1464: Bomb Rotterdam!

BBC staff has been told in “training sessions” that there are more than 150 genders.

They also must develop their “trans brand” by declaring their pronouns on email sign-offs.

Don’t trust news from these people.

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Crossing into the U.S. was a risky business to begin with, and climate change is only making it worse.

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Although it would be foolhardy to think von der Leyen could have achieved everything she has without political talents of her own, it’s also important to recognize she has always been granted a kind of privilege that far surpasses the parochial advantages accorded to average Germans. Von der Leyen’s family tree traces a legacy of power and brutality, incorporating not only some of Germany’s most significant Nazis but also some of Britain’s largest slave traders and, through marriage, some of the United States’ largest slave owners. Von der Leyen is descended directly from James Ladson, who owned more than 200 slaves when the Civil War broke out.

Although it would be foolhardy to think von der Leyen could have achieved everything she has without political talents of her own, it’s also important to recognize she has always been granted a kind of privilege that far surpasses the parochial advantages accorded to average Germans. Von der Leyen’s family tree traces a legacy of power and brutality, incorporating not only some of Germany’s most significant Nazis but also some of Britain’s largest slave traders and, through marriage, some of the United States’ largest slave owners. Von der Leyen is descended directly from James Ladson, who owned more than 200 slaves when the Civil War broke out.

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Abu Dhabi, UAE (CNN)The nation of Turkey has had it with being associated with a large bird that is best known as a symbol of the North American Thanksgiving holiday.

On Thursday, the United Nations recognized the country's rebranding to Turkiye, pronounced tur-key-yay, in a move Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said would "increase our country's brand value."

"The main reason why Turkey is changing its name is to eliminate the association with the bird," said Sinan Ulgen, Chairman of Istanbul-based think-tank EDAM. "But also, the term is used in colloquial language to denote failure."

For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is running for re-election next year, the new name expresses the "culture, civilization and values of the Turkish nation in the best way."

International organizations are now obliged to use the new name, but it won't happen overnight for the broader public, Ulgen told CNN. "It will likely take many years for the broader international public to switch from Turkey to Turkiye."

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AN accident near a plant that supplies the key ingredient to make paper is adding to disruptions that have stoked inflation in everything from toilet paper to diapers and cardboard boxes.

A ship crashed into a bridge near Palembang in Indonesia’s South Sumatra linking a private terminal owned by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) with its plant, known as OKI, Letchumi Achanah, APP’s head of strategic engagement and advocacy, confirmed after a Bloomberg request. The company is unable to provide details because the matter is still under investigation, Achanah said by email.

The incident destroyed the bridge, 1 of 2 linking the OKI plant and the terminal. The facility, one of the world’s largest, produced 2.6 million tons of pulp last year, according to the company’s annual report.

Exports from OKI are continuing as cargoes can be transferred from one ship to another as was done previously, according to Merrijantij Punguan Pintaria, an industry ministry official. The facility could take 6 months to be repaired but the accident is unlikely to affect Indonesian exports significantly, she said.

After jumping last year, prices for hardwood pulp in China have risen around 40 per cent this year to record levels due to supply disruptions, firm demand and new project delays. The surge has drawn in everyone from Chile’s billionaire Angelini family to Suzano in Brazil and Paracel in Paraguay to build multi-billion dollar plants.

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Just doing my duty as a citizen and informing myself on the issues; found this embedded in a "separation of powers" amendment change. Generally, protection from Federal government overreach. But, check out the third bullet.

Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

clarify the Federal Government’s duty to uphold the rights of Missouri Citizens under the United States Constitution including the Bill of Rights and all other provisions;

identify breaches by the Federal Government; and

allow the State of Missouri to become a “separate administrative region” of the state of Texas, while retaining its status as a state of the United States of America as the legislature and governor of this State may lawfully determine best?

Lots of other proposed amendments relating to rank choice voting, vaccine mandates, freeing the holy herb, parental rights, hand counted votes, educational freedom...lots of predictable red-state type issues (no vax mandates), but a few blue inroads (RCV). Several of the issues have multiple versions with slightly different wording. One of the more interesting ones is "create the crime of treason against persons for voter fraud, failure to report results timely and certain poll worker actions..."

From: Office of the Under Secretary for Management

Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2022 11:56 AM

Subject: DHS Implementing Personnel Security Continuous Vetting

June 28, 2022

Colleagues,

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is implementing a new federal personnel security reform effort known as “Trusted Workforce 2.0” that will eventually include continuous, real-time vetting of all DHS employees and contractors. This vetting model will reduce delays in onboarding, make it easier for employees and contractors to move between U.S. Government departments or contracts, and provide early detection of risks and threats.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Office of Personnel Management have directed all U.S. Government departments and agencies to enroll their employees and contractors—regardless of clearance level—in a continuous vetting program by fiscal year 2025. At this time, however, only Secret and Top Secret (including TS/SCI) clearance holders are being enrolled in continuous vetting, which will eventually replace personnel security periodic reinvestigations and will help keep our country, our Department, and our workforce safe.

You will not notice an immediate difference when you are enrolled in continuous vetting. The systems and entities that will be checked under the Trusted Workforce 2.0 framework are the same as the ones currently and traditionally examined during background investigations, such as arrest records and credit reports. However, rather than conducting periodic reinvestigations every five to 10 years, DHS will conduct automated checks on a continuous basis to make background checks more efficient and effective. These will supplement background investigations, and this new way of processing information will have zero impact on your records.

As part of the Trusted Workforce 2.0 effort, information about employees will be entered into the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Continuous Evaluation System, which conducts automated checks of relevant security information, and the FBI Rap Back program, which ensures employees and contractors’ fingerprints are continuously compared with criminal history and civil records.

Continuous vetting does not eliminate the personal responsibility of employees and contractors to report foreign travel, foreign contacts, arrests, and other matters required by any DHS policies, rules, or regulations.

As always, your privacy is, and will remain, paramount. Nothing in this new system will change our commitment to your fundamental rights and liberties as public servants and as Americans. A Privacy Impact Assessment for the information technology system that supports the DHS continuous vetting program, “Privacy Impact Assessment Update for the Integrated Security Management System (ISMS) – Continuous Evaluation,” can be found here. The same personnel security due process right that exists for employees today, which is outlined in DHS Instruction 121-01-007, “The DHS Personnel Security, Suitability and Fitness Program”, will apply under Trusted Workforce 2.0.

If you have any questions, please visit the Trusted Workforce 2.0 Policy and Communications DHS Connect page. For additional information, please contact your Component’s personnel security office, or the DHS Office of the Chief Security Officer, Personnel Security Program Office at persecpolicy@hq.dhs.gov.

Sincerely,

R.D. Alles

Acting Under Secretary for Management

Japan's government has urged people in Tokyo and its surrounding area to use less electricity on Monday, as it warned that supplies will be strained as the country faces a heatwave.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expects demand for power to be "severe" this afternoon local time.

It said people should switch off unnecessary lights but still use air conditioning to avoid heatstroke.

For weeks, officials have warned of a power crunch as temperatures rise.

Over the weekend, the temperature in central Tokyo rose above 35C, while the city of Isesaki, northwest of the capital, saw a record 40.2C. That was the highest temperature ever recorded in June for Japan.

June marks the start of summer in Japan, with temperatures typically staying below 30C during the month.

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Europe seeks to fuel sustainable funds to meet net-zero targets

72% of asset managers consider halting non-ESG product launches

68% of distributors plan to cease non-ESG products distribution

June 27 (Reuters) - Over two-thirds of European asset managers and distributors are considering halting the launch or distribution of products that do not comply with environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, a survey by PwC Luxembourg showed on Monday.

Flows into ESG funds have surged in recent years, driven in part by a growing regulatory focus on issues such as climate change as governments seek to push more money to activities that can help them meet their net-zero emissions goals.

The PwC survey of 3,354 respondents suggested ESG assets domiciled in Europe could grow to between 7.4 trillion euros and 9.0 trillion euros ($7.8 to $9.5 trillion) by 2025 and account for up to 56% of total European mutual fund assets, against 37% at the end of last year.

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Civil Protection Operation

Centre: All residents in Macao must continue to self-administer a rapid antigen test today (26 June) and upload the result to the declaration platform at https://app.ssm.gov.mo/generalrat/. One is requested to take a photo to record the result if he/she is unsuccessful in making online declaration. If the antigen test result is positive, one should call an ambulance by phone at 119, 120 or 2857 2222 as soon as possible after the declaration or record is made. He/she and the co-living individuals must stay at home and patiently wait for the ambulance arranged by the authorities to transport them to the quarantine site. To reduce the risk of cross-infection, all people in Macao should stay at home and stop unnecessary activities.

Civic Protection Operation Centre: All people in Macao must take the mass nucleic acid test from 9:00 a.m. on June 27 to 6:00 p.m. on June 28. An advance appointment is compulsory for the general testing stations. Those with special needs can use the caring testing stations that do not require an advance appointment. All people must take the rapid antigen test before going out, please notify the fire services when the result is positive (Tel: 119, 120 or 28572222),stay on spot with housemates and wait for quarantine and nucleic acid test arrangements. During the mass nucleic acid test, each person will receive five rapid antigen test kits and ten KN 95 masks (not for children to use). Please make sure to take them before leaving the station, no re-collection will be arranged. Residents should not use the testing station that is not near their home. Avoid taking public transportation. During waiting, residents must maintain a one-meter distance and follow the instructions on the spot.

Civil Protection Operations Centre: The Citywide NAT Programme will end today (June 28) at 6:00 p.m. All general stations with a waiting time of less than 15 minutes do not need an appointment. All people in Macao should take the test asap, and should avoid going to the stations for sampling 2 hours before the ending time, so as to avoid long queues and crowd gathering, which will increase the risk of infection.

A group of researchers made gene-edited hamsters that were meant to be less aggressive. The researchers used CRISPR, a gene-editing platform, to remove a gene they believed was responsible for aggressive behavior in hamsters. However, the genetic modification had a much different effect. Instead of being more docile, the hamsters became overly aggressive.

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Unvaccinated sperm is the new bitcoin

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Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:53

Miss a day, miss a lot. Subscribe to The Defender's Top News of the Day. It's free.

Sharp chest pains. Myocarditis and pericarditis. Heart attacks. Strokes and subsequent blindness.

These are just some of the many COVID-19 vaccine-related adverse events reported by commercial airline pilots and by a growing number of advocacy groups representing aviation industry workers.

According to these individuals and groups, the number of pilots speaking out about their vaccine injuries is dwarfed by the number of pilots who are still flying despite experiencing concerning symptoms '-- but not speaking out because of what they describe as a culture of intimidation within the aviation industry.

These individuals fear they will lose their jobs and livelihoods in retaliation if they reveal their symptoms or go public with their stories, sources told The Defender.

Still, a growing number of pilots are coming forward.

Last month, The Defender published the accounts of several pilots '-- and of the widow of a pilot who died from a vaccine-related adverse event.

Since then, more pilots have shared their stories, including one who is currently flying for a commercial airline.

A growing number of advocacy organizations, representing workers across the aviation industry and in several countries, are joining these pilots in speaking out.

The Defender previously reported on actions by the U.S. Freedom Flyers (USFF) and other legal advocates in the U.S.

Since then, representatives from the Global Aviation Advocacy Coalition (GAA) and the Canada-based Free To Fly also spoke with The Defender about their initiatives.

Meanwhile, pilots in Canada and the Netherlands recently reported significant legal victories in separate vaccine-related cases.

In interviews with The Defender, pilots injured by COVID-19 vaccines said despite a ''culture of fear and intimidation'' they are compelled to speak out against vaccine mandates that rob pilots of their careers '-- and in some cases their lives.https://t.co/YYMCVg9ywV

'-- Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 6, 2022

More pilots come forward, speak to The Defender

Steven Hornsby, a 52-year-old pilot with a legacy passenger airline company, was once an active weightlifter and cyclist, biking 10-26 miles every other day.

He is also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and Operation Enduring Freedom. Per FAA requirements, he passed 24 medical exams in the past 12 years, including 12 electrocardiograms (ECGs).

Hornsby told The Defender, ''I've never had any cardiovascular issues in my life, nor have I ever had any major health issues '... I eat healthy and live what I believe to be a balanced lifestyle.''

Hornsby, however, is not flying today because, he said, he was ''coerced '... to get the COVID-19 vaccine,'' and his employer ''made it very clear that all employees would be required to get it and that medical/religious exemptions would be very difficult to get.''

Hornsby's difficulties began after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

''After my second shot, I initially had zero issues, with little more than light fatigue on day two, Hornsby said. ''The 12th day, however, was the culmination of the vaccine and the continuous stress I was adding to my heart from rigorous exercise.''

As he was driving with family, Hornsby said he felt sharp chest pains, ''pain radiating through my left arm, and my heart rate spiked as if beating in my neck.''

Hornsby said it took several different diagnoses from doctors and medical practitioners to make a connection between his health issues and the vaccine.

A nurse at an urgent care facility first told him his symptoms did not correlate to a heart attack and were most likely unrelated to the vaccine. Later, at a hospital emergency room, he was again told his symptoms were not likely to be related to the vaccine.

''At that point,'' Hornsby said, ''I was indignant. Why would a healthcare provider dismiss that perspective? This was my eye-opening reality that a major cover-up was in play.''

Hornsby was ultimately diagnosed with elevated blood pressure but was told he had not suffered a heart attack. Doctors advised him to follow up with a cardiologist, and told him they would not report his case to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Hornsby said his cardiologist, after performing blood work, told him his heart was healthy, and though the doctor didn't dismiss the possibility that his heart issues were connected to the vaccine, he told him the symptoms were ''most likely from stress or a musculoskeletal problem.''

''I had to stop trying to force my perceived diagnosis '-- bias against the vaccine '-- and listen to the professionals,'' Hornsby said, adding ''I needed to be patient,'' even after a union doctor also dismissed Hornsby's concerns that his symptoms were related to the vaccine.

Hornsby continued experiencing ''intermittent pains,'' despite taking home remedies such as tea and supplements to calm his heart rate, which he said were helpful.

It was only in December 2021, when his medical certification was due for renewal, that his aeromedical examiner (AME) advised him to wear a Holter monitor (a type of portable ECG) for one week to monitor his heart.

''That is when I discovered that I had arrhythmia issues, heart palpitations and [an] irregular heart rate, which was occurring almost exclusively at night,'' said Hornsby. ''I reported back to my AME, who then told me I was grounded and that I should go find a good cardiologist and get healthy.''

The following month, another cardiologist diagnosed Hornsby with vaccine-induced myocarditis.

''My heart was inflamed,'' said Hornsby. ''After an echocardiogram, it showed my heart mildly dilated with fluid behind my heart.''

Hornsby said he's ''doing much better,'' but he's still not flying. He's disappointed with the dismissive manner in which several doctors addressed his concerns.

''Had doctors been willing to view my case '-- and I suspect others '-- with an open mind, this could have been diagnosed much, much earlier,'' he said. ''Looking back, had my heart not been healthy, I would have surely died from cardiac arrest like you're seeing in young athletes.''

Hornsby said he believes other pilots with similar symptoms are still flying.

''I suspect there are many pilots flying around with minor and perhaps major issues,'' Hornsby said. ''The vaccine is/was experimental and for good cause. No one knows the long-term effects.''

He added:

''How many years have been shaved from my life? Will I develop scar tissue in my heart? Will I get cancer as a result? Has this trash degraded my immune system? Only God knows.''

Pilot injured by Moderna shot: 'I have a family to feed'

In fact, The Defender interviewed another pilot '-- currently flying for a commercial airline in the U.S. '-- who is experiencing such health difficulties.

The pilot, who spoke to The Defender on condition of anonymity, said:

''I was experiencing chest pain, usually at night, almost like somebody had their hand around my heart and was squeezing.

''Generally, [the pain] would subside during the day, but '... would appear occasionally out of nowhere and I would need to lie down.

''It would manifest as pain, but also like something was lodged deep in my esophagus, like I had a piece of food or air that was pressing upon my chest area.''

According to the pilot, his symptoms ''began about a week after the second Moderna vaccination.

He said the airline he works for threatened to terminate anyone who didn't get the vaccine. ''I have a family to feed, so I was left with little choice.''

He said he is ''on reserve'' and not flying often. While his symptoms have recently subsided, he felt that ''looking into further treatment would result in an answer that would be unfavorable to my medical [certification].''

He added:

''In the back of my mind though, the thought of what it could mean for my future health is there.

''The current situation I am faced with is that supporting a family is what is most important to me. Fear of loss of my pilot medical [certification] after being mandated to get this vaccine is the path I am currently on.''

Terminated after 19 years for refusing COVID shot, former Australian pilot advocates for others

Australia, like Canada, has a government-level vaccine mandate for airline crew and airport workers. In Australia, this mandate went into effect on Nov. 15, 2021.

Glen Waters is a former captain with Virgin Australia who is now a spokesman for a group of employees from the same airline.

Waters, who had held the rank of captain for 19 years before being terminated by Virgin Australia for refusing the vaccine, spoke to The Defender on behalf of several pilots who are suffering from vaccine injuries.

According to Waters, ''none of the pilots suffering from injuries are prepared to talk'' because ''the company is actively trying to terminate anyone reporting vaccine injury.''

Waters said employees whose health issues are characterized as ''unrelated'' to the vaccine are being treated by Virgin Australia ''as you would expect a company to care for its employees.''

Waters stated ''there are several reasons injured pilots will not come forward,'' including:

''There is a stigma attached to anti-vaccine sentiment in any form.There is a reluctance on the part of the medical community to get involved with possible vaccine injuries.Vaccine makers will actively fight against injury claims.Insurance companies have distanced themselves from claims involving the vaccine.Pilots don't want to lose their medical certifications, jobs or careers.Waters said of approximately 900 pilots flying with Virgin Australia, he is aware of nine who are no longer flying because of medical complications that could be linked to the vaccine.

''No doubt there are many more who are continuing to fly with troubling symptoms,'' he said.

These symptoms, according to Waters, most commonly include myocarditis and pericarditis. Some symptoms, however, are even more serious.

Waters told The Defender:

''We have one captain [who had] a stroke and went blind, and another had a heart attack and fell down the boarding stairs after landing.

''There have been complaints of constant headaches and numerous reports of chest pains and shortness of breath.

''A number of cabin crew have reported pins and needles in their limbs, almost like electric shocks that persist for hours at a time.

''I have heard [about cases of] tinnitus, vertigo and brain fog, including temporary blindness, in several crew. Disrupted menstrual cycles are reported frequently, perhaps affecting dozens [of employees].''

However, according to Waters, perhaps due to the work environment, not all pilots are comfortable in stating openly that there may be a connection between their health difficulties and the vaccines.

''I'm only aware of three who say the symptoms started within an hour of the vaccine, one within seven days,'' he said.

''The stroke and heart attack victims are not attributing their medical event to the vaccine as far as I am aware. Neither [did] the captain who died of a sudden onset of cancer early this year.''

Some employees may not understand their symptoms might be related to the vaccine, Waters said. ''Many of the early warning signs '-- persistent headaches, chest pains, breathlessness '-- are not recognized by aircrew as possible adverse reactions,'' Waters said.

''The heart attacks and strokes are occurring in otherwise fit and healthy individuals. They are sudden and are a real risk to flight safety.''

Waters explained that Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, similar to other such bodies globally, has ''a 1% rule'' for pilots: If they have a medical condition ''that presents a greater than 1% chance of resulting in an incapacitation event within the next 12 months, then they are considered medically unfit to fly.''

In light of this, according to Waters, ''numerous aviation doctors, including Lt. Col.Theresa Long and Lt. Col. Peter Chambers, have recommended tests that will help determine the real risk to pilots.''

These include the D-dimer test for blood-clotting conditions, a complete blood count, post-vaccination ECG analysis, a cardiac MRI and others.

As pilots speak out, there are some legal victories

Despite what numerous pilots call a hostile environment in the aviation industry toward claims of vaccine injury, a recent series of legal decisions were in pilots' favor and more legal actions are in progress.

A judge at the Amsterdam Court of Appeals in the Netherlands on June 2 ruled in favor of the Dutch Airline Pilots Association, in a case that challenged vaccine mandates introduced by Dutch airline KLM for new pilots.

According to the ruling:

''It is considered that requesting and demanding a vaccination against corona constitutes an unjustified infringement of the fundamental rights of the candidate pilots.

''In particular, it infringes the privacy (Article 8 ECHR) [the European Convention on Human Rights] of the candidate pilots.

''After all, the decision whether or not to have yourself vaccinated is something that belongs pre-eminently to this private sphere.

''Requiring the candidate pilot to be vaccinated and to give a positive answer to that question about vaccination status, therefore, violates this. KLM thus leaves no choice to candidate pilots who want to join KLM.''

Per the June 2 ruling, KLM is prohibited from requesting or collecting such information from candidate pilots, or rejecting candidates on the basis of their vaccination status, under penalty of '‚¬100,000 (approximately $105,000) per violation.

Following the ruling, the Dutch Pilots Association issued a statement, remarking:

''The [association] endorses the government's position that vaccination is important, but that compulsory vaccination by the employer is not permitted.

''We were of the opinion that KLM did not comply with this and, moreover, violated our agreements about this, without there being any operational necessity.''

In Canada, the federal government on June 14 announced most travel-related vaccine mandates would be lifted as of June 20.

Responding to this announcement, in a statement sent to The Defender, Free to Fly credited those who opposed the mandates, stating:

''This dark season helps reinforce an important maxim; true change only comes about through tenacity, courage, and the relentless pursuit of truth by principled men and women.

''Across our nation, many Canadians refused to give up on freedom and fought for our fragile democracy. We feel no 'gratitude' towards an emboldened state for ceasing to violate God-given freedoms.

''We must never forget our recent travails, and cannot be lulled into complacency, certainly with Trudeau's government openly threatening reinstatement of mandates with any 'new variant'.''

''We will continue to pursue them, insisting on uncompromising standards in our industry and the assurance we never again go down this road of medical segregation.''

In another recent development, Canadian pilot Ross Wightman became just one of a small number of people who have received compensation from Canada's Vaccine Injury Support Program.

Wightman was diagnosed with Guillain-Barr(C) Syndrome, a rare condition that affects the nervous system and may cause muscle weakness, paralysis or even death.

He developed the condition within days of receiving his first and only dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. For the past year, Wightman has been unable to work, as he has substantially limited mobility in his arms and legs.

Global Aviation Advocacy Coalition pens open letter to aviation industry

In an open letter to the aviation industry, the GAA raised serious allegations regarding industry vaccine mandates, which the GAA said resulted in a growing number of vaccine-injured pilots who are unable to fly and who may never do so again '-- and an increasing number of pilots who continue to fly while experiencing potentially serious symptoms.

The letter was signed by organizations including the USFF, Free To Fly Canada, the Aussie Freedom Flyers, the UK Freedom Flyers, the International Medical Alliance, the Global Covid Summit, the Canadian Covid Care Alliance, the UK Medical Freedom Alliance, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and several other groups in the U.S., France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the U.K., as well as more than 17,000 physicians and medical scientists from around the world and ''thousands of pilots at over 30 global airlines.

The GAA said it is in communication with pilots at the following U.S.-based airlines: Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United, and 12 major air carriers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

According to the GAA's open letter, the organization and the scientists and doctors it works with ''are hearing daily from vaccine-injured airline pilots'' about conditions including ''cardiovascular issues, blood clots [and] neurological and auditory issues.''

The injured pilots are experiencing a broad spectrum of symptoms, ''ranging up to death,'' the GAA wrote, adding the symptoms ''at least correlate to receiving COVID-19 vaccinations.''

The GAA wrote that in many instances, these conditions are serious enough that ''pilots have lost medical certification and may not recover the same,'' while others ''are continuing to pilot aircraft while carrying symptoms that should be declared and investigated, creating a human factors hazard of unprecedented breadth,'' and ''a landscape which should greatly concern airlines and the traveling public.''

Pilots continue to fly despite experiencing such symptoms, said the GAA, because those ''who report their injury face possible loss of licensing, income, and career while receiving little to no support from their unions, and a prosecutorial invective from employing airlines.''

The GAA said many pilots were reluctant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and opposed mandates:

''Pilots are trained to be careful analysts of their environment, recognizing risks and actively mitigating. For many, their training and differential risk analysis led to concerns and negative conclusions regarding the compatibility of COVID-19 vaccination with health and flight safety.

''Not only did many pilots disagree with arbitrary requirements embodied in vaccination mandates, but they also saw risks in the unanswered questions and unjustified speed and pressure behind the vaccine rollouts. They lobbied their airlines and politicians, recommending caution and opposing mandates.''

However, stated the GAA, for many pilots, it was a choice between vaccination and job loss:

''Once airlines mandated vaccination, many pilots steadfastly refused based on risk and were subsequently put on unpaid leave or outright terminated.

''Principled professionals were forced out of aviation and the industry lost hundreds of thousands of hours of experience. Now, the global airline industry is heading into a dire staffing crisis.

''Thousands of other pilots were coerced into vaccination to provide for their families. This has taken a toll on their mental health.''

For the GAA, blame lies with the mandates '-- and more broadly, with the airlines, regulators and unions:

'' '... there appears to be no evidence of aviation regulators, airlines or unions having performed any of their own due diligence into COVID-19 vaccines and the impact on pilot health or performance.

''This is at complete odds with existing aviation medical standards. Questions exist around competence and possible negligence.

''Failure to address this potential medical watershed will make the airlines and unions complicit in a culture shift that has rocked the aviation mantra of 'safety first, always.'''

The GAA called on civil aviation authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Canada, UK Civil Aviation Authority, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority to begin fulfilling their regulatory obligations.

''The crisis in pilot health must be publicly addressed by airlines and representing unions to restore flight safety to what we once knew,'' their letter stated.

GAA called for:

''Where it exists, mandated COVID-19 vaccination for aviation workers must be discontinued.A permissive environment for self-reporting needs to be reemphasized by regulators and airlines.Thorough and objective aviation medical screenings of pilots and cabin crew need to be a high priority. These must be backed by the regulator and should focus on high prevalence harms which are now showing up in the general public and in our flight crews.Airlines and regulators hold data about sickness and medical certificate suspension, including symptoms and causal reasons. This data should be analysed by independent third parties to establish or rule out COVID-19 vaccination as a possible cause.''Free to Fly steps up pressure Canadian authorities, airlines

Canada-based Free to Fly represents close to 3,000 aviation professionals, according to its director, Greg Hill, who spoke to The Defender.

These professionals include pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers, maintenance workers and customer service representatives.

According to Hill, industry workers have reported a wide range of health issues, including ''generalized chest pains, myocarditis, enlarged heart, blood clots, hearing loss, partial paralysis, lymph issues [and] broad autoimmune dysfunction.''

Some of the injured pilots are ''high-end athletes'' who experienced a ''major decrease in their performance capacity.''

''We've had some inexplicable deaths at unreasonably young ages,'' Hill said, and ''an increase in in-flight diversions with one of our airlines in particular.''

While Hill left open the possibility that at least some of these incidents weren't vaccine-related, he said that Canadian authorities show ''an unwillingness to do a proper investigation.''

''Transport Canada, the airline industry, the airlines and the unions have been uniformly silent on the matter,'' Hill said.

Indeed, Hill said the aviation industry, regulators and unions in Canada have not been responsive to outreach from Free to Fly.

Referring to a document, prepared in conjunction with the Canadian COVID Care Alliance, that said flight crew pilots were most at risk of vaccine-related adverse effects due to their work environment, Hill said:

''We gave this to the two largest pilot unions in the country, the Air Canada Pilots Association and ALPA, the Airline Pilots Association '... they have refused to respond to it.

''We also sent it to management at two of our largest airlines '... they also have refused to even respond to it. And this was raising very explicitly the risks that these medical professionals felt needed, at the very least, to be investigated.

''And as yet, we've had nothing but silence formally as far as a response from these groups, as far as adverse events, vaccine injuries.''

The document provides: information on a union's obligation to its members; a differential risk analysis of COVID-19 versus the vaccines; an analysis of natural versus vaccine-induced immunity; an analysis of adverse reactions to the vaccines and particular risks faced by flight crews; a list of alternate treatment options for COVID-19; and a discussion of informed consent and coercion.

According to Hill, the policy is ''no jab, no job'' for pilots and aviation professionals in Canada, unless they are granted religious or medical exemptions.

But, said Hill, even in the rare instance when an exemption is granted, those employees nevertheless have found themselves out of work, due to airline practices that Hill described as extortionate.

Hill told The Defender:

''If you're not willing to take the jab and you can't be accommodated with a religious or medical exemption, then you are either on unpaid leave or outright terminated. Some of our pilots have already been terminated.

''The vast, vast majority of these accommodations were outright denied '... some of the stories of people that were denied medical accommodations are truly shocking, the same on the religious aspect.

''The handful that were approved '... are simply another round of extortion. Some of them were denied, then they were approved retroactively '... essentially they were approved, but then it didn't change anything '... you continue your unpaid leave, but you're allowed your benefits.''

Similar to claims made in an open letter hand-delivered to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and major U.S. air carriers in December 2021, Free to Fly also alleged a violation of existing aviation regulations, this time in Canada.

According to Hill:

''There was, at one point, on the Transport Canada website, this was July 2021, a line that specifically said it remains a general position of Transport Canada '... that participation in medical trials is not considered compatible with aviation medical certification.

''A number of us were asking questions '... and saying, 'Well, what's up with this?' And the answer was these [vaccines] are approved. And we said, 'No, they're not fully approved, they're approved under interim order.'

Hill said if you read that interim order, it was quite laughable. It basically said, 'We'll roll these vaccines out and we'll gather data. Right now we feel that they're okay and we'll continue to assess as we continue to jab people,' which just seems insane.

''So we asked these explicit questions, got no suitable answers,'' Hill said. ''And the week following '... they simply memory-holed it, they removed that line and it's no longer on the website. That was their response.''

Hill also described a culture of intimidation in Canada among pilots and flight crews, resulting in a reluctance to come forward with vaccine injury claims:

''Unless the individuals involved are willing to speak to it, I can't say '... every pilot that's currently still employed '... is living in fear of speaking explicitly, certainly in any public forum '... for fear of the retribution that has been rolled out against those of us who no longer have work because we refuse to go down this road and insisted upon medical freedom and in doing a proper analysis of what we're up against here.''

This has not stopped Free To Fly from pursuing legal action in Canada. According to Hill, in Canada, '' '... you can't seek private representation against your company. You have to do it through your union. And when the unions decide to not engage, you're left between a rock and a hard place.

Hill added:

'' '... if you read through the case law precedent over the past year or two in Canada, the courts have very, very much chosen a side. And the concern is within an English common law system, if we continue to litigate, litigate and lose and lose and lose, you create precedent that makes it harder and harder to dig your way out.

''Unfortunately, in this country, the law is downstream of politics. It's heavily influenced by it, certainly in my opinion. And politics, of course, is downstream of culture. So unless you impact culture and impact the broader narrative, it's very difficult to see legal solutions.''

Free to Fly on June 6 sent a letter to Canada's minister of transport, co-signed by the GAA, containing ''important, detailed questions regarding COVID-19 vaccines and flight safety,'' according to Hill.

As of this writing, the minister has not responded.

Hill said:

''It's just mind-boggling '... we've literally stood the [aviation industry's] safety culture on its head, and that's the greatest concern to us.

''It's not an interest in a desire for conflict. I long for the world before this became an all-consuming role, where we're pushing to try and get ourselves back to a sense of normalcy and proper risk assessment and risk mitigation, which is what pilots are really dedicated to.

''So that's all we want: that ability to look at this properly and analyze it properly '... aviation medical screenings focusing on some of the high prevalence harms that we've seen, that we're hearing about '... these screenings need to be backed by the [Canadian] regulator who, in our opinion, has not done their job properly over the past couple of years.

As far as suspensions, Hill said, pilot who are off and on have not been able to get their medical [certification] back. And these need to be analyzed by independent third parties.

Some pilots and aviation professionals, in addition to speaking out, are joining advocacy groups.

For instance, Hornsby and the pilot quoted in this story who opted to remain anonymous, have joined USFF, according to its co-founder, Josh Yoder, as are the pilots and air traffic controllers who previously shared their stories with The Defender.

USFF has recently begun filing a series of lawsuits against airlines and federal agencies in response to the vaccine mandates and their aftermath.

Ultimately, though, the public '-- not just pilots and aviation professionals '-- must also speak out, according to Hill.

''Whether it's Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, etc., we'd like to see the public as a whole rising up and speaking out publicly about these issues, asking why the regulators haven't done proper risk assessments in regards to where we're at with these jabs.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:52

A group of researchers made gene-edited hamsters that were meant to be less aggressive. The researchers used CRISPR, a gene-editing platform, to remove a gene they believed was responsible for aggressive behavior in hamsters. However, the genetic modification had a much different effect. Instead of being more docile, the hamsters became overly aggressive.

Scientists accidentally made angry and aggressive gene-edited hamsters Image source: stockcrafter / Adobe Hamsters have been at the heart of many animal studies for decades. That's because these furry little rodents have a social organization and a stress response that is very human-like. Because of this, scientists have used the rodents to try to better understand what governs social behaviors like anger, stress, and so on.

Several decades ago, back in the early 1980s, a group of researchers discovered that a hormone known as arginine vasopressin (AVP) could change the behavior of hamsters. From here, the scientists dug deeper into the differences between the sexes of hamsters and the AVP receptor, called Avpr1a. It's this hormone that was changed in the gene-edited hamsters.

Previously, researchers found that males injected with Avpr1a activators became more aggressive, while female hamsters became less aggressive. Alternatively, when injecting males with Avpr1a inhibitors, males became more docile, while females became aggressive. More research into the hamster's response to Avpr1a showed how it regulates aggression in the rodents. At least, we thought it did.

Turning decades of research on its head Image source: Pushpangadan / Adobe In 2007, another test saw researchers removing the Avpr1a gene in male mice. They expected to see reduced aggression because of the lack of AVP signaling. However, the mice showed no difference in aggression levels than normal mice. Now, researchers have tested this same idea by creating gene-edited hamsters.

The researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to remove the Avrpr1a receptor gene in both male and female hamsters. As with the mice, they expected it to reduce aggression levels overall. However, that hypothesis was incorrect. Instead, the female and male gene-edited hamsters both became more aggressive. They were even going so far as to attack other hamsters of the same sex.

The results are puzzling, to be sure, especially with almost four decades of research into how Avpr1a affects these animals. While we know that AVP increases social behaviors, scientists now say it could have more global effects too. Instead of linking these receptors to single parts of the brain, the researchers say we need to see how they affect ''entire circuits of the brain.''

This isn't the first time we've used gene editing to mess around with animals. Scientists have also tried gene-editing in cats, as well as created genetically modified cockroaches. The researchers published their findings on the experiment in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:49

The Good Brigade | Digitalvision | Getty Images

If you get your health insurance through the government Health Insurance Marketplace, you may want to brace for higher premiums next year.

Unless Congress takes action, enhanced premium subsidies '-- technically, tax credits '-- that have been in place for 2021 and 2022 will disappear after this year. The change would affect 13 million of the 14.5 million people who get their health insurance through the federal exchange or their state's marketplace.

"The default is that the expanded subsidies will expire at the end of this year," said Cynthia Cox, a vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation and director of its Affordable Care Act program. "On average, premiums would go up more than 50%, but for some it will be more."

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Most enrollees '-- which includes the self-employed and workers with no job-based health insurance '-- receive subsidies, which reduce what they pay in premiums. Some people also may qualify for help with cost-sharing such as deductibles and copays on certain plans, depending on their income.

Before the temporary changes to the calculation for subsidy eligibility, the aid was generally only available to households with income from 100% to 400% of the poverty level.

