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First Responders Resign on Social Media Over Coronavirus Vaccine Mandate

Washington Examiner reported:

First responders nationally are quitting their jobs over coronavirus vaccine mandates.

About 1,900 state workers in Washington reportedly either resigned or were fired by Tuesday, according to the state’s Office of Financial Management. That’s about 3% of the state’s workers.

Another 1,900 were allowed to work in a less public role, and 2,900 workers’ employment statuses are being determined, the Seattle Times reported. Across social media, first responders employed by the state are taking resignation announcements on their own terms, with some even going viral with the hashtag #StopTheMandate.

185 Employees Separate From Triad at Los Alamos National Lab Due to COVID Vaccine Mandate

Los Alamos Reporter reported:

The Los Alamos Reporter has learned that some 185 employees have separated from Triad National Security, LLC at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate implemented by the Lab for all employees.

There are another 153 employees currently on leave without pay or vacation status with a religious exemption that may return to work at LANL when it is safe to do so. Medical exemptions were granted to 26 employees.

Vaccine Mandates Decimating Police Forces Across U.S.

The Daily Signal reported:

As crime rates surge, so are vaccine mandates — and resistance by police to those mandates. That means major cities across the United States risk losing one-third or more of their police forces, hesitant about getting the COVID-19 shot.

In Chicago, more than 4,500 employees of the Chicago Police Department — about one-third of both officers and civilian employees — refused to disclose their vaccine status. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the city’s Fraternal Order of Police are in a political standoff.

A real disruption also soon could hit Los Angeles, where the city’s vaccine mandate deadline is in December. Last month, employees of the Los Angeles Police Department filed a federal lawsuit opposing the city’s vaccine mandate.

Hundreds of Emergency Workers Block New York Roads in Protest Against Vaccine Mandate

Newsweek reported:

Hundreds of emergency workers blocked roads in New York City’s Brooklyn borough as they protested against the city’s vaccine mandate for municipal workers.

Demonstrators included city workers with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the Sanitation Department of New York (SDNY) and the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Photos and videos show a large crowd gathering at the FDNY’s headquarters in downtown Brooklyn. Protesters are expected to rally and march across the Brooklyn Bridge over to City Hall.

Firefighters Say Florida County’s Vaccine Mandate Causing Rifts Among First Responders That Compromise Public Safety

The Epoch Times reported:

Firefighter, paramedic, dispatcher, and EMT morale in Florida’s fifth most-populous county is so low due to a vaccine mandate that public safety is being compromised, first responders say.

Many say they fear the vaccine because they’ve responded to daily calls to the homes of people who’ve been seriously harmed or died shortly after the injection, says a spokesman for the group, firefighter Jason Wheat. Others object because they feel they should have a right to choose what to put in their bodies or have religious objections.

The resulting infighting over who’s been vaccinated and who hasn’t is causing so much strife within the department that many first responders are distracted, stressed, and unable to work well as a team, Wheat said.

Orange County Firefighters Give Update on Lawsuit Challenging Vaccine Mandate

WFTV 9 reported:

First responders with Orange County Fire Rescue, along with their attorney, gave an update Sunday on their lawsuit challenging vaccine mandates in the county. Orange County firefighters were joined by Attorney Rachel Rodriguez to discuss the lawsuit and how vaccine mandates have impacted them.

Rodriguez said the lawsuit was filed in response to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, after he issued mandates for COVID-19 vaccinations and testing in July by calling a state of emergency in the county.

“This mandate is against their Florida constitutional fundamental rights, including the right to privacy,” Rodriguez said. The lawsuit asks for emergency temporary injunctive relief and requests the court to end the mandate.

Vaccine Mandate Threatens Major Trucking Disruption, Industry Insiders Say

The Epoch Times reported:

American truckers don’t like taking orders. But the Biden administration has increased pressure on some of them to take the vaccine — willing or unwilling.

All through the pandemic, truckers endured hardships to keep America’s infrastructure running. They waited in line for hours in sight of bathrooms they weren’t allowed to use. On the road, some died alone of COVID-19.

Now, with supply chains disrupted, Americans need them more than ever. But faced with the prospect of a mandated vaccination, many drivers are considering quitting.

Will the COVID Vaccine Be Required for Students in School? Vaccine Mandates Could Be Coming Soon

FingerLakes 1 reported:

Governor Kathy Hochul says all options are on the table when it comes to COVID vaccine mandates and school children.

Could there be a vaccine mandate inside public schools in New York? Governor Hochul said it’s possible, but she hopes everyone does the ‘right thing’ when it comes to getting the COVID vaccine. At this point, the state is evaluating information and data.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to discuss Pfizer’s vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years old. That conversation will likely happen this week, and could prompt an emergency use approval.

Protesters Attempt to Storm Entrance of Barclays Center Over Nets’ Refusal to Allow Kyrie Irving to Play Due to NYC Vaccine Mandate

CBS 2 New York reported:

There was drama outside of the Brooklyn Nets‘ home opener at Barclays Center on Sunday.

Protesters tried storming the entrance over the team’s decision not to let Kyrie Irving play because he won’t get vaccinated, CBS2’s Lisa Rozner reported.

Just before Sunday’s 4 p.m. tip-off, barricades at Barclays Center entrance were removed. A man dressed in red is seen on video summoning people to come in, and protesters using all their might try to break through a group of security guards who eventually got a hold of them and close all the doors for a short time

Florida Aims to Pay $5,000 to Out-of-State Police Who Resist Vaccine Mandates

The Guardian reported:

The Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, plans to offer $5,000 bonuses to lure police officers from other states who resist vaccine mandates.

“We’re actually actively working to recruit out-of-state law enforcement,” DeSantis told Fox News.

University Receives $750K of Federal Funds to Stop Reporters From Creating ‘Negative Unintended Outcomes’

Reclaim the Net reported:

Researchers at Temple University received $750,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a tool that warns journalists that they are about to publish polarizing content. The NSF is a federal government agency focused on supporting research and education in non-medical fields of engineering and science.

The focus of the project, according to a report on Campus Reform, is creating a system that alerts journalists that the content they are about to publish might have “negative unintended outcomes” such as “the triggering of uncivil, polarizing discourse, audience misinterpretation, the production of misinformation, and the perpetuation of false narratives.”

One of the researchers involved in the project, Temple University’s professor Eduard Dragut, said that the system will “use natural language processing algorithms along with social networking tools to mine the communities where [misinformation] may happen.”

Big Tech Won’t Make Healthcare Any Better

JACOBIN reported:

Big Tech sees the world as a readable map — and it’s long since catalogued every street, hill, and house and begun digitizing every book and photo. It’s even aggregated our behavior into analyzable datasets; and as the number of digital devices probing the self and the world increases, so too does the tech monopolies’ influence. The borders between digital representation and analogue reality, between map and territory, are becoming ever more elastic.

Big Tech’s ambitions to expand into healthcare have gained new intensity during the pandemic. The emergency hasn’t only made GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) a ubiquitous, seemingly indispensable presence in our lives.

After several years of scandals and congressional hearings for the tech giants, it’s also given them a chance to rejuvenate their altruistic image by presenting themselves as champions of a new digitalized branch of healthcare.