News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Horowitz: Florida leads nation in pushing accuracy and transparency of COVID-19 testing
Thanks to the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Florida appears to be the first state that will begin quantifying CT levels and possibly adjusting policy based on the results. On Dec. 4, Florida became the first state to mandate that testing labs report the cycle thresholds of each COVID test.
If every state were to track cycle thresholds, we would actually be able to better target the quarantine and contact tracing (to the extent it’s even constitutional) to those who actually have live infectious potential.
We’d also be able to determine once and for all if there is meaningful spread among asymptomatic individuals.
Why would we continue to indiscriminately lock down an entire society and chase our tail tracing a virus with millions of positive cases that aren’t really infectious?
California Restaurants to Sue Governor Over Lockdown Order
Nineteen restaurants that collectively employ more than 400 workers will be filing the suit, according to the southern California local news network KGET.
The three-week-long order that took effect Sunday night requires restaurants to serve only takeout or delivery, while many types of businesses are forced to close completely, based on their region’s availability of intensive care units.
The order, which is placed on most parts of the state, also prohibits private gatherings with people from outside one’s household and bans “nonessential travel.”
“To put the onus on law enforcement to enforce these orders against law-abiding citizens who are already struggling through difficult circumstances, while at the same time criticizing law enforcement and taking away tools to do our jobs, is both contradictory and disingenuous,” Orange County sheriff Don Barnes said in a statement.
Louisiana COVID-19 Quarantine Guidelines Relaxed for Schools
The Department of Health’s guidelines suggest people who have come in close contact with someone infected with the coronavirus can resume normal activity — including attendance for in-person classroom instruction — after 10 days if no symptoms have emerged, or after seven days if they test negative for the virus.
That dovetails with the CDC’s adjustments to its recommendations last week, which were decreased from a 14-day quarantine period.
“Louisiana will be adopting the updated CDC guidance that allows for shortening quarantine,” health department spokesperson Aly Neel said. “The 14-day quarantine is still the gold standard and is still recommended, but it is acceptable to shorten the quarantine period.”
Chicago weekend gun violence leaves 40 shot, 6 fatally across city
CHICAGO — At least 40 people were wounded and six killed in shootings across Chicago over the weekend.
A person was shot and killed Sunday in Austin on the West Side, police said.
A male was in the 4900-block of West Hubbard Street when three people approached him and one of them opened fire, Chicago police said.
The male was struck multiple times in the back and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
‘It was such a brutal crime:’ Autopsy report shows 82nd Airborne soldier was decapitated
Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez, 21, was killed in May while he was camping with fellow soldiers on an island at Cape Lookout National Seashore. He was from Chino, California, and was a human resource specialist in the 82nd Airborne Division’s 37th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
The autopsy examined a severed head, as neither the torso nor any extremities were available, according to the report. It showed evidence of multiple chop injuries, a broken jaw, cuts and a fractured cervical spine.
Lt. Col. Mike Burns, an 82nd spokesman, said a $25,000 reward remains in place for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 910-396-8777, submit anonymous information information,or contact a law enforcement agency.
LAPD criticized by Dems, BLM for using batons against protesters outside Mayor Garcetti’s home
According to a statement released by LAPD, officers approached the protesters to arrest one person for using a bullhorn, which violated city code barring “sound exceeding 200 feet.”
“After multiple warnings, four officers attempted to make an arrest for the above violation when the crowd moved in on the officers, punching, pushing and kicking,” LAPD spokesman Capt. Stacy Spell said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Officers used their baton to prevent the crowd from forcefully attempting to remove the suspect from police custody. However, the suspect ultimately got away.”
A transgender woman and self-proclaimed democratic socialist, Jamie Penn, the Sub-District 3 representative for the Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council, was arrested and charged with attempting to remove the suspect from police custody.
Macomb County man says he was targeted with explosives due to his politics
The homeowner said everything happened early Saturday morning just after midnight.
He was upstairs with his girlfriend when they heard a loud boom go off.
He rushed downstairs and said he was shocked at what he saw.
“We’re thinking maybe because I’m a big Trump supporter,” the homeowner said, according to FOX 2. “I mean everyone has people that don’t like them … but not to the extent of trying to blow my house up.”
Virginia Military Institute removing Confederate statue
“Unlike many communities who are grappling with icons of the past, VMI has direct ties to many of the historical figures that are the subject of the current unrest.
Stonewall Jackson was a professor at VMI, a West Point graduate who served in combat in the Mexican War, a military genius, a staunch Christian, and yes, a Confederate General,” Peay wrote in July.
Change was also slow to come to VMI when, in the 1990s, the school spent six years and millions of dollars in a high-profile fight against federal efforts to force it to admit women.
Restaurant owner fights back against California dining bans
Pineapple Hill Saloon owner Angela Mardsen joins ‘The Next Revolution’ to discuss how COVID-19 lockdowns are impacting business owners across the country.
Los Angeles bar owner rips Garcetti, Newsom over double standard on outdoor dining
“I’m losing everything. Everything I own is being taken away from me and they set up a movie company right next to my outdoor patio, which is right over here,” she continues, her voice trembling with emotion. “And people wonder why I’m protesting and why I have had enough.
“They have not given us money and they have shut us down. We cannot survive, my staff cannot survive,” she says, returning to her business.
“Look at this. Tell me that this is dangerous,” she says, pointing to her own patio, “but right next to me, as a slap in my face, that’s safe. This is safe? Fifteen feet away?