The American Rescue Plan Act, which was signed into law in March 2021, removed '-- for two years '-- that income cap, and the amount that anyone pays for premiums during the reprieve is limited to 8.5% of their income as calculated by the exchange.

Assuming Congress does not extend the expanded tax credits, only people with household income from 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level will once again qualify for subsidies.

Exactly how much of a premium increase a person would see depends on income, age, the premium cost where they live and how the premiums charged by insurers change for next year, according to Kaiser.

Here's a hypothetical example, based on a report from the Congressional Budget Office: Say a 64-year-old with $58,000 in income '-- about 430% of the 2022 poverty level of $13,590 '-- has insurance through the exchange. The 8.5% limit currently in place means they would pay no more than $4,950 for premiums this year. However, if faced with a 400% cap on eligibility in 2023, that same person would pay $12,900 for premiums because they'd no longer qualify for subsidies.

A proposal to extend the extra subsidies through 2025 was included in the Democrats' Build Back Better bill, which cleared the House last year but fell apart in the Senate.

It's uncertain whether the provision will be revived in some form via other legislation that Democrats may try to get through the Senate before a new Congress starts in January '-- the makeup of which could look very different due to the midterm elections Nov. 8.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:46

A power-generating windmill turbine and the church of the village are pictured during sunset at a wind park in Ecoust-Saint-Mein, France, September 6, 2020. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comEurope seeks to fuel sustainable funds to meet net-zero targets72% of asset managers consider halting non-ESG product launches68% of distributors plan to cease non-ESG products distributionJune 27 (Reuters) - Over two-thirds of European asset managers and distributors are considering halting the launch or distribution of products that do not comply with environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, a survey by PwC Luxembourg showed on Monday.

Flows into ESG funds have surged in recent years, driven in part by a growing regulatory focus on issues such as climate change as governments seek to push more money to activities that can help them meet their net-zero emissions goals.

The PwC survey of 3,354 respondents suggested ESG assets domiciled in Europe could grow to between 7.4 trillion euros and 9.0 trillion euros ($7.8 to $9.5 trillion) by 2025 and account for up to 56% of total European mutual fund assets, against 37% at the end of last year.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAgainst that backdrop, almost 72% of European asset managers were willing to halt all non-ESG product launches, with more than 60% planning to do so by the end of 2024, PwC wrote in its report, adding it foresaw long-term challenges for asset managers that maintain a hybrid ESG/non-ESG product range as the shift materialises.

Among independent financial advisers, private and retail banks, as much as 68% plan to cease their distribution of non-ESG products altogether, of which over half intend to do so within the coming two years, the survey showed.

"As regional regulations become increasingly stringent and as efforts towards the development of global ESG standards intensify, managers '' especially those willing to compete at a global level '' will be pushed towards an all-encompassing alignment of their products and operations with ESG," financial services market leader at PwC Olivier Carre said.

($1 = 0.9480 euros)

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Juliette Portala; Editing by Simon Jessop and Mark Potter

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:39

D id your flight get cancelled in the school holidays? Has the delivery of your new sofa been delayed? Was your last meal out disappointing? Are your new socks see-through? Are you reading this while you are on hold to customer services? Does everything feel just a little bit worse?

The cost of living crisis has given British households a crash course in the misery caused by inflation, which is scaling heights not seen since the 1980s. But what if there is also another force at work in the economy, lurking in the background and making a bad situation that little bit grimmer?

Welcome to ''skimpflation'' '' a term popularised in the US and gaining traction in the UK. ''Skimpflation is when consumers are getting less for their money,'' says Alan Cole, a writer at Full Stack Economics and formerly a senior economist at the joint economic committee of the US Congress. ''Unlike typical inflation, where they're paying more for the same goods, skimpflation is when they're paying the same for something that worsened in quality.''

The most common example is ''having to wait longer for things'', says Cole. ''If you've ordered furniture or an appliance recently, you'll find that delivery times are slow. That loss of timeliness is a quality downgrade.''

Thanks to the current crisis, we are all familiar with what inflation means: the price of stuff is going up, sometimes by an eye-watering amount. There have also been plenty of examples of shrinkflation, which is when a company reduces the size of a packet of chocolate or crisps, for instance, but the price stays the same.

But even if it is not as easy to identify, when you start to look for skimpflation, you can see it everywhere. It is in the supermarket, when you bump into someone filling shelves because costlier night-shift work has been axed, or when your favourite brand is no longer there because the range has been reduced to cut warehouse costs.

It is in disappointing new clothes that bobble after one wear, or when you book a holiday only to have your flight rescheduled, or find you now have to pay for your food and drink on board. Then, when you try to get your money back or complain, you find the only route is via a web chat with an entity that may or may not be human.

Illustration: Nick Moffatt/The GuardianThe Planet Money podcast made by US radio producer NPR came up with the term in 2021. It is a ''stealth-ninja kind of inflation'', it said, where consumers ''pay the same or more for services but they kinda suck compared with what they used to be''. It used the example of the Magic Kingdom, where visitors were walking nearly a mile to get into Disney World and Disneyland because the tram service from the car park was not running.

To be fair, with the impact of the pandemic and the economy teetering on the edge of recession, this is a difficult time for businesses as well as consumers. For every big corporation with deep pockets like Disney, there is a small company struggling to survive. They got through Covid only to be hit by soaring energy and materials prices, plus staff shortages, when the world got back to normal. As customers struggle with rising living costs, firms must choose between passing on their increased expenses, taking a hit to profits (if they are making any), or replacing parts or services with something cheaper.

''I always assumed that was the [high-street] model with socks,'' says David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Dartmouth college, and a former member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, when asked about the idea. ''I remember it from many years ago: the price of socks remained the same and, as costs changed, the thickness of the sock changed. I don't know how big a deal it [skimpflation] is '... I'd ask a different question: to what extent does inflation measure things properly?''

For most of his economics career, Cole believed that official statistics made inflation seem worse than it really was because it was so hard for the data to capture improvements in the quality of products. Now he thinks the official statistics are failing to show how bad inflation actually is.

He argues that skimpflation becomes more prevalent when it's hard to produce things or the world is getting poorer. ''Usually, the world is getting richer, so you see goods and services getting fancier. But the Covid-19 pandemic made us poorer and less productive in many ways, forcing cutbacks.''

It is also more prevalent in a ''seller's market'', like today, he says. ''That's an environment where more money is moving about the economy, and there are many willing buyers for scarce goods and services. Contrast this with a 2008-2011-style economy, where buyers with cash seem to have the upper hand in transactions, and sellers or workers seem to have little bargaining power. In 2008-2011, money was much less plentiful, and the whole world was a 'buyer's market', if you could afford to be a buyer.

''If the amount of money moving around is higher, but production hasn't increased, then it stands to reason you'll get less for your money. Some firms do this by charging you more, but others do this by skimping on their product a bit.''

All producers are looking at ingredients and thinking: Can we use something cheaper to do the same job?Due to high energy costs and other issues, food costs were already climbing before the war in Ukraine. This inflation has to be paid for, says Jason Bull of West Yorkshire-based ingredients firm Eurostar Commodities, who says companies are trying to find cheaper recipes. ''All producers are looking at ingredients and thinking: 'Can we use something cheaper to do the same job '' a different flour, or a different starch, to mitigate the rising costs of ingredients and freight,''' he says.

Changing the recipe may mean the price won't change but Bull says the quality and taste can. ''Food producers want to give the people the ability to afford a healthy and varied diet. However, there's a real risk people will be eating less nutritious food.''

His view is echoed by Andrew Selley, chief executive of Bidfood, a large UK food wholesaler, who last month warned that soaring food costs meant ''difficult decisions for school caterers''. ''Either they are going to serve smaller portions or use cheaper ingredients, which isn't going to be good for the children.''

Higher food prices are a massive headache in the hospitality trade, too, with restaurants forced to resort to ''menu engineering'' (the technical term for using cheaper ingredients) to make the maths work for each dish. This happens all the time but is particularly relevant now due to ''crazy'' price rises, says the restaurant industry consultant Peter Backman.

Illustration: Nick Moffatt/The GuardianIn tough times, a common trick is to cut food sold in slices more thinly and at an angle so it covers more of the plate, or to reduce the amount of pricey meat and fish while introducing more pulses and vegetables, which are cheaper. But Backman says there is ''only so much beef you can replace with lentils before the customer says: 'I ordered beef and not lentils.'''

Where clothes are concerned, experts report that retailers are offsetting higher costs by buying lower-quality fabric or manufacturing them more cheaply. ''The wash-and-wear performance of fabrics that look similar on the hanger can vary a lot,'' says Matthew Easter, who runs school uniform brand Trutex, which competes with ultra-cheap supermarket ranges that he says are made of less hard-wearing fabrics.

That Britons feel shortchanged is apparent in the snapshot of sentiment provided by the Customer Satisfaction Index, published by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS). Its most recent update showed customer service complaints at a record high, with the quality, reliability and availability of goods and services the main bugbears.

''The number of customers experiencing a problem with an organisation is at its highest ever level,'' says the ICS's chief executive, Jo Causon. ''When things go wrong, they can go very wrong indeed, causing frustration and distress, especially in the context of significant life events, or for customers who are vulnerable or who are less confident about engaging through digital channels.''

The survey, which polls 10,000 consumers, found 16% of customers had experienced a problem with a brand's service in the past six months. There were fewer complaints about staff but far more about quality issues or items being out of stock.

Skimpflation is a new idea but Cole suggests that economists should pay some attention to it. ''If you see a firm cutting back product quality for the same price, that's a good indication that we are in a 'you get less for your money' regime, where sellers have the power,'' he says.

As for the customers, there's an old saying that springs to mind: let the buyer beware.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:39

A concerning number of 'pandemic babies' with no immunity to respiratory viruses are ending up seriously ill in ICU.

Doctors have revealed children born during the Covid-19 pandemic are requiring intensive care 'from encountering viruses they haven't come across before', such as influenza, RSV and Covid.

The children had been born and raised when there were virtually no other viruses circulating in Australia, other than Covid-19.

The Children's Hospital at Westmead infectious diseases paediatrician Dr Philip Britton said an analysis of ICU admissions across shows babies are testing positive for influenza and Covid at the same time.

'Over the last month or so, we have seen four times the admissions to hospital for flu in children as for Covid,' Dr Britton told The Daily Telegraph.

Infectious diseases paediatrician Dr Philip Britton said an analysis of ICU admissions across shows babies are testing positive for influenza and Covid at the same time

Dr Britton said five per cent of the children presenting with co-infections were being admitted to ICU, a statistic he described as 'very concerning'.

About half of the children had no pre-existing health conditions, with the elevated number of admissions putting pressure on the hospital system.

Some of the 'pandemic babies' are presenting with inflammation of the chest, brain and heart caused by influenza, Covid, and RSV.

RSV - respiratory syncytial virus - is a major cause of lung infections in children and can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis, which is particularly dangerous in young infants.

Severe cases can kill babies and toddlers, whose tiny airways have not yet fully formed and who struggle to cope with the infection.

'Among that group who are previously well '... It's not just a chest infection, some of these children can be impacted with the flu affecting the heart and the brain,' Dr Britton told The Daily Telegraph.

Some of the 'pandemic babies' are presenting with inflammation of the chest, brain and heart caused by influenza, Covid, and RSV.

A warning was sounded about RSV three weeks ago when there were just 355 cases a week in NSW, but three weeks later that has rocketed up to 3,775 in a week.

Around a fifth of those developed the potentially lethal bronchiolitis, with 40 per cent of them ending up in hospital.

Infectious disease researcher Dr John-Sebastian Eden said the triple whammy of RSV, flu and Covid was packing out the emergency department of Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital.

'There is a widespread three-way outbreak occurring,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

International borders opening up has seen flu come back and new strains of RSV.

'With Covid layered up on top, these are three main viruses which will lead to hospitalisation.'

Potentially lethal respiratory syncytial virus which attacks kids and has no vaccine has exploded in NSW with cases increasing tenfold in just three weeks

During Covid, RSV continued to spread and split into two separate strains in the east and west of the country in the wake of Western Australia's prolonged isolation.

Infectious disease researcher Dr John-Sebastian Eden said the triple whammy of RSV, flu and Covid was packing out the emergency department of Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital

Researchers were shocked by the sudden rise of the disease in the first year of lockdowns, fuelled by keeping childcare centres open despite Covid restrictions.

'It was something we had never seen before,' said Dr Eden. 'Even in lockdown there was a lot of effort to keep childcare open.

'You only need a small amount of virus to build up a chain of transmission.'

The disease subsided in 2021, but has now bounced back with the current outbreak.

Dr Eden believes cases in NSW have yet to reach their peak, but is now braced for the outbreak to spread nationwide.

He expects the disease to spread across the southern half of the country at similar levels in the coming weeks.

'What happens is where you have an outbreak in NSW and we've got all those people travelling to other states from there, it then feeds outbreaks in other parts,' he said.

The disease subsided in 2021, but has now bounced back with the current outbreak.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RSV RSV is normally a winter disease but Covid lockdowns saw an unexpected huge surge in summer cases last year.

Symptoms include a runny nose, cough, reduced feeding and fever. Complications include wheezing and difficulty breathing, which can develop into pneumonia.

RSV - respiratory syncytial virus - is a major cause of lung infections in children and can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis, which is particularly dangerous in young infants.

Like Covid, it can be transferred by sneezing and coughing, but unlike Covid, young children are particularly affected by it.

'Most children will recover without needing specialist care in hospital, and children with mild infection can be treated with rest at home,' paediatrician Daniel Yeoh wrote in The Conversation.

'It's the major cause of lung infections in children, commonly causing bronchiolitis.

'Severe cases occasionally lead to death, predominantly in very young infants.

Almost all children have had an RSV infection by the age of two, but infants in their first year of life are more likely to experience severe infections requiring hospitalisation, because their airways are smaller. Babies have also not built up immunity to RSV from previous years.

Dr Yeoh added: 'Treatment for RSV is focused on helping children with their breathing (for example, giving them oxygen) and feeding (for example, administering fluids through a drip).'

There is no vaccine for RSV but several are under development.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:38

Germany Germany reported a 13% decline in births between January and March 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

United Kingdom The United Kingdom reported a 7.7% decline in births with 75,670 births between January and February 2022 compared to 82,042 births during the same period in 2021.

SwitzerlandIn Switzerland, birth rates have also plummeted since the introduction of the covid vaccines.

Taiwan Taiwan reported a 23.2% decline in births in May 2022 compared to the same month in 2021.

Igor Chudov, the author of a popular covid newsletter wrote , ''When expressed in ''sigmas'', units of standard deviation, the 23.24% drop in the birth rate in Taiwan is a 26-sigma event ! This is can be described as ''unimaginable'' in terms of the likelihood of happening due to random chance.''

Sweden Sweden, without lockdown and school closures, reported a 6.6% decline with 35,454 births between January and April 2022 compared to 37,950 births during the same period in 2021.

The decline in birth rates is 6.9% for that same time period when compared to the average of 2019-2021.

Netherlands Netherlands reported a 6.3% decline with 53,090 births between January and April 2022 compared to 56,671 births during the same period in 2021.

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In conclusion, data from around the world shows a substantial monthly decrease in birth rates from January 2022 to April 2022 compared to previous years.

Biodistribution studies show that Pfizer's mRNA vaccine lipid nanoparticles do end up in the ovaries and testes and subsequent studies have shown that covid-19 and covid vaccines lower sperm counts.

Furthermore, the rate of fertility problems reported on the CDC's VAERS database for the covid vaccines are astronomical.

Prior to the introduction of the mRNA vaccines, there were about 1,500 reports of fertility problems over the 31-year history of VAERS for all vaccines combined.

There are 15,000 reports of fertility issues from the covid vaccine alone, which accounts for 95% of all the fertility issues in the history of VAERS.

In the United Kingdom, there are more than 30,000 reports of menstrual changes after covid vaccinations.

Why are birth rates plummeting in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Taiwan '-- nine months after the beginning of covid mass vaccinations?

Children are statistically at-or-near zero risk of being hospitalized or dying from covid-19.

The mass vaccination of children must stop now.

THE DOWNLOAD:Pfizer's History of Fraud, Corruption, and Using Nigerian Children as 'Human Guinea Pigs': More than twenty examples of Pfizer bribing doctors and medical professionals, blackmailing foreign countries, manipulating studies, and fraudulently promoting drugs. Read more.

The Pfizer Presentation That Got Dr. Malone Kicked Off Twitter: Pfizer's own vaccine trial data shows an INCREASED risk of all-cause illness and death for the vaccinated. Pfizer unblinded the trial, did not track any subclinical biomarkers, skipped testing of 3,410 participants with covid-19 symptoms, and reported a 12-year-old girl who had been paralyzed to a wheelchair as ''functional abdominal pain''. Read more.

Dr. Clare Craig Exposes How Pfizer Twisted Their Clinical Trial Data for Young Children: 3,000 of 4,526 children did not complete the trial for children aged six months to four years old. Pfizer ignored 97% of the covid that occurred during the trial and compared three children in the vaccine arm to seven in the placebo arm. Read more.

Pfizer's Covid-19 Vaccine Documents Counter "Safe And Effective" Narrative: 9-pages of side effects, 158,893 adverse events, 42,086 case reports, 1,223 fatalities in Pfizer's first three months and a record death rate among American millennials during the second half of 2021. Read more.

Infertility: A Diabolical Agenda: CHD Films Presents '-- The chilling, harrowing story of how a World Health Organization (WHO) population control experiment, under the guise of a vaccination program, resulted in the sterilization of millions of women in Africa without their knowledge or consent. Watch here.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:34

By Annabelle LiangBusiness reporter

Image source, Getty ImagesJapan's government has urged people in Tokyo and its surrounding area to use less electricity on Monday, as it warned that supplies will be strained as the country faces a heatwave.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expects demand for power to be "severe" this afternoon local time.

It said people should switch off unnecessary lights but still use air conditioning to avoid heatstroke.

For weeks, officials have warned of a power crunch as temperatures rise.

Over the weekend, the temperature in central Tokyo rose above 35C, while the city of Isesaki, northwest of the capital, saw a record 40.2C. That was the highest temperature ever recorded in June for Japan.

June marks the start of summer in Japan, with temperatures typically staying below 30C during the month.

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said that excess generating capacity for electricity was expected to drop to 3.7% on Monday afternoon in Tokyo and eight surrounding prefectures. It views a buffer of 3% as necessary for stable power supply.

The government asked people to turn off unnecessary lights for three hours from 15:00 Tokyo time (07:00 BST) while "properly using air conditioning and hydrating during hot hours".

Although electricity providers are working to increase supply, the ministry said the situation was "unpredictable" as temperatures climb.

"If there is an increase in demand and sudden supply troubles, the reserve margin will fall below the minimum required of 3%," it said.

Japan's power supply has been tight since an earthquake in its northeastern region in March forced some nuclear power plants to suspend operations.

Officials have also closed several aging fossil fuel plants in an attempt to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

These issues, along with a surge in demand for electricity, have resulted in a power squeeze.

Earlier this month, the Japanese government called on households and companies to save as much electricity as possible during the summer.

Meanwhile, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that 46 people in Tokyo had been taken to hospital for suspected heatstroke, as of Sunday afternoon.

It also said a 94-year-old man in the nearby Kawagoe city was suspected to have died from the condition.

The news comes after Australian officials urged households in New South Wales - a state which includes the country's biggest city Sydney - to switch off their lights in the face of an energy crisis. Restrictions on the Australian wholesale energy market were lifted late last week.

You may also be interested in:

Media caption, Why are UK energy prices so high?

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:27

Where does the buck stop in the EU? There's been plenty of finger pointing as Europeans try to figure out why their own vaccination efforts lag so far behind much of the rest of the world. In many ways, the EU's failure to produce an adequate supply of its vaccine is the kind of cataclysmic social failure that seems to indict entire regimes, not simply individual actors. No one is powerful enough to produce such a multifaceted failure on their own.

Yet much of the blame and anger has deservedly settled on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. To oust her, as former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recently demanded, would be understandable given her blind trust in free market forces to administer Europe's vaccination efforts and flailing attempts to make up for the resulting shortages.

But it would be a mistake to blame von der Leyen without understanding the broader failures that installed a person with a middling record in such a powerful position in the first place. The ultimate problem with von der Leyen is not that she bungled Europe's vaccine rollout. It's that she obtained her position through a kind of incestuous, image-obsessed politics that made bungling an inevitability.

Germans might have a reputation for being cold and rational, but mothers play a surprisingly large role in the political culture. For the Nazis, motherhood was the most a woman could hope to accomplish. They made Mother's Day a national holiday in Germany and rewarded exemplary mothers with the Mutterkreuz or ''Mother's Cross.'' Mothers were perhaps even more essential to the post-war era, however, when Germany was largely rebuilt by the so-called Tr¼mmerfrauen, women who took their names from the piles of rubble they helped clear and repurpose while their husbands and fathers awaited release from prisoner-of-war camps. In this context, it can hardly be surprising that powerful women are almost inevitably maternal in Germany. German Chancellor Angela Merkel became a notable exception but only because she overcame the burden'--in the form of public criticism and media skepticism'--associated with her childlessness.

Merkel's understanding of this dynamic would be one way of explaining the trust she placed in an unproven regional politician at the beginning of her chancellorship. Von der Leyen certainly seemed the perfect embodiment of motherhood: With seven children of her own, she had already climbed the lower ranks of Germany's political establishment while promoting an image of herself as a kind of supermom, who packed lunchboxes and tended to boo-boos while juggling affairs of state.

Von der Leyen, then-social affairs minister of Lower Saxony, with her seven children and her husband, Heiko von der Leyen, show cookies they baked in Hanover, Germany, on Nov. 11, 2003. JOCHEN LUEBKE/DDP/AFP via Getty Images

Today, the image of the power-mom with a big job and a bigger brood has become commonplace in global politics, especially on the right. Frauke Petry, former leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party, has been especially conspicuous in using her six children to her political advantage, in ways reminiscent of former U.S. Gov. Sarah Palin, whose five children and ''grizzly mama'' moniker were constantly exploited for political gain when she shared a ticket with then-U.S. Sen. John McCain in 2008.

Von der Leyen, with fewer populist impulses than Petry or Palin, has found ways of investing Germany's politics of motherhood with new substance. Placed by Merkel atop both the ministry for family affairs and the ministry for labor in successive governments, von der Leyen was responsible for introducing new directives intended to bring mothers back into the workforce. Among them were the introduction of Elterngeld, a program that replaces a substantial portion of the salaries of parents who take leave from their jobs to care for their children, and a program that expands public day care programs so they are available to children as young as 12 months old. Both programs have now become so thoroughly a part of public life in Germany that it can be difficult to imagine just how controversial they were when first introduced, but they each came under fire, especially from conservatives who saw them as an affront to traditional family structures and unnecessarily invasive to private life.

Von der Leyen, with her seven children and strong ties within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was the perfect person to push through these reforms. She served as an endless example for women's ability to do it all. But another key factor often gets overlooked: her lineage. It should be no surprise that von der Leyen has been adept at exploiting images of youth and family for political ends. She learned at the hands of masters.

Von der Leyen (left) with her father, Ernst Albrecht, pose for a family photo in 1978. IMAGO-IMAGES via Reuters

Von der Leyen was herself one of seven children, though her sister Benita-Eva died tragically in childhood. She was born in Brussels in 1958 to Ernst Albrecht and Heidi Adele Stromeyer. It was a charmed, if difficult, moment in German history. The Wirtschaftswunder made the country Europe's economic engine, and it was coupled with a newfound confidence in Germany's central economic and defensive role in the new world order. There were few more enthusiastic beneficiaries of the rapidly shifting political landscape than the Albrecht family. Albrecht was one of the European Union's first civil servants. He was just 37 years old when he was appointed to the highest civil-service office in the Directorate-General for Competition, where he oversaw the nascent European Union's antitrust operations.

Albrecht grew dissatisfied with life in Brussels, however, and returned to his ancestral home in Hanover, Germany. He was soon elected to the position of minister president (or governor, in U.S. diction) of Lower Saxony, an office he held between 1976 and 1990. Albrecht had a reputation as a politician whose influence exceeded his office, and he was a perennial pick for the CDU's next chancellor. Though he never held any higher office, he and his family were constantly in the limelight. It can hardly be a surprise. The children were blond, beautiful, and talented, and Stromeyer seemed as cool and sovereign in front of the camera as her husband.

Indeed, in some very real ways, Germany still thinks of von der Leyen as Albrecht's little girl. While the childless Merkel gained the nickname ''mutti,'' or mommy, von der Leyen still carries the nickname given to her by her father: ''R¶schen'' or ''Little Rosie.'' To reduce von der Leyen to her father's daughter, as one does when one calls her ''R¶schen,'' is to overlook the fact that she has far exceeded his political accomplishments. It's a terrible nickname. A better nickname might have been, ''die h¼bsche.'' It means ''the pretty one'' in everyday parlance, so it might hardly seem an improvement in terms of misogyny. But it also has another history. In Hanover, the ''h¼bsche Familien'' were quasi-noble families who had special access to the court. The Albrecht family have held this status'--and key positions in German politics'--for more than 500 years.

Contemporary Germany doesn't seem like a place where aristocratic titles and family lineages hold much sway'--publicly, Germans are deeply committed to democratic culture and have minimal interest in the kinds of aristocratic trappings that still seem to capture British hearts. Yet the aristocracy have managed to maintain far more of both its economic and political privileges than is commonly recognized. Indeed, the Social Democratic Party's youth committee proposed legislation to ban the adoption of noble titles as parts of last names; had they succeeded, the president of the European Commission would have had to drop the noble title she took when she married her husband, and she would now simply be called Ursula Leyen. The demand was not empty. Many nobles still move in an elite world, where titles can have a real effect on a person's chances of career success and where bloodlines still trump accomplishments as a measure of a person's worth.

Although it would be foolhardy to think von der Leyen could have achieved everything she has without political talents of her own, it's also important to recognize she has always been granted a kind of privilege that far surpasses the parochial advantages accorded to average Germans. Von der Leyen's family tree traces a legacy of power and brutality, incorporating not only some of Germany's most significant Nazis but also some of Britain's largest slave traders and, through marriage, some of the United States' largest slave owners. Von der Leyen is descended directly from James Ladson, who owned more than 200 slaves when the Civil War broke out.

It might seem petty to condemn someone for their ancestry: The sins of the father, after all, shall not be visited on the son'--or, in this case, the daughter. But von der Leyen herself has invoked these forefathers unapologetically, if unthinkingly. When von der Leyen was in college and a group of radical, left-wing terrorists called the Red Army Faction (RAF) went on a violent crime spree, Albrecht, concerned his family would become a target of the RAF, implored his beloved R¶schen to study abroad. She enrolled at the London School of Economics under the name Rose Ladson. Few people at the time were as conscious of the lingering legacies of slavery as we have now become, but her choice to assume the name of her slave-holding ancestors was an indication nevertheless about her comfort with unchallenged and inherited privilege.

Von der Leyen displays her dressage skills at the International Dressage and Jumping Festival in Verden, Germany, on Aug. 4, 2007. Von der Leyen is an avid rider. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Even if von der Leyen was a little more reflective about her ancestry, it would be necessary to point out the ruling classes that emerged centuries ago continue, at least in some cases, to hold undue influence on European politics. The kinds of family trees that seem to include a shameful number of moral transgressions are still revered by much of the continent's ruling elite. It's no accident that French President Emmanuel Macron is commonly cited as having first suggested von der Leyen for the leadership position, citing her perfect French'--the French she learned as a child when her father was in Brussels'--as evidence of her cosmopolitan nature. But there are any number of Europeans who speak excellent French, and Macron complimented more than her pronunciation. At a press conference, Macron praised her ''profoundly European culture'' before going on to say ''she has the DNA of the European community,'' referring explicitly to her father's important role in Europe's bureaucratic apparatus more than 40 years earlier.

However, it's not only that von der Leyen's name and connections have provided her with a kind of aristocratic sheen. Family was always crucial to her political trajectory. She catapulted through the ranks of local government in Lower Saxony largely because she could call her father's former allies into line in the service of Christian Wulff, the minister president of Lower Saxony when von der Leyen began her career there in 2003 at the age of 45. These connections, and the milieu in which they were established, were the precondition of von der Leyen's political maternity. Indeed, the power of her connections is evident in the story of how she gained her first regional seat.

Her own home in the tiny Hanover suburb of Ilten was represented by regional CDU chairperson J¼rgen Gans¤uer, so she decided to try her political hand in her hometown of Burgdorf, even though that seat had been held for almost 15 years by a CDU politician named Lutz von der Heide. The first primary, which she won by a single vote, was thrown out on a technicality. Her father jumped into action, and with Wilfried Hasselmann, then the honorary chair of the CDU in Hanover, he went on a charm offensive. Meanwhile, the regional edition of the powerful tabloid Bild started a smear campaign against von der Heide. Though von der Heide had held the seat for more than a decade and was, by all accounts, a skilled politician, she won with two-thirds of the votes.

This combination of high political connections and low-brow slander is typical of the family's political style. Albrecht, with his photogenic family and conservative values, had always been a favorite of the paper. Von der Leyen surpassed him. For years, she wrote a column for the tabloid, which is easily the most powerful in Germany. Her political convictions played a secondary role. Indeed, many of the columns seem as though they might be ad copy for some strange German cousin of J.Crew'--the images of the family relaxing, riding, and playing music together could hardly have been more carefully staged had the family been modeling the latest in seersucker and chambray rather than advocating for their particular brand of politics.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and von der Leyen, then-minister of work and social issues, vote during the Christian Democratic Union party convention in Hanover, Germany, on Dec. 4, 2012. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

It's unsurprising that von der Leyen's successes at the labor and family ministries served to make her, for a time, Merkel's natural successor as leader of the CDU. The policies'--despite some complaints about inequities across social classes'--were widely popular on the left while von der Leyen herself was widely popular among German centrists. Her next job, as Germany's defense minister, would have been a natural stepping stone to the top job; Helmut Schmidt had already gone from that position to the German chancellorship in prior decades. When von der Leyen entered office in 2013, Merkel had already been chancellor for eight years, and it seemed likely that von der Leyen, after a tenure leading the German military, would replace her.

But von der Leyen's career floundered at the defense ministry in ways that foreshadowed her failures in Brussels'--and were entirely in keeping with her earlier successes. The ministries of family and labor are important sites of policy development, and they allowed von der Leyen to flaunt her considerable skill at redistributing tax money in ways that represented the needs of German families. But the managerial challenges of the defense ministry are of an entirely different order. It wasn't just that von der Leyen had never previously shown an interest in security policy. At her earlier posts, von der Leyen primarily led small teams of loyal deputies; at defense, she suddenly was the boss of hundreds of thousands of people and responsible for an annual budget of more than $48 billion. In her many earlier successes, she never demonstrated a particular skill at overseeing the sort of massive global logistic problems the military confronts every day as a matter of course'--or even at navigating the internal dynamics of complex organizations like the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, one of her first reforms at the defense ministry involved the creation of army day care centers (or ''Kitas''). Here, again, the kinds of care work von der Leyen supported were critically important, both societally and militarily. Germany abandoned mandatory military service just a few years before von der Leyen began to serve as defense secretary, and the army was in the midst of adjusting to its new, fully professional status. The Kitas was only one of several measures von der Leyen introduced to make the army more family friendly. She also attempted to tie soldiers' leaves to school breaks, allow soldiers to work part time while still progressing in their careers, and limit the number of relocations soldiers with families had to endure. One shouldn't underestimate the importance of these measures; not only were they crucial to maintaining a standing army, but there is also reason to believe a more family-friendly military is less susceptible to right-wing extremism than one that relies on a more traditional model of the family.

But if von der Leyen's powerful connections, aristocratic comportment, and media savvy were enough to carry her through stints leading Germany's ministries of family and labor, they failed her in her role as the head of Germany's military. Can it be any surprise, really, that a person who had neither any previous experience in defense policy or strategy nor substantial experience managing large organizations in the private or public sectors should fail in such a complex and varied role?

Von der Leyen, then-defense minister, visits the German sailing training ship Gorch Fock at a shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, on June 21, 2019. Fabian Bimmer/REUTERS

Von der Leyen held the post as defense minister from 2013 to 2019, a remarkable run considering her inexperience. But when things came crashing down, they came crashing down quickly'--and exposed a slew of mismanagement, incompetence, and potential corruption. The scandal is usually called the ''consultant affair'' due to the untold hundreds of millions of dollars von der Leyen and her chief deputy Katrin Suder paid to consultants who were responsible for helping to determine how the military should spend its substantial armaments budget. In actuality, however, it was really problems with procurement that led to von der Leyen's political downfall in Germany. And it was no accident that it was as minister of defense that von der Leyen encountered issues with procurement. It's the complexity of the Bundeswehr's expenses'--and the ubiquity of lobbyists'--that have long turned the powerful position into a pitfall. Germany's ministries of labor and of family deal with a relatively small number of vendors, and much of their time is spent procuring items familiar with everyday life. There are, of course, more complicated challenges in both of these ministries as well, but nothing that approaches the difficulty of supplying a modern army. Von der Leyen failed at it in a truly spectacular manner.

The Gorch Fock, a sailing ship'--with sails!'--the German Navy used for training was docked for repairs in 2015, briefly before von der Leyen assumed office. The estimated cost was $11.6 million. When she left office in 2019, the estimated cost of repairing the training vessel had risen to $163 million. The mission-critical components of von der Leyen's armament expenditures fared even worse. In 2017, according to N-TV, 97 new weapons systems were delivered to the Bundeswehr. Only 38 were functional.

Furthermore, von der Leyen and Suder deleted cell phone data and censored documents in ways that raised the suspicions of experts. Their evasions were so extreme that Tobias Lindner, who is the Green Party's defense expert in the Bundestag, asked prosecutors to investigate von der Leyen for potential criminal wrongdoing. ''It goes beyond a political dispute,'' Lindner told the S¼ddeutsche Zeitung in 2019. ''She's made clearing up the case much more difficult and might be criminally liable.''

Von der Leyen talks with French President Emmanuel Macron prior to the start of the EU summit in Brussels on July 18, 2020, the first face-to-face summit of EU leaders during the pandemic. FRANCISCO SECO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Everyone was largely willing to overlook von der Leyen's fundamental dilettantism when she was advocating for more social support for working mothers. And it remains a remarkable testimony to the shared experiences of mothers in different situations'--as well as to von der Leyen's solidarity with other German mothers'--that the reforms she introduced to help women balance career and family have been so wildly successful.

It's lamentable, however, that Macron and the rest of the European Commission were so dazzled by von der Leyen's extraordinarily embodiment of ''European culture'' that they refused to listen to the warnings of Germans who knew how badly she bungled her last major procurement effort. Indeed, Germans mistrusted her so badly that her appointment to lead the European Union was largely greeted with skepticism in the country, although she is the first German to hold the office since Walter Hallstein in 1958.

What's remarkable is not that she has failed so badly in the position. She rose, after all, by playing on her family connections. What is, however, remarkable is she has failed in so nearly the same way as in her last two positions. Running the Bundeswehr, she entrusted the army's procurement efforts to neoliberal market logic espoused by management consultants, and things went poorly. A few years later, responsible for Europe's vaccine procurement efforts, she has faced criticism for placing too much trust in the free market, failing to insist on centralized control of vaccine production and distribution within the European Union. As a result, people are dying.

For any other politician, one suspects it would have been a career-ending mistake. But the world works differently for von der Leyen, and the press has already largely moved on from her disastrous mismanagement of Europe's vaccine procurement efforts. She is one of the h¼bsche, Germany's privileged few.

Correction, May 3, 2021: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified a former defense minister.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:26

(CNN)In the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court's monumental decision to overturn Roe v Wade, conservative writer John Ellis took to the internet to make a provocative case: It was time for Hillary Clinton to make a(nother) political comeback.

