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NYC to Mandate Vaccines for Restaurants, Gyms, Performances + More
New York City to Mandate Vaccines for Indoor Restaurants, Gyms, Performances
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new policy Tuesday that requires people to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to dine inside restaurants, work out at a gym, attend a play or go out dancing.
The new program to “unlock New York City” will begin this month, with enforcement set to start in mid-September, according to City Hall.
“When someone is vaccinated, they can do all the amazing things in New York City,” de Blasio said Tuesday. “If you’re unvaccinated, unfortunately you will not be able to participate in many things. … This is crucial, because we know this will encourage a lot more vaccination.”
Action Alert: Tell Your Elected Officials No Mandates
In the midst of increasing propaganda designed to instill fear and panic while falsely elevating the safety profiles of COVID vaccines, the push for vaccine mandates is at an all-time high. In response, Children’s Health Defense (CHD) is launching a letter-writing campaign directed to elected officials at local, state, and federal levels spelling out why mandates are wrong for people and wrong for America. This CHD advocacy portal makes it easy for citizens across the nation to contact elected officials at every level of government. Send the letter below to all of your elected officials with just one click.
Russell Brand: UK Journalists Allege COVID News Censored to Create ‘One Official Narrative’
Do you think you’ve been told the whole truth about the pandemic? Do you think healthy debate and conversation are being encouraged — or stifled?
Russell Brand asks those questions and more in a new video blasting the mainstream media for censoring information on COVID.
Brand points to a group of 26 UK journalists who joined forces to protest the “censorship” and “fear-mongering” they say mainstream media and Big Tech have been peddling since the start of the pandemic.
Twitter Partners With AP, Reuters to Fight Misinformation
Twitter is partnering with The Associated Press and Reuters as part of an initiative to help combat misinformation on the platform. Through the program, Twitter’s curation team will work with the outlets to provide more context on emerging news stories, according to the Monday announcement.
For example, users on Twitter can expect to see more “Trends” on the platform that include “contextual description and links to reporting from trusted sources more frequently.”
Through the program, Twitter also aims to “proactively” provide context on topics that are garnering widespread interest. “Rather than waiting until something goes viral, Twitter will contextualize developing discourse at pace with or in anticipation of the public conversation,” it said in the blog post.
Over 600 U.S. Universities Imposing Some Type of COVID Vaccine Mandate
More than 600 of the approximately 4,000 U.S. colleges and universities have imposed some type of COVID-19 vaccine mandate with the fall semester coming up, the Associated Press reported.
California State University, the country’s largest four-year public university system, is requiring students and staff to get vaccinated. Chancellor Joseph I. Castro said the rising infections from the Delta variant are an “alarming new factor that we must consider as we look to maintain the health and well-being of students, employees and visitors.”
COVID Restrictions and Screens Linked to Myopia in Children, Study Shows
Spending more time indoors and on screens because of COVID restrictions may be linked to an increased rate of short-sightedness in children, researchers say.
The study, which looked at two groups of children aged six to eight in Hong Kong, is the latest to suggest that lockdowns and other restrictions may have taken a toll on eyesight: data from more than 120,000 children of a similar age in China, published earlier this year, suggested a threefold increase in the prevalence of shortsightedness, or myopia, in 2020.
New York Teachers Union Opposed to Cuomo Suggestion of COVID Vaccine Mandates
The teachers union that represents more than 60,000 current and retired educators across New York reiterated its opposition Monday to COVID-19 vaccine mandates after Gov. Andrew Cuomo encouraged school districts to require the doses.
The New York State United Teachers released a statement following Cuomo’s COVID-19 briefing in which he said teachers in the state should be required to get the vaccine or submit to weekly testing if they are in an area defined as high-risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Elon Musk’s Old Pals Invest in Neuralink to Fund Testing Brain Chips in Humans
Elon Musk has rounded up his old friends from PayPal and Open AI days to fund his brain-computer interface startup Neuralink’s next phase of experiments to test implantable brain chips in humans and take the company’s first product to market.
Neuralink announced on Thursday that it has raised $205 million in a series C round from investors including PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel‘s Founders Fund, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google Ventures and Dubai-based Vy Capital. …
Neuralink makes a quarter-sized wireless chip that can be implanted into the brain by drilling a small hole in the skull and inserting thin “threads” of electrodes through brain tissue.
