, said in a press release. “Once the databases are created, police and DHS will find ways to access them.”
Just like palm scanning, facial recognition cannot be changed or replaced if stolen, making both technologies dangerous.
Exclusive: LAPD Partnered With Tech Firm That Enables Secretive Online Spying
The Los Angeles police department (LAPD) pursued a contract with a controversial technology company that could enable police to use fake social media accounts to surveil civilians and claimed its algorithms can identify people who may commit crimes in the future.
A cache of internal LAPD documents obtained through public records requests by the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-profit organization, and shared with the Guardian, reveal that LAPD in 2019 trialed social media surveillance software from the analytics company Voyager Labs.
12 States Sue to Block Biden Vaccine Mandate on Healthcare Workers + More
12 States Sue to Block Biden Vaccine Mandate on Healthcare Workers
A group of 12 states is suing the Biden administration to block its vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, contending that the requirement is unconstitutional and violates a number of federal laws.
The lawsuit, filed on Monday, argues the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, exceeds the agency’s statutory authority and breaches the Social Security Act’s ban on regulations that control the hiring and firing of healthcare workers.
The attorneys general of Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia are all listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Last week, 10 other states filed a lawsuit against the administration’s requirement, calling it “unconstitutional and unlawful.”
Hundreds Protest School COVID Vaccine Mandate at the California Capitol
Hundreds of demonstrators descended on California’s Capitol on Monday to protest the state’s upcoming COVID-19 vaccination mandate for students.
California’s mandate will require students to get the shot once the vaccine gets full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Parents can cite personal beliefs and opt out, but families at the protest feared it will only be a matter of time before legislators pass a law to get rid of that option, like with other required school immunizations.
Oklahoma National Guard Rejects Pentagon’s Coronavirus Vaccine Mandate
The Oklahoma National Guard has rejected the Defense Department’s requirement for all service members to receive the coronavirus vaccine and will allow personnel to sidestep the policy with no repercussions, an order from the governor that could serve as a blueprint for other Republican-led states that have challenged Biden administration mandates.
Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino, appointed this week by Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) as adjutant of the state’s 10,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen, on Thursday notified those under his command that they are not required to receive the vaccine and won’t be punished if they decline it.
It’s an extraordinary refusal of Pentagon policy by the general and follows Stitt’s written request to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin seeking suspension of the requirement for Guard personnel in the state.
Pentagon Threatens Oklahoma National Guard: Says It Can Force Them to Comply With Biden’s Vaccine Mandate
American Military News reported:
On Monday, the Department of Defense publicly addressed Oklahoma’s move to reject the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its National Guard troops, asserting that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “has the authority to require these vaccines for all members of the force.”
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters on Monday that Secretary Austin has that authority “to establish readiness requirements for all members of the Department of Defense and that includes the National Guard,” but said he didn’t want to “hypothesize about potential outcomes” relating to the Oklahoma National Guard’s refusal to comply to mandate.
Texas Sues Biden Administration for Requiring Healthcare Workers Get COVID Vaccine
In Texas’ latest legal challenge targeting federal vaccination mandates, Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration over its recent orders requiring health workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Paxton’s lawsuit comes days after he sued the Biden administration over a different COVID-19 vaccination rule ordering big businesses to require their staff to get vaccinated or regularly get tested for the virus. Last month, Paxton filed a separate lawsuit against the Biden administration over its coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal contractors.
Facebook Accused of Continuing to Surveil Teens for Ad Targeting
The adtech giant formerly known as Facebook is still tracking teens for ad targeting on its social media platforms, according to new research by Fairplay, Global Action Plan and Reset Australia — apparently contradicting Facebook’s announcement this summer when the tech giant claimed it would be limiting how advertisers could reach kids.
Facebook has since rebranded the group business name to ‘Meta’ — in what looks like a doomed bid to detoxify its brand following a never-ending string of scandals.
In the latest problem for Facebook/Meta, the adtech giant has been accused of not actually abandoning ad targeting for teens but, per the research, it has retained its algorithms’ abilities to track and target kids — continuing to maintain its artificial intelligence’s ability to surveil children so it can use data about what they do online to determine which ads they see in order to maximize engagement and boost its ad revenues.