"Now is her moment,"

he wrote. "The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade creates the opening for Hillary Clinton to get out of stealth mode and start down the path toward declaring her candidacy for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination."

Ellis' argument is centered on the ideas that 1) President Joe Biden, who will be 82 shortly after the 2024 election, is simply too old to run again (Ellis is far from the only person

making that case) and 2) The Democratic bench is not terribly strong

He's not the only person eyeing a Clinton re-emergence.

Writing in The Hill newspaper, Democratic pundit Juan Williams makes the case that Clinton should become a major figure on the campaign trail this year.

"Clinton is exactly the right person to put steel in the Democrats' spine and bring attention to the reality that 'ultra-MAGA' Republicans, as President Biden calls them, are tearing apart the nation,"

Williams writes, adding: "Keep talking and talk louder, Hillary!"

So, just how far-fetched is a Clinton candidacy?

Well, start here: That a conservative writer is leading the charge -- at least at the moment -- for another presidential bid by Clinton should be looked at with some healthy skepticism. No candidate unites the Republican party -- even with Donald Trump as the GOP's likely nominee -- like Clinton does. So, this may be a bit of wishful thinking by Ellis. Keep that in mind.

Then go to this: Biden is giving every indication that, even at his advance age, he is planning to run again. The New York Times posted a piece Monday night headlined "Biden Irked by Democrats Who Won't Take 'Yes' for an Answer on 2024" that included these lines:

"Facing intensifying skepticism about his capacity to run for re-election when he will be nearly 82, the president and his top aides have been stung by the questions about his plans, irritated at what they see as a lack of respect from their party and the press, and determined to tamp down suggestions that he's effectively a lame duck a year and a half into his administration."

And finish here: Clinton has been pretty close to

Shermanesque in her denials about even considering another bid.

"No, out of the question," Clinton said of another presidential candidacy in an

interview with the Financial Times earlier this month. "First of all, I expect Biden to run. He certainly intends to run. It would be very disruptive to challenge that."

In an interview with CBS Tuesday morning, Clinton said she couldn't "imagine" running again. Host Gayle King rightly noted that Clinton's answer wasn't a definitive "no."

So, if you are a betting person -- and, of course,

there are odds on Hillary running -- the smart gamble is that Clinton doesn't run again.

With all of that said, we know that circumstances change. And that changed circumstances can lead to changed minds.

While I find it utterly implausible that Clinton would run against Biden in a primary in 2024, I also think that an open nomination -- if Biden takes a pass on running -- would be something that would be hard for Clinton to not at least look at. That's not to say she would run. It's only to say that her name would get bandied about if the seat was open. That's a lock.

Then there's the Roe decision to consider. Clinton's comments about not running again came before Roe was decided. As someone who has fought for women's rights throughout her career as first lady, US senator and secretary of state, might the Supreme Court's ruling have changed her calculus somewhat as she looks to her own future?

Again, the chances are very slim that Clinton runs again. But they aren't zero.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 15:50

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

White House reporters are allegedly growing frustrated with how White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been conducting the daily press briefings.

Politico's "West Wing Playbook" newsletter offered a scathing assessment of Jean-Pierre's "tough debut" since she took the helm of the White House podium following the exit of Jen Psaki, calling it a "rocky first month."

The report claims her answers to questions have "baffled reporters" and "even made some of her White House colleagues wince."

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY

Playbook pointed to the RNC's Twitter account that frequently targets Jean-Pierre as a "useful punching bag," which similarly occurred under Psaki's tenure in the briefing room.

The report highlighted instances where the press secretary appeared to be caught off guard like when Interior Secretary Deb Haaland just days after being in close contact with Biden or when the president made a questionable claim about how he was "appointed" to the Naval Academy.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds the daily press briefing at the White House, June 16, 2022. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)

"Reporters were confused by her refusal to answer questions at a recent briefing about the last time the president had been tested for Covid-19, something her predecessor regularly disclosed," the Playbook wrote. "Press secretaries can't possibly keep tabs on every story line, so it's not unusual for them to acknowledge when they don't know the answer and pledge to find more information after the briefing. But that has been a more common response for Jean-Pierre in her first weeks than her predecessor."

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE MOCKED FOR 'FREUDIAN SLIP:' STARTED TO SAY BIDEN WILL 'ELEVATE' PAIN AT THE PUMP

Politico found that "in her first 10 briefings as press secretary, Jean-Pierre said she didn't have the information being sought 20-plus times more than predecessor Jen Psaki in her first 10 briefings," according to transcripts.

"And while White House reporters love to complain about non-answers from communications officials, many have privately grumbled that when Jean-Pierre does have answers, they are often vague and rarely stray from the pre-written talking points prepared in the binder at the podium," Playbook wrote.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing May 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

One White House reporter told Politico, "At a certain point it wouldn't surprise me if people started voting with their feet," suggesting briefing attendance could dwindle among reporters for the "lack of news" that comes from the podium.

Another reporter said to Politico, "She is so focused on not making a mistake that she doesn't let herself speak freely," adding, "A lot of her responses end up becoming'... it appears that she's reading from a page."

JOY BEHAR ASKS KARINE JEAN-PIERRE HOW TO CONVINCE AMERICANS INFLATION, GAS PRICES ARE 'NOT JOE BIDEN'S FAULT'

The newsletter alleged that allies of Jean-Pierre and Black communications officials both in and outside the Biden administration "feel White House leadership has set her up to fail" with the constant presence of John Kirby, who recently transitioned to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. after being Biden's Pentagon spokesman, to take the lead on foreign policy questions in the briefing room.

Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a news conference at the White House on June 15, 2022. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A White House official took a swipe at Politico's report, telling Fox News, "If you work at a place called 'Politico' and you think it's noteworthy that the RNC or DNC is attacking a press secretary from the other party, you have some reading to do."

In a statement to Fox News, White House press secretary Andrew Bates said, "As Karine said when she was announced as Press Secretary, she's here precisely because of her respect for the indispensable role of the free press in our democracy."

"She is proud of her briefings '-- which often run longer than the modern average and have included multiple Saturday gaggles. She loves the back and forth with the White House press corps, and her door is always open for any feedback its members are interested in giving directly," Bates added.

Fox News also reached out to Jean-Pierre for comment.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Biden administration touted the appointment of Karine Jean-Pierre as the first Black and openly-gay White House press secretary. Psaki officially left the podium in May and has since joined MSNBC as a contributor and a host on the Peacock streaming service.

Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 15:12

News By Andrew Jose June 28, 2022 at 4:18pm The U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms who oversaw Senate security during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incursion died Monday at 71.

News of former U.S. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger's death was first reported by Politico.

Stenger, a veteran of the Marine corps, had served for 35 years in the Secret Service before joining the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms team in 2011, according to Politico.

During his time with the SAA team, Stenger had worked on matters related to security and continuity before his promotion as former Sergeant-at-Arms Drew Willison's deputy. In 2018, Stenger became Sergeant-at-Arms.

Stenger helped ensure the smooth functioning of the Senate during the last three years of former President Donald Trump's administration.

His responsibilities ranged from overseeing the technological needs of the upper chamber of Congress and also serving as its chief law enforcement officer tasked with managing its security.

Stenger resigned from his duties as Sergeant-at-Arms a day after Jan. 6, 2021, Daily Mail reported.

During the time of his resignation, Stenger faced criticism over how he managed the situation during the time of the incursion, according to the outlet.

When the New York Post had reached out to Stenger's home in Falls Church, Virginia, on Tuesday morning, a woman answered the call.

Does Stenger's death seem suspicious to you?

Yes: 93% (5589 Votes)

No: 7% (415 Votes)

''The family is not here, it's nobody's business,'' the lady said, refusing the Post's request for comment on Stenger's death. ''It has nothing to do with Jan. 6 at all.''

Stenger's death came a day before the Jan. 6 Committee's Tuesday surprise witness hearing, where the committee heard Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testify.

During the hearing, Hutchinson, among her other claims, alleged that Trump knew that some among the crowd at the Capitol were calling for former Vice President Mike Pence to be hanged, according to reporting from NPR.

Hutchinson claimed that she heard Meadows respond to reports of the crowd calling for violence against Pence by saying that Trump thought Pence deserved it.

Other allegations Hutchinson made included claims that Trump grabbed the steering vehicle of the presidential limousine and demanded that he be taken to the Capitol when the incursion was occurring, NPR reported.

Stenger had also testified before Congress on the events that transpired on Jan. 6, 2021.

During a February 2021 hearing with the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Stenger had called for the investigation of the role of ''professional agitators'' during the incursion, Daily Mail reported.

''There is an opportunity to learn lessons from the events of Jan. 6,'' Stenger told the committee, according to the outlet.

''Investigations should be considered as to funding and travel of what appears to be professional agitators,'' Stenger said.

''First Amendment rights should always be considered in conjunction with professional investigations.''

SummaryMore Biographical Information Recent Posts ContactAndrew Jose is a freelance reporter covering security, U.S. politics, and foreign policy, among other beats. He has bylines in several outlets, notably the Daily Caller, Jewish News Syndicate, and the Times of Israel.

Andrew Jose is a freelance reporter covering security, U.S. politics, and foreign policy, among other beats. He has bylines in several outlets, notably the Daily Caller, Jewish News Syndicate, and the Times of Israel. Speak to Andrew securely via ajoseofficial@protonmail.com. Follow Andrew on Twitter: @realAndrewJose

Education

Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service

Languages Spoken

English, Spanish, Tamil, Hindi, French

Topics of Expertise

Security, Economics, Open Source Intelligence, International Politics

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 15:11

Facebook '' a platform that routinely censors posts critical of COVID-19 vaccines '' has hired several alumni from Pfizer's marketing and internal audit teams to lead similar efforts at the social media platform, The National Pulse can reveal.

The hires appear to present a conflict of interest for the social media platform, which has come under fire for censoring and banning users who've posted about the side effects or questioned the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Facebook's Internal Audit Director, for example, was formerly a Senior Director at Pfizer. The employee '' Tiffany Stokes '' has held the influential position at Facebook since January 2020.

''Build and own strong relationships with critical business partners, provide project oversight of operational audits, manage internal audit plan and risk assessment,'' she lists as part of her job description on her LinkedIn profile. ''Leadership requires close collaboration with the Sales, Partnerships, Global Operations, International, HR, and Legal teams to assess and prioritize risks across an ever-changing high-tech business landscape,'' she adds.

Prior to joining Facebook, Stokes worked at COVID-19 vaccine maker Pfizer for five years as the Senior Director of its finance and legal operations.

''Established and managed legal, budgeting, and forecasting processes to achieve the business's financial goals as well as cost control commitments made to shareholders and the financial and investment community,'' she summarized her position.

Prior to serving in this role, which she also notes required her to ''adjust financial forecasts based on fluctuating costs, prioritization of legal matters, and impending legal issues,'' she worked as the pharmaceutical giant's Assistant Treasurer for the U.S. and Capital Markets, where she ''directed'' the company's $8 billion investment portfolio.

The National Pulse can also reveal that a Facebook Vice President for Global Clients and Categories was formerly Pfizer's Chief Marketing Officer for consumer healthcare in the U.S. The employee, Brian Groves, worked at Pfizer for a total of 14 years before joining Facebook as a Director of its Global Accounts.

Similarly, a former Director for Digital Marketing and Innovation at Pfizer joined Facebook as a Client Partner for its Global Marketing Solutions branch in 2018.

In addition to Facebook hiring Pfizer marketing team alumni, the platform also added Pfizer's former Senior Public Affairs and Corporate Communications Project Manager as its own Corporate Communications Manager in 2019.

The unearthed personnel links between Pfizer and Facebook follow the social media platform deploying its third-party ''fact-checkers'' '' who have deep ties to Democratic politics and the Chinese Communist Party '' to brand COVID-19 studies and articles at odds with mainstream narrative as ''disinformation.''

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:45

Drivers will be able to preauthorize fuel purchases directly within Apple CarPlay starting this fall (via Reuters).

The feature, first mentioned in a developer session at WWDC earlier this month, will allow 'ŒCarPlay'Œ users to use apps to navigate to a pump and preauthorize a fuel purchase. Fuel companies will offer individual apps that users will need to install on their iPhone to be available in Apple 'ŒCarPlay'Œ. Entering payment credentials in the 'ŒiPhone'Œ app ahead of time will allow users to activate a pump and quickly purchase fuel directly from the 'ŒCarPlay'Œ UI.

Gasoline firm HF Sinclair told Reuters that it plans to adopt the new 'ŒCarPlay'Œ functionality. "We are excited by the idea that consumers could navigate to a Sinclair station and purchase fuel from their vehicle navigation screen," Jack Barger, the company's senior vice president of marketing said. Likewise, P97 Networks CEO Donald Frieden told Reuters that he has taken calls from oil companies that want to make their apps available in 'ŒCarPlay'Œ.

Apple has opened up more app categories for 'ŒCarPlay'Œ over time, such as parking, electric vehicle charging, and food ordering. Driving task apps for logging business trip mileages will also become available alongside fuel apps later this year. Fuel purchase apps will be available in Apple 'ŒCarPlay'Œ when iOS 16 officially launches in the fall.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:42

What's driving inflation?

What's driving inflation, high gas prices? 07:25 About 23 million California residents will soon receive "inflation relief" checks of up to $1,050 under a budget deal reached by Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers on Sunday.

The checks are part of a $17 billion relief package that will also suspend the state's sales tax on diesel fuel and provide additional aid to help people with rent and utility bills, Newsom and Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in a statement.

The agreement comes as California drivers face the highest gasoline prices in the U.S., with the average price for a gallon of gas in the state at $6.32 on Monday '-- or about 29% higher than the national average. Earlier this year, Newsom had proposed sending stimulus checks of $400 per vehicle to state residents, with a cap of two vehicles. But other lawmakers had pushed for a plan that would provide bigger checks to people who earn less.

We have an agreement with the legislature on California's budget!This budget takes immediate actions to give $$ back to millions who are grappling with global inflation and rising costs while tackling some of the greatest challenges of our time.

Here's what you need to know:

'-- Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) June 27, 2022The relief checks are designed to help residents cope with "global inflation and rising prices of everything from gas to groceries," the lawmakers said in the statement. Here's how California's plan will work.

Where is the money coming from?The checks are designed as tax refunds, and stem from the state's record-setting $97 billion budget surplus .

Who will qualify for an inflation-relief check?The payments are similar to the stimulus checks sent by the federal government in that they are based on income, tax-filing status and household size.

Lower- and middle-income Californians stand to receive the biggest checks.

Single taxpayers who earn less than $75,000 a year and couples who file jointly and make less than $150,000 a year will receive $350 per taxpayer. Taxpayers with dependents will receive an extra $350. In other words, a couple that earns a combined $125,000 and has two children would qualify for $350 per adult plus $350 for their children, for a total of $1,050.

What about higher-income Californians?Higher-income residents will receive smaller payments.

Single taxpayers who make between $75,000 and $125,000 a year and couples who earn between $150,000 and $250,000 will receive $250, plus the same payment for their dependents, for a maximum of $750 per family. Single people who earn between $125,000 and $250,000 and couples who earn between $250,000 and $500,000 annually would receive $200 each, plus the same amount for their dependents. That amounts to a maximum payment of $600 per family. How about families who earn more than $500,000?Couple who earn above $500,000 and single taxpayers who earn above $250,000 aren't eligible for the payments, according to the Sacramento Bee.

When will the checks be issued?Checks will be sent via direct deposit or debit cards by late October, according to local station KCRA.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:41

A view of the backside of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 6, 2022 in Washington, DC. According to media reports,

Drew Angerer | Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled the EPA does not have authority to set standards on climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions for existing power plants.

The 6-3 ruling said that Congress, not the Environmental Protection Agency, has that power.

The court's ruling on the case affects the federal government's authority to set standards for planet-warming pollutants like carbon dioxide from existing power plants under the landmark Clean Air Act.

The decision is a major setback for the Biden administration's agenda to combat climate change, specifically the goal to zero out carbon emissions from power plants by 2035 and cut in half the country's emissions by the end of the decade.

The case stems from the EPA's directive in 2015 to coal power plants to either reduce production or subsidize alternate forms of energy. That order was never implemented because it was immediately challenged in court.

Fossil fuel-fired power plants are the second-largest source of pollution in the U.S. behind transportation, according to the EPA. The U.S. is also the second-largest producer of greenhouse gases behind China, making it a key player in global efforts to combat climate change.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, in the case, known as West Virginia v. the Environmental Protection Agency, which was joined by the Supreme Court's other five conservative members.

The decision is the first time a majority opinion explicitly cited the so-called major questions doctrine to justify a ruling. That controversial doctrine holds that with issues of major national significance, a regulatory agency must have clear statutory authorization from Congress to take certain actions, and not rely on its general agency authority.

Roberts wrote, "There is little reason to think Congress assigned such decisions" about the regulations in question to the EPA, despite the agency's belief that "Congress implicitly tasked it, and it alone, with balancing the many vital considerations of national policy implicated in deciding how Americans will get their energy."

"Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible 'solution to the crisis of the day,' " Roberts wrote, "But it is not plausible that Congress gave EPA the authority to adopt on its own such a regulatory scheme."

He added: "A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body."

Justice Elena Kagan wrote a dissent, which was joined by the court's two other liberals.

"Today, the Court strips the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the power Congress gave it to respond to 'the most pressing environmental challenge of our time, " Kagan wrote in that dissent.

"The Court appoints itself '-- instead of Congress or the expert agency'--the decisionmaker on climate policy. I cannot think of many things more frightening," Kagan wrote.

She also said, "The majority claims it is just following precedent, but that is not so. The Court has never even used the term 'major questions doctrine' before."

The court's six-justice conservative majority has been skeptical of the federal agency's authority to set national standards.

The legal fighting over the EPA's authority began several years ago when the Obama administration set strict carbon limits for each state in an effort to reduce emissions from power plants, and urged states to meet limits by shifting to cleaner energy alternatives like wind and solar.

The Obama administration's Clean Power Plan was temporarily blocked in 2016 by the Supreme Court and then repealed in 2019 by the Trump administration, which argued that the plan exceeded the EPA's authority under the Clean Air Act. It argued that the act only allowed the agency to set standards on the physical premises of a power plant '-- or "inside the fenceline."

The Trump administration proposed more lenient standards to regulate emissions only from existing coal-fired steam plants, a policy called the Affordable Clean Energy Rule. The revision was challenged by states and environmental groups and ultimately struck down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Since then, there hasn't been an EPA standard with respect to carbon pollution from existing power plants.

Republican attorneys general led by West Virginia, a major coal producer, along with coal companies and industry groups, pursued the case, arguing that the EPA doesn't have the authority to transition the country to cleaner energy sources and that such authority belongs to Congress.

Lawyers representing the EPA and U.S. utility industry lobby groups pushed back on arguments restricting the agency's authority, arguing that doing so would prompt lawsuits against power providers.

Under the Biden administration, the EPA has indicated that it will not attempt to resurrect the Clean Power Plan, but rather create its own rules to regulate power plant emissions.

But Roberts, in the majority opinion, wrote, "At bottom, the Clean Power Plan essentially adopted a cap-and-trade scheme, or set of state cap-and-trade schemes, for carbon ... Congress, however, has consistently rejected proposals to amend the Clean Air Act to create such a program."

Thursday's decision could rule out the agency's ability to impose a cap-and-trade system, which allows the government to set a maximum on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released across an industry and penalize parties for violations. Parties then buy and sell the rights to exceed that cap, essentially creating a market around emissions.

This is breaking news. Check back for updates.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:39

NATO will significantly increase the number of forces on high alert to over 300,000 from 40,000 as part of the biggest overhaul of the alliance's defences since the Cold War.

With Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine changing the security environment across Europe, the head of the alliance also confirmed that allies will expand troop deployments in NATO countries that sit closest to Russia.

Ukraine is not a member of NATO.

The decisions will be set out at a landmark summit this week in Madrid.

"Together, this constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defence since the Cold War," Jens Stoltenberg said, in a briefing at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday.

He said the 30-member alliance is expected to consider Russia to be "the most significant and direct threat to our security".

Ukraine news live: War 'turning in Russia's favour' - as Putin to make first foreign trip since invasion

Allies had already hardened their defences following Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine in February, but the latest steps are by far the most significant.

"We will transform the NATO Response Force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000," the NATO chief said.

The NATO Response Force - which are kept at varying degrees of readiness to mobilise, from two days' notice to six months - is currently around 40,000 soldiers, sailors and air personnel.

Sky News was first to report the increase in forces last week before specific numbers were known.

Mr Stoltenberg also confirmed the strengthening of units deployed across eight eastern and southeastern NATO countries to deter Russia hostilities. They will rise in size from 1,000-strong battlegroups to brigades, which comprise around 3,000-5,000 troops.

Read more:The lessons the MoD is learning from Ukraine and what it means if the UK went to war with RussiaZelenskyy says he wants war over by winter before conditions make fightback more difficult

More war-fighting equipment will be stationed in states such as Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which are among those that feel most at risk from the Kremlin.

Image: The Vice Admiral Constantin Balescu 274 - as Romanian, British and US maritime NATO forces carry out an exercise named Trojan Footprint in MayThe desire is for NATO to have sufficient forces on the ground to defeat any attempt at an invasion.

This is a fundamental shift from a policy known as a "tripwire" that was adopted after Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, with the annexation of Crimea.

Back then, allies agreed to set up four missions in the Baltic states and Poland, each with around 1,000 troops. If Russia chose to invade, these battlegroups would not be able to stop the attack but would trigger a "tripwire", prompting reinforcements to rush in.

However, the events in Ukraine, where Russian forces have wreaked carnage in areas they have occupied, means allies believe they need to deny any invading force from having the ability to take any ground from day one of an attack.

One defence minister has said that there cannot be a "Bucha on NATO soil" - a reference to the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, where Russian forces are accused of mass murder, torture and rape of Ukrainian civilians.

Several long-planned NATO exercises involving member countries including the UK, and partners, have been taking place over the last few months in many of the nations where troops are to be boosted.

As part of the upgraded defence plans, military personnel tasked with defending specific NATO allies will not all need to be stationed on the ground, but could be based in their home country and only deploy forward when needed.

"These troops will exercise together with home defence forces," Mr Stoltenberg said.

"And they will become familiar with local terrain, facilities, and our new pre-positioned stocks. So that they can respond smoothly and swiftly to any emergency."

The changes will need increased investment, with allies increasing defence spending for the eighth consecutive year - an increase of $350bn since 2014.

As reported by Sky News last week, the NATO chief outlined new support that allies will collectively pledge to give Ukraine, including anti-drone systems and providing Ukrainian forces with secure communication.

In a disappointment for most allies, though, there has been no breakthrough yet on overcoming opposition from Turkey to a historic bid by previously neutral Sweden and Finland to join NATO - in the ultimate snub to Mr Putin and win for the allies.

The NATO chief said he would be talking to the Turkish prime minister and had already spoken with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He said allies "aim to make progress on Finland and Sweden's historic applications for NATO membership, while ensuring the security concerns of all allies are addressed".

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:36

An aerial view of the abandoned tractor trailer on June 27 in San Antonio, Texas.Photo: Jordan Vonderhaar (Getty Images)

Nearly four dozen migrants were found dead inside of an abandoned tractor trailer just outside of San Antonio yesterday.

Sixteen people were found still alive in the trailer and were transported to a hospital. There were 12 adults and four children, France24 reported . The people in the trailer are migrants from several countries including Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. The nationality of some of the deceased has not yet been confirmed , according to The New York Times.

Those still alive inside of the trailer were hot to the touch and seemed to be suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration, CNN reported . There was no water inside of the truck nor any visible air conditioning unit, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said at a press conference near the grisly scene .

This tragic incident occurred on a day when San Antonio temperatures reached the high 90s to low 100s . San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told The Texas Tribune that this was the deadliest human smuggling incident that he could recall in the city, though it is unfortunately not the only smuggling related death that occurred in the area. Back in July 2017, 10 migrants died inside of a hot tractor-trailer outside of a San Antonio Walmart.

Such deaths could become more common for migrants trying to find their way into the country as areas all across the American Southwest see record breaking daytime and nighttime temperatures . A 2021 study found that dehydration related to heat is one of the main causes of death for migrants crossing through the U.S. Mexico border. Many of the people that make the dangerous trek north carry water and food with them, but oftentimes not enough to offset the harsh conditions that they have to endure. More deaths are to be expected as climate change worsens dry and hot conditions in that region of the country.

Dr. Priscilla Agyemang, a doctor of internal medicine with Columbia Primary Care, about the risk survivors of the incident will face, considering how long they were trapped in the hot trailer. She explained that if the migrants taken to the hospital were conscious, they were likely to be stabilized quickly with the proper treatment.

''I would say a large majority of people have full recovery [from heat exhaustion] depending on the degree of assistance they need afterwards,'' she said. ''Obviously, the older or sicker that you are, it may take longer to recover.''

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:26

C oreCivic, the first publicly traded prison company in America and the first to operate both private prisons and private immigration detention centers on a for-profit basis, had another first to announce. Damon T. Hininger, the chief executive, paused to share the news on a call with investors last month: CoreCivic Inc. was the first company after the George Floyd protests to proactively conduct a ''racial equity audit,'' the results of which it was now ready to release.

''CoreCivic is one of the very few companies in the United States that has proactively embraced the process,'' Hininger gloated.

The private prison corporation's stock price and access to bond markets had been battered by pressure over its role in profiting from immigrant detention and for providing financial support to Donald Trump's presidency. The company is currently facing a class-action lawsuit brought by immigration detainees claiming that they were forced to work with little or no pay. The racial equity audit was a conscious effort by CoreCivic not only to mend its poor public image, but also to harness public interest in racial justice to bring the company back into the good graces of Wall Street investors.

The contents of CoreCivic's audit pointed to mostly superficial contributions to diversity and equity. The report, conducted by Moore & Van Allen, a North Carolina-based law firm, offered some room for improvement but largely applauded the private prison giant for its ''genuine'' commitment to diversity principles, including by raising cultural awareness with a mural of Martin Luther King Jr. at one of its Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers in Arizona. The report also praised CoreCivic for its philanthropy and business practices that have ''benefitted communities of color.''

In an accompanying report on the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion '-- known as DEI '-- CoreCivic touted its ranks of nonwhite prison guards, diversity on its board of directors, and diverse ranks of wardens, as well as its partnership with a Black-led, pro-business trade group.

Those supposed strides elicited eye rolls among its critics. ''They put children's murals on the wall while incarcerating infants. That doesn't mean they have positive impacts for children,'' said Bob Libal, a longtime watchdog of the private prison industry, referencing the company's Taylor, Texas-based ICE detention center.

''This is hollow at best, and probably a deeply cynical attempt to whitewash a company that has a horrible reputation, a horrible track record of abuse and neglect of people who've been sentenced in their facilities,'' added Libal. The company has faced multiple allegations of severe understaffing and safety issues, as well as unsanitary conditions in many facilities.

''The reality is, CoreCivic's entire existence is offensive to Black and brown communities. They're trying to create some version, right, some image that they aren't one thousand percent harmful,'' said Bianca Tylek, the founder of Worth Rises, an advocacy group that focuses on the privatization of the criminal justice system.

The Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility operated by CoreCivic in Tutwiler, Miss., on Aug. 16, 2018.

Photo: Rogelio V. Solis/AP

''The audit tells us nothing,'' said Tylek. ''The private prison business model is the problem. Everything they do is the problem, and to be honest, sometimes we're at odds with other advocates because these racial equity audits are absolutely ridiculous and not an effective advocacy tool.''

Asked for comment about activist concerns, CoreCivic reiterated its support for the ''principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.'' The company, said spokesperson Ryan Gustin, ''didn't hesitate to participate in the recent racial equity audit.''

''They put children's murals on the wall while incarcerating infants. That doesn't mean they have positive impacts for children.''

But Tylek, Libal, and members of the activist community are not the intended audience for the report; the racial equity audit and similar measures are part of an opaque and virtually unregulated rubric that sets the flow of massive piles of investor dollars. CoreCivic's gestures are meant to shape its standing in ''environmental, social, and governance,'' or ESG, funds, a catchall term for a system that allows investors to put their money into companies that score as socially responsible by various metrics.

Compliance can be lucrative. For instance, among the many ESG ratings agencies, a company with nonwhite or female board members or a decision to simply conduct a racial equity audit or DEI report can automatically lead to a higher score, and corporations with high ESG rankings find placement in special exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, that are marketed as socially responsible, opening the door for investor cash.

Over $35 trillion in global assets are invested in funds that claim to vet companies using ESG principles, making the label one of the hottest trends in finance. Following the racial justice protests of 2020, a coalition of institutional funds, which now includes the California State Teachers' Retirement System, a pension fund with over $250 billion in assets, launched proxy campaigns to pressure publicly traded companies to undergo racial equity audits and to prioritize racial diversity issues.

Proponents of the approach claim that the market sprouting up around ESG principles provides a window, guiding investors into safer, less controversial companies while creating a market incentive for good corporate behavior, whether on racial justice, the climate crisis, or any number of issues.

Larry Fink, the chief executive of BlackRock Inc. and one of the most powerful ESG-focused asset managers in the world, has described the move toward socially responsible investing as a ''tectonic shift'' that stands to reshape capitalism as we know it. In his letter to investors this year, Fink made clear that racially diverse boards and racial diversity would be a focus of his company.

BlackRock is among the many corporations that sponsor television advertisements '-- the latest featuring NBA star Jalen Duren '-- touting their socially responsible or sustainable investment funds, luring ordinary retail investors.

But a growing chorus of critics have questioned the lofty promises of ESG investing. The high-minded rhetoric of the movement, they argue, serves to enrich a small set of ESG-focused consultants and fund managers while misleading the public and investor community and providing little to no benefit to society. They charge that the investing trend is no more than reputation laundering and, potentially, fraud on an industrial scale.

''People who are buying these funds almost always believe that they're doing something to make the world a better place, and in reality, they're just moving shares around in publicly traded companies,'' said Tariq Fancy, the former chief investment officer for social responsibility investing at BlackRock, who has emerged in recent years as a critic of ESG.

''People who are buying these funds almost always believe that they're doing something to make the world a better place, and in reality, they're just moving shares around in publicly traded companies.''

''It's actually dangerous because they imply real-world impact, creating a societal placebo,'' continued Fancy. ''It actually lowers the case for government regulation. If you think you can do something quick and easy like ESG, then it follows to say, 'We don't need a carbon tax.'''

Fancy also finds the righteous rhetoric of his former employer hypocritical. BlackRock will make a fortune in fees promoting an ESG model entirely based on voluntary self-reporting requirements and opaque scores, said Fancy, while using its power as a shareholder to block proposals that call on companies to disclose political spending '-- the very political spending that corporations use to prevent any meaningful laws and government regulations on social welfare spending or pollution.

''It's like they're giving us talking points on good sportsmanship, meanwhile, they're saying it's all right for teams to secretly pay off the referees.''

In an email, BlackRock spokesperson Matt Kobussen noted that the company provides multiple ESG index products, some of which include CoreCivic and others of which do not. The ETF that includes private prisons is based on ESG criteria provided by the index provider S&P, while another, the MSCI Small Cap ESG Aware, uses an index provided by MSCI and ''does not have exposure to CoreCivic or GEO Group,'' another main prison company.

Despite the rhetoric, the portfolio managers preaching the gospel of ESG are in fact legally prohibited from doing anything that compromises corporate profits. The types of changes they promote are superficial at best, critics charge.

What's more, regulators have taken notice that fund managers have marketed ESG investing with little due diligence in regard to how companies are changing any actual business practices or whether companies included in the funds meet the stated criteria. In May, around 50 German police officers raided the Frankfurt offices of DWS Group, the asset manager subsidiary of Deutsche Bank. The investigation stems from allegations by a former DWS Group executive that the company had made misleading statements about how ESG assets were allocated.

And this year, the Bank of New York Mellon Corp.'s asset manager paid $1.5 million to settle claims by the Securities and Exchange Commission over ''misstatements and omissions about ESG considerations.'' The bank, as part of the settlement, did not admit any guilt.

Earlier this month, word leaked that the SEC is currently investigating Goldman Sachs Group Inc. over similar claims about its ESG mutual fund business. In June 2020, Goldman Sachs renamed its blue-chip fund as the U.S. Equity ESG Fund, while maintaining the same top holdings.

Last month, the SEC began collecting comments for new regulations aimed at boosting transparency and accountability around ESG funds.

Measures of GoodnessAt the core of the criticisms is the fact that there is no set definition for how ESG rankings are devised. Competing ratings agencies and financial analysts offer a tangled web of various scores, with no consistency from firm to firm.

Charles Schwab Corp.'s asset management arm, for example, last year launched Schwab Ariel ESG ETF, an ESG fund that excludes tobacco products, the extraction of fossil fuels, weapons manufacturers, and operators of private prisons such as CoreCivic.

Other asset managers, however, sell ESG funds that do include private prisons. BlackRock's iShares ESG Screened S&P Small-Cap ETF, one of its social responsibility funds, includes CoreCivic. Investors purchasing shares in DWS Group's Xtrackers S&P SmallCap 600 ESG are also buying a slice of CoreCivic.

State Street Corp., an asset manager that is one of the loudest and most prominent proponents of ESG, markets a social responsibility fund, SPDR S&P SmallCap 600 ESG ETF, that owns shares in CoreCivic as well as the second-largest private prison company in the U.S., GEO Group Inc.

State Street spokesperson Deborah Heindel said in an email that ESG can be very broad or specific depending on who's defining the term. ''Case in point, a Google search pulls several million results from countless sources,'' she said.

Many ESG funds used to exclude certain arms manufacturers, arguing that the global sale of bombs and missiles did not constitute a social good '-- now there's a push to reward them.

Ratings agencies can change ESG formulas on a dime, with little public notice. Fund managers are free to choose any ratings agency with any formula, often with most sources of information completely self-reported by corporations.

CoreCivic, in its own ESG report, touts a 2021 award issued by Newsweek/Statista claiming that it is one of America's most responsible companies. The Newsweek/Statista ESG rankings give CoreCivic a high social rating in part based on the prison company's commitment to ''good causes'' and the number of women and racial minorities on its board of directors.

The criteria for what constitutes a socially responsible investment can change from day to day. In March, analysts from Citigroup Inc. suggested that companies that manufacture weapons used for the war in Ukraine to thwart the Russian invasion could count toward a better ESG score. ''Defending the values of liberal democracies and creating a deterrent, which preserves peace and global stability,'' they wrote.

Before this year, many ESG funds promoted the exclusion of certain arms manufacturers, arguing that the global sale of bombs and missiles did not constitute a social good '-- now there's a push to reward arms makers. If a shift in public opinion can reshape the entire model, that leaves many to wonder how any fund can claim fixed principles when ideas around social responsibility are inherently subjective.

''It's a scam, that's all it is, a scam,'' said Aswath Damodaran, a professor of finance at New York University's Stern School of Business, of ESG. ''How can you have a measure of goodness? Or let me put it another way: Name me one social factor where we have consensus in society. How the heck are we going to come up with one score?''

The CoreCivic board of directors, its ESG report proudly notes, is 36 percent ''gender or racially diverse,'' a figure that the company notes won recognition from a women's advocacy group. The private prison company's board includes Donna Alvarado, a former Reagan administration official, and Thurgood Marshall Jr., the son of the former Supreme Court justice.

''For-profit incarceration is the antithesis of social responsibility,'' said Libal. ''They've made profits on the back of incarceration at record numbers while contributing millions of dollars in campaign contributions to ensure their interests are met.''