McDonald’s Requires Masks Again for Customers and Employees in Areas With High COVID Transmission
McDonald’s is requiring customers and employees to wear masks again at U.S. restaurants located in areas with high or substantial transmission of the coronavirus.
The fast-food giant is the largest national chain to add the requirement back for both employees and customers following updated masking guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most businesses including Walmart, Target, Lowe’s and Kohl’s are only requiring employees wear masks and strongly encouraging or recommending customers wear them.
COVID: Kaiser Permanente Makes Vaccination Mandatory for All Employees
Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest nonprofit healthcare organization, announced Monday that it will make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all its employees, including physicians.
A press release issued by the organization on Monday said that the mandate marked another step in the “ongoing effort to protect the health and safety of its workforce and the patients they care for.”
COVID Vaccine Status Proof Will Not Be Required for Students in England
There are no plans to bring in vaccine passports for university students in England, the Department for Education has said, as a row continues over their use.
In interviews this week ministers – including the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab – had not ruled out using them, with students set to return to campuses in September.Raab had said students would get “advance warning” if they were to be required, but the Department for Education (DfE) said on Saturday it was not planning for proof of vaccine status to be required to attend lectures or stay in halls of residence.
To Fight Vaccine Lies, Authorities Recruit an ‘Influencer Army’ + More
To Fight Vaccine Lies, Authorities Recruit an ‘Influencer Army’
New York Times via Yahoo!News reported:
Ellie Zeiler, 17, a TikTok creator with over 10 million followers, received an email in June from Village Marketing, an influencer marketing agency. It said it was reaching out on behalf of another party: the White House.
Would Zeiler, a high school senior who usually posts short fashion and lifestyle videos, be willing, the agency wondered, to participate in a White House-backed campaign encouraging her audience to get vaccinated against the coronavirus?
“There is a massive need to grow awareness within the 12-18 age range,” Village Marketing wrote to Zeiler’s business email. “We’re moving fast and have only a few available slots to fill, so please let us know ASAP.”
CDC Director Confirms No Federal Vaccine Mandate
With national attention swarming around the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following its implementation of mask mandates for indoor public spaces, agency director Rochelle Walensky clarified comments she made on Fox News … When asked about vaccines in the country and if they will be ordered by President Biden, Walensky commented, “That’s something that I think the administration is looking into.”
She couldn’t offer more detail, aside from her broad support of more vaccinations across the country and its age demographics. Later on Twitter, Walensky added to her televised comments, confirming that there won’t be a federal order to get vaccinated implemented anytime soon. “To clarify: There will be no nationwide mandate. I was referring to mandates by private institutions and portions of the federal government,” she wrote on Twitter. “There will be no federal mandate.”
Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs Executive Order Making Masks Optional in Schools
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed an executive order making mask-wearing optional in the state’s public schools. The announcement came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued new guidance for K-12 schools recommending universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff and students, regardless of vaccination status.
“The federal government has no right to tell parents that in order for their kids to attend school in person, they must be forced to wear a mask all day, every day,” DeSantis said in a Friday statement. “Many Florida schoolchildren have suffered under forced masking policies, and it is prudent to protect the ability of parents to make decisions regarding the wearing of masks by their children.”
Anti-Vax App Squares Off With Google, Apple Over Misinformation
A new social app designed as a community for the unvaccinated is testing Google and Apple Inc.’s policies concerning the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
Unjected, started by two women from Hawaii, bills itself as a community for “like-minded people that support medical autonomy and free speech.” The app allows users to make a profile, match and message with other members. It launched in May shortly after the largest online dating sites, including Match Group’s Tinder and Bumble Inc., introduced perks to encourage users to get vaccinated. Sometimes dubbed the “Tinder for anti-vaxxers,” Unjected has since racked up 18,000 downloads, according to Apptopia, and plenty of jokes on Twitter.
Dr. Fauci Does Not Foresee Lockdowns Happening Again but Says ‘Things Are Going to Get Worse’
The same is being done on a national scale by Dr. Anthony Fauci, saying he does not foresee lockdowns happening again, thanks in part to the amount of people who have gotten vaccinated. But he did issue a grim warning.
