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Fauci’s Next Lockdown May Be Free Speech
Anthony Fauci delivered a bizarre commencement address on Saturday at the University of Michigan, where he implied freedom of speech should be the next lockdown target.
After botching the COVID pandemic, team Fauci needs a backup plan to reduce their accountability in the upcoming midterm elections.
Fauci sang from the same song sheet recently used by other officials in the Biden Administration. Their top priority has become to control information and demonize those who dare to question the powers-that-be, in order to limit the political fallout that would otherwise drive liberals out of office.
“It is our collective responsibility not to sink to a tacit acceptance of the normalization of untruths,” Fauci urged the college graduates.
Kyrie Irving’s Long-Term Nets Career in Doubt — GM Refuses to Commit, Hinting COVID Vaccine Refusal Is Possible Reason
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks would not say Wednesday if he hopes the team’s star point guard Kyrie Irving will be in Brooklyn long-term, showing frustration after Irving’s refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine bled into the Nets’ on-court success, contributing to the franchise’s disappointing 2021-22 season.
Marks said the Nets’ front office is still “discussing” the situation when asked by a reporter if Brooklyn is committed to Irving long-term.
Irving, who remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 and is one of the most prominent advocates against vaccine mandates, played in just 29 of the Nets’ 82 games last season due to New York City COVID-19 vaccine rules that ended in March.
Marks indicated in the press conference the Nets’ hesitation may be related to Irving’s vaccine-related absence, saying the team is looking for players who can “be available” and “want to be something bigger than themselves.”
A Law Inviting Texans to Sue Social Media Companies Over ‘Censorship’ Is Back
A controversial Texas law that would open social media companies up to lawsuits from aggrieved users just notched a surprise win. A trio of federal appeals court judges issued the ruling Wednesday, which pauses a temporary injunction that blocked the law from taking effect last year.
The law, HB 20, would prohibit tech platforms from removing or restricting content based on “the viewpoint of the user or another person” or “the viewpoint represented in the user’s expression” — some extremely broad criteria with a lot of room for interpretation.
Two tech industry groups, NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, pursued an injunction against the law last year, which was granted in December. During a hearing about HB 20 on Monday, one of the judges inexplicably told the trade groups that their tech industry clients were “internet providers” not websites.
Proponents of the Texas law, crafted to punish tech companies for perceived anti-conservative bias, may have notched a win on Wednesday, but things certainly aren’t settled for HB 20 given its potentially massive implications for social media platforms operating in the state. NetChoice has already stated its intention to appeal the order.
Creeping COVID Cases Result in Few Schools Mask Mandates
U.S. COVID-19 cases are up, leading a smattering of school districts, particularly in the Northeast, to bring back mask mandates and recommendations for the first time since the Omicron winter surge ended and as the country approaches 1 million deaths in the pandemic.
The return of masking in schools is not nearly as widespread as earlier in the pandemic, particularly as the public’s worries over the virus have ebbed. But districts in Maine, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have brought masks back, with a few in Massachusetts also recommending them even as the school year enters its final weeks.
Maine’s largest school district, in Portland, said this week masks would return, with Superintendent Xavier Botana saying that was the “safest course at this time” amid rising cases. Bangor, Maine, schools also brought back a universal mask requirement.
Hawaii Public School Students to Remain Masked for Summer
Public school students in Hawaii will be required to wear masks while indoors for summer classes and related activities.
State officials said at a news conference Wednesday that the measure is meant to keep students and families safe. Hawaii is the only state in the nation that still has a universal indoor mask requirement for public school students.
Hawaii’s State Epidemiologist Sarah Kemble said officials are still discussing whether to keep the rule in place for the fall term.
Canadian Soldier Charged for Speaking Against COVID Vaccine Mandate in Uniform
A Canadian soldier who publicly spoke out against federal vaccine requirements while in uniform has been charged. The Department of National Defense says Warrant Officer James Topp faces two charges of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline.
A charge sheet provided by Topp’s lawyer, Phillip Millar, says the army reservist is accused of criticizing vaccine requirements for military personnel and other federal employees on two occasions in February while wearing his uniform.
Canadian Armed Forces members are restricted in what they can say while in uniform, but Millar argues such restrictions should not apply to policies that affect them personally.
Defense Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande says a second Armed Forces member charged with the same offense received a $500 fine after being found guilty.
Biden’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ Is ‘Un-American’ Abuse of Power: McCarthy
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy slammed President Joe Biden‘s new Disinformation Governance Board as an “un-American abuse of power” while he threw his support behind a Republican bill that would terminate the new bureau, which conservatives have dubbed the “Ministry of Truth” in comparison to George Orwell’s novel 1984.