''If your board is diverse, it doesn't matter what you're selling, right?'' he added. ''If you have enough women on the board of Blackwater, that doesn't make mercenary companies a positive influence on the world.''

Traders work beneath monitors displaying Eli Lilly and Co. signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on May 23, 2016, in New York.

Photo: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

''Greenwashing Is a Feature, Not a Bug''Fulfilling diversity goals is a highly visible way to offset lower scores in other areas. Defense contractors, fossil fuel companies, banks, and pharmaceutical giants that annually hike the prices of lifesaving drugs have all used diversity metrics to earn placement as socially responsible companies, eligible for placement in lucrative ESG funds. And according to a review by The Intercept, several of the corporations commonly included in ESGs have recently been under investigation or scrutiny, engaging in business practices that few would call socially responsible.

Eli Lilly and Co., the pharmaceutical company, is facing multiple regulatory and legal battles over its practice of hiking the price of insulin. The company raised the price of its Humalog line of insulin products by 1,219 percent since it launched. The high prevalence of diabetes among nonwhite Americans has placed the rising costs of insulin disproportionately on members of racial minority groups, a dynamic that some public health researchers argue amounts to a form of structural racism.

But the disparate impact of drug pricing dynamics are not measured by ESG scores. Instead, the Eli Lilly report notes that the company promotes diversity through a variety of measures, such as DEI training and employee resource groups that sponsor events such as the Lunar New Year Gala.

Those efforts are among the qualifications used to include Eli Lilly prominently in multiple ESG exchange-traded funds. Eli Lilly is the second-largest holding of a BlackRock fund marketed as focused on promoting companies that excel in the fields of diversity and inclusion.

Just Capital, a not-for-profit group that provides ESG rankings, scores Amazon as an industry leader and a three-time winner of its America's Most Just Companies award. Despite an aggressive anti-union campaign against its warehouse workers in Alabama and New York that has garnered international condemnation and wide-ranging complaints about working conditions, the Seattle-based company has a mixed record in the category of labor practices. But the score is boosted by Amazon's ''diversity, equity, and inclusion'' policies and the total number of jobs the company has created '-- two areas in which Just Capital ranks Amazon as the best company in America.

''I think it's smoke and mirrors. From a social, from a labor perspective, it's not a good company. That's like rating the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. a model employer in New York,'' said Seth Goldstein, an attorney for the Amazon Labor Union, which represents warehouse workers who won an upset victory to form the company's first labor union.

Just Capital '-- whose board includes HuffPost founder Arianna Huffington and Marc Morial, the president of the National Urban League '-- partners with Goldman Sachs to promote a special ESG fund that utilizes the organization's social responsibility analytics. The third-largest holding for the fund is Amazon.

In response to an inquiry from The Intercept, Just Capital said that Amazon was scored on a number of factors. ''We find that, like many other companies, Amazon is both a leader and a laggard relative to its peers across all of the individual stakeholder categories that we measure, from communities to environment to workers,'' wrote Martin Whittaker, chief executive of Just Capital, in a statement to The Intercept.

PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co., for instance, routinely score well on ESG rankings through relatively low greenhouse gas emissions, while delivering a core product that is fueling a crisis of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, noted Hans Taparia, an associate professor also at NYU's Stern School of Business, in an article for the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Alphabet, Amazon, and Facebook are also among the largest holdings of ESG funds but engage in a variety of monopoly, surveillance advertising practices and provide a core product that has fueled mental health issues among users. They all tout DEI and diversity-related measures in the glossy ESG reports that are submitted to fund managers.

''If a company's core business model does so much harm,'' wrote Taparia, ''the cover-up through 'good behavior' on other parameters shouldn't be so easy.''

Exxon Mobil Corp., one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, has been cited as a prime example of an ESG victory, after the company added board members viewed as more favorable to action on climate change last year in response to pressure from activist investors and ESG-minded asset managers.

But there is still little evidence that ExxonMobil has changed any core fossil fuel-related business practices. The oil giant has massively increased spending on green-related marketing, and the word ''climate'' now appears all over its corporate reports. The company has sold off some assets that will be developed by other companies.

Calls for decarbonization, once central in the ESG movement, can also be offset by racial metrics.

Damodaran and his NYU colleagues have chronicled many of the inconsistencies and the subjective nature of ESG rankings. As oil majors sell off carbon-intensive oil and gas assets in order to comply with ESG fund objectives, Damodaran noted, the same assets are being purchased by private equity firms that are far less accountable, a shift in hands that he argues nullifies any greenhouse gas benefit from the campaign.

''So basically, here's what you accomplished,'' said Damodaran. ''You took the reserves out of a company where you had a semblance of prudent strategy in process and put it in the hands of the least scrupulous people on the face of the Earth. And if you declared this to be a victory, I'd hate to see what your defeat looks like.''

The calls for decarbonization, once central in the ESG movement, can also be offset by racial metrics. ESG rankings maintained by the S&P 500 now include ExxonMobil but exclude electric car marker Tesla Inc. One of the reasons? Racial discrimination charges lodged against Tesla, a dynamic bitterly highlighted by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk on Twitter. Many of the charges, including a class-action lawsuit, are still making their way through court.

Researchers have also found that companies selectively omit certain suppliers and business practices in order to artificially report low carbon emissions and thereby gain higher ESG scores.

One of the most revealing reports came from Bloomberg News, which found that one of the largest ESG ranking companies, MSCI Inc., which BlackRock uses to market ''sustainable'' stocks and bonds, provided year-to-year upgraded rankings to companies that increased levels of carbon emissions.

In the case of McDonald's Corp., MSCI provided an upgraded ESG ranking despite the fact that the company produced an increase of 7 percent in global emissions over four years. The ratings agency made the determination because the climate crisis did not pose a special risk or ''opportunity'' for the company.

The MSCI rankings for climate change score corporations over the possibility of climate regulations and whether restrictions on carbon emissions could harm future profits. In other words, when anti-regulation Republicans take office, the environmental scores of fossil fuel companies improve.

When MSCI gave positive ''water stress'' scores, the rating had no bearing on pollution or discharges into local water systems. Rather, the scores were awarded based on whether chemical companies had enough water to sustain their factories '-- an inversion of the very idea of environmentalism that reporters labeled as blatant doublespeak.

''This is exactly what gamification looks like: You create the rules of the game, I'll find a way to play it,'' said Damodaran. ''A lot of ESG advocates say ESG would work except for the greenwashing. And my response is, greenwashing is a feature, not a bug. It's exactly what you get when you create something like ESG.''

People walk past the New York Stock Exchange and the Fearless Girl Statue on March 23, 2021, in New York.

Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

High-Minded Rhetoric, Even Higher FeesThree weeks after the George Floyd protests began in 2020, Marvin Owens, then the senior director for economic programs at the NAACP, appeared on CNBC to tout an ESG-style fund on diversity branded with the NAACP.

''The problem that has existed for ESG is that the 'S' has been very difficult to define, and that's why an organization like the NAACP, with its 111-year history of being advocates for African Americans in this country, is the right kind of organization to partner on this work,'' said Owens.

The ETF, Owens told CNBC, is ''the next evolution in our corporate advocacy work around closing the wealth gap for African Americans in this country.'' The Minority Empowerment ETF website features the logo of the NAACP and iconic images from civil rights history.

Owens noted that the fund used a variety of diversity metrics, reflecting the NAACP's scorecards on corporations, to invest in companies that make ''commitments, public commitments, to standing against racial discrimination.''

Two years later, the NAACP ETF's largest holdings include Amazon, Tesla, Meta Platforms Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Nvidia Corp. The holdings are fairly similar to many large- and mid-cap ETFs, such as the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund, or VTI, which has the same seven companies among its largest holdings.

The difference, however, is the fee structure. The Minority Empowerment ETF has a fee of 0.49 percent compared with the VTI fee of 0.03 percent, making the NAACP ETF 16 times more expensive for investors. Impact Shares, the plan sponsor that operates the Minority Empowerment ETF, in addition to other thematic ETFs around sustainability and women's empowerment, says that the excess profits after expense fees are donated back to the NAACP, though it has not made enough fees to transfer any funds to the NAACP yet.

Impact Shares has lobbied the federal government to allow retirement plans to be invested with ESG funds. The investment firm wrote to regulators ''on behalf of Impact Shares and our advocacy partners including the NAACP.''

Asked how the ETF fund has impacted racial justice issues, Ethan Powell, the chief executive of Impact Shares, gave Amazon credit for permitting its workers to vote on a union. Amazon, he claimed, engaged in a ''significant shift in company policy'' by allowing workers at its Alabama warehouse ''the opportunity to vote on unionization'' this year.

Labor officials, however, contend that Amazon spent millions of dollars on efforts to derail the union vote and engaged in a campaign of intimidation and surveillance against workers suspected of sympathizing with the union '-- and that the unionization at Amazon was in spite of the company's efforts, not because of them.

LGBTQ Loyalty Holdings Inc., a company led in part by former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, launched the LGBTQ + ESG100 ETF, which invested in large-cap public companies that ''demonstrated a commitment to LGBTQ diversity and inclusion.'' The fund, which wound down earlier this year, had an even higher fee structure of 0.75 percent.

Despite the fact that the ESGs largely mirror traditional ETFs, a higher fee structure, typically benefiting investment managers, is common across the board. An analysis from the Wall Street Journal found that ESG funds have 43 percent higher fees than widely popular standard index funds.

Fancy, the BlackRock social responsibility CIO turned critic, has argued repeatedly that many ESG funds are virtually identical to existing mutual funds, rebranded as ''green'' with higher fees. There are almost no discernible differences other than marketing, he has said in a series of confessional essays about the nature of ESG.

The notion of investment funds that promote social change without any of the guilt of profiting from capitalism can be alluring. Betterment, a millennial-focused ''robo-advisor'' that markets wealth-building strategies, has sponsored Facebook ads promising racial justice-minded investing. Betterment steers consumers to products such as the NAACP ETF without warning of the high fees or an explanation that many of the holdings are simply traditional large companies that investors would find in ordinary funds.

Asset managers have even worked with public relations firms to co-opt public opinion around social justice movements into inflows of cash to ESG funds. In 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement, State Street worked with advertising agency McCann New York to create the ''Fearless Girl'' campaign, which featured a statue of a young woman, with her arms planted defiantly on her hips, that was placed in front of the bronze Charging Bull outside the New York Stock Exchange.

The corporate beneficiaries of the fund might come as a surprise to retail investors who thought they were supporting the political goals of #MeToo.

The wildly successful ad campaign, launched the day after International Women's Day, was designed to advertise State Street's women-focused SHE ETF, an ESG fund marketed as a vehicle to promote companies with gender diversity on corporate boards. But the corporate beneficiaries of the fund might come as a surprise to retail investors who thought they were supporting the political goals of #MeToo or feminism more broadly. The current SHE ETF holdings include weapons maker Northrop Grumman Corp., fracking giant Pioneer Natural Resources Co., and health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc.

State Street and other fund managers have boasted about the growth of ESG funds as a cash cow. Last December, Gary Shedlin, the chief financial officer at BlackRock, appeared at a conference hosted by Goldman Sachs at the Conrad Hotel in New York to tout the growth of the firm's ESG business. BlackRock ESG-related products, he said, had generated over 20 percent new fee growth. In January, BlackRock's ESG funds reportedly surged to over $508 billion in managed assets, more than double the previous year.

It's not just fund managers that are poised to gain from the influx of money into ESG. The trend has been a job creator for accountants, analysts, and other specialty consultants. MSCI, the largest data provider for ESG funds, disclosed that revenue from its ESG ratings business jumped to $166 million in 2021 from $90 million in 2019.

Both former attorneys general of the Obama administration are now serving as consultants to companies hoping to burnish their credentials as racially progressive. Eric Holder, now with the law firm Covington & Burling, was tapped by Citigroup to conduct its racial equity audit, to review its efforts to close the racial wealth gap. In April, Amazon announced that Loretta Lynch, a partner with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, will work for the company to produce a similar report.

And Preet Bharara, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, an Obama administration prosecutor turned vocal Trump critic, this month announced his move to become a partner at the law firm WilmerHale. According to reports, he will focus on advising companies on ESG. ''Simple-minded criticism of this issue fails to appreciate its complexity and its emerging importance,'' Bharara told the New York Times.

E SG investing has been an attractive proposition for investors who consider themselves to be civic-minded and want to use market logic to make change. But as The Intercept's review shows, diversity audits and other superficial measures are simply being used to sell investors on the same old funds.

The implication is explicit. Moore & Van Allen, the firm that conducted the racial equity audit on behalf of CoreCivic, noted in an article this year that such audits serve multiple goals, including increased profits and a competitive advantage in a market. The public relations benefits are also clear, the law firm argued. The racial equity audits can lead to a ''positive impact on reputation for companies,'' partners at the firm wrote.

Placing selective pressure on a few companies won't work, Damodaran argued, because businesses that voluntarily retreat from one area will be swiftly replaced by less accountable players, such as private equity or hedge funds. If advocates seek better business practices, he said, they should change the law to force compliance instead.

''These are decisions we should be making as voters, as regulators pushing for change. Instead, we've passed on this responsibility to CEOs and fund managers.''

''These are decisions we should be making as voters, as regulators pushing for change,'' said Damodaran. ''Instead, we've passed on this responsibility to CEOs and fund managers to make these decisions for us.''

''The U.S. political sphere is putting optics over substance,'' noted Fancy, the former BlackRock executive. ''We could do some version of reparations, like a serious investment in Black communities and education and social welfare, but that's going to cost a lot of money.'' Instead, he said, high-profile Black Americans are elevated onto corporate boards to ''create a marketing narrative'' that helps a small number of elites without substantive change for the public.

One chief executive of a publicly traded company, who asked for anonymity while speaking with The Intercept, said he recently paid around $20,000 to social responsibility consultants in order to produce a special report to submit to ratings agencies. The ESG professionals created a document that dazzled with progress on a number of environmental and racial grounds. The self-reported data isn't checked by anyone, he noted with a shrug.

The chief executive said that he appears white to most people, but he is technically a quarter nonwhite, making him, for the purposes of ESG, a ''diverse'' CEO '-- a dynamic he found absurd.

''It's kind of like the one-drop rule. I'm diverse for the purpose of these rules, they really make no sense,'' said the executive, who wondered how asset managers and investors can demand compliance on rules around racial identity when race is socially constructed, not a biological reality.

''We didn't change any business practices. It's a charade, yet no one questions this stuff,'' he added. ''It sounds good, but it doesn't do anything.''

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(C) Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A power-generating windmill turbine and the church of the village are pictured during sunset at a wind park in Ecoust-Saint-Mein, France, September 6, 2020. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo By Juliette Portala

(Reuters) - Over two-thirds of European asset managers and distributors are considering halting the launch or distribution of products that do not comply with environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, a survey by PwC Luxembourg showed on Monday.

Flows into ESG funds have surged in recent years, driven in part by a growing regulatory focus on issues such as climate change as governments seek to push more money to activities that can help them meet their net-zero emissions goals.

The PwC survey of 3,354 respondents suggested ESG assets domiciled in Europe could grow to between 7.4 trillion euros and 9.0 trillion euros ($7.8 to $9.5 trillion) by 2025 and account for up to 56% of total European mutual fund assets, against 37% at the end of last year.

Against that backdrop, almost 72% of European asset managers were willing to halt all non-ESG product launches, with more than 60% planning to do so by the end of 2024, PwC wrote in its report, adding it foresaw long-term challenges for asset managers that maintain a hybrid ESG/non-ESG product range as the shift materialises.

Among independent financial advisers, private and retail banks, as much as 68% plan to cease their distribution of non-ESG products altogether, of which over half intend to do so within the coming two years, the survey showed.

"As regional regulations become increasingly stringent and as efforts towards the development of global ESG standards intensify, managers '' especially those willing to compete at a global level '' will be pushed towards an all-encompassing alignment of their products and operations with ESG," financial services market leader at PwC Olivier Carre said.

($1 = 0.9480 euros)

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:05

Two weeks before the 2020 general election, on October 21, 2020, Donald Trump issued an executive order (E.O. 13957) on ''Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service.''

It sounds boring. Actually, it would have fundamentally changed, in the best possible way, the entire functioning of the administrative bureaucracy that rules this country in a way that bypasses both the legislative and judicial process, and has ruined the checks and balances inherent in the US Constitution.

The administrative state for the better part of a century, and really dating back to the Pendleton Act of 1883, has designed policy, made policy, structured policy, implemented policy, and interpreted policy while operating outside the control of Congress, the president, and the judiciary.

The gradual rise of this 4th branch of government '' which is very much the most powerful branch '' has reduced the American political process to mere theater as compared with the real activity of government, which rests with the permanent bureaucracy.

Any new president can hire the heads of agencies and they can hire staff, which are known as political appointees. These 4,000 political appointees ostensibly rule 432 agencies (as listed by the Federal Register) as well as some 2.9 million employees (aside from the military and postal service) that effectively inhabit permanent jobs. This permanent state '' sometimes called the deep state '' knows the ropes and the processes of government far better than any temporary political appointee, thus reducing the appointed jobs to cosmetic positions for the press to hound while the real actions of government take place behind the scenes.

From 2020 and onward, the American people got to know this administrative state well. They ordered us to wear masks. They deployed their influence to close small businesses and churches. They limited how many people we could have in our homes. They festooned our businesses with plexiglass and told everyone to stay six-feet apart. They demanded two weeks of quarantine when crossing state borders. They decided which medical procedures were elective and non-elective. And they finally demanded compliance with vaccine mandates at the penalty of job loss.

None of this was ordered by legislation. It was all invented on the spot by the permanent staff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We had no idea they had such power. But they do. And that same power which allowed those egregious attacks on rights and liberties also belongs to the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Homeland Security, and all the rest.

Donald Trump came into office with the promise of draining the swamp, without understanding entirely what that meant. He gradually came to realize that he had no control over most of the affairs of government, not because he had no patience for the legislative process but because he had no ability to terminate the employment of most of the civilian bureaucracy. Nor could his political appointees control it. The media, he gradually came to realize, echoed the priorities and concerns of this administrative state due to long-established relationships that led to nonstop leaks that spread false information.

In May of 2018, he took his first steps to gain some modicum of control over this deep state. He issued three executive orders (E.O. 13837, E.O. 13836, and E.O.13839) that would have diminished their access to labor-union protection when being pressed on the terms of their employment. Those three orders were litigated by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and sixteen other federal labor unions.

All three were struck down with a decision by a DC District Court. The presiding judge was Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was later rewarded for her decision with a nomination to the Supreme Court, which was affirmed by the US Senate. The prevailing and openly stated reason for her nomination was said to be mostly demographic: she would be the first black woman on the Court. The deeper reason was more likely traceable to her role in thwarting actions by Trump which had begun the process of upending the administrative state. Jackson's judgment was later reversed but Trump's actions were embroiled in a juridical tangle that rendered them moot.

Following the lockdowns of mid-March 2020, Trump became increasingly frustrated with the CDC and Anthony Fauci in particular. Trump was profoundly aware that he had no power to fire the man, despite his epicly terrible role in prolonging Covid lockdowns long after Trump wanted to open up to save the American economy and society.

Trump's next step was radical and brilliant: the creation of a new category of federal employment. It was called Schedule F.

Employees of the federal government classified as Schedule F would have been subject to control by the elected president and other representatives. Who are they? They are those who met the following criteria:

Positions of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character not normally subject to change as a result of a Presidential transition shall be listed in Schedule F. In appointing an individual to a position in Schedule F, each agency shall follow the principle of veteran preference as far as administratively feasible.

Schedule F employees would be fired. ''You're fired'' was the slogan that made Trump TV famous. With this order, he would be in a position to do the same to the federal bureaucracy. The order further demanded a thorough review throughout the government.

Each head of an executive agency (as defined in section 105 of title 5, United States Code, but excluding the Government Accountability Office) shall conduct, within 90 days of the date of this order, a preliminary review of agency positions covered by subchapter II of chapter 75 of title 5, United States Code, and shall conduct a complete review of such positions within 210 days of the date of this order.

The Washington Post in an editorial expressed absolute shock and alarm at the implications:

The directive from the White House, issued late Wednesday, sounds technical: creating a new ''Schedule F'' within the ''excepted service'' of the federal government for employees in policymaking roles, and directing agencies to determine who qualifies. Its implications, however, are profound and alarming. It gives those in power the authority to fire more or less at will as many as tens of thousands of workers currently in the competitive civil service, from managers to lawyers to economists to, yes, scientists. This week's order is a major salvo in the president's onslaught against the cadre of dedicated civil servants whom he calls the ''deep state'' '-- and who are really the greatest strength of the U.S. government.

Ninety days after October 21, 2020 would have been January 19, 2021, the day before the new president was to be inaugurated. The Washington Post commented ominously: ''Mr. Trump will try to realize his sad vision in his second term, unless voters are wise enough to stop him.''

Biden was declared the winner due mostly to mail-in ballots.

On January 21, 2021, the day after inauguration, Biden reversed the order. It was one of his first actions as president. No wonder, because, as The Hill reported, this executive order would have been ''the biggest change to federal workforce protections in a century, converting many federal workers to 'at will' employment.''

How many federal workers in agencies would have been newly classified at Schedule F? We do not know because only one completed the review before their jobs were saved by the election result. The one that did was the Congressional Budget Office. Its conclusion: fully 88% of employees would have been newly classified as Schedule F, thus allowing the president to terminate their employment.

This would have been a revolutionary change, a complete remake of Washington, DC, and all politics as usual.

Trump's EO 13957 was a dagger aimed directly at the heart of the beast. It might have worked.

It would have gotten us closer to the restoration of a Constitutional system of government in which we have 3 '' not 4 '' branches of government that are wholly controlled by the people's representatives. It would have gone a long way toward gutting the administrative state of its power and returning the affairs of state to the people's control.

The action was stopped dead due to the election results.

Whatever one's view of Trump, one has to admire the brilliance of this executive order. It shows that Trump had come to understand the problem and actually innovate a fundamental solution, or at least the beginnings of one. The ''deep state'' as we've come to know it would have been curbed, and we would have taken a step toward recreating the system that existed before the Pendleton Act of 1883.

Many efforts have been deployed through the years to regain constitutional control over the permanent bureaucracy. An example is the Hatch Act of 1939 which forbids employees of the government to work for political campaigns. That act turned out to be toothless '' one does not need to work for a campaign in order to skew one's labor in the direction of always granting the federal government more power and control '' and largely made irrelevant in the succeeding decades.

Trump came to office promising to drain the swamp but it was very late in his term before he figured out the means at his disposal to do just that. His final effort took place merely two weeks before the election that was decided in favor of his opponent Biden, who quickly reversed this action just two days following the deadline of an ordered review that would have reclassified, and thus gained control over, a sizable portion of the administrative state.

With Executive Order 12003 (''Protecting the Federal Workforce''), Biden saved the deep state's bacon, leaving the efforts finally to drain the swamp to another day and another president.

Still, Executive Order 13957 exists in the archives as a possible path forward to restore checks and balances in the US system of government. A new Congress can also take such steps at least symbolically.

Until something takes place to restore the people's control of the administrative state, a sword of Damocles will continue to hang over the entire country and we will never be safe from another round of lockdowns and mandates.

Should a genuinely reformist president ever take office, this executive order must be issued on the very first day. Trump waited too long but that mistake need not be repeated.

2020-23780Jeffrey A. Tucker is Founder and President of the Brownstone Institute and the author of many thousands of articles in the scholarly and popular press and ten books in 5 languages, most recently Liberty or Lockdown. He is also the editor of The Best of Mises. He writes a daily column on economics at The Epoch Times, and speaks widely on topics of economics, technology, social philosophy, and culture.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:29

This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can

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Narrative:The aircraft experienced engine issues while en-route to Newnan Coweta County Airport, (COO) and was attempting a diversionary landing to Roosevelt Memorial Airport, (5A9), Warm Springs, Georgia, and made an emergency landing in a field short of the Airport. One occupant received serious injuries and, the second occupant's injuries are unknown. Sources:

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/faa-ntsb-meriwether-memorial-warm-springs-plane-piper-pa-24/85-25f32cdc-b049-4d3e-a5ce-c633f02e75d2 https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=14FC https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a0a0d7&lat=32.992&lon=-84.713&zoom=13.0&showTrace=2022-06-26 https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N14FC https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n14fc#2c67a625 Location

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Date/timeContributorUpdates28-Jun-2022 07:14harroAdded 29-Jun-2022 00:06johnwgUpdated [Time, Location, Phase, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category]30-Jun-2022 02:51Captain AdamUpdated [Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:18

Ranked: The Best-Selling Video Game Consoles of All TimeIn 1972, the first-ever commercially available home video game console hit the market'--the Magnavox Odyssey. Players of the Odyssey had a choice between two built-in games that were stored directly in the device, and would use a joystick and dials as a controller.

Video game consoles have come a long way since then, and the console market has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry that's expected to reach $72.67 billion in value by the end of 2022.

This graphic by Enrique Mendoza uses data from VGChartz to show the market leaders in the industry, by highlighting the top-selling video consoles of all time, as of May 8, 2022.

Nine Generations of Video Game ConsolesBefore diving into the top-selling consoles, it's worth taking a step back to touch on the evolution of home consoles to show how they've changed over the years.

We dug into the literature on the history of video game consoles, and found that most articles and blog posts on the topic cite nine different generations of devices.

Here's a breakdown of each generation, and some of their most noteworthy systems:

1972: Gen One, Where it BeganConsoles in the first generation had pre-built games that were stored directly on the device. They include the Magnavox Odyssey and Atari's Pong.

1976: Gen Two EmergesIn this generation, games were sold separately, rather than programmed into the device. Consoles of this gen include the Fairchild Channel F and the Atari 2600.

1983: Gen Three, the ''8-bit Generation''This era's consoles typically had 8-bit processes which allowed for more advanced graphics for the time. A few notable consoles during this gen were '‹'‹the Sega SG-1000 and the Nintendo Famicom, released outside Japan as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

1987: Gen Four Elevates Handheld GamingHome consoles were released with 16-bit systems, meaning that audio and graphics improved even more in this era. But an arguably bigger moment for this gen was the emergence of the Nintendo Game Boy.

1993: The 3D Start of Gen Five This generation saw the move away from pixels and towards 3D polygons. Some consoles like the Sony PlayStation started using CD-ROMs instead of cartridges, which stored more data at a cheaper cost and changed the industry.

1998: Gen Six and the InternetAt the start of this generation, the three major players in the console space were Sony, Sega, and Nintendo. By the end, Sega would be replaced with Microsoft as it launched the Xbox and helped popularize online console gaming.

2005: HD Graphics and Motion Controls of Gen SevenOn one side of the market, Microsoft and Sony were competing with high-definition graphics, faster processers, and different forms (Blu-rays or DVDs). But Nintendo's motion-sensing Nintendo Wii arguably defined this generation, and the handheld Nintendo DS swept the market as well.

2012: Gen Eight's Modern ConsolesConsoles of this era started having increased connectivity and processing power, with full HD an expectation. It was also an extremely long generation, starting with Nintendo's unsuccessful Wii U and ending with the ultra-successful Nintendo Switch, widely considered the first hybrid console with three different ways to play: TV mode, handheld mode, or tabletop mode.

2020: Gen Nine and BeyondSo far, this generation has brought upgraded graphics (up to 8K resolution), larger games, and game-streaming capabilities. Devices in this gen include the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, which both use solid state drives to increase speed and performance, while Nintendo has yet to introduce a 9th generation device.

The Best-Selling Game ConsolesThe best-selling video game console of all time is Sony's PlayStation 2 (PS2). More than 157 million systems have been sold around the world since its launch in March 2000.

RankConsoleManufacturerGlobal lifetime sales (millions)1PlayStation 2 (PS2)Sony157.682Nintendo DS (DS)Nintendo154.903Game Boy (GB)Nintendo118.694PlayStation 4 (PS4)Sony116.975Nintendo Switch (NS)Nintendo107.216PlayStation (PS)Sony102.507Nintendo Wii (Wii)Nintendo101.648PlayStation 3 (PS3)Sony87.419Xbox 360 (X360)Microsoft85.810Game Boy Advance (GBA)Nintendo81.5111PlayStation Portable (PSP)Sony81.0912Nintendo 3DS (3DS)Nintendo75.9513Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)Nintendo61.9114Xbox One (XOne)Microsoft50.5715Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)Nintendo49.1016Nintendo 64 (N64)Nintendo32.9317Sega Genesis (GEN)Sega29.5418Atari 2600 (2600)Atari27.6419Xbox (XB)Microsoft24.6520GameCube (GC)Nintendo21.7421PlayStation 5 (PS5)Sony19.3222PlayStation Vita (PSV)Sony16.2123Xbox Series X/S (XS)Microsoft14.3224Nintendo Wii U (WiiU)Nintendo13.9725GameGear (GG)Sega10.6226Sega Saturn (SAT)Sega8.8227Dreamcast (DC)Sega8.2028Atari 7800 (7800)Atari4.30Despite the fact the PS2's been discontinued since 2013, no other gaming console has managed to top it'--in fact, the next closest actively-sold consoles, the PS4 and Nintendo Switch, are each more than 40 million units behind.

One major factor for the PS2's success was its built-in DVD player. At the time, DVD players were very expensive, and in many places a PS2 was a cheaper and effective alternative. It was also one of the first devices to be ''backward compatible,'' meaning users could play most of their PS1 games on the PS2. This meant players didn't have to buy a whole new library of games when they made the switch to a PS2, and Sony could tap into its existing customer base.

But while Sony's PS2 is the top-selling console on the list, Nintendo has more top-selling consoles on the list'--almost half of the consoles on the list are manufactured by Nintendo (11), while only seven are made by Sony.

What Will it Take to Out-Sell the PS2?As the PS4 has started taking a backseat to the PS5 in sales and promotion, the current most-likely contender for the best-selling console crown is the Nintendo Switch. Early in 2022, it was the fastest console to sell 100 million units.

With lots of hype around the possibilities of AR and VR, it'll be interesting to see what new features come with the next generation of gaming consoles.

Will future devices ever beat the PS2's record-breaking sales? Time will tell. But for now, the 22-year-old console continues to hold its well-earned spot at the top.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:14

Live

About 600 beehives have been destroyed and eight properties infected as NSW attempts to stop the spread of the varroa mite, with authorities confident of containing the outbreak.

About 440 beekeepers are impacted while the eradication zone has been expanded to about 25 kilometres north of Newcastle where the mite, which is deadly to bees, was first detected.

NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said he was optimistic the pest could still be eradicated.

''If the teams can get on top of things quite quickly, then the situation can be managed,'' he said on Wednesday.

''It is not just an all-in-at-once destruction of hives. It's very much working with the apiarist at the time to make sure they're comfortable,'' Mr Saunders said.

Cases were identified on Tuesday are at Newcastle and Seaham, prompting the expansion of the exclusion and eradication zones.

Tweet from @millbernasconiJohn Tracey, from the NSW Department of Primary Industries who is helping coordinate the emergency response, said the industry and community had provided excellent support.

''We're confident that we're going to achieve eradication, that's the goal,'' he said.

Beekeeper Ana Martin is still waiting to hear if her 40 hives at Bulahdelah will be destroyed, after the area was declared a biosecurity zone on Wednesday.

Ms Martin said she appreciated how hard the department was working to contain a developing situation, but still had many questions.

''No one has come to us and said we are about to euthanise your bees, so we don't know exactly,'' she said.

Ms Martin said it was not just the economic loss but the sadness of having to euthanise the bees.

''Between the drought, fires, floods and now varroa there seems to be a bit of bad luck for beekeepers lately,'' she said.

Amateur Beekeepers Australia's Sue Carney said some had been left frustrated because they wanted an immediate response ''but they also understand that DPI officers are working hard to resolve the situation''.

She said dozens of beekeepers had contacted her organisation.

''It's all so new, people are just trying to get their head around what they can and can't do.''

Mr Saunders said the department was trying to get to people as quickly as possible and encouraged beekeepers with questions to get in touch.

Members of the Hunter Valley Amateur Beekeepers group will meet again with DPI representatives on Wednesday night, after meeting on Tuesday night.

NSW bee industry prepares for devastation after parasite discoveryActing chief executive of the Australian Honey Bee Industry council Danny Le Feuvre said authorities were working to identify and destroy all of the hives within the 10-kilometre eradication zones.

Mr Le Feuvre said while Sunday's emergency order was valid for six months and stopped people in NSW from moving their bees, he did not expect it to be in place that long.

''Even when that is lifted, hopefully within a week or two weeks, there will still be some restrictions in the Newcastle area,'' he said.

The order affects about 270,000 hives across NSW.

''Whilst there's a standstill, no one can move bees in the whole state, there are really big and significant fines in place, even jail time,'' he said.

Urgent tests are also underway to determine whether the mites found in NSW have deformed wing virus.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's expert on honeybee pathogens, John Roberts, said the mite and the virus often came together '' and when they did, they were a dangerous duo.

The mites feed on the blood of adult and larval bees and over time can weaken and kill colonies.

If the mites have the virus they can pass it to bees while enjoying their blood meals.

Infected bees end up with deformed wings, abdomens and other problems.

''If it's just the feeding damage, and not the virus damage as well, it's much lower impact than in combination, when they are acting together,'' Dr Roberts said.

''It will be important to keep monitoring [for the virus] at the same time as monitoring the mite, because it is as significant a threat as the mite.''

-with AAP

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:13

Authored by Mimi Nguyen Ly via The Epoch Times,

The Biden administration announced it will expand access to monkeypox vaccines in a new ''enhanced'' national strategy to combat the outbreak, which includes the deployment of 296,000 vaccine doses over the coming weeks, and potentially 1.6 million vaccine doses over the coming months.

Xavier Becerra, secretary of Health and Human Services, speaks at the HHS headquarters in Washington, on June 28, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

The plan seeks to ''expand vaccination for individuals at risk and make testing more convenient for healthcare providers and patients across the country,'' the White House said in a statement on June 28.

Source: BNO

Under the strategy, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will immediately allocate 56,000 doses of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine, which are currently in the national stockpile, to states and territories across the United States.

''States will be offered an equitable allotment based on cases and proportion of the population at risk for severe disease from monkeypox, and the federal government will partner with state, local, and territorial governments in deploying the vaccines,'' the White House announced.

The move is a major step up from the 9,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine that HHS has so far deployed from the national stockpile to the 32 states and jurisdictions that requested the vaccine.

HHS will also allocate another 240,000 doses in the coming weeks ''to a broader population of individuals at risk,'' as more doses are received from the manufacturer. This would bring the total number of vaccines to be distributed over the coming weeks to 296,000.

The White House said HHS will hold another 60,000 vaccines in reserve.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement that the new strategy allows the government to ''maximize the supply of currently available vaccines and reach those who are most vulnerable to the current outbreak.''

...

Up until now, monkeypox vaccines have been provided only to people who have had confirmed exposure to a monkeypox case. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) from the CDC now recommends that vaccines will be made available to people with ''confirmed monkeypox exposures and presumed exposures.''

''This includes those who had close physical contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox, those who know their sexual partner was diagnosed with monkeypox, and men who have sex with men who have recently had multiple sex partners in a venue where there was known to be monkeypox or in an area where monkeypox is spreading,'' HHS said in a statement.

...

The White House noted that the ACAM2000 vaccine ''cannot be provided to individuals who are immunocompromised or who have heart disease.''

Read more here...

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:12

Authored by Patricia Tolson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

As previously reported in an exclusive June 20 report, evidence proves that ''plainclothes'' members of a special Electronic Surveillance Unit (ESU) were embedded among Jan. 6, 2021, protesters for the purposes of conducting video surveillance. According to experts, one believes the activity itself may have been against the law. The other contends it was done for the purpose of entrapment.