“I don’t think we’re going to see lockdowns,” says Dr. Fauci. “I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country, not enough to crush the outbreak, but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter, but things are going to get worse.”
Zoom Reaches $85 Mln Settlement Over User Privacy, ‘Zoombombing’
Zoom Video Communications Inc. agreed to pay $85 million and bolster its security practices to settle a lawsuit claiming it violated users’ privacy rights by sharing personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn, and letting hackers disrupt Zoom meetings in a practice called Zoombombing.
A preliminary settlement filed on Saturday afternoon requires approval by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California. Subscribers in the proposed class action would be eligible for 15% refunds on their core subscriptions or $25, whichever is larger, while others could receive up to $15.
Hundreds of North Carolina Healthcare Workers Protest COVID Vaccination Mandate
Hundreds of people have staged a protest in North Carolina over Atrium Health’s recent announcement that all employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The demonstration saw people march from Freedom Park to the Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte in protest against the decision. Those taking part in the rally include a large group of Atrium staff workers, alongside anti-mask and anti-vaccine protesters.
Atrium Health, one of the biggest healthcare systems in Charlotte with more than 70,000 employees, recently announced that all staff members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 31 in order to protect themselves and others amid surging cases of the Delta variant in the state and across the country.
How Local Media Spreads Misinformation From Vaccine Skeptics
The New York Times via Yahoo!News reported:
The Freedom’s Phoenix, a local news site in Phoenix, and the Atlanta Business Journal, a news site in Atlanta, both published the same article about coronavirus vaccines in March.
The author was Joseph Mercola, who researchers and regulators have said is a top spreader of misleading COVID-19 information. In the article, Mercola inaccurately likened the vaccines to “gene therapy” and argued against their usefulness.
A month later, The Freedom’s Phoenix and the Atlanta Business Journal also published another article by Mercola. This time, he blamed billionaire Bill Gates for the pandemic, claiming Gates had “shadow control” of the World Health Organization.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Order Banning COVID Vaccine, Mask Mandates
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday signed an executive order prohibiting mask mandates or COVID-19 vaccine requirements from government agencies and municipalities statewide.
Abbott issued the order Thursday, two days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended indoor mask mandates, regardless of vaccination status, in places with at least 50 confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over the previous seven days.
“To further ensure that no governmental entity can mandate masks, the following requirement shall continue to apply: No governmental entity, including a county, city, school district, and public health authority, and no governmental official may require any person to wear a face-covering or to mandate that other person wear a covering,” the executive order read.
The Privacy Battle That Apple Isn’t Fighting
FOR AT LEAST a decade, privacy advocates dreamed of a universal, legally enforceable “Do not track” setting. Now, at least in the most populous state in the US, that dream has become a reality. So why isn’t Apple—a company that increasingly uses privacy as a selling point — helping its customers take advantage of it?
Twitter Suspends Science Writer After He Posts Results of Pfizer Clinical Test
Just yesterday, we discussed the censoring of a commentator by Twitter for merely expressing an opinion over the need for a “pause” on any federal mandates on COVID-19 as new research is studied.Now, a former New York Times science reporter, Alex Berenson, has been suspended for simply quoting the results from a clinical trial by Pfizer and raising questions over any vaccine mandate. In the meantime, the White House accused both the Washington Post and New York Times of irresponsible reporting on COVID, but surprisingly Twitter has not suspended those accounts. It is the license of the censor.
Twitter is unwilling to let people read or discuss viewpoints that it disagrees with as a corporation. Many on the left, however, have embraced the concept of corporate speech and censorship. It turns out that the problem with censorship for many was the failure to censor views that they opposed. With the “right” censors at work, the free speech concerns have been set aside.
Broadway Will Require Proof of Vaccination, Masks to Attend Performances + More
Broadway Will Require Proof of Vaccination, Masks to Attend Performances
The Broadway League has announced Friday that in order to enjoy a Broadway production, all attending audience members will need to be fully vaccinated, show proof of vaccination and wear masks during the shows.
The announcement read: “Under the policy, guests will need to be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine in order to attend a show and must show proof of vaccination at their time of entry into the theatre with their valid ticket.”
The announcement specified that being fully vaccinated means “the performance date must be at least 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or at least 14 days after a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine.”