“It’s a scheme conjured up by Washington Democrats to grant themselves the authority to control free speech,” McCarthy said at a Wednesday press briefing. “They fear Americans having unfettered access to information because it will challenge the power that they want to have over people’s lives.”
While the Department of Homeland Security has said the “working group” will target disinformation that threatens national security, critics of the bureau warn that it is an attempt from the federal government to police free speech on the internet.
‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Patti LuPone Publicly Rips Broadway Patron Over Mask Policy
It’s the on-stage outburst that has Broadway buzzing, from a stage legend known for not holding back her feelings about theater etiquette.
Tony- and Grammy-award-winner Patti LuPone, starring in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” was part of a cast talkback with the audience following Monday night’s performance.
Witnesses and producers said it was during that time when LuPone politely and repeatedly asked two people in the theater to pull their masks above their noses.
“That is the rule. If you don’t want to follow the rule, get the f— out!” the Broadway icon yelled at the theatergoer, to cheers from the audience. “Who do you think you are that you do not respect the people that are sitting around you?”
North Korea Reports First COVID Outbreak, Imposes Nationwide Lockdown
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has ordered a nationwide lockdown after acknowledging a COVID-19 outbreak in the country for the first time.
The Hermit Kingdom had claimed a perfect record in keeping the virus out since the start of the pandemic. The claim has been widely doubted as COVID-19 has spread to nearly every place in the world.
It’s unclear how many people have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, but experts warn that it could have serious consequences due to the socialist country’s poor healthcare system. Experts say Kim may have made the highly unusual admission because he may be looking for outside help.
Ending England’s COVID Restrictions Was Divisive — but the Data Shows We Were Right
It is now five months since the Omicron variant was first detected in the U.K. — and although its impact was less severe than many initially feared, it’s estimated that more than 30 million people in England have been infected, with 200,000 hospitalized and even more suffering with long COVID across the UK, and over 20,000 deaths.
Behind these headline figures lies a more complicated reality, yielding important lessons about the impact of government-mandated restrictions that could help end disagreements between some scientists and help us deal with future waves.
The first Omicron (BA.1) wave, beginning in December, showed us that it was possible to get over a peak without a lockdown. The second (BA.2) wave from March to April was the first time a wave peaked in England without any government-mandated restrictions, as all legal mandates ended on February 24.
Elon Musk Is a Hero, but He Shouldn’t Have to Be
Freedom of speech in the online public square hangs by a single thread spun by a benevolent billionaire named Elon Musk. His purchasing of Twitter to restore this key component of democracy is triggering shrill cries from leftists, who demand the power to censor tech platforms and silence anyone with whom they disagree. Those shrill cries have only intensified, now that Musk has announced his plans to reverse Twitter‘s infamous ban of former President Donald Trump.
But Musk is taking a step that shouldn’t be necessary. In a functioning system, Twitter would not need to be saved through a complete shareholder buyout requiring tens of billions of dollars that only the richest few on Earth could possibly amass.
Big Tech must indeed be held accountable for its role in corrupting internet platforms and systems. However, this enforcement must come from American citizens, who stand to lose the most from Big Tech’s abuses, through their elected representatives — not a billionaire benefactor.
Elon Musk Hit With SEC Investigation Over Tardy Twitter Stake Disclosure: Report
Elon Musk is facing an investigation into the details of him taking a substantial stake in Twitter, with federal regulators saying he was late in filing a key form in the process, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations require shareholders to make a public disclosure when they reach a 5% ownership stake in a company. Musk did so, but only on April 4, 10 days after his stake met the requirements for disclosure, according to WSJ.
The SEC rule is supposed to allow existing shareholders to receive a warning that the company may be facing a buyout attempt, and the delay in Musk’s case allowed him to purchase additional stock without providing that warning, according to WSJ.
DuckDuckGo Slams Google’s New Tracking Systems
DuckDuckGo has once again taken issue with Google’s plan to replace third-party cookies in Chrome by calling out the search giant’s new Topics and FLEDGE tracking and ad targeting methods.
While Topics uses your browsing history in Chrome to automatically collect information about your interests to share with tracking companies and other businesses, FLEDGE enables Google’s browser to target users with ads based on their browsing history.
Although Google’s intentions behind replacing third-party cookies with Topics and FLEDGE may be good, DuckDuckGo points out in a new blog post that tracking, targeting and profiling will still occur once Privacy Sandbox is rolled out in Chrome.