Even after Capitol occupation and violence on January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill Police made no attempt to apprehend "Q Anon Man," who is on the Senate steps just a few feet from the Capitol Hill Police line. This photo was taken after the Capitol Hill Police removed protesters from inside the Senate wing of the Capitol. (Courtesy of J. Michael Waller)Against the Law?Speaking as a former prosecutor and three-term District Judge, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) told The Epoch Times, ''if you're going to have electronic surveillance of people there has to be warrants.''

As Gohmert explained, ''FISA courts have granted warrants,'' with ''no particular clarity'' and ''no probable cause that a crime's been committed or that this person engaged in a crime.''

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) was established under the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). ''Pursuant to FISA,'' the FISC website explains, ''the Court entertains applications submitted by the United States Government for approval of electronic surveillance, physical search, and other investigative actions for foreign intelligence purposes.''

Regarding domestic electronic surveillance, the Department of Justice (DOJ) website, ''Because of the well-recognized intrusive nature of many types of electronic surveillance, especially wiretaps and 'bugs,' and the Fourth Amendment implications of the government's use of these devices in the course of its investigations, the relevant statutes (and related Department of Justice guidelines) provide restrictions on the use of most electronic surveillance, including the requirement that a high-level Department official specifically approve the use of many of these types of electronic surveillance prior to an Assistant United States Attorney obtaining a court order authorizing interception.''

Furthermore, ''when court authorization for video surveillance is deemed necessary, it should be obtained by way of an application and order predicated on Fed. R. Crim. P. 41(b) and the All Writs Act (28 U.S.C. § 1651). The application and order should be based on an affidavit that establishes probable cause to believe that evidence of a Federal crime will be obtained by the surveillance. In addition, the affidavit should comply with certain provisions of the Federal electronic surveillance statutes.''

Gohmert surmised: ''When you see confirmed judges are just willing to completely abrogate the U.S. Constitution because they're the star chamber of the secret court, and they figure nobody will ever find out what they're doing, then you know when you see there's an Electronic Surveillance Unit, well, something's not right.''

Gohmert's concerns with the ESU surveillance are two-fold:

Were the legally required warrants obtained?

If so, how could a judge approve a warrant for surveillance before a crime has been committed and with no probable cause?

''We can't have secret units doing secret surveillance of people that have committed no crime, no probable cause of a crime. Just getting blanket surveillance,'' Gohmert asserted. ''We don't know what kind of warrant they had or even if they had warrants. But to deploy Electronic Surveillance Units tells us there's a lot more here that we need to find out about and obviously it's not going to be uncovered at least for another six months.''

But Gohmert added that ''there is also more information we haven't gotten and information that continues to leak out drip by drip.''

''Like this in [article] The Epoch Times,'' Gohmert noted, ''pointing out how until the deployment of munitions, the crowd was peaceful. I had heard from people and seen people interviewed saying there wasn't any violence out there. 'We were just mulling around, chanting stuff from time to time, then they started firing on us with tear gas and provoked the crowd.' They created chaos, and you just wonder what was going on.''

The EvidenceEvidence of the embedded ESU members was discovered in a Jan. 3, 2021, First Amendment Demonstrations report, issued by Chief of Police Robert Contee of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Homeland Security Bureau, Special Operations Division, obtained exclusively by The Epoch Times. While it is unclear who the MPD ESU ''members'' were, the report stated they wore a specific ''bracelet on their left wrist identifying them as MPD personnel'' among the protesters. Of the 37 ''Specialized Units'' listed as part of the MPD, an ESU is not among them.

Also in the report, revealed now for the first time, was the advisory that the Special Operations Division ''will have personnel to assist with this detail and will assist with any demonstration.'' Among them were Domestic Security Officers, or DSOs.

Photo of bracelet worn by plainclothes members of the Metropolitan Police Department's Electronic Surveillance Unit, embedded in the crowds on Jan. 6, 2021 to ''document the actions of the demonstrators and MPD's response to any civil disobedience or criminal activity.'' (Metropolitan Police Department First Amendment Demonstrations report.)The Special Operations Division is part of the United States Secret Service, which is part of Homeland Security.

Under the heading of ''Special Operations Division '-- Deployment Requirements,'' the report said ''the Incident Commander'' shall ensure that specific objectives were ''adhered to.'' Among those is the order that ''Long Range Acoustical Device (LRAD) '' The LRAD along with the warning sheets shall be deployed by the DSO members along with the munitions load out and arrest kits.''

Domestic Security Officers (pdf) are also part of Homeland Security's Special Operations Division.

Homeland Security Organizational Flowchart (ACTIVE MPD Org Charts)According to The Focus, the DSO ''can be heard shouted on audio recordings of the Capitol siege, when law enforcement officers needed additional support against the oncoming masses.''

''DSOs are primarily used as riot police, to dole out such crowd control measures as tear gas, pepper spray, batons and rubber bullets intended to disperse rioters. Their weapons can be lethal and are only to be used in the most extreme circumstances.''

Video evidence shows an unidentified individual handing weapons to people through a window from inside the Capitol building.

Joseph McBride, an attorney for multiple January 6 prisoners and defendants identified a man tagged by ''Sedition Hunters'' as ''Red-Faced 45.'' The man McBride says is ''clearly law enforcement,'' was dressed in red from head to toe'--with even his face painted red. He appears in a video engaging in continuous dialogue with others whom McBride also insists are agents embedded in the crowd.

''He passes out weapons, sledgehammers, poles, mace. Some of those things come in contact with some of the other protesters who have subsequently been charged with possessing dangerous weapons and are using dangerous weapons at the Capitol. That is clearly entrapment.

That is clearly the government creating conditions of dangerousness and entrapping members of the crowd to possess weapons and possibly use them for reasons that we cannot comprehend.''

According to a 140-page report issued by then-Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton'--''Review of the Events Surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Takeover of the U.S. Capitol'''--Capitol Police's Civil Disturbance Unit was ordered by supervisors not to use the department's most powerful tools, like stun guns. Also, ''heavier, less-lethal weapons,'' including stun grenades, ''were not used that day because of orders from leadership.''

Read more here...

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:11

Tired of sky-high prices at the pump. Don't hold your breath waiting for a reprieve.

On Wednesday, members of OPEC+, which includes 13 core OPEC and 10 non-core nations and collectively accounts for half the world's oil production, admitted to wildly missing oil-production targets so far this year. Worse yet: the group says considerable roadblocks remain.

Settling for a ''Psychological Impact''Stepping back in time: in May 2020, OPEC+ joined forces to coordinate production decreases aimed at re-balancing the suddenly overstocked global oil market (remember negative oil?). Since then, the group has collectively pumped 562 million barrels less than stipulated in the agreement, according to data from OPEC's Joint Technical Committee '-- setting the stage for today's dearth.

In light of today's $5+ per gallon, OPEC+ agreed in principle to raise production to 42 million barrels per day in May. But a new, independent assessment has found that OPEC+ has fallen short by a whopping 3 million barrels per day, prompting wide concern as to how long the supply-demand imbalance will persist:

New targets, discussed in a virtual meeting Wednesday and set to be formally approved today, will rely heavily on so-called spare capacity in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia, in particular, will have to produce 11 million barrels per day in August '-- a level it's only reached twice in its history.Speaking with President Biden at the G-7 meeting on Monday, France's Emmanuel Macron said the UAE's Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan privately claimed his country was already at maximum capacity, while the Saudis can only increase ''a little bit.''Throwing more cold water on its ability to re-balance the market, one OPEC member told The Wall Street Journal that any planned increase is ''meaningless'' and ''only made for its psychological impacts on the market,'' in light of Russian sanctions currently crimping supply.

G-7 Solutions: World leaders at the G-7 meeting this week discussed a potential solution of imposing a price cap on Russian oil, which, in theory, would force other producers to lower their prices. Analysts at Swedish bank SEB claim that move would likely backfire, causing Russia to retreat from the market altogether, and cause prices to surge to $200 per barrel. Time to dust off your Schwinn 7-speed.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:04

(C) Provided by Twin Cities Pioneer Press St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter speaks at the Rondo Center of Diverse Expression's Juneteenth block party at the Rondo Commemorative Plaza in St. Paul on Sunday, June 19, 2022. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press) St. Paul is expanding its guaranteed basic income experiment, giving monthly checks to more families while also making deposits into some of their children's college savings accounts.

With the city council's support, Mayor Melvin Carter launched the People's Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot in November 2020, spending $300,000 in federal coronavirus relief grants and $1.2 million from donors.

That provided $500 a month for 18 months to 150 low-income families with no strings attached.

Carter announced Wednesday that the next phase, which he's calling CollegeBound Boost, will send money to two groups:

333 families will get $1,000 added to each of their children's College Bound St. Paul savings accounts. 333 additional families will get the same $1,000 for college, plus two full years of monthly $500 checks. The city will compare the outcomes for those families against a third ''control'' group of 333 families enrolled in College Bound St. Paul without the boost or monthly checks.

The city created the college savings program 2½ years ago in hopes of growing the share of city residents who go on to college while also improving young families' financial and general well-being.

Since 2020, every child who either is born in St. Paul or moves to the city before age 6 has been eligible to receive $50, plus occasional bonuses, in a college savings account earning modest interest. However, a state law that restricts information sharing on the children of unmarried mothers has made it difficult for the city to enroll many of its newborns.

ELIGIBILITY LIMITSTo become eligible for monthly checks from the basic income program, a family must be enrolled in College Bound St. Paul and have an income of no more than three times the federal poverty limit. The 666 recipient families will be chosen at random from that group, and the initial 150 families that received checks will not be excluded.

Pending approval from the city council next month, the expanded program will start around the end of August and will be funded with $4 million in coronavirus relief grants plus $1 million from philanthropists, the city said.

The mayor said early evidence from a similar guaranteed-income project in Stockton, Calif., found that offering cash assistance without limiting how the money could be spent helped some recipients take time off from a part-time job to interview for a full-time job, or buy a suit for a job interview, or purchase medicine.

The mayor, addressing conference-goers Wednesday at the St. Paul RiverCentre, recalled that his family received public food support, or WIC, when his daughter was born, but the requirements limited purchases to milk, eggs, peanuts and other foods to which she was allergic.

''That's not the way families work,'' said Carter, during the Midwest Asset Building Conference, which was focused on racial wealth gaps. ''Particularly during the pandemic, one family might need food support and one family might need child care support. '... I would be so angry, so offended every time we walked through the grocery store.''

Mayor: ''I have a 16-year-old daughter. When she was born we were on WIC'' food support, but she was allergic to whole milk, peanuts, eggs'... The things WIC buys. Saying here's cash but you can only spend it on limited things, or in this case lethal things, and not soy milk'...? pic.twitter.com/UZh1zBYMpi

'-- Frederick Melo, Reporter (@FrederickMelo) June 29, 2022

The program will be evaluated by University of Michigan professor William Elliott, a prominent researcher of children's college savings accounts who has worked with the city since the 2020 launch of College Bound St. Paul.

''Guaranteed income helps parents make it through a month. But savings for the future '-- through savings deposits from the city '-- gives families tangible hope for their kids' future,'' Elliott said in a statement released by the city. ''Both sides of the equation are crucial, and families will benefit immensely.''

Carter expects the study of St. Paul's initiative will demonstrate that negative tropes about poor people are untrue.

''If we understand that people aren't poor because they lack character, they're poor because they lack money, then all the things that we correlate with poverty suddenly aren't acts of God anymore,'' he said Wednesday. ''They're this fungible thing that we can impact just by making sure that people can get to the end of the month.''

An evaluation of the impact the monthly checks had on the first 150 recipients is not yet complete.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct details of the new initiative, which were not fully explained in a city press release.

St. Paul now accepting police chief applications, with plans to appoint next chief in late summer or early fall St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter to Waste Management, trash hauler consortium: Do better Judge rules in favor of St. Paul unions over COVID vaccination mandate Minnesota United, Toro roll out irrigated natural grass soccer field at Arlington Hills Community Center

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:01

We have held back on reporting this story until we heard from Dr. Madej, and we asked for prayers of support on social media for her and her boyfriend.

Yesterday we learned that Dr. Madej '-- an outspoken medical expert who has blown the whistle on vaccines and clot shots '-- was involved in the crash of a small aircraft. She suffered a broken leg and some fractures alone her spine, saying she was ''bruised all over'' and also apparently has a black eye. Her boyfriend suffered a cranial concussion and other injuries. Both were taken to the hospital for emergency surgery, and from what we know so far, both are currently recovering in the ICU.

''It's a miracle we are alive''Today we have learned more details from Dr. Madej:

''It is a miracle we are alive,'' she says. The plane in which she was a passenger was returning from Florida when the engine quit. This is extremely rare in small aircraft, by the way, as aircraft must adhere to very strict schedules of engine overhauls according to FAA regulations. (I am trained as a small aircraft pilot and used to fly Cessna aircraft, so I am very familiar with FAA regulations on plane maintenance. However, I no longer fly small aircraft due to the deep state using small aircraft ''accidents'' to assassinate their targets. It's too easy to fake a crash and eliminate people they don't like.)

''We were gliding fine,'' said Dr. Madej, likely referring to what's called a ''glide path'' which is a specific angle of declination that allows an aircraft to maintain forward air speed as it loses altitude, allowing the pilot to maintain control over the flight surfaces. In effect, you are trading altitude for forward speed, so that you can glide the plane into a suitable emergency landing area. All small aircraft pilots are trained in this procedure, and it was common, I remember, for my instructor to turn off the engine during flight, even during night flights. We practiced glide path emergency procedures quite frequently.

She continues, '''...and then rpm drops to zero in seconds and we drop like a rock.''

I don't yet know what this means, since at this point the engine would have no longer been operating. However, the propeller may have stopped rotating since it was no longer under engine power, and it is possible that the glide path angle (and speed) for this specific aircraft makes it feel like you're plummeting quickly. Each aircraft has a different glide path angle and speed designation. For a Cessa 172, which is what I trained in, the typical glide path speed is around 75 knots. For the Piper aircraft in which Dr. Madej was a passenger, this speed would be something different.

In the crash, Dr. Madej says her tibia and fibula were cleanly severed and her foot was ''facing 120 degrees in the wrong direction.'' She says it took paramedics 30 minutes to reach them, as they crash landed in trees. However, her pilot was able to direct the plane to crash land along a logger's trail, which minimized the damage and probably saved their lives. ''That was another miracle in itself!''

She says a search and rescue crew were trying to find them, and she screamed out for help, after which they were finally located.

She explained that the pilot (name withheld here) ''has 20 years experience as a pilot and suffered skull fractures, facial fractures, T 10 fracture and he had LOC.''

Dr. Madej says she may be released by the hospital tomorrow.

Fuel can be tampered withThere is tremendous speculation on the internet about whether their small aircraft was tampered with in order to try to assassinate Dr. Madej. There is no current evidence of this that we are aware of, and the plane was obviously severely damaged in the crash to it may make a forensic examination impossible. However, from previous similar events, we know that the easiest way for a kill team to set this up is to tamper with the fuel.

Aviation fuel can be tampered with so that it gels over time, for example, and cannot be pumped through the engine's fuel filter. This slow gelling effect is accelerated at altitude where temperatures are naturally colder. Aviation fuel can also be contaminated with water (either through condensation or a deliberate method), causing water in the fuel lines, which would cause the engine to cut out.

When small aircraft crash, they often ignite a large fuel fire, destroying the aircraft and its occupants. That's because the wings of small aircraft are loaded with aviation fuel. Combined with sparks from the metal '-- or electrical sparks from the battery '-- it's very easy to ignite the aviation fuel, resulting in a massive explosion. Fortunately, that did not occur in this crash.

Note that civilian aviation has a very good safety track record overall, that is until the vaccine clot shots started causing pilots to lose consciousness and crash their planes. However, vaccines are clearly not the culprit in this crash. This appears to be something related to the fuel composition, fuel lines, or other mechanical causes. However, we won't know for sure unless an investigation is conducted and allowed to be carried out without the truth being covered up. We don't have much faith that the NTSB will do an honest job on this, since they are controlled by the same corrupt federal government that's trying to carry out genocide with vaccines.

For now, please pray for healing and a speedy recovery for Dr. Madej and her boyfriend.

Stay away from small aircraft, and avoid showing up anywhere in public where the time and location of your arrival is known in advance. These are very dangerous times, and people are being targeted for assassination.

The vaccine deep state will stop at nothing to silence the truth.

ARTICLE SOURCE

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:55

ARMY

Pfizer Inc., New York, New York, is awarded a $3,200,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to manufacture, store and deliver mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Work will be performed in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2023. Fiscal 2022 American Rescue Plan Act, Defense Production Act funds in the amount of $3,200,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W58P05-22-C-0016).

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a $429,174,259 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance and overhaul of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 28, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-22-D-0002).

General Dynamics Land System Inc., Sterling Heights, Michigan, is awarded a $320,325,338 modification (P00050) to contract W56HZV-19-C-0036 for low-rate initial production and system technical services for the Mobile Protected Firepower. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan; Anniston, Alabama; and Lima, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 24, 2024. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $31,310,306 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. (Awarded June 28, 2022)

Bechtel National Incorporation, Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $71,121,288 modification (P00237) to contract W52P1J-09-C-0012 to extend the period of performance by five months at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. Work will be performed in Pueblo, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2023. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $0 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

FLIR Unmanned Ground Systems Inc. Chelmsford, Massachusetts, is awarded a $62,068,240 firm-fixed-price contract for the Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 2, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-22-F-0282).

Main Building Maintenance Inc., San Antonio, Texas, is awarded a $41,858,003 firm-fixed-price contract for healthcare environmental cleaning and related services at William Beaumont Army Medical Center. Bids were solicited via the internet with 13 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2027. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-22-D-0008).

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, Spring, Texas, was awarded a $25,480,000 firm-fixed-price contract for one base system and one test and development system super computer system. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Vicksburg, Mississippi, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 25, 2028. Fiscal 2022 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $25,480,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, Mississippi, is the contracting activity (W912DY-22-F-0248).

Spider Strategies Inc.,* Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a $16,426,741 firm-fixed-price contract for strategic management system support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 2, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-22-D-0010).

NAVY

Reliance Test and Technology LLC, Crestview, Florida, is awarded an $80,831,607 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost modification (P00019) to a previously awarded contract (N0042120C0033). This modification exercises an option to provide research, development, test, evaluation, engineering, fleet and management support services required to perform aircraft engineering and developmental flight test, as well as fleet training events for Navy and Marine Corps air vehicle systems and trainers in support of the Atlantic Ranges and Targets Department. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (99%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (1%), and is expected to be completed in June 2023. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,362,250; fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance (Navy) in the amount of $2,176,482; fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Department of Defense) funds in the amount of $507,554; and fiscal 2022 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $155,000 will be obligated at time of award, $2,176,482 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Command, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $57,850,697 fixed-price-incentive-fee and cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N0002419C5412 to exercise options and incrementally fund existing contract line items for fiscal 2022 Standard Missile-2 Block IIIC low rate initial production and spares. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama (73%); and Tucson, Arizona, (27%), and is expected to be completed by December 2024. Fiscal 2022 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $55,582,089 (96%); and fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,268,608 (4%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc., Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $32,658,642 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-2112 for naval nuclear propulsion components. Work will be performed in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (74%); and Schenectady, New York (26%). Fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $32,658,642 will be obligated at time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Consolidated Analysis Center International (CACI) Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded a $27,338,600 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This contract provides engineering, technical and program management support services and associated supplies to support the development, production and sustainment of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission systems. Work will be performed in Austin, Texas (90%); and Patuxent River, Maryland (10%), and is expected to be completed in June 2023. Fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0042122C0025).

Mercury Mission Systems LLC, Torrance, California, is awarded a $25,978,018 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N6833522F0005) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N6833519G0041). This order provides non-recurring engineering for the development and delivery of flight qualification units for the Joint Avionics Reconfigurable Visual Information System digital video mapping computer upgrade that will interface with the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G mission computer, data transfer unit and other avionics in support of Small Business Innovation Research Phase III topic #N152-096 titled ''Miniaturized, Fault Tolerant Decentralized Mission Processing Architecture for Next Generation Rotorcraft Avionics Environment.'' Additionally, this effort will provide high definition video interfaces to two large area displays (LADs) with digital moving maps and other data. This upgrade will provide Aeronautical Radio Incorporated 818 compliant video output over high-speed video network at the full resolution and refresh rate required by the two LADs. Work will be performed in Torrance, California (95.2%); Atlanta, Georgia (2.7%); and Eden Prairie, Minnesota (2.1%), and is expected to be completed in August 2024. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,259,924; and fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,381,091 will be obligated at time of award, $4,381,091 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

L3Technologies Inc., MariPro, Goleta, California, is awarded a $14,492,140 firm-fixed-price modification (P00003) to a previously awarded contract (N6134021C0023). This modification exercises options to procure 180 km Barking Sands Tactical Underwater Range internode cable and 608 km Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center cable in support of the Under Sea Warfare Training Range Programs training ranges that are being developed off the shores of Hawaii, California and the Bahamas in support of the Navy's air, surface, and subsurface forces training and assessment in shallow and deep water under adverse conditions. Work will be performed in Tanner Bank, California (30%); San Clemente Island, California (23%); Goleta, California (21%); Kauai, Hawaii (14%); and Andros Island, Bahamas (12%), and is expected to be completed in June 2032. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,973,451; and fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,518,689 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

SupplyCore Inc.,* Rockford, Illinois, has been awarded a maximum $60,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for facilities maintenance, repair and operations supplies. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in the Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 184-day bridge contract with no option periods. Location of performance is South Korea, with a Jan. 15, 2023, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2022 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE8E3-22-D-0011).

Connectec Co., Inc.,* Irvine, California, has been awarded a maximum $59,251,500 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for power distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. The performance completion date is June 29, 2027. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2022 through 2027 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-22-D-0041).

*Small business

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:52

AbstractCases of myocarditis and pericarditis have been reported following the receipt of Covid-19 mRNA vaccines. As vaccination campaigns are still to be extended, we aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the association, by vaccine and across sex and age groups. Using nationwide hospital discharge and vaccine data, we analysed all 1612 cases of myocarditis and 1613 cases of pericarditis that occurred in France in the period from May 12, 2021 to October 31, 2021. We perform matched case-control studies and find increased risks of myocarditis and pericarditis during the first week following vaccination, and particularly after the second dose, with adjusted odds ratios of myocarditis of 8.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.7 to 9.9) for the BNT162b2 and 30 (95% CI, 21 to 43) for the mRNA-1273 vaccine. The largest associations are observed for myocarditis following mRNA-1273 vaccination in persons aged 18 to 24 years. Estimates of excess cases attributable to vaccination also reveal a substantial burden of both myocarditis and pericarditis across other age groups and in both males and females.

IntroductionOn July 19, 2021 the European Medicines Agency advised that myocarditis and pericarditis be added to the list of adverse effects of both messenger RNA (mRNA) based vaccines (BNT162b2 [Pfizer''BioNTech] and mRNA-1273 [Moderna]) against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)1. This statement followed pharmacovigilance reports of an increased risk of myocarditis among recipients of mRNA vaccines that showed certain common patterns2,3. Several reports indicate that adverse events typically occur within a week after injection, mostly after the second dose of vaccine, cluster in young males, and result in a mild clinical course and short duration of hospitalization4,5,6. However, the predominance of a vaccine-associated risk in males7 and its extent regarding pericarditis, as a specific condition, remains uncertain8,9,10,11. Population-based risks estimates for each condition and across sex and age groups and by vaccine type remains crucial as vaccination campaigns are still to be extended especially towards the youngest and with subsequent doses. The Covid-19 vaccination campaign began in France in late 2020 with the gradual roll-out of the two mRNA vaccines, BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 alongside viral vector-based vaccines. Initially reserved for the oldest and most vulnerable groups, as well as healthcare professionals, vaccination was opened up to the entire population over the age of 18 years as of May 12, 2021, and to all over 12 years old as of June 15, 2021. As of October 31, 2021 approximately 50 million people (88% of the eligible population, i.e. over 12 years old) in France had received a full vaccination schedule12. Here, we aimed to estimate the age and sex-specific associations between each mRNA Covid-19 vaccine and the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, using nationwide hospital discharge and vaccine data for France.

ResultsCharacteristics of the study populationBetween May 12, 2021 and October 31, 2021, within a population of 32 million persons aged 12 to 50 years, 21.2 million first (19.3 million second) doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine and 2.86 million first (2.58 million second) doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine were received (Table S1). In the same period, 1612 cases of myocarditis (of which 87 [5.4%] had also a pericarditis as associated diagnosis) and 1613 cases of pericarditis (37 [2.3%] with myocarditis as associated diagnosis) were recorded in France. We matched those cases to 16,120 and 16,130 control subjects, respectively. The characteristics of the cases and their matched controls are shown in Table 1. For both myocarditis and pericarditis, key differences between cases and controls included a higher proportion among cases of a history of myocarditis or pericarditis, of history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and receipt of an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. The mean age and proportion of women were lower among patients with myocarditis than those with pericarditis.

Table 1 Characteristics of study cases and controls.Risk of myocarditis and pericarditis associated with vaccinationFor both vaccines, the risk of myocarditis was increased in the seven days post vaccination (Table 2; in the rest of the text, we will refer to multivariable odds ratios). For the BNT162b2 vaccine, odds ratios were 1.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3''2.5) for the first dose and 8.1 (95% CI, 6.7''9.9) for the second. The association was stronger for the mRNA-1273 vaccine with odds-ratios of 3.0 (95% CI, 1.4''6.2) for the first dose and 30 (95% CI, 21''43) for the second. The risk of pericarditis was increased in the seven days following the second dose of both vaccines, with odds ratios of 2.9 (95% CI, 2.3''3.8) for the BNT162b2 vaccine and 5.5 (95% CI, 3.3''9.0) for the mRNA-1273 vaccine. Vaccination in the previous 8 to 21 days, with either the BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccine was not associated with a risk of myocarditis or pericarditis. Independently of vaccination status, a history of myocarditis was strongly associated with a risk of contracting myocarditis during the study period, with an odds-ratios of 160 (95% CI, 83''330). The same was true for pericarditis, with an odds ratio of 250 (95% CI, 120''540). No interaction was found between history of myocarditis or pericarditis and vaccine exposure. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in the preceding month was also associated with a risk of myocarditis (odds ratio, 9.0 [95% CI, 6.4''13]) or pericarditis (odds ratio, 4.0 [95% CI, 2.7''5.9]).

Table 2 Association between myocarditis and pericarditis and exposure to mRNA vaccines within 1 to 7 days and 8 to 21 days.Subgroup estimates by sex and age classesThe risk of myocarditis was substantially increased within the first week post vaccination in both males and females (Fig. 1 and Table S2). Odds-ratios associated with the second dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine were consistently the highest, with values up to 44 (95% CI, 22''88) and 41 (95% CI, 12''140), respectively in males and females aged 18 to 24 years but remaining high in older age groups. Odds-ratios for the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine tended to decrease with age, from 18 (95% CI, 9''35) and 7.1 (95% CI, 1.5''33), respectively in males and females aged 12 to 17 years, down to 3.0 (95% CI, 1.5''5.9) and 1.9 (95% CI, 0.39''9.3), respectively in males and females aged 40 to 51 years.

Fig. 1: Association between myocarditis and exposure to mRNA vaccines within 7 days, according to sex and age group.Adjusted odds-ratio (aOR) from multivariable model are represented in base 10 logarithmic scale according to age groups (x-axis), by sex (columns) and vaccine dose ranking (rows). Colors denote the type of vaccine. Centre value are aOR point estimates and error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. Number of cases (N) by age categories (12''17, 18''24, 25''29, 30''39, 40''50 and 12''50 years) are respectively as follows: N'‰='‰137, 480, 210, 273, 181 and 1281 for males, and N'‰='‰29, 106, 40, 88, 68 and 331 for females. aOR could not be calculated in categories where no case exposed to vaccine was recorded, for instance for males and females aged 12 to 17 years having received the mRNA-1273 vaccine.

An increased risk of pericarditis was also found in the first week after the second dose of either of the mRNA vaccines among both males and females (Fig. 2 and Table S3). Odds-ratios for the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine showed a downward trend across age groups with values up to 6.8 (95% CI, 2.3''20) and 10 (95% CI, 2.5''41), respectively in males and females aged 12 to 17 years. The second dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine was associated with pericarditis among males and among females only within age 30 to 39 years (odds-ratio 20 [95% CI, 3.5''110]) and age 40 to 50 years (odds-ratio 13 [95% CI, 3.5''49]).

Fig. 2: Association between pericarditis and exposure to mRNA vaccines within 7 days, according to sex and age group.Adjusted odds-ratio (aOR) from multivariable model are represented in base 10 logarithmic scale according to age groups (x-axis), by sex (columns) and vaccine dose ranking (rows). Colors denote the type of vaccine. Centre value are aOR point estimates and error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. Number of cases (N) by age categories (12''17, 18''24, 25''29, 30''39, 40''50 and 12''50 years) are respectively as follows: N'‰='‰65, 194, 106, 282, 342 and 989 for males, and N'‰='‰36, 118, 91, 183, 196 and 624 for females. aOR could not be calculated in categories where no case exposed to vaccine was recorded, for instance for males and females aged 12 to 17 years having received the mRNA-1273 vaccine.

Associations between vaccination within the seven preceding days and the risk of myocarditis or pericarditis were of the same magnitude when the analysis was restricted to the period prior to the warning against myocarditis and pericarditis as adverse events sent to prescribers on July 19, 2021 (Fig. S1 and Table S4). The results were unchanged in models excluding patients with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the past month, those with a history of myocarditis or pericarditis within five years, those diagnosed with both myocarditis and pericarditis, or those with a hospitalization within a month prior to index date.

Excess eventsWe estimated the number of excess cases attributable to vaccines by sex and age group (Fig. 3). The number of excess cases of myocarditis per 100,000 doses administered to adolescent males 12 to 17 years was 1.9 (95% CI, 1.4''2.6) for the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine and for young adults 18 to 24 years of age reached 4.7 (95% CI, 3.8''5.8) for the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine, and 17 (95% CI, 13''23) for the second dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine (Fig. 3). This translates into one case of vaccine-associated myocarditis per 52,300 (95% CI, 38,200''74,100) second doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine among 12''17 years, and 21,100 (95% CI, 17,400''26,000) second doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine and 5900 (95% CI, 4400''8000) second doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine among 18''24 years (Table S5). Estimates of excess cases were lower for older age groups and generally for females. However, the number of excess cases of myocarditis attributable to the second dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine was consistently higher. Among females aged 18 to 24 years, the estimated number of excess cases of myocarditis per 100,000 doses reached 0.63 (95% CI, 0.34''1.1) for the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine (corresponding to 1 case per 159,000 [95% CI, 90,800''294,400] doses) and 5.3 (95% CI, 3.0''9.1) for the second dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine (corresponding to 1 case per 18,700 [95% CI, 11,000''33,400] doses). The number of excess cases of pericarditis is presented in Fig. 3. As for myocarditis, estimates for the second dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine were consistently higher.

Fig. 3: Excess cases of myocarditis and pericarditis attributable to mRNA vaccines according to sex and age group, per 100,000 doses.Excess cases are based on the risk in the 7 days following vaccination. Colors denote the type of vaccine and the shape of point estimate denotes the ranking of dose vaccine. Centre value are excess cases point estimates and error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. Number of cases (N) by age categories (12''17, 18''24, 25''29, 30''39, 40''50 and 12''50 years) are respectively as follows: for cases of myocarditis, N'‰='‰137, 480, 210, 273, 181 and 1281 in males, and N'‰='‰29, 106, 40, 88, 68 and 331 in females; for cases of pericarditis, N'‰='‰65, 194, 106, 282, 342 and 989 in males, and N'‰='‰36, 118, 91, 183, 196 and 624 in females. Excess cases was only calculated in categories with a significantly positive association between the vaccine exposure and the outcome (adjusted odds-ratio'‰>1).

Characteristics of myocarditis and pericarditis cases occurring after vaccinationAmong exposed cases, the delay between administration of the vaccine and hospitalization (Fig. S2) was shorter after the second dose than after the first dose, both for myocarditis (median of 4 days versus 10 days after the BNT162b2 vaccine and of 3.5 days versus 9 days after the mRNA-1273 vaccine) and for pericarditis (median of 6 days versus 10 days after the BNT162b2 vaccine and of 3 days versus 11 days after the mRNA-1273 vaccine).

Table 3 shows the characteristics of cases acquired within 7 days of vaccination (deemed post-vaccination cases) compared to those acquired within a larger delay or in the absence of vaccination. Post-vaccination cases were significantly younger (predominantly in 18 to 24 years), more frequently concerned males for myocarditis but not for pericarditis, and without a history of myocarditis or pericarditis, respectively, or of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The lengths of hospital stay were not significantly different in post-vaccination cases of myocarditis (median 4 days) and pericarditis (median 2 days) than in unexposed cases. The frequency of admission in intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation or death was lower for post-vaccination cases than for unexposed cases. After a follow-up of 30 days after discharge, 4 (0.24%) deaths among cases of myocarditis (none among exposed to vaccine) and 5 (0.31%) deaths among cases of pericarditis (including one patient having received a vaccine 8 to 21 days prior to the diagnosis) were reported. Of those, 3 and 2 died during their hospital stay for myocarditis and pericarditis, respectively.

Table 3 Description of hospitalized patients according to the exposure to mRNA vaccines.Drugs treatments within 30 days after hospital discharge are presented in Figs. S3 and S4. Regardless of the vaccination status, the therapeutic classes most frequently used during the follow-up of myocarditis cases included beta blocking agents (63% of patients), analgesics (52%) and agents acting on the renin''angiotensin system (46%). The corresponding treatments of pericarditis cases were analgesics (83%), colchicine (69%) and beta blocking agents (14%) (Fig. S4).

DiscussionIn this nationwide study involving a population of 32 million people aged 12 to 50 years having received 46 million doses of mRNA vaccines, we provide detailed estimates of the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis by sex, age categories and vaccine type. We find that vaccination with both mRNA vaccines was associated with an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis within the first week after vaccination. The associations were particularly pronounced after the second dose, and were evident in both males and females. We found a trend of increased risks towards younger age groups but a significant risk was also found in males over 30 years to develop myocarditis and in females over 30 years to develop a pericarditis after vaccination. Reassuringly, these cases of myocarditis and pericarditis, although requiring hospitalization, did not result in more severe outcomes than those unrelated to vaccination.

Our results are generally consistent with those reported by the pharmacovigilance systems in France and other countries8,13,14,15,16. Several common factors in terms of the characteristics and prognosis of cases identified, and the temporal relationship between vaccine exposure and the event of interest, suggest a consistent underlying mechanism5,6,17,18. As found in our analyses, various reports indicate that the risk is more pronounced with the mRNA-1273 vaccine7,10,19,20, even though there was no difference in rates between the two vaccines in the passive surveillance reporting in the US4.

Our findings bring new elements in showing that the risk of acute cardiac inflammation after vaccination is not confined to myocarditis in young men4,5,6,14. First, in line with results from a cohort study in Nordic countries11, our analyses show a significant risk and population burden of pericarditis following the second dose of the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccine. Often comprised in a combined outcome of myopericarditis7,19,21, pericarditis as specific entity has been less studied for its association with mRNA vaccines, and even more rarely regarding the mRNA-12173 vaccine. For the BNT162b2 vaccine, results are inconsistent with either reports of a positive association11,18 or an absence of association8,9,10. Barda et al. and Lai et al. found a non-significant risk ratio of 1.27 and odds ratio of 1.06, respectively, for the combined effect of first and second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine8,9. Patone et al. found a non-significant relative incidence of pericarditis in the week after both doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine of approximately 0.6, while the association with mRNA-1273 could not be quantified10. Considering that the risk of myocarditis following the BNT162b2 vaccine is also found lower in the later study than in others, we hypothesized that the probably weaker association with pericarditis might be more difficult to reveal. This discrepancy could also reflect different diagnostic practices as pericarditis is a retrospective diagnosis of exclusion.