FOX NEWS VIDEO: It’s been ‘very, very difficult’ to keep business running amid coronavirus lockdowns: California business owner
Matchless IT owner Nick Kershner questions whether small businesses in the state will be able to survive another lockdown.
Steve Hilton: Biden mask policy is ‘pure BS plucked out of thin air’
Commentary/Opinion:
‘The Next Revolution’ host said President-elect Joe Biden and other leaders are ‘exploiting this virus to micromanage our lives.’
Politics:
Ted Cruz to argue Pennsylvania mail-in ballot case if it gets to Supreme Court
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, has pushed for the Supreme Courts involvement in the Pennsylvania case. This would be the 10th oral argument Ted Cruz has made in the highest court.
Ilhan Omar: Husband’s Firm Gets $500,000 in Covid-19 Relief, and Millions More From Her Campaign Funds
The news once again raises questions on Omar’s misuse of power and how she continued to channelize money to her husband’s firm, which were either owned or co-owned.
Moreover, Omar in recent times have denied any wrongdoings but public records continue to tell different stories.
Mynett’s firms have often become the center of controversy with allegations of raking up millions from Omar’s campaign over the past few months, especially after their marriage.
According to public records, E-Street Group, which is co-owned by Mynett, received as much as $500,000 in Economic Injury Disaster loans besides raking in $135,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
FBI agents raid Arizona home in voter-data theft probe
The Arizona Republic reported Saturday the raid took place Nov. 5, two days after the election. The Phoenix paper cited an FBI spokesman saying the bureau will not confirm or deny the investigation.
However, a spokeswoman for the Maricopa County IT security staff, Megan Gilbertson, said in a statement that the FBI is investigating and the county is cooperating.
The voter data allegedly was stolen from the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office website.
Justice Alito moves up deadline in Pennsylvania election fraud case, suggesting possible SCOTUS action
The plaintiffs in the case are seeking to have the court toss all of the state’s mail-in ballots on the grounds that a state law passed in October 2019 that allows for no-excuse absentee voting is unconstitutional.
The state constitution specifies that absentee votes can be cast for only a limited number of reasons.
Alito reportedly did not offer an explanation for the change, but nevertheless it is certainly a hopeful sign for efforts to challenge the state’s election results.
The Inquirer noted that Alito’s original selection of the Dec. 9 deadline indicated to most legal observers that the court had no intention of acting on the case in a way that would alter the results.
World News:
Global Risks | Full Measure
Coronavirus has been on the minds of many around the world this year.
But coronavirus aside, people face many other dangers worldwide.
Gallup and Lloyd’s Register Foundation recently finished the largest poll ever conducted on the topic of perceptions of risk around the globe. It asked people in 142 countries about safety of their water, food and work. Gallup’s Jon Clifton has the results.
Mystery Illness Hits Indian Town, Over 300 Hospitalized; Symptoms of Disease Still Puzzle Experts
A mystery illness in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh led to the hospitalization of more than 300 people and killed one, local media reported on Monday. The number of people falling sick rose at an alarming level over the weekend as state and local officials continue to understand the cause of the illness.
The illness hit Eluru city and initial cases reported on Saturday with 55 people being hospitalized. The number rose to 170 on Sunday morning and 270 by evening. By midnight 315 people were hospitalized, the Hindu newspaper reported. On Monday afternoon, the number of people who fell sick due to the illness stood at 345.
One fatality was reported on Sunday evening and the deceased was identified as a 45-year-old man. Officials at the Government General Hospital in Eluru said they will be performing an autopsy to understand the cause of the illness.
Turkey-EU tensions rise over East-Med; Saudi Prince dubs Israel “colonizer”-TV7 Israel News 07.12.20
1) A senior member of the Saudi Royal Family accused Israel of being the last ‘Western colonizers of parts of the Middle East.’
2) Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi stresses that it is of paramount importance to confront Iranian proxies throughout the region – including Hezbollah – which continues to hold the people of Lebanon hostage.
3) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declares Ankara’s unwavering resolve to secure Turkey’s maritime interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.
DNI John Ratcliffe: China Using ‘Gene Editing’ to Boost Military
“It’s altering DNA, and it’s one of the things our intelligence shows that China is doing. … The People’s Republic of China has 2 million strong in its military, and it’s trying to make them stronger through, you know, gene editing,” Ratcliffe advised.
“That’s just one of the ways that, you know, China is trying to essentially dominate the planet and set the rules in the world order. And why it’s so important and people need to understand is this is an authoritarian regime.
It doesn’t care about people’s individual rights. We’ve seen what they’ve done to the Uighurs; we’ve seen what they’ve done in Hong Kong.
It’s about putting the state first, and that is the exact opposite of what has always made America great. Individual liberties, freedoms, free enterprise those things are all at stake if China dominates.”
Hong Kong: ‘Secession’ arrests after Chinese University protest
Police from the National Security Department went to the university the day after the protest
Three were detained on suspicion of inciting secession, which can carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
In recent weeks activists have been jailed or detained under the new law, legislation human rights groups say amounts to “repression”.
The US on Monday sanctioned 14 more Chinese officials over the clampdown.
Commentary/Opinion:
How the Left Sees the World: Power, Race, and Class
How do those on the Left determine right from wrong?
Since Marx, they’ve relied on a formula based on status, skin color, and wealth.
But is that the way to reach a moral conclusion?
Dennis Prager uses Israel and the United States to provide an illuminating perspective on this question.