Biden Makes It Official: Federal Workers Must Get Vaccine or Submit to Regular Testing — Postal Union, Others Already Pushing Back
As anticipated, President Biden on Thursday announced all civilian federal employees and contractors will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID, or submit to regular COVID testing, wear masks and socially distance.
Biden also called on state and local governments to use COVID relief funds to give $100 to people who get vaccinated.
In a statement released by the White House, the administration said the new rules were issued because of the Delta variant, and because unvaccinated people present a problem to themselves, their families and co-workers.
Biden’s Coercive ‘Vaccinate or Face Testing’ Plan for Federal Workers Tramples Rights, Violates Nuremberg Code
Children’s Health Defense (CHD), in response to today’s anticipated announcement that all federal employees and contractors must either take the COVID vaccine or be subjected to routine COVID testing, said the action violates the U.S. Constitution and the Nuremberg Code, which clearly states that informed consent is essential in medical experimentation.
As short-term complications from COVID vaccines are just now being reported and aren’t yet fully understood, and long-term outcomes won’t be known for years, it’s impossible to provide actual informed consent.
White House Won’t Rule Out Future Lockdowns, School Closures if CDC Says So
White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that the Biden administration will continue to “listen to the scientists” when it comes to potential future lockdowns and school closures.
During the daily White House press briefing, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Jean-Pierre why Americans should “trust” what the administration says when the official line has changed so much over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
“President Biden says that we are not returning to lockdowns, shutdowns and school closures,” Doocy said, “but he also once said that we didn’t have to wear masks anymore once we were vaccinated. So why should Americans trust him now?”
Pilots May Hold Key to Mobilizing Against Military COVID Vaccine Mandate
With the U.S. military announcing plans to mandate the COVID vaccine for all personnel, possibly by Sept. 1, many service members already enduring coercive restrictions for failing to take the “voluntary” vaccine, are concerned about their careers.
To date, 23% to 42% of military members, depending on the branch of service, have not taken the vaccine. The clinical trials for the three COVID vaccines being administered in the U.S. — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — are not scheduled to be completed until 2022 or 2023, when they would then be eligible for review and full licensing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, President Biden could issue an executive order to impose a military mandate and waive FDA approval in the event of a health emergency.
Here Are the States Where Government Schools Can’t Force Your Kid to Wear a Mask
Schools across the country closed their doors for months to fit the demands of anti-science and hypocritical teachers unions. President Joe Biden and his team in the White House repeatedly ignored scientific data that recommended students immediately return to classrooms to cater to these unions that held taxpayers hostage with demands unrelated to COVID-19.
Capitol Police Asked to Arrest the Maskless
Congressional aides and visitors to the House side of the Capitol will face arrest if they’re not wearing masks, the head of the U.S. Capitol Police announced this week.
In a Wednesday letter to his officer corps, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger ordered that they enforce the new mask guidelines across the Capitol complex. Those new rules, installed by the Capitol physician earlier in the week, include a mask mandate on the House side of the Capitol and all House office buildings.
Democrats Drag Nextdoor Into ‘Big Tech’ Disinfo Debate
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, all frequent targets of congressional scrutiny, heard from the Democrats this morning. But so did Nextdoor, a smaller site that connects locals living in the same neighborhood. In letters to the heads of all four companies, the lawmakers demanded details on how they’re investing in content moderation to tamp down on mis- and disinformation, including about vaccines.
“We urge you to release specific and clear data demonstrating the resources you currently devote to protect non-English speakers from misinformation, disinformation, and illegal content on your platform,” said the letter to Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar. “Congress has a moral duty to ensure that all social media users have the same access to truthful and trustworthy content regardless of the language they speak at home or use to communicate online.” The lawmakers demanded a response by Aug. 13.
Will New Yorkers Need to Download Another Vaccine Passport App?
As the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to contribute to rising cases across the state, both New York City and the state are taking new steps to promote vaccination and other means of protection from the spread of the virus. On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that state employees would have to show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly tests. That came on the heels of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement earlier in the week that all city workers would be required to do the same. At the same time, de Blasio encouraged private businesses to institute similar vaccination and testing mandates.
Amazon Hit With Record EU Data Privacy Fine
Amazon.com Inc. has been hit with a record $886.6 million (746 million euros) European Union fine for processing personal data in violation of the bloc’s GDPR rules, as privacy regulators take a more aggressive position on enforcement.
The Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection imposed the fine on Amazon in a July 16 decision, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing on Friday.
New Bill Would Force WH to Disclose Facebook Censorship Requests + More
New Bill Would Force White House to Disclose Facebook Censorship Requests
A new bill would force the White House to disclose its requests for Facebook and other social media companies to censor content it considers “misinformation. ”Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday introduced the Disclose Government Censorship Act To reveal the extent of censorship requests.
“The recent collusion that has come to light between the Biden Administration and Big Tech is not only disturbing, but inconsistent with the government’s constitutional role in American life,” Hagerty said in a statement.
Judge Offers an Alternative to Community Service Sentences: COVID Vaccination
The Washington Post via MSN reported:
The COVID-19 vaccination giveaways started early in the summer, when the pace of vaccinations first started to fall off. There were gift cards, free trap shooting targets and even the occasional joint. A few months later, with the delta variant spreading and case numbers continuing to rise, a vaccination might now be considered an act of community service.
In East Baton Rouge, some people appearing before Judge Fred Crifasi, of the 19th Judicial District Court, are being afforded the opportunity to get vaccinated in lieu of certain community service hours.
Disney’s Domestic Theme Parks Will Require All Parkgoers to Wear Masks Indoors Starting Friday
Disney has amended the mask policy at its U.S.-based theme parks in the wake of new guidance from health and government officials.
Starting Friday, the company will require all guests, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings in indoor locations at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California. Children under the age of two are exempt from this mandate.
Biden’s New Weapon Against COVID: Don’t Call It a Mandate
The White House is readying its most aggressive action to date on COVID vaccinations. But it’s trying to avoid one word: mandate.
President Joe Biden is due to issue a directive Thursday requiring some 2 million federal employees to attest they’ve received the shot or submit to weekly testing, according to four people familiar with the plans. The move would avoid the kind of top-down order Biden has resisted using for months to contain the virus. But it would give federal departments and agencies discretion to force certain employees to show proof of vaccination, as the Department of Veterans Affairs did this week with its front-line health workers.
Google and Facebook to Require Vaccinations for in-Office Employees, Paving the Way for Rivals to Follow
Washington Post via MSN reported:
Silicon Valley’s tech giants are starting to require vaccinations for employees returning to the office and pushing back campus reopening dates as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread across the United States and around the world.
Google on Wednesday became the first Big Tech company to announce that it will require employees who work in its offices to be fully vaccinated. Facebook later announced a similar policy requiring all in-person workers to get vaccinated before coming into a Facebook office in the United States.
Top House Republicans Drop New Bill to Rein in Big Tech Censorship
Washington Examiner via Yahoo!News reported:
Top House Republicans dropped new legislation Wednesday to overhaul a controversial law that gives social media platforms legal immunity for content, attempting to reduce what they say is rampant censorship of conservatives.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio introduced a draft discussion bill to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a provision that protects social media companies such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter from being sued for content posted by their users.
Let the Debates Begin! Policymakers Should Engage With COVID ‘Dissidents’ in Public and Put the ‘Conspiracy Theories’ to Bed
It is common practice for patients to request a second opinion before submitting to any medical treatment. Yet in the age of COVID only one opinion appears to count at all. This approach flies in the face of sound science.
On Tuesday, the top headlines on the Drudge Report, a popular U.S. news aggregate for trumpeting the liberal party line, captured the full spirit of the ‘new normal’, which the doomsayers fear is snowballing into nothing less than a totalitarian police state.
Two More Health Systems Mandate Employee Virus Vaccinations
Two of Michigan’s largest health systems will require all employees and physicians at their hospitals and other facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Spectrum Health, a 14-hospital network, and eight-hospital Beaumont Health announced the mandates Wednesday. At least five major hospital systems in the state have announced such requirements.
Biden’s COVID Vaccine Mandate Draws Postal Union Backlash
The influential American Postal Workers Union on Wednesday said that at this point, it opposes a coronavirus vaccine mandate from the Biden administration but encouraged workers to voluntarily take the jabs.
“While the APWU leadership continues to encourage postal workers to voluntarily get vaccinated, it is not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent,” the union said in a statement obtained by Fox News.