Second, by differentiating the risk between adolescent (aged 12 to 17 years) and young men or women (18''25 years), we estimate that the number of excess cases after the second dose of BNT162b2 vaccine is lower in adolescents compared to young adults. This is consistent with findings from surveillance data in Israel22 but in contrast with those from the US4. There is some support for the role of sex hormones in the increased susceptibility for myocarditis of young men compared to women23,24,25. While we do find higher absolute burden of myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescent males and men, we also find that the female counterpart also faces a significant risk, notably of pericarditis for women over 30 years after the second dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine, which has not yet been shown.

There are several factors that support the hypothesis of a causal relationship between exposure to mRNA vaccines and the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis. First, the associations remained strong, even after adjusting for a history of these conditions or recent SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in a period during which most common respiratory viruses were not widely circulating26,27. Second, the time that elapsed between exposure to the vaccine and hospitalization was very short for both conditions, particularly after the second dose. Third, in most cases, the associations did not persist after seven days following exposure. Fourth, the stronger risk associated with the second dose and the mRNA-1273 vaccine, which contains a larger amount of mRNA, suggest a dose response relationship28.

The strengths of our study include the large sample size, population-based character and the assessment of cases and exposure to vaccines in high-quality and comprehensive databases. It allowed us to include 1612 confirmed cases of myocarditis and 1613 of pericarditis, occurring in a period during which 46 million doses of the two mRNA vaccines were administered. This study provides population estimates of vaccine associated risk and burden at a national level, which cannot be informed by passive case notification surveillance. Furthermore, results were consistent after adjusting for other risk factors, including SARS-CoV-2 infection, and different periods.

Our study has several limitations. First, the National Health Data System provides little clinical and no laboratory information concerning cases. The cases included in this study were identified solely on the basis of the diagnosis codes associated with hospital admissions. We therefore could not detect asymptomatic or mild forms of myocarditis and pericarditis that would not require hospitalization. Nevertheless, the incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis before the Covid-19 pandemic, estimated using the SNDS data, is consistent with the figures reported by other countries14. Furthermore, the observed durations of stay and post-discharge treatments were consistent with typical presentations of these conditions. Second, while our assessment of severity indicators within four weeks post-discharge indicates a favourable clinical outcome of post-vaccination carditis in their acute phase, we could not investigate potential long-term consequences. Third, we did not study the Covid-19 booster vaccination which was not yet recommended for healthy younger adults in our study period. Finally, associations across age and sex subgroups could not always be quantified for both vaccines or only with a considerable degree of uncertainty due to the limited time span of observation. The extent of the risk for certain subgroups, especially among women, for whom the incidence appears to be lower, warrants further studies and meta-analyses26,29.

In conclusion, this study provides strong evidence of an increased risk of myocarditis and of pericarditis in the week following vaccination against Covid-19 with mRNA vaccines in both males and females, in particular after the second dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine. Future studies based on an extended period of observation will allow to investigate the risk related to the booster dose of the vaccines and monitoring the long-term consequences of these post vaccination acute inflammations.

MethodsStudy designWe conducted a matched case-control study within the entire French population between 12 and 50 years of age for myocarditis and pericarditis, treating each condition separately. The study focused on the period from May 12, 2021, to October 31, 2021, during which the Covid-19 vaccination campaign was opened to individuals under 50 years of age.

Data sources and study populationThe study was based on data of the National Health Data System (SNDS) which covers more than 99% of the French population (67 million inhabitants)30,31. Data on hospital admission were obtained from the French hospital discharge database (PMSI) and linked at the individual level with the nationwide databases for Covid-19 vaccination (VAC-SI) and testing (SI-DEP). Cases corresponded to all patients admitted to French hospitals with a diagnosis of myocarditis or pericarditis in the study period. Diagnoses at hospital were typically based on presenting symptoms, electrocardiography, echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging32,33. We used the codes for myocarditis (I40.x, I41.x, and I51.4) and pericarditis (I30.x and I32.x) of the International Classification of diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) for detection. Although the data were comprehensive up to September 2021, at the time this study was conducted, approximately 78% of hospital stays for October 2021 had been entered into the PMSI database. Each case was matched at the date of his/her hospital admission for myocarditis or pericarditis (index date) to 10 control individuals. Controls were selected from among the whole population by simple random sampling without replacement within each stratum of age, gender and area of residence (matching criteria), with constraint of not being diagnosed with myocarditis or pericarditis and being alive at the index date.

Our research group (EPI-PHARE) has a regulatory permanent access to the data from the SNDS. This permanent access is given according the French Decree No. 2016-1871 of December 26, 2016 relating to the processing of personal data called ''National Health Data System'' and French law articles Art. R. 1461-13 and 14. This study was declared prior to initiation on the EPI-PHARE registry of studies requiring the use of the SNDS (n° EP-0311). No informed consent was required because data are anonymized.

Exposure and covariatesExposure was defined as vaccination with an mRNA vaccine 1 to 7 days or 8 to 21 days prior to the index date, considering the first and second dose separately. Non-vaccinated subjects, and those vaccinated more than 21 days before the index date were considered to be non-exposed. In addition to the matching variables, three covariates potentially associated with a risk of myocarditis or pericarditis, and with vaccine exposure were considered. A prior history of myocarditis or pericarditis was defined as a hospital admission with an ICD-10 code for myocarditis or pericarditis (cf. above) in the five years preceding the index date. A history of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was defined by hospital admission for Covid-19 or a positive polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) or antigenic testing 30 days prior to the index date. The socioeconomic level was defined by a deprivation index, summarized in two categories34.

Statistical analysisWe used conditional logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratios (OR) of myocarditis and pericarditis associated with exposure to recent vaccination, adjusted for covariates and matching variables35. Analyses were conducted with reference to the ranking of vaccine dose (first or second dose) and the time elapsed since vaccination (1 to 7 days or 8 to 21 days), across the study group as a whole and separately for males and females and according to five age brackets (12''17, 18''24, 25''29, 30''39 and 40 to 50 years). Associations were measured relative to the most recent exposure. We estimated the number of cases attributable to vaccine exposure using the odds ratio as an estimate of relative risk and assuming a causal relationship36. We then derived two measures of population burden using information on exposure to vaccines across the 32.2 million people aged 12 to 50 years, including the vaccine type and date of receipt of each dose (Table S1). First, the number of doses required for the occurrence of a vaccine-associated case was estimated as the ratio of doses administered to the number of attributable cases. Second, the number of excess cases per 100,000 doses was derived by inverting this ratio. We applied a correction factor to the numbers of exposed cases to account for under-reporting of hospitalizations in October 2021. Confidence intervals for the number of cases attributable to exposure were obtained by application of the delta-method37,38. We assessed the sensitivity of the results to a potential ascertainment bias by performing an analysis restricted to the time period before July 19, 2021, i.e. before myocarditis and pericarditis were officially announced as adverse events of mRNA vaccines. Additional analyses were conducted by excluding (i) patients with a previous history of myocarditis or pericarditis, (ii) those with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, (iii) patients having both diagnoses of myocarditis and pericarditis, and (iv) persons with a hospitalization within 28 days of index date. Data collection used SAS Enterprise Guide version 4.3 software (SAS Institute, Cary, North Carolina). All analyses were performed using R software version 4.1.3, and survival package version 3.2''1339,40.

Reporting summaryFurther information on research design is available in the Nature Research Reporting Summary linked to this article.

Data availabilityAccording to data protection and the French regulation, the authors cannot publicly release the data from the French national health data system (SNDS). However, any person or structure, public or private, for-profit or non-profit, is able to access SNDS data upon authorization from the French Data Protection Office (CNIL Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libert(C)s) to carry out a study, a research, or an evaluation of public interest (https://www.snds.gouv.fr/SNDS/Processus-d-acces-aux-donnees and https://www.indsante.fr/).

Code availabilityThe code to reproduce the analyses presented in the paper is publicly available41.

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Author informationAuthors and AffiliationsEPIPHARE Scientific Interest Group in Epidemiology of Health Products, (French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products - ANSM, French National Health Insurance - CNAM), Saint-Denis, France

St(C)phane Le Vu, Marion Bertrand, Marie-Joelle Jabagi, J(C)r(C)mie Botton, J(C)r´me Drouin, B(C)rang¨re Baricault, Alain Weill, Rosemary Dray-Spira & Mahmoud Zureik

Facult(C) de Pharmacie, Universit(C) Paris-Saclay, 92296, Chtenay-Malabry, France

J(C)r(C)mie Botton

University Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, University Paris-Sud, Inserm, Anti-infective evasion and pharmacoepidemiology, CESP, Montigny le Bretonneux, France

Mahmoud Zureik

ContributionsS.L.V., M.B., A.W., R.D.S. and M.Z. conceived the study. A.W., R.D.S. and M.Z. supervised the project. M.B. and J.D. carried out the clinical data collection and data curation. S.L.V. and M.B. designed and performed the statistical analyses with M.J.J., B.B. and J.B. providing input. S.L.V. wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors interpreted the results, provided critical revision of the manuscript and approved its final version for submission.

Corresponding authorCorrespondence to St(C)phane Le Vu.

Ethics declarations Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review Peer review informationNature Communications thanks Ian Wong and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Peer reviewer reports are available.

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About this articleCite this articleLe Vu, S., Bertrand, M., Jabagi, MJ. et al. Age and sex-specific risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following Covid-19 messenger RNA vaccines. Nat Commun 13, 3633 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31401-5

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:51

C ULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA '' As the bloody conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate, so does the online propaganda war between Russia and the West. A prime example of this is the White House directly briefing influencers on popular social media app TikTok about the war and how to cover it. As the crisis spirals out of control, Americans have turned to TikTok to view real time videos and analysis of the invasion. With the app estimated to have around 70 million U.S. users, the White House is keenly aware of its impact. ''We recognize this is a critically important avenue in the way the American public is finding out about the latest '... so we wanted to make sure you had the latest information from an authoritative source,'' President Joe Biden's director of digital strategy, Rob Flaherty, told 30 top TikTok influencers.

TikTok itself has taken steps to align itself with U.S. government policy, deleting more than 320,000 Russian accounts and removing at least 41,000 videos peddling misinformation about the war. In addition to this, it has placed warning labels marked ''Russia state-controlled media'' on 49 accounts linked to the Russian government. Like other big social media platforms, it has not done the same to Western state-owned outlets such as the BBC, RT‰, or the CBC.

All this is a far cry from 2020, when President Donald Trump signed an order that would shut down TikTok within 45 days unless it was sold to an American buyer. The Chinese-owned platform, the U.S. government alleged, posed a severe national security threat to the United States. Although TikTok is a Chinese company, it is, ironically, completely blocked inside China, their domestic market being served by a sister app, Douyin, which functions in a similar way but is separated by the Great Firewall. Thus, there is no contact or overlap between the two. After Douyin's success in China, its parent company ByteDance launched a global platform.

ByteDance first reached a deal to sell TikTok to Microsoft, then to Oracle and Walmart. Yet the new Biden administration, without explanation, quietly dropped the sale requirement indefinitely in early 2021, saying in a court filing that it had begun a review of security concerns cited by the Trump administration.

That decision left buyers and onlookers alike perplexed. Yet studying the backgrounds of dozens of key TikTok employees brought on since the 2020 scare suggests that, instead of destroying TikTok, perhaps the U.S. national security state has co-opted it instead.

High-placed NATO recruitsSince 2020, there has been a wave of former spooks, spies and mandarins appointed to influential positions within TikTok, particularly around content and policy '' some of whom, on paper at least, appear unqualified for such roles.

For example, while simultaneously being the Content Policy Lead for TikTok Canada, Alexander Corbeil is also the vice president of the NATO Association of Canada, a NATO-funded organization chaired by former Canadian Minister of Defense David Collenette. In order to join TikTok, Corbeil left his job at the SecDev Foundation, a U.S. State Department-funded security think tank. Corbeil's work focused on Middle Eastern security and in particular on the war in Syria and what NATO's role should be.

Another NATO-linked new recruit is Ayse Ko§ak, a Global Product Policy manager at the company. Before joining TikTok last year, she spent three years at NATO. Like Corbeil, Ko§ak had special expertise in Middle Eastern politics, including a year's tour in Iraq as the organization's deputy senior civilian representative.

Foard Copeland, who works on TikTok's trust and safety policy, is also an ex-NATO man. Copeland previously worked as a desk officer for NATO, as well as for the Department of Defense. Between 2011 and 2021, he also worked for U.S. contractor Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), spending much of that time in Afghanistan. DAI has long been accused of being a CIA front group, perhaps with some justification. In 2009, for example, DAI agent Alan Gross was arrested in Cuba and sentenced to 15 years in prison for spying, espionage, and his part in efforts to destabilize the government.

Perhaps the most worrying NATO alumnus, from a public perspective, is new Feature Policy Manager Greg Andersen. According to his own LinkedIn profile, until 2019, Andersen worked on ''psychological operations'' for NATO. This fact, according to MintPress contributor Lowkey, was removed after his tweet raising concerns about the relationship between big tech and the national security state went viral. Lowkey wrote:

Andersen's profile continues to identify him as a former NATO employee, but there is no reference to ''psychological operations'' or ''soldier-system lethality.'' Lowkey provided MintPress with a screenshot of what he said was Andersen's pre-tweet profile, which has been included below.

Not just NATONATO, however, is far from the only organization newly connected to TikTok. The company's new Global Lead of Integrity and Authenticity, Chris Roberts, is a former senior director of Technology Policy at the Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG), a powerhouse strategy and consulting firm started by late-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The ASG has been perhaps the major staffing source for President Biden's administration, with at least 10 ASG employees appointed to key positions in national security, state and foreign policy positions.

Before ASG, Roberts worked, in his own words, on ''special projects'' for the National Democratic Institute (NDI). The NDI was founded by the Reagan administration after a series of CIA scandals necessitated the creation of a network of front groups to take the heat off the agency. The NDI exists to channel U.S. government money, training and support to political and social groups around the world. This could charitably be described as ''democracy promotion,'' although cynics might label it ''overthrowing governments.'' As Roberts himself said, ''The nature of democracy promotion is that the most important countries to work in are also the ones where the government may not want your 'help.'''

At TikTok, Roberts' role is to ''Lead the Integrity and Authenticity policy team. This team covers misinformation, synthetic and manipulated media, covert influence activity, and spam and inauthentic engagement.''

One group infamous for peddling misinformation and carrying out covert operations is the CIA. Yet rather than identifying operations, they might be conducting, TikTok has instead recruited a former agent to serve in an important position. Since January, Beau Patteson has been working as a threat analyst for TikTok's Trust and Safety Division. Between 2017 and 2020, however, Patteson was a targeting analyst for the CIA, after which he joined the State Department to become a foreign service officer. In addition to his role at TikTok, Patteson is also, according to his social media profile, a military intelligence officer in the United States Army.

One step closer to the halls of power is Victoria McCullough, who previously worked for the Department of Homeland Security and for the White House itself. Like Patteson, McCullough now works on trust and safety at TikTok. Another trust-and-safety TikTok staff member, Christian Cardona, spent nearly 13 years in senior roles at the State Department across the Middle East and Europe before seamlessly moving to the social media giant.

Virtually every former spook or state official this investigation found works in very specific (and highly politically sensitive) fields such as trust, safety and content moderation, rather than in banal areas like marketing, customer service or sales. Yet TikTok's new recruits come from some of the least trustworthy organizations anywhere in the world '' organizations that should not be anywhere near the levers of power of such a popular platform.

The national security state has been the source of some of the most outlandish and damaging fake news claims in recent years. This includes lurid allegations about so-called ''Havana Syndrome'' and the ''BountyGate'' hoax. Going further back, falsehoods about weapons of mass destruction or an immiment genocide helped push the U.S. to war in Iraq and Libya, respectively. Yet individuals from many of these institutions are now in charge of deciding what is real and what is fake, and which content to promote or suppress.

In this light, the 2020 pandemonium about TikTok being a national security threat looks increasingly like a power play from the national security state. These dire warnings, and even the threat to completely shut down its platform, subsided only after TikTok began appointing Western officials to important positions within its organization, thereby giving the state considerable influence over the content and direction of the app.

Serious businessReaders who consider TikTok little more than a fun app to watch short videos of people dancing are behind the times. From a modest beginning, it has exploded in popularity, growing exponentially from 85 million global users in early 2018 to 1.2 billion by late 2021 (with a similar monstrous growth in revenue to boot).

It is exceptionally popular among the younger generations. The 2021 Reuters Institute Digital News Report found that 9% of people aged between 18 and 24 worldwide had gone to TikTok to get news over the past week, while 31% of that age group used the app in that period (and therefore likely passively consumed news to some extent). Furthermore, it has a very loyal user base, with the tens of millions of U.S. TikTok users spending an average of 68 minutes per day on the platform.

Thus, TikTok has become an enormously influential medium that reaches over one billion people worldwide. Having control over its algorithm or content moderation means the ability to set the terms of global debate and decide what people see and do not see. MintPress invited TikTok to comment on its relationship with the government, but has not received a response.

Surveillance ValleyThis is far from the first time the national security state has pulled this trick, however. In 2018, Facebook came under enormous pressure from the U.S. government, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself being hauled in front of both the House and the Senate to face hours of grilling over the platform's role in privacy, content moderation and spreading Russian disinformation. Only weeks after this, Facebook announced a new partnership with the Atlantic Council, whereby the group would serve as Facebook's ''eyes and ears,'' taking considerable control over its content moderation, supposedly in an effort to weed out fake news and disinformation. The Atlantic Council, however, is NATO's think tank and serves as its brain trust, with no fewer than seven former CIA directors on its board. Since then, Facebook (or Meta, as it is officially known), appointed former NATO Press Officer and current Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Ben Nimmo to serve as its head of intelligence. In addition, Facebook's new global director of content policy, Mark Smith, was formerly employed by NATO as an advisor to its deputy commander.

The Atlantic Council has also found its way into Reddit's management. In 2017, Jessica Ashooh went straight from being deputy director of Middle East strategy at The Atlantic Council to director of policy at the popular news aggregation service '' an unusual career move that drew few remarks at the time. Like Corbeil, Ko§ak and others, Ashooh was a Middle East specialist and was intimately involved in the West's war in Syria. For years, Reddit took a free-speech absolutist position, even defending hosting clearly illegal sexual content. However, Ashooh's arrival coincided with a new era of far more forceful moderation. Reddit recently took the decision to not only ban links from Russian state media outlets, but all websites with a Russian (.ru) domain.

Likewise, a number of key Twitter personnel raise eyebrows. Chief among them is Head of Editorial for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Gordon MacMillan, who, in addition to his duties at Twitter, is an officer in the British Army's 77th Brigade '' a notorious unit dedicated to online warfare and psychological operations. Like Facebook, Twitter has partnered with some highly questionable state-linked organizations, giving them considerable influence over its content moderation.

Meanwhile, Google's current global head of Developer Product Policy, Ben Renda, was formerly a strategic planner and information management officer for NATO, before working for both U.S. Cyber Command and the Department of Defense.

Big Tech a big weaponThe U.S. government, it appears, refuses to allow any competition to its hegemony over the digital realm. Huawei has effectively been banned throughout much of the West, with the United States refusing to allow the Chinese giant to control the new network of 5G communications. U.S. attempts to convince other nations to block Huawei have elicited significant pushback in the Global South. ''If you are ahead, I will ban you, I will send warships to your country'...That is not competition, that is threatening people,'' said Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad, commenting on U.S. actions. Decades earlier, the U.S. government effectively destroyed the Japanese semiconductor industry, forcing Japan to sign a one-sided trade deal while imposing a 100% tariff on Japanese electronics '' a power play that led to a decades-long recession from which the island nation has never recovered.

In 2020, the U.S. government even forced Chinese-owned Grindr to be sold to a U.S. company, deeming the LGBT dating app to be a ''national security threat.''

In every accusation, it is said, there is a confession. That Washington considers even frivolous hookup apps to be too important to be outside of U.S. control, lest they be used to influence the public, suggests they know exactly what they are doing, infiltrating big tech companies. Indeed, this was more or less confirmed earlier this month by a letter written by a host of top natsec officials, including former CIA Directors Michael Morell and Leon Panetta, and former Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Frances Townsend (all of whom also sit on the Atlantic Council's board of directors).

The officials advised that breaking up Silicon Valley giants, as many have advocated, would ''inadvertently hamper the ability of U.S. technology platforms to '... push back on the Kremlin.'' ''The United States will need to rely on the power of its technology sector to ensure [that] the narrative of events'' globally is shaped by the U.S. and ''not by foreign adversaries,'' they explain, concluding that Google, Facebook, Twitter are ''increasingly integral to U.S. diplomatic and national security efforts.'' In other words, they see big-tech as a key weapon of the U.S. empire.

Mockingbird 2.0In the 1970s, the Church Committee unearthed the existence of Operation Mockingbird, a secret CIA project to infiltrate newsrooms across America and place agents masquerading as journalists inside. Investigative reporter Carl Bernstein's work found that the CIA had cultivated a network of over 400 individuals it considered assets, including the owner of The New York Times.

Today, it appears that the links between big media and big government are, if anything, closer than they were in the 1970s. The monopolistic power of big social media platforms gives them '' whether they like it or not '' extraordinary influence over public opinion. And within their opaque Silicon Valley offices, a small cadre of individuals set the algorithms and decide the moderation policies that shape what billions of us see every day. With a host of former officials taking positions in these companies, the U.S. national security state is acquiring some measure of influence over the means of communication. It's Operation Mockingbird for the 21st century '' and on a global scale.

It is not normal for NATO officials or CIA agents to suddenly be put in charge of TikTok content policy. This did not happen purely by accident, just as it did not occur by chance at the other big tech platforms. One might reasonably argue that some of the only people who have the skills to highlight, spot and counter disinformation campaigns are those who have done similar work in the military or secret services. However, these organizations are the last ones that many would want in control of big-tech platforms, given their history of subterfuge and deceit.

Put another way, if these were Russian-based social media companies filled to the brim with former FSB, KGB or Kremlin officials, we would immediately recognize them as blatant government-controlled platforms. Yet many of the most popular apps are heading in the same way.

There is certainly a huge problem with fake news and disinformation online. And a fair chunk of it emanates from Russia. But while some might argue that poachers can become gamekeepers and use their skills for good, this situation feels far more like foxes being in charge of the digital henhouse.

Feature photo | MintPress News

Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams.

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Archived Version

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:44

A concerning number of 'pandemic babies' with no immunity to respiratory viruses are ending up seriously ill in ICU.

Doctors have revealed children born during the Covid-19 pandemic are requiring intensive care 'from encountering viruses they haven't come across before', such as influenza, RSV and Covid.

The children had been born and raised when there were virtually no other viruses circulating in Australia, other than Covid-19.

The Children's Hospital at Westmead infectious diseases paediatrician Dr Philip Britton said an analysis of ICU admissions across shows babies are testing positive for influenza and Covid at the same time.

'Over the last month or so, we have seen four times the admissions to hospital for flu in children as for Covid,' Dr Britton told The Daily Telegraph.

Infectious diseases paediatrician Dr Philip Britton said an analysis of ICU admissions across shows babies are testing positive for influenza and Covid at the same time

Dr Britton said five per cent of the children presenting with co-infections were being admitted to ICU, a statistic he described as 'very concerning'.

About half of the children had no pre-existing health conditions, with the elevated number of admissions putting pressure on the hospital system.

Some of the 'pandemic babies' are presenting with inflammation of the chest, brain and heart caused by influenza, Covid, and RSV.

RSV - respiratory syncytial virus - is a major cause of lung infections in children and can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis, which is particularly dangerous in young infants.

Severe cases can kill babies and toddlers, whose tiny airways have not yet fully formed and who struggle to cope with the infection.

'Among that group who are previously well '... It's not just a chest infection, some of these children can be impacted with the flu affecting the heart and the brain,' Dr Britton told The Daily Telegraph.

Some of the 'pandemic babies' are presenting with inflammation of the chest, brain and heart caused by influenza, Covid, and RSV.

A warning was sounded about RSV three weeks ago when there were just 355 cases a week in NSW, but three weeks later that has rocketed up to 3,775 in a week.

Around a fifth of those developed the potentially lethal bronchiolitis, with 40 per cent of them ending up in hospital.

Infectious disease researcher Dr John-Sebastian Eden said the triple whammy of RSV, flu and Covid was packing out the emergency department of Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital.

'There is a widespread three-way outbreak occurring,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

International borders opening up has seen flu come back and new strains of RSV.

'With Covid layered up on top, these are three main viruses which will lead to hospitalisation.'

Potentially lethal respiratory syncytial virus which attacks kids and has no vaccine has exploded in NSW with cases increasing tenfold in just three weeks

During Covid, RSV continued to spread and split into two separate strains in the east and west of the country in the wake of Western Australia's prolonged isolation.

Infectious disease researcher Dr John-Sebastian Eden said the triple whammy of RSV, flu and Covid was packing out the emergency department of Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital

Researchers were shocked by the sudden rise of the disease in the first year of lockdowns, fuelled by keeping childcare centres open despite Covid restrictions.

'It was something we had never seen before,' said Dr Eden. 'Even in lockdown there was a lot of effort to keep childcare open.

'You only need a small amount of virus to build up a chain of transmission.'

The disease subsided in 2021, but has now bounced back with the current outbreak.

Dr Eden believes cases in NSW have yet to reach their peak, but is now braced for the outbreak to spread nationwide.

He expects the disease to spread across the southern half of the country at similar levels in the coming weeks.

'What happens is where you have an outbreak in NSW and we've got all those people travelling to other states from there, it then feeds outbreaks in other parts,' he said.

The disease subsided in 2021, but has now bounced back with the current outbreak.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RSV RSV is normally a winter disease but Covid lockdowns saw an unexpected huge surge in summer cases last year.

Symptoms include a runny nose, cough, reduced feeding and fever. Complications include wheezing and difficulty breathing, which can develop into pneumonia.

RSV - respiratory syncytial virus - is a major cause of lung infections in children and can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis, which is particularly dangerous in young infants.

Like Covid, it can be transferred by sneezing and coughing, but unlike Covid, young children are particularly affected by it.

'Most children will recover without needing specialist care in hospital, and children with mild infection can be treated with rest at home,' paediatrician Daniel Yeoh wrote in The Conversation.

'It's the major cause of lung infections in children, commonly causing bronchiolitis.

'Severe cases occasionally lead to death, predominantly in very young infants.

Almost all children have had an RSV infection by the age of two, but infants in their first year of life are more likely to experience severe infections requiring hospitalisation, because their airways are smaller. Babies have also not built up immunity to RSV from previous years.

Dr Yeoh added: 'Treatment for RSV is focused on helping children with their breathing (for example, giving them oxygen) and feeding (for example, administering fluids through a drip).'

There is no vaccine for RSV but several are under development.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:41

NEW YORK & MAINZ, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE )--Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) today announced a new vaccine supply agreement with the U.S. government to support the continued fight against COVID-19. Under the agreement, the U.S. government will receive 105 million doses (30 µg, 10 µg and 3 µg). This may include adult Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccines, subject to authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The doses are planned to be delivered as soon as late summer 2022 and continue into the fourth quarter of this year.

The U.S. government will pay the companies $3.2 billion upon receipt of the first 105 million doses. Under this agreement, the U.S. government also has the option to purchase up to 195 million additional doses, bringing the total number of potential doses to 300 million.

''As the virus evolves, this new agreement will help ensure people across the country have access to vaccines that may provide protection against current and future variants,'' said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer. ''Vaccines have been and will remain critical to protecting people of all ages against COVID-19. We remain proud of our long-term partnership with the U.S. government in helping to address this pandemic, and of the ongoing impact of vaccination efforts in the U.S. and around the world.''

''This agreement will provide additional doses for U.S. residents and help cope with the next COVID-19 wave. Pending regulatory authorization, it will also include an Omicron-adapted vaccine, which we believe is important to address the rapidly spreading Omicron variant,'' said Sean Marett, Chief Business and Chief Commercial Officer of BioNTech. ''We appreciate the continued partnership of the U.S. government in our shared goal to help end this pandemic.''

On June 25, 2022, Pfizer and BioNTech reported pivotal data demonstrating the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of two Omicron-adapted vaccine candidates. These data have been shared with regulators, including the FDA, and a request for U.S. Emergency Use Authorization is planned. The companies have begun manufacturing the Omicron-adapted vaccine candidates at risk so that they can begin deliveries rapidly upon authorization or approval and subsequent recommendation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC), if received, and as directed by the U.S. government. Eligible U.S. residents will continue to receive the vaccine for free, consistent with the U.S. government's commitment for free access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, which is based on BioNTech's proprietary mRNA technology, was developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer. BioNTech is the Marketing Authorization Holder in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries, and the holder of emergency use authorizations or equivalents in the United States (jointly with Pfizer) and other countries. Submissions to pursue regulatory approvals in those countries where emergency use authorizations or equivalent were initially granted are planned.

U.S. Indication & Authorized Use

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is FDA authorized under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for active immunization to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 6 months of age and older.

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is FDA authorized to provide:

Primary Series

a 3-dose primary series to individuals 6 months through 4 years of agea 2-dose primary series to individuals 5 years of age and oldera third primary series dose to individuals 5 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromiseBooster Series

a single booster dose to individuals 5 through 11 years of age who have completed a primary series with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccinea first booster dose to individuals 12 years of age and older who have completed a primary series with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA)a first booster dose to individuals 18 years of age and older who have completed primary vaccination with a different authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. The booster schedule is based on the labeling information of the vaccine used for the primary seriesa second booster dose to individuals 50 years of age and older who have received a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccinea second booster dose to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise and who have received a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccineCOMIRNATY® INDICATIONCOMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) is a vaccine approved for active immunization to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older.

COMIRNATY® is administered as a 2-dose primary seriesCOMIRNATY® AUTHORIZED USESCOMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) is FDA authorized under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to provide:

Primary Series

a 2-dose primary series to individuals 12 through 15 years of agea third primary series dose to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromiseBooster Dose

a first booster dose to individuals 12 years of age and older who have completed a primary series with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY®a first booster dose to individuals 18 years of age and older who have completed primary vaccination with another authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. The booster schedule is based on the labeling information of the vaccine used for the primary seriesa second booster dose to individuals 50 years of age and older who have received a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccinea second booster dose to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise and who have received a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine Emergency Use Authorization Emergency uses of the vaccine have not been approved or licensed by FDA, but have been authorized by FDA, under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) in individuals 6 months of age and older. The emergency uses are only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of the medical product under Section 564(b)(1) of the FD&C Act unless the declaration is terminated or authorization revoked sooner.

INTERCHANGEABILITY FDA-approved COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine FDA authorized for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for individuals 12 years of age and older can be used interchangeably by a vaccination provider when prepared according to their respective instructions for use.

The formulations of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine authorized for use in individuals 6 months through 4 years of age, 5 through 11 years of age, and 12 years of age and older are different and should therefore not be used interchangeably.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Tell your vaccination provider about all the vaccine recipient's medical conditions, including if the vaccine recipient:

has any allergieshas had myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart)has a feverhas bleeding disorder or is on a blood thinneris immunocompromised or is on a medicine that affects the immune systemis pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeedinghas received another COVID-19 vaccinehas ever fainted in association with an injectionPfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) may not protect all vaccine recipients

The vaccine recipient should not receive Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) if the vaccine recipient had a severe allergic reaction to any of its ingredients or had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY®

There is a remote chance that Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) could cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to 1 hour after getting a dose of the vaccine. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask the vaccine recipient to stay at the place where the vaccine was administered for monitoring after vaccination. If the vaccine recipient experiences a severe allergic reaction, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest hospital

Seek medical attention right away if the vaccine recipient has any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and throat, a fast heartbeat, a bad rash all over the body, dizziness, and weaknessMyocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) have occurred in some people who have received the vaccine, more commonly in adolescent males and adult males under 40 years of age than among females and older males. In most of these people, symptoms began within a few days following receipt of the second dose of the vaccine. The chance of having this occur is very low.

Seek medical attention right away if the vaccine recipient has any of the following symptoms after receiving the vaccine, particularly during the 2 weeks after receiving a vaccine dose:

Chest painShortness of breath or difficulty breathingFeelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering, or pounding heartFaintingUnusual and persistent irritabilityUnusual and persistent poor feedingUnusual and persistent fatigue or lack of energyPersistent vomitingPersistent pain in the abdomenUnusual and persistent cool, pale skinFainting can happen after getting injectable vaccines, including Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA). Sometimes people who faint can fall and hurt themselves. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask the vaccine recipient to sit or lie down for 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine

Some people with weakened immune systems may have reduced immune responses to Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA)

Additional side effects include rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, injection site pain, tiredness, feeling weak or lack of energy, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, injection site swelling, injection site redness, nausea, feeling unwell, swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), decreased appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, arm pain, fainting in association with injection of the vaccine, and irritability.

These may not be all the possible side effects of the vaccine. Call the vaccination provider or healthcare provider about bothersome side effects or side effects that do not go away.

You should always ask your healthcare providers for medical advice about adverse events. Report vaccine side effects to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The VAERS toll-free number is 1'800'822'7967 or report online to www.vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html. You can also report side effects to Pfizer Inc. at www.pfizersafetyreporting.com or by calling 1-800-438-1985Click for Fact Sheets and Prescribing Information for individuals 6 months of age and older:

Recipients and Caregivers Fact Sheet (6 months through 4 years of age) Recipients and Caregivers Fact Sheet (5 through 11 years of age) Recipients and Caregivers Fact Sheet (12 years of age and older) COMIRNATY® Full Prescribing Information (16 years of age and older), DILUTE BEFORE USE, Purple Cap COMIRNATY® Full Prescribing Information (16 years of age and older), DO NOT DILUTE, Gray Cap EUA Fact Sheet for Vaccination Providers (6 months through 4 years of age), DILUTE BEFORE USE, Maroon Cap EUA Fact Sheet for Vaccination Providers (5 through 11 years of age), DILUTE BEFORE USE, Orange Cap EUA Fact Sheet for Vaccination Providers (12 years of age and older), DILUTE BEFORE USE, Purple Cap EUA Fact Sheet for Vaccination Providers (12 years of age and older), DO NOT DILUTE, Gray Cap

About Pfizer: Breakthroughs That Change Patients' LivesAt Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products, including innovative medicines and vaccines. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 170 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.Pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, please visit us on www.Pfizer.com and follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer and @Pfizer News, LinkedIn, YouTube and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer.

Pfizer Disclosure NoticeThe information contained in this release is as of June 29, 2022. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.