Court Lottery Gives Biden Administration a Chance to Revive COVID Vaccine Mandate
Lawsuits filed around the country challenging the Biden administration’s workplace COVID-19 vaccine rule are expected to be consolidated in a single federal appeals court on Tuesday, giving the government a chance to revive a rule that was blocked last week.
On Friday, a three-judge panel on the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans blocked the rule, calling it a “one-size-fits-all sledgehammer that makes hardly any attempt to account for differences in workplaces.”
But on Tuesday, a federal judicial panel is expected to select — by lottery — an appeals court to oversee all of the lawsuits that have been brought. There are 13 federal appeals courts and the rule has been challenged in at least 10 of them by business groups, Republican-led states, employers and unions.
Austria Locks Down Most of the Unvaccinated, Unleashing Heated Discussions Across Europe About How to Tackle the Latest COVID Surge
In Austria, approximately two million people who are unvaccinated or do not have proof of a recent recovery from COVID-19, are only allowed to leave their homes for work, to shop for essentials, or for emergencies. The new rules went into effect on Nov. 15.
On Nov. 16, the Dutch parliament will debate the possible introduction of what in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands is termed the 2G model. In Dutch, 2G denotes the words “gevaccineerd” (vaccinated) and “genezen” (recovered), while in German 2G refers to the words “geimpft” (vaccinated) and “genesen” (recovered).
Replacing the 3G rules with a 2G system is considered a drastic move by some. The 2G system effectively excludes most unvaccinated people from, among other things, indoor dining, attending concerts, and going to bars.
Navy Sailors Who Refuse COVID Vaccine Will Be Discharged, Face Other Administrative Actions
U.S. Navy sailors who refuse to comply with the coronavirus vaccine mandate will be discharged and could face other administrative actions.
“In order to ensure a fully vaccinated force, U.S. Navy policy is to process for separation all Navy service members who refuse the lawful order to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and do not have an approved exemption,” the NAVADMIN said in a statement Monday.
Sailors who don’t comply and are only separated for refusing the vaccine could receive as low as a general discharge under honorable conditions, Navy Times reported. Sailors who reject the vaccine could also lose education benefits, promotions and bonus pay.
Google’s Military Cloud Deal Is Still Ruffling Feathers Internally
Google has confirmed it is still pursuing a multi-billion-dollar contract with the U.S. Government’s Department of Defense (DOD).
Google’s artificial intelligence principles state the company will not pursue technologies that cause or are likely to cause overall harm; weapons, or other technologies designed specifically to hurt people; surveillance tech that “violates internationally accepted norms,” or technologies whose purpose contravenes widely accepted principles of international law.
Whether or not the majority of Google’s employees oppose this idea is yet to be seen. What we do know is that Google’s employees are vocal and politically charged, and have no problem voicing their opinion or even quitting their job in protest.
Belgium to Make COVID Shots Mandatory for Health Workers
Health workers in Belgium who don’t want to get vaccinated against COVID-19 will face losing their jobs.
Amid a surge of coronavirus cases that has led hospitals in Belgium to reserve half of their 2,000 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients, Belgium’s federal government finalized a draft bill late Monday to make vaccinations mandatory for healthcare workers.
Starting Jan 1, the workers have a three-month window to get their shots. During that period, those who remain unvaccinated will be notified of a suspension of their contract unless they can provide a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 or negative tests on a regular basis, and will be temporarily unemployed.
Authorities in India Are Planning a New Lockdown Not to Combat COVID, but Air Pollution
Authorities in India plan to enforce a new lockdown to combat air pollution in New Delhi, the world’s most polluted capital city.
Pollution levels in some parts of city have registered off the charts several times over the past fortnight. On Tuesday, the air quality index scored 437 out of a maximum 500 points.
At an emergency meeting Tuesday, New Delhi officials said they were planning a weekend lockdown and work-from-home order to counter the issue.
Seattle 13-Year-Old Watches Father Die as Police Funding Cuts Delay Emergency Response + More
Seattle 13-Year-Old Watches Father Die as Police Funding Cuts Delay Emergency Response
Staffing shortages in Seattle, due in part to the city’s vaccine mandate for emergency workers, resulted in a 13-year-old boy watching his father die after he suffered a medical emergency.
Last week, the 13-year-old called 911 to report that his father was having a medical emergency but when Seattle Fire arrived they were told to wait for police before entering and Seattle police took 15 minutes to arrive which delayed the medics who were unable to save the father, according to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.
The police precinct was reportedly down to two officers and was leaning on non-patrol volunteers to meet minimum staffing levels. Seattle’s vaccine mandate for first responders has exacerbated the staffing issues, taking 100 officers off the streets in October and leaving the police department with under 1,000 deployable officers.
A Texas Hospital Suspends a Doctor’s Privileges for Spreading ‘Misinformation’ About COVID
A Texas hospital says it has suspended the privileges of a doctor who spread misinformation about COVID-19 on her social media.
Dr. Mary Bowden, an ear, nose and throat doctor at Houston Methodist Hospital, posted “harmful” and “dangerous misinformation” about COVID-19 and its treatments, according to the hospital.
Bowden’s attorney Steven Mitby said the doctor has treated “more than 2,000 patients with COVID-19” at her private practice and that none of them have ended up in the hospital. “Her early treatment methods work and are saving lives,” he added.
Outcry in China After COVID Health Workers Kill Dog While Owner Was in Quarantine
The killing of a pet dog whose owners were in quarantine has sparked outrage on Chinese social media and raised questions about extreme measures health authorities are taking to battle a continuing Delta outbreak.
On Friday a resident of Shangrao, in Jiangxi province, posted allegations on Weibo that her pet dog was beaten to death by health workers inside her apartment while she was quarantining in a hotel that didn’t allow animals.
In video purportedly from her apartment’s security camera posted online, one of two PPE-wearing individuals is shown hitting the dog with what looks like a crowbar.
‘I Definitely Was Not Comfortable’: Vaccinated Indiana University Students Reject Unvaccinated Roommates
Random roommate assignments, a freshman year tradition at colleges across the U.S., were once again allowed this year at Indiana University (IU). Although IU mandated all students receive the COVID-19 vaccine, not every student has gotten it. While random assignments returned, IU updated its policy to deal with vaccine concerns.
“One of the stipulations that got written into that was that students who lived in the residence halls wouldn’t have to live with someone who wasn’t vaccinated or had a mismatch in status,” said Sara Ivey Lucas, IU director of residential life.
It led to IU having many unvaccinated students without a home. And in turn, IU has created dorms of unvaccinated students.
Austria Orders Nationwide Lockdown for Those Not Fully Vaccinated Against COVID
Austria will place millions of people not fully vaccinated against coronavirus in lockdown as of Monday in an effort to deal with a surge in infections, the country’s chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has said. Lockdowns for two of the provinces, Upper Austria and Salzburg, were announced on Friday, but Sunday’s move extends that to the whole country.
The Austrian health minister, Wolfgang Mückstein, said that those aged 12 and under would be exempt from the lockdown, under which the unvaccinated can only leave their homes for a limited number of reasons, such as going to work or shopping for essentials. He said the lockdown would initially last 10 days.
Many officials, including within Schallenberg’s conservative Austrian People’s party and the police, have expressed doubts that such a lockdown can be properly enforced since it applies to only part of the population. However, Schallenberg and the interior minister, Karl Nehammer, said that police would carry out thorough checks.
America Has Moved On From COVID. Why Can’t Biden? | Opinion
America has moved on from the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdowns are over, schools are opening back up, sports stadiums are full, and the holiday season is in full swing. Americans are going about their everyday lives as we approach the milestone of herd immunity through vaccinations and natural immunity to COVID-19.
But while most Americans are relegating coronavirus to the back burner, the Biden administration is not, refusing to bring back the “normalcy” the country was promised during the campaign.