This release contains forward-looking information about Pfizer's efforts to combat COVID-19, the collaboration between BioNTech and Pfizer to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine program, and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, also known as COMIRNATY (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) (BNT162b2) (including a supply agreement with the U.S. government and planned deliveries thereunder, two Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine candidates (one monovalent and one bivalent), planned regulatory submissions, qualitative assessments of available data, potential benefits, expectations for clinical trials, potential regulatory submissions, the anticipated timing of data readouts, regulatory submissions, regulatory approvals or authorizations and anticipated manufacturing, distribution and supply) involving substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as risks associated with preclinical and clinical data (including Phase 1/2/3 or Phase 4 data), including the data discussed in this release, for BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any other vaccine candidate in the BNT162 program in any of our studies in pediatrics, adolescents, or adults or real world evidence, including the possibility of unfavorable new preclinical, clinical or safety data and further analyses of existing preclinical, clinical or safety data; the ability to produce comparable clinical or other results, including the rate of vaccine effectiveness and safety and tolerability profile observed to date, in additional analyses of the Phase 3 trial and additional studies, in real world data studies or in larger, more diverse populations following commercialization; the ability of BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any future vaccine to prevent COVID-19 caused by emerging virus variants; the risk that more widespread use of the vaccine will lead to new information about efficacy, safety, or other developments, including the risk of additional adverse reactions, some of which may be serious; the risk that preclinical and clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments, including during the peer review/publication process, in the scientific community generally, and by regulatory authorities; whether and when additional data from the BNT162 mRNA vaccine program will be published in scientific journal publications and, if so, when and with what modifications and interpretations; whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from these and any future preclinical and clinical studies; whether and when submissions to request emergency use or conditional marketing authorizations for BNT162b2 in additional populations, for a potential booster dose for BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any potential future vaccines (including potential future annual boosters or re-vaccination), and/or other biologics license and/or emergency use authorization applications or amendments to any such applications may be filed in particular jurisdictions for BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any other potential vaccines that may arise from the BNT162 program, including a potential variant-based, higher dose, or bivalent vaccine, and if obtained, whether or when such emergency use authorizations or licenses will expire or terminate; whether and when any applications that may be pending or filed for BNT162b2 (including any requested amendments to the emergency use or conditional marketing authorizations), any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates, or other vaccines that may result from the BNT162 program may be approved by particular regulatory authorities, which will depend on myriad factors, including making a determination as to whether the vaccine's benefits outweigh its known risks and determination of the vaccine's efficacy and, if approved, whether it will be commercially successful; decisions by regulatory authorities impacting labeling or marketing, manufacturing processes, safety and/or other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of a vaccine, including development of products or therapies by other companies; disruptions in the relationships between us and our collaboration partners, clinical trial sites or third-party suppliers; the risk that demand for any products may be reduced or no longer exist which may lead to reduced revenues or excess inventory; risks related to the availability of raw materials to manufacture a vaccine; challenges related to our vaccine's formulation, dosing schedule and attendant storage, distribution and administration requirements, including risks related to storage and handling after delivery by Pfizer; the risk that we may not be able to successfully develop other vaccine formulations, booster doses or potential future annual boosters or re-vaccinations or new variant-based vaccines; the risk that we may not be able to maintain or scale up manufacturing capacity on a timely basis or maintain access to logistics or supply channels commensurate with global demand for our vaccine, which would negatively impact our ability to supply the estimated numbers of doses of our vaccine within the projected time periods as previously indicated; whether and when additional supply agreements will be reached; uncertainties regarding the ability to obtain recommendations from vaccine advisory or technical committees and other public health authorities and uncertainties regarding the commercial impact of any such recommendations; challenges related to public vaccine confidence or awareness; uncertainties regarding the impact of COVID-19 on Pfizer's business, operations and financial results; and competitive developments.

A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned ''Risk Factors'' and ''Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results'', as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com.

About BioNTechBiopharmaceutical New Technologies is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The Company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer. For more information, please visit www.BioNTech.de.

BioNTech Forward-looking StatementsThis press release contains ''forward-looking statements'' of BioNTech within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include, but may not be limited to, statements concerning: BioNTech's efforts to combat COVID-19; the collaboration between BioNTech and Pfizer including the program to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and COMIRNATY (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) (BNT162b2) (including a supply agreement with the U.S. government and planned deliveries thereunder, two Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine candidates (one monovalent and one bivalent), planned regulatory submissions, qualitative assessments of available data, potential benefits, expectations for clinical trials, the anticipated timing of regulatory submissions, regulatory approvals or authorizations and anticipated manufacturing, distribution and supply); our expectations regarding the potential characteristics of BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any future vaccine, in our clinical trials and/or in commercial use based on data observations to date; the ability of BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any future vaccine, to prevent COVID-19 caused by emerging virus variants; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as risks associated with preclinical and clinical data (including Phase 1/2/3 or Phase 4 data), including the data previously published for BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates, or any other vaccine candidate in BNT162 program in any of our studies in pediatrics, adolescents, or adults or real world evidence, including the possibility of unfavorable new preclinical, clinical or safety data and further analyses of existing preclinical, clinical or safety data; the expected time point for additional readouts on efficacy data of BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any future vaccine, in our clinical trials; the nature of the clinical data, which is subject to ongoing peer review, regulatory review and market interpretation; that more widespread use of the vaccine will lead to new information about efficacy, safety, or other developments, including the risk of additional adverse reactions, some of which may be serious; whether and when submissions to request emergency use or conditional marketing authorizations for BNT162b2 in additional populations, for a potential booster dose for BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any potential future vaccines (including potential future annual boosters or re-vaccination), and/or other biologics license and/or emergency use authorization applications or amendments to any such applications may be filed in particular jurisdictions for BNT162b2, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any other potential vaccines that may arise from the BNT162 program, including a potential variant-based, higher dose, or bivalent vaccine, and if obtained, whether or when such emergency use authorizations or licenses will expire or terminate; the timing for submission of data for, or receipt of, any marketing approval or Emergency Use Authorization; our contemplated shipping and storage plan, including our estimated product shelf life at various temperatures; the ability of BioNTech to supply the quantities of BNT162, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any future vaccine, to support clinical development and market demand, including our production estimates for 2022; disruptions in the relationships between us and our collaboration partners, clinical trial sites or third-party suppliers; reduction in the demand for any products, which may lead to reduced revenues or excess inventory; the availability of raw materials to manufacture a vaccine; our vaccine's formulation, dosing schedule and attendant storage, distribution and administration requirements, including risks related to storage and handling after delivery by BioNTech; our ability to successfully develop other vaccine formulations, booster doses or potential future annual boosters or re-vaccinations or new variant-based vaccines; our ability to maintain or scale up manufacturing capacity on a timely basis or maintain access to logistics or supply channels commensurate with global demand for our vaccine, which would negatively impact our ability to supply the estimated numbers of doses of our vaccine within the projected time periods as previously indicated; whether and when additional supply agreements will be reached; our ability to obtain recommendations from vaccine advisory or technical committees and other public health authorities and uncertainties regarding the commercial impact of any such recommendations; challenges related to public vaccine confidence or awareness; and uncertainties regarding the impact of COVID-19 on BioNTech's trials, business and general operations. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on BioNTech current expectations and beliefs of future events, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the ability to meet the pre-defined endpoints in clinical trials; competition to create a vaccine for COVID-19; the ability to produce comparable clinical or other results, including our stated rate of vaccine effectiveness and safety and tolerability profile observed to date, in the remainder of the trial or in larger, more diverse populations upon commercialization; the ability to effectively scale our productions capabilities; and other potential difficulties.

For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see BioNTech's Annual Report as Form 20-F for the Year Ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 30, 2022, which is available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and BioNTech undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.

Category: Vaccines

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Archived Version

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:31

U.S. stock index futures declined early on Thursday morning, as the S&P 500 prepares to wrap its worst first half in decades.

Futures contracts tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 363 points, or 1.2%. S&P 500 futures slipped 1.5%, and Nasdaq 100 futures pulled back by 1.7%.

Healthcare stocks pulled the market lower Thursday after Universal Health Services issued second quarter earnings and revenue guidance below expectations, citing lower patient volumes. Shares fell almost 6% in the premarket. Centene, Abiomed and PerkinElmer also lost about 5% each.

Home furnishings chain RH saw shares drop about 9% after it issued a profit warning for the full year. Other home retailers Wayfair and Williams-Sonoma followed them lower, losing more than 4% each.

"The combination of slowing growth, fading EPS prospects, and ongoing monetary tightening has been weighing on equity sentiment for months and is causing consternation again this morning," wrote Adam Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge.

The Dow and S&P 500 are on track for their worst three-month period since the first quarter of 2020 when Covid lockdowns sent stocks tumbling. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite is down more than 20% over the last three months, its worst stretch since 2008.

The S&P 500 is also on track for its worst first half of the year since 1970, which has been dominated by myriad factors pressuring markets. Those include surging inflation, Federal Reserve rate hikes, Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine and Covid-19 lockdowns in China '' all of which have helped fuel fears of a coming global recession.

A surge in bond yields earlier in the year and historically pricey equity valuations sent tech stocks tumbling first, as investors rotated out of growth-oriented areas of the market. Rising rates makes future profits '-- like those promised by growth companies '-- less attractive.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq has been hit especially hard this year. The index is now more than 30% below its Nov. 22 all-time high. Some of the largest technology companies have registered sizeable declines this year, with Netflix down 70%. Apple and Alphabet have each lost roughly 22%, while Facebook-parent Meta has slid 51%.

Investors are also looking ahead to the release of new inflation data, with the core personal consumption expenditures index set to come out at 8:30 a.m. ET. That's the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, and it's expected to show a year-over-year increase of 4.8% for May, according to Dow Jones.

Stock picks and investing trends from CNBC Pro:The Federal Reserve has taken aggressive action to try and bring down rampant inflation, which has surged to a 40-year high.

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester told CNBC that she supports a 75 basis point hike at the central bank's upcoming July meeting if current economic conditions persist. Earlier in June, the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, which was the largest increase since 1994.

Some Wall Street watchers are worried that too-aggressive action will tip the economy into a recession.

"We do not believe the stock market has bottomed yet and we see further downside ahead. Investors should be holding elevated levels of cash right now," said George Ball, chairman of Sanders Morris Harris.

"We see the S&P 500 bottoming at around 3,100, as the Federal Reserve's aggressive, but necessary inflation-fighting measures are likely to depress corporate earnings and push stocks lower," he added.

On Wednesday the Dow advanced 0.27% for its first positive day in three. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both posted a third straight negative day, declining 0.07% and 0.03%, respectively.

On the economic data front, weekly jobless claims will be in focus Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones are expecting 230,000 first-time filers. Personal income and spending data will also be released.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:30

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Health officials in the U.K. this month identified the country's first polio outbreak in 40 years, and believe the outbreak was caused by a strain of polio found in the oral polio vaccine.

Health officials in Britain warned parents on June 22 to ensure their children have been vaccinated against polio after multiple closely related versions of the virus that cause the disease were found in sewage water at the London Beckton Sewage Treatment Works '-- the largest water treatment plant in the U.K.

''The Global Polio Laboratory Network has confirmed the isolation of type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV2) from environmental samples in London, United Kingdom, which were detected as part of ongoing disease surveillance,'' the World Health Organization (WHO) states on its website.

The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it believes the virus was ''vaccine-derived,'' meaning it came from someone who received the live polio vaccine. That person then passed the virus to individuals in London, who shed the virus into their feces.

The viruses' genetic sequences suggest ''there has been some spread between closely linked individuals in north and east London,'' the UKHSA said.

The virus was isolated from environmental samples collected between February and May, and no related cases of paralysis have been detected, the WHO said. ''Additional sewage samples collected upstream from the main waste-water treatment plant's inlet are being analyzed.''

People vaccinated with the live oral polio vaccine (OPV) shed traces of the virus in their stool '-- which eventually end up in sewage wastewater, NPR reported. Scientists believe a person brought the virus into London and then spread it to others who were unvaccinated.

''We are urgently investigating to better understand the extent of this transmission,'' Vanessa Saliba, an epidemiologist who consults for the UKHSA, said in the statement.

The risk to the general public is thought to be ''extremely low'' but the agency encourages anyone not fully vaccinated to receive a polio vaccine.

WHO approves Gates' oral polio vaccine for emergency use

The WHO on Nov. 13, 2020, granted Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to a new novel oral polio vaccine called nOPV2, designed to treat the type of polio outbreak occurring in the U.K.

Based on the WHO's review of data and research available on nOPV2, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recommended Gates' nOPV2 become the ''vaccine of choice'' for responding to type 2 polio outbreaks caused by OPV.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided 100% of the funding for the development and clinical trials of the vaccine.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) states on its website:

''The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has funded all development and clinical trials of nOPV2 to date, working closely with GPEI partners throughout the process to ensure resources are going toward a tool that could prove critical to helping end all forms of polio.

''Based on promising data from clinical trials, and the public health emergency that cVDPV2 [vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2] constitutes, the Foundation is funding at-risk production of 160 million doses of nOPV2 to ensure it can be deployed immediately following the issuance of WHO's interim Emergency Use Listing (EUL) recommendation for use.''

''The emergency use listing, or EUL, is the first of its kind for a vaccine'' designed to ''pave the way for potential listing of COVID-19 vaccines,'' the WHO said on its website.

On December 31, 2020, the WHO issued its first EUL listing for a COVID-19 vaccine. According to the WHO, the agency granted the listing for the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine.

The EUL is a regulatory pathway that allows the WHO '-- whose second-largest financial donor is the Gates Foundation '-- to distribute an unlicensed product for a ''Public Health Emergency of International Concern,'' which the organization claims polio has been since 2014.

The EUL allows vaccines and medicines to be made available more quickly to address health emergencies, without long-term phase 3 data, and is the same mechanism used for distribution of Zika, Ebola and COVID-19 vaccines.

According to the WHO, in ''very rare cases,'' the administration of OPV results in vaccine-associated paralytic polio associated with a ''reversion of the vaccine strains to the more neurovirulent profile of wild poliovirus.''

In addition to causing vaccine-associated paralytic polio, vaccine strains have the capacity to cause disease of the nervous system and to transmit from person to person resulting in infectious poliomyelitis.

Based on the WHO's review of data and research available on nOPV2, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recommended Gates' nOPV2 become the ''vaccine of choice'' for responding to type 2 polio outbreaks caused by OPV.

According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the nOPV2 was developed to address vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 outbreaks, which ''can emerge when the weakened strain of the vaccine virus circulates in under-immunized populations and, with time, can genetically revert into a form that causes paralysis.''

In other words, ''under-immunized'' populations '-- not the OPV '-- are to blame for the vaccine-related polio strains.

In an email to The Defender, Dr. Brian Hooker, Ph.D., P.E., Children's Health Defense chief scientific officer and professor of biology at Simpson University said:

''Once again, Big Pharma, fueled by the Gates Foundation, has created a huge problem that only they can solve. The introduction of the new OPV in the U.K. has predictably led to polio virus in the sewage (i.e., where poliovirus propagates) and now the ''only solution'' is to inject U.K. citizens with the nPOV2 to prevent the spread of OPV-induced polio. If this isn't a scam, I don't know what is!''

The U.K.'s Medicines and Regulatory Health Products Agency (MHRA) on June 17 said in a tweet: ''An exciting new global study, co-authored by our lead scientist Javier Martin, shows that new polio vaccine nOPV2 is an effective tool in reducing the risk of Vaccine-Derived Polio Viruses. ''

An exciting new global study, co-authored by our lead scientist Javier Martin, shows that new polio vaccine nOPV2 is an effective tool in reducing the risk of Vaccine-Derived Polio Viruses. https://t.co/C7WEXc91WN#polio #poliovaccine #polioeradication pic.twitter.com/P8YISydi34

'-- MHRAgovuk (@MHRAgovuk) June 17, 2022

The tweet linked to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advocating for the use of Gates' nOPV2 vaccine.

Between the launch of nOPV2 in March 2021 and late May 2022, more than 350 million doses had been administered across 18 countries.

The GPEI confirmed, as of May 30, 16 other countries are ''ready to use nOPV2'' and an additional 17 are in the midst of preparations.

WHO, GPEI and other organizations pushing Gates-funded vaccine

According to UNICEF, the GPEI is a public-private partnership led by national governments with six core partners: Rotary International, the WHO, the CDC, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The Gates Foundation, in addition to funding the nPOV2 vaccine, GPEI and the WHO, also funds Rotary International, UNICEF, Gavi and the CDC Foundation.

The entity in charge of monitoring vaccine adverse events following administraton of nPOV2 is the WHO's own Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS).

''The GACVS Sub-Committee on nOPV2 Safety will advise WHO and its Member States on safety outcomes following the use of initially pre-licensed type 2 novel oral poliovirus vaccine, during the EUL period, prior to the availability of Phase III clinical trial results,'' according to GPEI.

In essence, the Gates Foundation funded the creation, development and clinical trials for the new nPOV2 polio vaccine, funds the organizations that administered millions of doses to be given under EUL without any long-term data, funds the organizations implementing its roll-out and surveillance and funds the entity monitoring adverse events associated with nPOV2's use.

The Gates Foundation is also a funder of NPR and NPR's blog, which have published numerous articles on VDPV2 and paved the way for Gates' nPOV2 vaccine as the solution.

Oral polio v. inactivated polio vaccines

According to the WHO, the original OPV uses a mixture of ''live attenuated poliovirus strains of each of the three serotypes,'' selected for their ability to mimic the immune system's response following infection with wild polioviruses, but with a reduced chance of spreading to the central nervous system.

To achieve the desired immune response, three or more doses of OPV are required spaced out over a period of time.

The U.S. and some western countries use an inactivated (killed) polio vaccine (IPV) developed by Dr. Jonas Salk and first used in 1955.

Scientists claim the inactivated virus poses no risk of spread, although the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system shows two reported cases of poliomyelitis reported following vaccination with IPV.

The U.S. stopped using OPV in 2000 because it caused paralytic polio.

According to NPR, countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia are experiencing a rise in cases of vaccine-derived polio. These countries mostly use the OPV developed by Albert Sabin and first used in 1961.

Gates' nOPV2 vaccine is a modified version of Sabin's existing OPV vaccine.

''The spread of vaccine-derived polio virus from OPV vaccine in multiple countries throughout Africa and Asia resulted in 1,612 cases of paralytic polio from 2017 through 2020,'' Dr. Liz Mumper, pediatrician and former medical director of the Autism Research Institute told The Defender.

''Since these polio virus samples are in wastewater in a developed country, those who have access to clean water should not be at risk,'' Mumper said. ''However, the media is raising alarms. This is a setback for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.''

According to the CDC, three cases of paralytic polio caused by the OPV vaccine have been reported in the U.S. since the vaccine was discontinued in 2000.

The CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, shows 66 reports of polio following administration of the OPV.

VAERS also shows 14 reported cases of poliomyelitis following vaccination with IPV. Historically, VAERS has been shown to report only 1% of actual vaccine adverse events.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 04:29

Let me put this bluntly: Joe Biden should not run for reelection in 2024. He is too old.

Biden will turn 80 on November 20. He will be 82 if and when he begins a second term. The numbers just keep getting more ridiculous from there. ''It's not the 82 that's the problem. It's the 86,'' one swing voter said in a recent focus group, referring to the hypothetical age Biden would be at the end of that (very) hypothetical second term.

In recent weeks, I've spoken with 10 official and unofficial advisers to the administration who have spent time around the president during these deranged and divided days in America. ''What has this been like for him?'' is what I've been asking them, essentially. ''How is he holding up?''

They say, for the most part, that Biden is coping fine. You know, despite the 8.6 percent inflation, his depressed approval numbers, his vice president's worse approval numbers, the looming wipeout in the midterms, and all the other delights attending to Biden as he awaits the big, round-numbered birthday he has coming up in a few months. But here's another recurring theme I keep hearing, notably from people predisposed to liking the president. ''He just seems old,'' one senior administration official told me at a social function a few weeks ago.

There is nothing like the U.S. presidency to accelerate the aging process. This has been well documented, usually in those side-by-side photos of spry incoming presidents seen next to dramatically older-looking versions of themselves upon departure. Yet Biden keeps insisting that he will run again. The White House reaffirmed as much on Monday night via a tweet from the president's press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre. ''To be clear, as the President has said repeatedly, he plans to run in 2024,'' she wrote. It was an instant classic in the genre of political statements that raise far more questions than the one they were supposedly meant to answer.

Luckily, the message came equipped with everyone's favorite political qualifier'--''plans to.'' Plans, after all, can change. In this case, the sooner the better.

Stepping aside would permit Biden to shed the demands of being a disciplined candidate (never his strong suit). It would be immediately liberating, allowing the president to focus on what he's extremely well suited to: being a familiar mensch and champion and consoler to a country in dire need of one. He could off-load all of the burdens and suspicions that come with electoral ambitions. Nothing buys goodwill for a politician like self-removal from consideration.

The age issue will only get worse if Biden runs again. The ''whispers'' are becoming shouts. It has become thoroughly exhausting'--for Biden and his party and, to some extent, the country itself. But the question quiets considerably when no one's calculating how old a president born during Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration will be in 2028.

It all feels impolite to point this out'--disrespectful, ageist, and taboo, especially given the gross Republican smears about Biden being a doddering and demented old puppet. No one wants to perpetuate this garbage. In fact, people who have had regular contact with Biden describe him as engaged with the day-to-day aspects of his job and generally sharp on details. He will sometimes mangle sentences, blank on names, get tortured by teleprompters, lose his train of thought, or not make sense'--which is not so abnormal for someone his age.

Biden is by no means the more eloquent character he was in his younger days. It can be painful to watch him give prepared speeches. His tone can be tentative, and certain sentences can become hopscotching journeys. His aides in the room look visibly nervous at times. Biden worked to overcome a stutter during his youth, and in general it can become more difficult for stutterers to conceal these effects as they age.

Read: What Joe Biden can't bring himself to say

Otherwise, Biden deals with a fairly standard array of old-guy ailments. He has a spinal arthritis condition that his physician said might contribute to the ''perceptibly stiffer'' gait he has been observed with in recent years. He takes an anticoagulant and a cholesterol pill. He had a polyp removed from his colon last year, suffers from occasional bouts of acid reflux, and once had minor surgery to treat an enlarged prostate (you're welcome).

Geriatricians are always emphasizing that the effects of aging vary widely from person to person. By every indication, Biden appears to be among the lucky ones. His doctors cite no major health concerns. He takes care of himself. He does not drink or smoke, is not overweight, and works out at least five times a week. He looks great for a guy his age. Biden is fit to faithfully execute his duties, the White House physician said in his most recent health summary.

The question is: Should he? The answer: Sure, for now. But not a day after January 20, 2025.

As a point of professional comparison, Biden would be enjoying his 15th year of retirement if he had spent his career as a commercial airline pilot, or his 24th year if he had been an air-traffic controller. There's a reason the FAA mandates compulsory departure times for these positions (65 for pilots, 56 for controllers). These are life-and-death tasks that demand peak stamina and mental acuity. The pressure can be crushing, burnout is rampant, and no one wants to see grandpop in the damn cockpit.

A majority of Americans say they would favor a maximum age for their elected officials too. Of those Americans, about two-thirds think the limit should be 70 or younger. This would send nearly 30 percent of the United States Senate out to pasture. I would call this a good start, as hard as it might be to imagine someone other than Dianne Feinstein or Chuck Grassley charting out our kids' futures.

The ''concerns about Biden's age'' matter received a fibrous super-boost on Sunday when The New York Times published a front-page report that was based on conversations with nearly 50 Democratic officials across the country. Almost everyone interviewed expressed ''deep concern'' about the elderly state of the man in the chair. Biden's advanced age was presented as a kind of proxy for the tired and hobbled state of his agenda and the Democratic Party. To see the sentiment presented so universally among prominent Democrats was rather jarring.

Tom Nichols: Leave Joe Biden alone

''The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term,'' David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Barack Obama, told the Times, putting a finer, fun-with-numbers point on the story.

The broader subtext of the Times article'--and, in a sense, every article about Biden's age'--is that the matchup between America's current condition and the doctor on call feels untenable.

This was not true in 2020. Biden said he was running for president'--for the third time'--because he viewed the prospect of Donald Trump's reelection as an existential threat to the nation. Poll after poll revealed that ''electability'' was the most important quality that Democrats were seeking in a 2020 nominee. Biden scared the fewest people. They mostly just wanted someone who could get rid of Trump. Someone who could come into office, not tweet like a madman, not propose bleach as a COVID treatment, not impugn the reputations of war heroes, civil-rights icons, and disabled reporters. Someone who could just be decent and serious and leave America in relative peace for a little while.

And Biden did this. He performed the most vital service of his presidency before it even began, on November 3, 2020. He showed up on January 20, 2021, and swore his oath in front of 25,000 National Guard troops charged with protecting Washington from his predecessor's most fervent supporters'--kind of a yikes moment for our democracy, you might recall. Officials I've spoken with who were on the inauguration stage that day say the overwhelming sentiment was one of relief; people were milling about thanking one another for their various roles in helping along this exceedingly precarious transition.

Theoretically, the rest could have been gravy for Biden after that. Or, alternatively, a procession of headaches and crises before a more and more hostile audience.

''What a terrible job you have,'' Jimmy Kimmel told Biden last week, when the president stopped by the late-night set for one of those feel-good presidential sit-downs. ''I'm glad you're doing it, but boy, oh boy, does this seem like a bad gig.'' Biden kept insisting that he's never been more optimistic about the country's future, but he sure sounded like his heart was not in this. Kimmel became briefly exasperated.

''Why are you so optimistic?'' the host interjected. ''It makes no sense!''

The audience laughed. They had a point.

''This generation is going to change everything,'' Biden went on. He meant young people'--the same cohort whose support for Biden has eroded markedly in recent polling. This would have made a perfect segue for Biden to announce that he was stepping aside and allowing the ever-restless, too-long-waiting ''next generation'' of Democrats to finally inherit the whirlwind. Alas, he did not.

Read: The Democrats' midterm identity crisis

Probably the main rationale for Biden to re-up in 2024 is the argument that he is the candidate best suited to beating Trump if he runs again. Biden has done it before. His age would be less of a factor against his predecessor, who turned 76 on Tuesday.

But for all the trauma that Trump inflicted on the country during his term, he appears to have kept the devotion of his base voters. Trump has even edged Biden by a few points in a recent batch of way-too-early rematch polls. Swing voters, independents, and Republicans who voted for Biden in 2020 are among the most unenthusiastic to the idea of his running again, says Sarah Longwell, the Republican political operative who hosts the podcast The Focus Group for The Bulwark. They mainly cite his age, she adds. And Republican voters give every indication of being far more motivated right now than Democrats, many of whom are sounding alarmingly demoralized. It hurts to even imagine what another Biden-Trump race could look like.

The other rationale for Biden to run would be the gnawing riddle of: If not him, then who? ''Don't compare me to the almighty. Compare me to the alternative,'' Biden used to say during the 2020 campaign. Four more years of Trump proved a sufficiently appalling ''alternative'' to land Biden in the White House in 2020, but it would be nice if Democrats had an obvious alternative to step in for the guy whom only 29 percent of Americans and 48 percent of Democrats want to see run again in 2024. Vice President Kamala Harris has not exactly asserted herself as the clamored-for heir apparent.

At the very least, Biden not running would unleash a profusion of youth and energy into the Democratic field. The non-AARP-card-carrying likes of Pete Buttigieg or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Chris Murphy or whoever it is could stand silently on the soapbox of the Iowa State Fair for five hours, and it would still feel like a refreshing change. They could commence with the Democrats' long-overdue debate about their next leaders and best ideas. It would send a message of a party not afraid of its future, and provide a contrast with an opposing party cemented in its terrifying past'--with its same terrifying frontman.

Aside from reinvigorating the Democrats, Biden could instantly burnish his own legacy by opting out of 2024. He would be praised for knowing when to step aside, for putting the interests of his party and country before himself, and for selflessly turning things over to the next acts. Gratitude would flow, maybe even from some of the Republicans he talked about doing business with. Everyone loves an elder statesman. A historic credit would be due to Joe Biden.

He spared the country from more Trump in 2020. He stepped in, calmed the thing down, and God love ya for that, Joey. He should be thanked up and down the Rehoboth boardwalk, ice-cream cone in hand, sooner rather than later.

Jack Segelstein contributed research to this article.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 19:41

Ballot proposition and state constitutional amendment passed in November 2008

Proposition 8ResponseVotes% Yes7,001,084 52.24% No6,401,482 47.76%Valid votes13,402,566 97.52%Invalid or blank votes340,611 2.48%Total votes13,743,177100.00% Registered voters/turnout 17,304,428 79.42%For

70%''80%

60%''70%

50%''60%

Against

70%''80%

60%''70%

50%''60%

Source: California Secretary of State[1]Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage; it passed in the November 2008 California state elections and was later overturned in court. The proposition was created by opponents of same-sex marriage in advance[2] of the California Supreme Court's May 2008 appeal ruling, In re Marriage Cases, which followed the short-lived 2004 same-sex weddings controversy and found the previous ban on same-sex marriage (Proposition 22, 2000) unconstitutional. Proposition 8 was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by a federal court (on different grounds) in 2010, although the court decision did not go into effect until June 26, 2013, following the conclusion of proponents' appeals.

Proposition 8 countermanded the 2008 ruling by adding the same provision as in Proposition 22 to the California Constitution, providing that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California", thereby superseding the 2008 ruling.[3][4][5] As an amendment, it was ruled constitutional by the California Supreme Court in Strauss v. Horton, in 2009, on the grounds that it "carved out a limited [or 'narrow'] exception to the state equal protection clause"; in his dissent, Justice Carlos R. Moreno wrote that exceptions to the equal protection clause could not be made by any majority since its whole purpose was to protect minorities against the will of a majority.

Legal challenges to Proposition 8 were presented by opponents quickly after its approval. Following affirmation by the state courts, two same-sex couples filed a lawsuit against the initiative in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in the case Perry v. Schwarzenegger (later Hollingsworth v. Perry). In August 2010, Chief Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that the amendment was unconstitutional under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment,[6] since it purported to re-remove rights from a disfavored class only, with no rational basis. The official proponents' justifications for the measure were analyzed in over fifty pages covering eighty findings of fact. The state government supported the ruling and refused to defend the law.[7] The ruling was stayed pending appeal by the proponents of the initiative. On February 7, 2012, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2''1 decision, reached the same conclusion as the district court, but on narrower grounds. The court ruled that it was unconstitutional for California to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples, only to take them away shortly after. The ruling was stayed pending appeal to the United States Supreme Court.[8]

On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision on the appeal in the case Hollingsworth v. Perry, ruling that proponents of initiatives such as Proposition 8 did not possess legal standing in their own right to defend the resulting law in federal court, either to the Supreme Court or (previously) to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Therefore, the Supreme Court vacated the decision of the Ninth Circuit, and remanded the case for further proceedings. The decision left the district court's 2010 ruling intact.[9][10][11] On June 28, 2013, the Ninth Circuit, on remand, dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction and dissolved their previous stay of the district court's ruling, enabling Governor Jerry Brown to order same-sex marriages to resume.[12]

The passage of Proposition 8 received widespread media coverage over the amendment's effect on the concurrent 2008 presidential and congressional elections, as well as the pre-election effects Proposition 8 had on California's reputation as a historically LGBT-friendly state and the same-sex marriage debate that had started after same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts through a 2004 court decision. After the results were certified and same-sex marriages ceased, supporters of the initiative were targeted by opponents with actions ranging from some opponents publicly shaming supporters by disclosing their names and addresses online and boycotting proponents' businesses and employers to others threatening supporters with murder and vandalizing their homes and property.

Overview In 2000, the State of California adopted Proposition 22 which, as an ordinary statute, forbade recognition or licensing of same-sex marriages in the state. During February and March 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom directed the licensing of same-sex marriages on the basis of the state's equal protection clause, prompted also by recent events including George W. Bush's proposed constitutional ban, a possible legal case by Campaign for California Families (CCF), and a Supreme Court of Massachusetts ruling deeming same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional and permitting them from May 2004. While only lasting a month before being overruled, this was supported by other cities such as San Jose,[13] gained global attention, and led to the case In re Marriage Cases, in which Proposition 22 was found (San Francisco County Superior Court, March 14, 2005) and confirmed upon appeal (California Supreme Court, May 15, 2008) to be unconstitutional.

Proposition 8 was created by opponents of same-sex marriage prior to the final ruling on In re Marriage Cases as a voter ballot initiative, and voted on at the time of the November 2008 elections. Its wording was precisely the same as Proposition 22, which as an ordinary statute, had been invalidated in 2008, but by re-positioning it as a State constitutional amendment rather than a legislative statute, it was able to circumvent the ruling from In re Marriage Cases.[14] The proposition did not affect domestic partnerships in California,[15] nor (following subsequent legal rulings) did it reverse same-sex marriages that had been performed during the interim period May to November 2008 (i.e. after In re Marriage Cases but before Proposition 8).[16][17][18]

Proposition 8 came into immediate effect on November 5, 2008, the day after the elections. Demonstrations and protests occurred across the state and nation. Same-sex couples and government entities, including couples who had married before then, filed numerous lawsuits with the California Supreme Court challenging the proposition's validity and effect on previously administered same-sex marriages. In Strauss v. Horton, the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, but allowed the existing same-sex marriages to stand (under the grandfather clause principle). (Justice Carlos R. Moreno dissented that exceptions to the equal protection clause could not be made by any majority since its whole purpose was to protect minorities against the will of a majority.)

Although upheld in State court, Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional by the federal courts. In Perry v. Schwarzenegger, United States District Court Judge Vaughn Walker overturned Proposition 8 on August 4, 2010, ruling that it violated both the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.[19] Walker issued a stay (injunction) against enforcing Proposition 8 and a stay to determine suspension of his ruling pending appeal.[20][21] The State of California did not appeal the ruling (with which it had agreed anyway) leaving the initiative proponents and one county to seek an appeal.

On appeal, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled the county had no right of appeal, and asked the California Supreme Court to rule whether the proponents of Prop 8 had the right to appeal (known as "standing") if the State did not do so. The California Supreme Court ruled that they did. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the federal district court's decision on February 7, 2012,[22] but the stay remained in place as appeals continued to the U.S. Supreme Court,[23] which heard oral arguments in the appeal Hollingsworth v. Perry on March 26, 2013.[24] On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and ruled that the Ninth Circuit had erred in allowing the previous appeal, since in line with Article III of the Constitution and many prior cases unanimous on the point, being an initiative proponents is not enough by itself to have federal court standing or appeal a ruling in federal court. This left the original federal district court ruling against Proposition 8 as the outcome, and same sex marriages resumed almost immediately afterwards.

History of the ballot initiative Proposition 8 (ballot title: Eliminates Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment; originally titled the "California Marriage Protection Act")[25][26] was a California ballot proposition that changed the California Constitution to add a new section 7.5 to Article I, which reads: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."[3][4][5] This change restricted the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples, and eliminated same-sex couples' right to marry, thereby overriding portions of the ruling of In re Marriage Cases by "carving out an exception to the preexisting scope of the privacy and due process clauses"[27] of the state constitution.

To qualify for the ballot, Proposition 8 needed 694,354 valid petition signatures, equal to 8% of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2006 general election. The initiative proponents submitted 1,120,801 signatures, and on June 2, 2008, the initiative qualified for the November 4, 2008 election ballot through the random sample signature check.[28]

Full text Proposition 8 consisted of two sections. Its full text was:[29]

SECTION 1. Title

This measure shall be known and may be cited as the "California Marriage Protection Act."

SECTION 2. Article I, Section 7.5 is added to the California Constitution, to read:

Sec. 7.5. Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

Pre-election legal challenges Petition to remove proposition from ballot On July 16, 2008, the California Supreme Court denied a petition calling for the removal of Proposition 8 from the November ballot. The petition asserted the proposition should not be on the ballot on the grounds it was a constitutional revision that only the legislature or a constitutional convention could place before voters. Opponents also argued that the petitions circulated to qualify the measure for the ballot inaccurately summarized its effect. The court denied the petition without comment.[30] As a general rule, it is improper for courts to adjudicate pre-election challenges to a measure's substantive validity.[31] The question of whether Proposition 8 is a constitutional amendment or constitutional revision was ruled on by the California Supreme Court on May 26, 2009, and found that it was not a revision and therefore would be upheld. They also declared that the same-sex marriages performed prior to the passing of Prop 8 would remain valid.[32]

Challenge to title and summary The measure was titled: "Eliminates Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment." The ballot summary read that the measure "changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California."[33][34]

Proponents of the measure objected to the wording of the ballot title and summary on the grounds that they were argumentative and prejudicial. The resulting legal petition Jansson v. Bowen[35] was dismissed August 7, 2008, by California Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley, who ruled that "the title and summary includes an essentially verbatim recital of the text of the measure itself",[36] and that the change was valid because the measure did, in fact, eliminate a right upheld by the California Supreme Court.