Though President Biden’s controversial vaccine mandate was recently struck down in court by a federal judge after over half the Attorneys General in the United States challenged it in court, the Biden administration is planning on defying the court and enforcing the President’s executive order compelling businesses with at least 100 employees get their staff vaccinated by early January 2022.
Federal Appeals Court Calls Biden Vaccine Mandate ‘Fatally Flawed’ and ‘Staggeringly Overbroad’
A federal appeals court has called President Joe Biden’s vaccine and testing requirements for private businesses “fatally flawed” and “staggeringly overbroad,” arguing that the requirements likely exceed the authority of the federal government and raise “serious constitutional concerns.”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in an opinion issued Friday evening, reaffirmed its decision to press pause on the implementation of the requirements, in another sign that they may not survive judicial scrutiny.
While the court has not yet ruled on the constitutionality of the requirements, the three-judge panel made clear that the lawsuits seeking to overturn the mandates “are likely to succeed on the merits.”
Facebook’s Deceptive Announcement About an End to Their Use of Facial Recognition Technology Is a Reminder That Lawmakers Need to Crack Down On Invasive Tech
Last week, Facebook — or Meta, or whatever we’re supposed to call it now — announced that the company will cease using facial recognition technology (FRT) on Facebook, its flagship platform, and that it will delete all of its existing face scan data. The company cited privacy and societal concerns as its reason for ending some of its current use of the technology. The decision is estimated to affect about 1 billion people. But there’s a catch.
Facebook is still keeping its facial recognition system. It has not promised to not use it again. It has reserved the right to deploy facial recognition on future products. And it has not said what this means for its many other properties, including Instagram.
In fact, it’s abundantly clear that Facebook is planning to find new ways to use facial recognition technology, which raises even larger concerns.
DeSantis Brings Back Florida Lawmakers to Crack Down On Pandemic Mandates
A special legislative session dubbed “Keep Florida Free” begins Monday at the behest of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wants lawmakers to pass more measures to block coronavirus vaccine mandates by public and private employers.
The four bills being considered would ratchet up the penalties for businesses, local governments and other entities that require workers to be vaccinated against the virus and students to wear masks in school.
According to DeSantis (R), the session will strengthen as well as augment rules already in place — in part through his own executive orders.
United Airlines’ Vaccine Mandate Leads to Lawsuit From Pilot Placed on Unpaid Leave: Report
A longtime pilot is reportedly suing United Airlines for being placed on unpaid leave as a result of not following the company’s coronavirus vaccine mandate.
Dave Morgan — who is based in the Phoenix area — has flown planes with United for 22 years, according to FOX10 Phoenix. “My deeply held religious beliefs do not allow me to take the vaccine United Airlines is asking me to take,” he told the station.
On Monday last week, a U.S. federal judge ruled that United Airlines can impose a vaccine mandate that provides unpaid leave for staff who obtain medical and religious exemptions.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Signs Sweeping COVID Legislation Into Law
With a stroke of a pen Friday afternoon, Gov. Bill Lee signed into law an expansive legislative package strictly limiting the authority schools, health agencies and businesses have over COVID-19 restrictions.
The law now takes immediate effect in Tennessee and will almost certainly face swift legal challenges.
The new law restricts private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccination proof and only allows schools and other public entities to enact mask mandates under an extreme surge of 1,000 infections or more for every 100,000 residents in a 14-day period.
Amazon Sued Over Crashes by Drivers Rushing to Make Deliveries
Ans Rana was in the back seat of his brother’s Tesla Model S when they stopped behind a disabled car just before 9 p.m. on Atlanta’s busy Interstate 75. Seconds later, a blue Amazon.com Inc. delivery van slammed into them from behind — mangling the rear of the car and sending Rana, his brother and father to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. Rana bore the brunt of the collision, suffering life-changing brain and spinal-cord injuries.
In June, Rana filed a lawsuit in Georgia state court, alleging that Amazon is liable for the accident. Central to the complaint: the algorithms, apps and devices the company uses to manage its sprawling logistics operation.