As California State Attorney General, Jerry Brown (shown here campaigning for Governor in 2010) had the ballot's description and title changed from "Limit on Marriage" to "Eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry".

[37]California Attorney General Jerry Brown explained that the changes were required to more "accurately reflect the measure" in light of the California Supreme Court's intervening In re Marriage Cases decision.[38]

On July 22, 2008, Proposition 8 supporters mounted a legal challenge to the revised ballot title and summary, contending that Attorney General Brown inserted "language [...] so inflammatory that it will unduly prejudice voters against the measure".[39] Supporters claimed that research showed that an attorney general had never used an active verb like "eliminates" in the title of a ballot measure in the past fifty years in which ballot measures have been used.[39] Representatives of the attorney general produced twelve examples of ballot measures using the word "eliminates" and vouched for the neutrality and accuracy of the ballot language.[40][41]

On August 8, 2008, the California Superior Court turned down the legal challenge, affirming the new title and summary, stating, "the title and summary is not false or misleading because it states that Proposition 8 would 'eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry' in California." The Superior Court based their decision on the previous Marriages Cases ruling in which the California Supreme Court held that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry under the California Constitution.[38][42] That same day, proponents of Prop. 8 filed an emergency appeal with the state appeals court. The Court of Appeal denied their petition later that day and supporters did not seek a review by the Supreme Court of California.[43][44] The deadline for court action on the wording of ballot summaries and arguments in the voter pamphlet was August 11, 2008.[45]

While turning down the challenge to the title and summary, the California Superior Court also found that the Yes on 8 campaign had overstated its ballot argument on the measure's impact on public schools and ordered a minor change in wording. The original arguments included a claim that the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage requires teachers to tell their students, as young as kindergarten age, that same-sex marriage is the same as opposite-sex marriage. The court said the Yes on 8 argument was false because instruction on marriage is not required and parents can withdraw their children. The court said the ballot argument could be preserved by rewording it to state that teachers "may" or "could" be required to tell children there is no difference between same-sex and opposite-sex marriage.[42]

Campaign Campaign funding and spending The pro- and anti-Prop 8 campaigns spent a combined $106 million on the campaign.[46] This was not the most expensive California ballot proposition that year, however; the 2008 campaigns for and against Propositions 94, 95, 96, and 97, dealing with the expansion of Native American gambling, surpassed Prop 8, with combined expenditures of $172 million.[46]

By election day, volunteers on both sides spent thousands of hours getting their messages across to the state's 17.3 million registered voters.[47][48] The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 raised $39.0 million ($11.3 million or 29.1% from outside California) and $44.1 million ($13.2 million or 30.0% from outside California), respectively,[49] from over 64,000 people in all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries, setting a new record nationally for a social policy initiative and more than for every other race in the country in spending except the presidential contest.[50] Contributions were much greater than those of previous same-sex marriage initiatives. Between 2004 and 2006, 22 such measures were on ballots around the country, and donations to all of them combined totaled $31.4 million, according to OpenSecrets.[51] A ProtectMarriage.com spokeswoman estimated that 36 companies which had previously contributed to Equality California were targeted to receive a letter requesting similar donations to ProtectMarriage.com.[52][53][54][55]

The California Fair Political Practices Commission fined the LDS Church in 2010 for failing to follow campaign disclosure policies during the last two weeks leading up to the election, which amounted to $37,000 in non-monetary contributions. They were fined $5,538.[56]

Both proponents and opponents of Proposition 8 made significant use of online tactics for campaigning. For example, over 800 videos were posted on YouTube, most consisting of original content and most taking a position against the Proposition. A greater proportion of 'Yes on 8' videos were scripted and professionally produced. Many 'No on 8' videos recorded demonstrations in the aftermath of the election.[57]

Proponents Proponents of the constitutional amendment argued that exclusively heterosexual marriage was "an essential institution of society", that leaving the constitution unchanged would "result in public schools teaching our kids that gay marriage is okay", and that gay people "do not have the right to redefine marriage for everyone else".[59]

The ProtectMarriage.com organization sponsored the initiative that placed Proposition 8 on the ballot[60] and continues to support the measure. The measure also attracted the support of a number of political figures and religious organizations.

Political figures Republican presidential nominee and U.S. Senator John McCain released a statement of support for the proposed constitutional amendment.[61] Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich released a video in support. Both characterized the court ruling requiring recognition of same sex marriage as being against the will of the people.[62] A political action committee run by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who personally supported the proposition, donated $10,000 to the National Organization for Marriage during their campaign for the proposition.[63]

Religious organizations The Roman Catholic Church,[64] as well as a Roman Catholic lay fraternal organization, the Knights of Columbus,[65] firmly supported the measure. The bishops of the California Catholic Conference released a statement supporting the proposition,[66] a position met with mixed reactions among church members, including clergy.[67][68]

George Hugh Niederauer as Archbishop of San Francisco campaigned in 2008 in favor of the Proposition, and claimed to have been instrumental in forging alliances between Catholics and Mormons to support the measure.[69] His successor, Salvatore Cordileone was regarded as instrumental in devising the initiative. Campaign finance records show he personally gave at least $6,000 to back the voter-approved ban[70] and was instrumental in raising $1.5 million to put the proposition on the ballot.[71] Subsequently, as archbishop of San Francisco, he has called publicly for an amendment to the US Constitution as "the only remedy in law against judicial activism" following the number of state same-sex marriage bans struck down by federal judges. He also attended and addressed the audience at the "March for Marriage", a rally opposing marriage for same-sex couples, in Washington, D.C., in June 2014.[72]

In California's 2008 election the Knights of Columbus attracted media attention when they donated more than $1.4 million to Proposition 8.[73] The Order was the largest financial supporter of the successful effort to maintain a legal definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.[74]

Rally for Yes on Prop 8 in

FresnoThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[75][76][77] (LDS Church), also publicly supported the proposition. The First Presidency of the church announced its support for Proposition 8 in a letter intended to be read in every congregation in California. In this letter, church members were encouraged to "do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time".[75] The church produced and broadcast to its congregations a program describing the support of the Proposition, and describing the timeline it proposes for what it describes as grassroots efforts to support the Proposition.[78] Local church leaders set organizational and monetary goals for their membership'--sometimes quite specific'--to fulfill this call.[79][80] The response of church members to their leadership's appeals to donate money and volunteer time was very supportive,[81] such that Latter-day Saints provided a significant source for financial donations in support of the proposition, both inside and outside the State of California.[82] LDS members contributed over $20 million,[83] about 45% of out-of-state contributions to ProtectMarriage.com came from Utah, over three times more than any other state.[84]ProtectMarriage, the official proponent of Proposition 8, estimates that about half the donations they received came from Mormon sources, and that LDS church members made up somewhere between 80% and 90% of the volunteers for early door-to-door canvassing.[85]

Other religious organizations that supported Proposition 8 include the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America,[86] Eastern Orthodox Church,[87] a group of Evangelical Christians led by Jim Garlow and Miles McPherson,[88] American Family Association, Focus on the Family[89] and the National Organization for Marriage.[90] Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, also endorsed the measure.[91]

Others The Grossmont Union High School District in San Diego County, California, publicly voted on a resolution endorsing Proposition 8. The Governing Board voted 4''0 to endorse the amendment of the California State Constitution.[92]

The Asian Heritage Coalition held a rally in support of Proposition 8 in downtown San Diego on October 19, 2008.[93]

During the November 2008 election campaign, Porterville's City Council was the only City Council in California that passed a Resolution in favor of Proposition 8.[94]

"Whether You Like It or Not" advertisement Gay marriage press conference, 2008

In the months leading up to Election Day, Proposition 8 supporters released a commercial featuring San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom stating in a speech regarding same-sex marriage: "This door's wide open now. It's going to happen, whether you like it or not."[95] Some observers noted that polls shifted in favor of Proposition 8 following the release of the commercial; this, in turn, led to much speculation about Newsom's unwitting role in the passage of the amendment.[96][97][98]

Opponents Official "Vote NO on Prop 8" logo

Opponents argued that "the freedom to marry is fundamental to our society", that the California constitution "should guarantee the same freedom and rights to everyone", and that the proposition "mandates one set of rules for gay and lesbian couples and another set for everyone else". They also argued that "equality under the law is a fundamental constitutional guarantee" (see Equal Protection Clause).[59]

Equality for All was the lead organization opposed to Proposition 8.[99] They also ran the NoOnProp8.com campaign.[100] As with the measure's proponents, opponents of the measure also included a number of political figures and religious organizations. Some non-partisan organizations and corporations, as well as the editorial boards of many of the state's major newspapers, also opposed the measure.

Political figures Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Senator Barack Obama stated that while he personally considered marriage to be between a man and woman,[101] and supported civil unions that confer comparable rights rather than gay marriage,[102] he opposed "divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution... the U.S. Constitution or those of other states".[103] Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joseph Biden also opposed the proposition.[104] Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stated that although he opposed and twice vetoed legislative bills that would recognize same-sex marriage in California, he respected and would uphold the court's ruling and oppose the initiative and other attempts to amend the state's constitution.[105][106] The U.S. House Speaker, California Representative (8th District), Nancy Pelosi[107] along with other members of the California congressional delegation and both of California's U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, voiced their opposition to Proposition 8.[108] Also voicing their opposition were the Lieutenant Governor, State Controller John Chiang, former governor and Attorney General Jerry Brown, 42 of 80 members of the state assembly, half of the state senators, and the mayors of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego: Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Jerry Sanders, respectively.[109][110][111][112]

Religious organizations All six Episcopal diocesan bishops in California jointly issued a statement opposing Proposition 8 on September 10, 2008.[113] Southern California's largest collection of rabbis, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, voted to oppose Proposition 8.[114] Other Jewish groups who opposed Proposition 8 include Jewish Mosaic,[115] the American Jewish Committee, Progressive Jewish Alliance, National Council of Jewish Women, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).[86] The ADL filed amicus briefs urging the Supreme Court of California, Ninth Circuit, and the Supreme Court to invalidate Prop 8.[116] Los Angeles Jews were more opposed to Prop 8 than any other religious group or ethnic group in the city. Seventy-eight percent of surveyed Jewish Angelenos voted against the measure while only 8% supported the measure; the remainder declined to respond.[117] The legislative ministry of the Unitarian Universalists opposed Proposition 8, and organized phone banks toward defeating the measure.[118] They saw opposition to the proposition as a civil rights and social justice issue and their actions against it as a continuation of their previous works in civil rights.

In addition, the California Council of Churches urged the "immediate removal of Proposition 8"'--saying that it infringes on the freedom of religion for churches who wish to bless same-sex unions.[119]

Others The League of Women Voters of California opposed Proposition 8 because "no person or group should suffer legal, economic or administrative discrimination".[120] Additionally, all but two of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's local chapters in California and NAACP national chairman Julian Bond and President Benjamin Jealous opposed Proposition 8.[121] Amnesty International also condemned Proposition 8, saying that "states should never withhold rights based on minority status".[122]

A coalition of Silicon Valley executives urged a 'No' vote on Proposition 8.[123] Google officially opposed Proposition 8 "as an issue of equality", and its founders donated $140,000 to the No on 8 campaign.[124][125][126] Apple Inc. also opposed Proposition 8 as a "fundamental" civil rights issue, and donated $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign.[126][127] Biotech leaders warned of potential damage to the state's $73 billion industry, citing Massachusetts as a top competitor for employees.[128]

Many members of the entertainment industry were opposed to Proposition 8.[129] Actor Tom Hanks, a strong supporter of same-sex marriage, was extremely outspoken about his opposition to the bill. Brad Pitt and Steven Spielberg each donated different amounts of money to the opposition campaign "No on 8".[130] In 2010, the documentary film 8: The Mormon Proposition premiered to sell-out audiences at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously for a resolution to oppose Proposition 8.[131] The California Teachers Association donated one million dollars to fight Proposition 8.[132] Chancellor Robert Birgeneau of UC Berkeley urged a vote against the measure, claiming a likely threat to California's academic competitiveness if Proposition 8 is passed.[133]

Newspaper editorials All ten of the state's largest newspapers editorialized against Proposition 8, including the Los Angeles Times,[134] and the San Francisco Chronicle.[135][136][137][138][139][140][141][142][143] Other papers to have editorialized in opposition includeThe New York Times,[144] La Opini"n (Los Angeles),[145] and The Bakersfield Californian.[146]

Actions against supporters and opponents After the election, a number of protests were held against the referendum's passing. These included candlelight vigils outside organizations such as LDS churches that promoted the proposition.[147][148] Rallies against the amendment took place in California and across the country, with participants numbering in thousands.[149][150][151][152][153][154]

Boycotts were also a feature of public response to the outcome of the election. LGBT rights groups published lists of donors to the Yes on 8 campaign and organized boycotts of individuals or organizations who had promoted or donated to it.[155][156][157] Targets of the boycotts included the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, El Coyote Cafe, California Musical Theatre, and the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel.[157][158][159]

Some supporters of Proposition 8 reported receiving death threats, some of which claimed to be "stemming from Prop 8".[160][161] Some LDS churches were vandalized with spray paint.[162][163]

Fresno-area supporters of gay marriage were also harassed; "No On 8" signs at the Clovis Unitarian Universalist Church were torn up, with Reverend Bryan Jessup alleging that his church experienced vandalism "every night".[160] Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney (DDA) Jay Boyarsky attributed a surge in anti-gay hate crimes, from 3 in 2007 to 14 in 2008, to controversy over Proposition 8.[164]

Pre-decision opinion polls Various opinion polls were conducted to estimate the outcome of the proposition. Those margins with differences less than their margins of error are marked as "n.s.", meaning not significant (see Statistical significance). Those margins considered statistically significant are indicated with the percentage points and the side favored in the poll, as either "pro" for in favor of the proposition's passage (e.g., 1% pro), or "con" for against its passage (e.g., 1% con).

According to the director of the Field Poll, the discrepancy between the pre-election polls and ballot results is because "regular church-goers ... were more prone than other voters to be influenced by last-minute appeals to conform to orthodox church positions when voting on a progressive social issue like same-sex marriage."[165]

Date of opinion pollConducted bySample size(likely voters)In favorAgainstUndecidedMarginMargin of ErrorOctober 29''31, 2008[166]SurveyUSA63747%50%3%n.s.±4%October 18''28, 2008[167]The Field Poll96644%49%7%5% con±3.3%October 12''19, 2008[168]Public Policy Institute of California1,18644%52%4%8% con±3%October 15''16, 2008[169]SurveyUSA61548%45%7%n.s.±4%October 4''5, 2008[170][171]SurveyUSA67047%42%10%5% pro±3.9%September 23''24, 2008[172][173]SurveyUSA66144%49%8%5% con±3.9%September 9''16, 2008[174]Public Policy Institute of California1,15741%55%4%14% con±3%September 5''14, 2008[175]The Field Poll83038%55%7%17% con±3.5%August 12''19, 2008[176][177]Public Policy Institute of California1,04740%54%6%14% con±3%July 8''14, 2008[18][178]The Field Poll67242%51%7%9% con±3.9%May 17''26, 2008[179]The Field Poll1,05242%51%7%9% con±3.2%May 22, 2008[180]Los Angeles Times/KTLA70554%35%11%19% pro±4%Results County Results

For 70%''80%

60%''70%

50%''60%

Against 70%''80%

60%''70%

50%''60%

Proposition 8[1]ChoiceVotes% Yes7,001,08452.24No6,401,48247.76Amending the California Constitution by voter initiative requires a simple majority to be enacted.[181]

Edison/Mitofsky conducted an exit poll on behalf of the National Election Pool which is the only source of data on voter demographics in California in the 2008 election.[182][183] The statistical trends from the exit poll of 2,240 voters suggested that an array of voters came out both in opposition to and in support of Proposition 8, with no single demographic group making up most of either the Yes or No vote. The National Election Pool poll showed that support for Proposition 8 was strong amongst African American voters, interviewed in the exit poll with 70% in favor, more than any other racial group.[184] Their support was considered crucial to the proposition's passing, since African Americans made up an unusually larger percentage of voters that year, due to the presence of Barack Obama on the ballot.[185] Polls by both the Associated Press and CNN mirrored this data, reporting support among black voters to be at 70%[186] and 75%,[187] respectively. A later study by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), examining the black vote only from five counties within the state, suggested that black support was closer to 58%.[188][189]

Hispanic and Latino voters also voted for Proposition 8.[190]

Those who described themselves as religious were the strongest supporters of Prop 8.[191] According to the NGLTF study, self-identified Catholics and Protestants supported Prop 8 by measures of 55% and 66%, respectively,[192] while Jews overwhelmingly opposed it, with support at only 17%.[193][194] Young voters were more likely to have voted against the ballot measure than older voters, while Republicans were more likely to have supported the measure than were Democrats.[195]

County breakdown Breakdown of voting by county[1]CountyYesVotesNoVotesKern75.3%175,16724.7%57,496Tulare75.1%78,57824.9%26,113Modoc74.2%3,27925.8%1,142Kings73.7%25,82126.3%9,244Madera73.5%30,90626.5%11,193Glenn73.3%7,23526.7%2,644Tehama72.8%17,77727.2%6,675Colusa71.6%4,55628.4%1,815Lassen71.3%8,02128.7%3,241Merced70.8%44,80029.2%18,520Sutter70.4%23,03229.6%9,707Shasta69.7%55,69830.3%24,224Imperial69.7%27,04830.3%11,783Fresno68.7%185,99331.3%83,122Stanislaus67.9%108,98832.1%51,598Yuba67.6%14,32332.4%6,868San Bernardino66.8%404,76233.2%202,227San Joaquin65.5%135,72834.5%71,747Riverside64.7%417,13335.3%228,449Sierra64.2%1,27335.8%711Amador64.0%11,94536.0%6,725Calaveras63.9%14,62436.1%8,588Tuolumne62.6%16,96437.4%10,163Mariposa62.1%5,96137.9%3,640Inyo60.6%5,11639.4%3,334Del Norte60.1%5,65839.9%3,770Siskiyou60.0%12,66840.0%8,475Plumas60.0%6,57640.0%4,401Placer59.8%102,97740.2%69,444El Dorado58.3%53,83741.7%38,534Orange57.7%659,03742.3%484,015Trinity56.2%3,56343.8%2,785Butte56.1%54,82243.9%43,045Solano55.9%89,29244.1%70,680San Benito54.8%10,65745.2%8,794Sacramento53.9%289,37846.1%248,444San Diego53.8%655,62546.2%565,054Ventura52.9%178,71947.1%159,284Lake52.0%13,03648.0%12,080San Luis Obispo51.1%67,30448.9%64,555Los Angeles50.1%1,624,67249.9%1,622,287Nevada50.1%27,61749.9%27,614Monterey48.4%62,25151.6%66,191Santa Barbara46.4%80,11753.6%92,305Contra Costa44.6%198,71355.4%246,753Napa44.4%26,22755.6%32,742Mono44.2%2,42555.8%3,050Santa Clara44.2%291,34755.8%367,053Alpine43.6%29356.4%379Yolo41.3%32,81656.4%46,537Humboldt39.9%25,29660.1%37,963San Mateo38.2%114,69561.8%185,127Alameda38.0%232,92362.0%378,692Mendocino36.8%14,64963.2%25,072Sonoma33.5%76,14366.5%150,763Santa Cruz28.7%36,16371.3%89,793Marin24.9%34,32475.1%103,341San Francisco24.8%92,53675.2%280,491Post-election events Immediate response A post Prop 8 demonstration at the State Capitol

In California, a constitutional amendment passed by the electorate takes effect the day after the election.[181] On the evening of November 4 the "Yes on 8" campaign issued a statement by Ron Prentice, the chairman of ProtectMarriage.com, saying "The people of California stood up for traditional marriage and reclaimed this great institution."[196] The organizers of the "No on Prop 8" campaign issued a statement on November 6 saying, "Tuesday's vote was deeply disappointing to all who believe in equal treatment under the law."[197] The counties of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yolo, Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, San Diego, San Bernardino, Sacramento, and Tuolumne stopped issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples the day after the election.[198][199][200][201]

Following the passage of Proposition 8, mass protests took place across the state. These included protests outside the LDS Church's Los Angeles California Temple in Westwood, Los Angeles;[202] a march through Hollywood that blocked traffic and elicited police intervention;[203] a candlelight vigil in front of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center and a large demonstration in front of the state capitol.[204] In San Francisco, thousands gathered in front of the City Hall, along with Mayor Gavin Newsom, to protest the proposition and to perform a candlelight vigil.[205]

Fines Following an audit by the California Franchise Tax Board, the proponents of Proposition 8 are facing a fine of $49,000 for violating California campaign finance disclosure laws, by failing to report $1,169,292 in contributions under the timelines required by state law.[206]

Protests Following the passage of Proposition 8, mass protests took place across the state. These included protests outside a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Westwood, Los Angeles;[207] a march through Hollywood that blocked traffic and elicited police intervention;[208] and a candlelight vigil in front of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center.[209]

On Sunday November 9 an estimated crowd of 4,000 people protested in front of the California State Capitol.[210] In San Francisco, thousands gathered in front of the City Hall to protest the proposition and to perform a candlelit vigil. Speakers who voiced their opinion in opposition of Proposition 8 included state senator Mark Leno and mayor Gavin Newsom.[211]

Outside California, a protest at the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah[212] was addressed by local gay rights supporters including former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and three gay members of the Utah Legislature: Senator Scott McCoy and Representatives Christine Johnson and Jackie Biskupski.[213] On November 12, 2008, more than 10,000 protesters gathered outside the Manhattan New York Temple to protest the support of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for Proposition 8.[214] On November 15, 2008, tens of thousands of people in cities around the United States participated in rallies to protest the passage of Proposition 8 and to promote the expansion of civil marriage to same-sex couples throughout the nation.[215]

Boycotts The passage of Proposition 8 led to opponents responding by publicly shaming its supporters as bigots and boycotting supporters' businesses and employers. On November 7, 2008, a blogger revealed that Scott Eckern, then Artistic Director of California Musical Theatre, had made a personal donation of $1,000 to the "Yes on 8" campaign.[216] All campaign contributions of $1,000 or more required a name, home and occupation be listed. On November 10, gay artists condemned Eckern and called for a boycott of California Musical Theatre.[217] On November 11, Eckern issued an apology on the online site Playbill stating that a similar donation had been made to a human rights organization that includes gay rights as one of its causes.[218] On November 12, Eckern resigned from California Musical Theatre. Executive producer of the CMT Richard Lewis stated that Eckern was not forced to resign but did so of his own accord.[219]

Richard Raddon, Director of the Los Angeles Film Festival, also resigned due to boycotts by the gay community.[220]

Protests in California were marred by racial incidents. Due to their support of Proposition 8, reported as high as 70 percent, some African Americans attending events were allegedly subjected to racial epithets and felt threatened. California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass stated she was disturbed by the treatment of African Americans in the aftermath of the passage of the proposition.In reaction to the racial incidents, Evan Wolfson said, "In any fight, there will be people who say things they shouldn't say, but that shouldn't divert attention from what the vast majority are saying against this, that it's a terrible injustice."[221][222]

Media To protest the passage of Proposition 8, musical theatre composer Marc Shaiman wrote a satiric mini-musical called "Prop 8 '-- The Musical".[223] The three-minute video was distributed on the internet at FunnyOrDie.com. The cast includes Jack Black (who plays Jesus), Nicole Parker, Neil Patrick Harris, John C. Reilly, Allison Janney, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Margaret Cho, Rashida Jones, Kathy Najimy, Sarah Chalke, Jennifer Lewis, John Hill and other celebrities. It was directed by Adam Shankman. The video satirizes Christian churches that selectively pick and choose biblical doctrines to follow.[224] It received 1.2 million internet hits in its first day,[225][226] won the 2009 Webby Award category Comedy: Individual Short or Episode,[227] and won a GLAAD media award.[228]

In 2010, 8: The Mormon Proposition, a documentary alleging the involvement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the passage of Proposition 8. Written by Reed Cowan and narrated by Dustin Lance Black, the film divided critics over a perceived heavy-handed approach to the church's involvement; it won the 2011 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary.

In 2011, 8, a play re-enacting the proceedings of Perry v. Brown in a condensed manner of documentary theatre, was premiered on Broadway.

Controversies about campaign financing and donations On November 13, 2008, Fred Karger of the group Californians Against Hate filed a complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission that campaign finance reports filed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under-reported its actual Proposition 8 campaign expenses as $2,078.97.[229][230] Karger charged that the Church's failure to report "non-monetary contributions" placed it in violation of California's Political Reform Act. Church spokesman Scott Trotter denied the charges, saying the church had "fully complied with the reporting requirements" and a "further report will be filed on or before [...the] due date, Jan. 30, 2009."[231]

In a report filed with the California Secretary of State's office January 30, 2009, the LDS Church reported its non-monetary expenditures as $189,903.58.[232] On January 31, the San Francisco Chronicle stated, "While the deadline for the report, which covers the period from July 1 to Dec. 31, is [February 2], many campaign contributions by major donors and independent committees must be reported within days after they're made." The article further stated that the executive director of the FPPC stated that the LDS church was still under investigation, and "In general, however, 'cases like these hinge over what had to be reported and when it had to be reported.' A late report covering disputed filings 'wouldn't remove the obligation to file on time' but would be considered by investigators."[233]

The Boston Herald reported on February 2, 2009:[234]

While many church members had donated directly to the Yes on 8 campaign'--some estimates of Mormon giving range as high as $20 million'--the church itself had previously reported little direct campaign activity.But in the filing made Friday, the Mormon church reported thousands in travel expenses, such as airline tickets, hotel rooms and car rentals for the campaign. The church also reported $96,849.31 worth of 'compensated staff time''--hours that church employees spent working to pass the same-sex marriage ban.

In a statement issued February 2, 2009, the LDS Church responded to "erroneous news reports", saying its subsequent disclosure was "in no way prompted by an investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission," that "We believe we have complied with California law," and that the report's filing date met the January 31, 2009 deadline:[235]

The Church, like other organizations on both sides of the ballot issue, was required to publicly file these donations by the 31 January deadline. The Church has been filing required contribution reports throughout the campaign. Those earlier donations 'initially stated' were filed for specific time periods prior to this last reporting period, as required by law. Other groups are also filing their final contribution reports to meet the same deadline.

On January 7, 2009, supporters of Proposition 8 filed a federal lawsuit to block public disclosure of their donations. Alleging threats against their lives as well as other forms of harassment, the lawsuit also requested a preliminary injunction that ordered the California Secretary of State to remove information about donations posted on its website. Opponents of Proposition 8 called it "hypocritical" that its supporters would refer to their support of the measure as the "will of the people" while seeking to overturn voter-approved campaign disclosure laws.[236] U.S. District Judge Morrison England, Jr. denied that request on January 29; he said that the public had the right to know about donors of political causes, that he did not agree that the plaintiffs had a probability of success in court, and that they had not proven they would suffer "irreparable injury" if he did not grant the preliminary injunction.[237]

Litigation California Supreme Court cases After the passage of Proposition 8, a number of lawsuits were filed by against the state and state officials with the intent of overturning the measure and arguing that Proposition 8 should not have retroactive effect on existing same-sex marriages. On November 13, 2008, the California Supreme Court asked California Attorney General Jerry Brown for an opinion on whether the Court should accept these cases for review and whether the measure should be suspended while they decide the case. On November 19, the Court accepted three lawsuits challenging Proposition 8 but denied the requests to stay its enforcement.[238] The Court asked for final briefs by January 5, 2009. Oral arguments were held on March 5, 2009.

On Tuesday May 26 the court ruled that "The Amendment to the State Constitution referred to as Proposition 8 is valid and enforceable from the moment it was passed."[citation needed ] The court also held that "Proposition 8 must be understood as creating a limited exception to the state equal protection clause."[239] Justice Moreno in his lone dissenting opinion, argued that such a change to the Constitution should only be implemented "by a constitutional revision to modify the equal protection clause to protect some, rather than all, similarly situated persons" and not by a simple majority vote.

The Court did rule that their decision cannot be applied to retroactively annul marriages that were transacted while the practice was legal in the state of California.[240] Proposition 8 has no retroactive effect. The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously on May 26, 2009, that the approximately 18,000 same-sex marriages that had occurred prior to Proposition 8's passage would still be valid and must continue to be recognized in the state, since the amendment does not state explicitly that it would nullify the same-sex marriages performed before it took effect.[240]

Later legislation clarified that same-sex couples who married out-of-state within the window of legality would also retain their legal marriage rights. The bill was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on October 11, 2009.[241]

Federal challenges Smelt v. United States Immediately following the passage of Proposition 8, Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer filed suit in the Southern Division of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, in Orange County. In the case, Smelt v. United States, the couple argued that Proposition 8 and the Federal Defense of Marriage Act violated the Equal Protection Clause of the American constitution.[242] The United States Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss the case because the "plaintiffs are married, and their challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA") poses a different set of questions."[243] On July 15, 2009, District Judge Carter dismissed the part of Smelt that challenged Proposition 8, finding that the fact that the plaintiffs were already legally married in California meant they had no standing to challenge Proposition 8. The challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, however, remained intact.[244] The remainder of the case was heard on August 3, 2009, in an Orange County district court.[245] The lawsuit was thrown out because the two men had filed suit against the federal government in a state court, a technicality which meant the suit needed to be re-filed.[246]

Perry v. Schwarzenegger This article's

factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information.

Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.

( June 2011 ) On the day of Strauss v. Horton 's decision, the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to challenge the validity of Proposition 8. Lambda Legal, the ACLU, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights have since announced their support for the lawsuit.[247] San Francisco filed a motion to and was granted intervenor status in the case, saying that their work in In re Marriage Cases and Strauss v. Horton provided them with "extensive evidence and proposed findings on strict scrutiny factors and factual rebuttals to long claimed justifications for marriage discrimination".[248]

California Attorney General, and former and later again Governor Jerry Brown backed the lawsuit, saying that Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution and should be struck down.[249] Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger took a more neutral path,[250] saying that he supported the lawsuit because the Proposition 8 conflict asks "important constitutional questions that require and warrant judicial determination." Because this means that the Californian government will not defend the law in court,[251] the proponents of Proposition 8's campaign were granted the right to intervene as defendants.[252] The case was first heard on July 2, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, Judge Vaughn R. Walker presiding.[253]

In an act unprecedented in California history both the Governor and Attorney General refused to defend a constitutional amendment.[254]

In August, Judge Walker heard further requests for intervenor status and ordered a trial set for January 2010.On August 4, 2010, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional, but at the same time temporarily provided for a suspension of the ruling while he considered whether to grant an indefinite suspension pending appeal.[255] Walker lifted the stay on August 12, 2010, thus allowing same-sex marriages to be performed as of August 18, 2010[256]

On August 16, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit imposed a stay of all new same-sex marriages in the State of California. It also scheduled an accelerated time table for hearing an appeal of Judge Walker's ruling.[257] Before the appeal trial begins, there will be a December 6, 2010[needs update ] hearing on who has legal standing to appeal the District Court's decision and whether the proposition violates equal protection rights.[258]

Ballot repeal effort On April 30, 2009, the members of 'Yes! on Equality' submitted a ballot initiative dubbed "California Marriage Equality Act" to the Attorney General's office, requesting a title and summary. The text of the ballot would repeal Article I; Section 7.5 of the Californian Constitution as well as clarifying that no school curriculum will be changed and no clergy will be forced to perform any "service or duty incongruent with their faith". Yes! on Equality had until August 17, 2009, to gather 694,354 signatures in order to qualify for the June 2010 ballot,[259][260] A petition for initiative for the November 2010 ballot also failed to obtain enough signatures.[261][262]

Several LGBT groups of color (including API Equality-LA, HONOR PAC, and the Jordan/Rustin Coalition) published a statement "Prepare to Prevail,"[263] in which they argue that the ballot repeal effort should be delayed until 2012. As of February 2012, the repeal effort was canceled in light of victorious court cases.[264]

Legal challenges Following the passing of Proposition 8 in 2008, and the subsequent mass protests, several lawsuits were filed in both the State Supreme Court and in the Federal District Court.

State court: Strauss v. Horton In considering the cases within the state courts, on November 13, 2008, the California Supreme Court asked California Attorney General Jerry Brown for an opinion on whether the Court should accept these cases for review and whether the measure should be suspended while they decide the case. On November 19, the Court accepted three lawsuits challenging Proposition 8, which consolidated into Strauss v. Horton.[265] The Court rendered its decision on May 26, 2009. The majority decision was that Proposition 8 "carved out a limited [or 'narrow'] exception to the state equal protection clause"; Justice Moreno dissented that exceptions to the equal protection clause could not be made by any majority since its whole purpose was to protect minorities against the will of a majority. Until overturned by Hollingsworth v. Perry (below), the ruling established that Proposition 8 was valid as voted, but that marriages performed before it went into effect would remain valid.

Federal court Perry v. Schwarzenegger After the California Supreme Court upheld the voter initiative, a suit, Perry v. Schwarzenegger (later Hollingsworth v. Perry), was filed in a Federal District Court in San Francisco. On August 4, 2010, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker overturned Proposition 8, stating it is "...unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause because no compelling state interest justifies denying same-sex couples the fundamental right to marry."[266] The court also determined that "Proposition 8 violated the Equal Protection Clause because there is no rational basis for limiting the designation of 'marriage' to opposite-sex couples."[267] The court also stayed the ruling; the voter initiative was to remain in effect pending appeal.[20] On August 12, Walker announced his decision to lift the stay (which would have allowed same-sex marriages to be performed) as of August 18, 2010[update].[268][269]However, on August 16, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit indefinitely extended the District Court's stay, stopping new same-sex marriages in the state of California pending appeal. It also scheduled an accelerated time table for hearing an appeal of Walker's ruling.[270]

Perry v. Brown (on appeal) As the State of California chose not to appeal the ruling, an appeal was sought by two parties'--the initiative proponents, and Imperial County (via its deputy clerk). The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals considered the question of standing first. On January 4, 2011, the Ninth Circuit ruled that Imperial County did not have standing to intervene in the lawsuit (by now called Perry v. Brown)'--the formal reason being the county's appeal had been "untimely", but also that the appellant was the county's deputy clerk, and precedent existed in other cases that a deputy clerk could not 'represent' a county.

To address the question whether the initiative proponents had particularized standing (that is, standing either via personal interest, or standing to represent the State's interest), the Ninth Circuit certified a question to the California Supreme Court on January 4, 2011, asking that court to rule whether, under the California Constitution or otherwise under California law, non-governmental proponents of an initiative have standing to appeal when the State is no longer willing to defend it.[271] On February 16, 2011, the California Supreme Court unanimously agreed to address the Ninth Circuit's request.[272] The court set an expedited schedule for the hearing[273] and heard oral arguments on September 6, 2011.[274] On November 17, 2011, the California Supreme Court issued an advisory opinion that the proponents of Proposition 8 did have standing, and could defend it.[275][276]

Ninth Circuit ruling Seal of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

On February 7, 2012, a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2''1 majority opinion affirming the judgment in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, which declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional, saying it violated the Equal Protection Clause. The opinion, written by Judge Stephen Reinhardt and joined by Judge Michael Hawkins, states that Proposition 8 did nothing more than lessen the status and dignity of gays and lesbians, and classify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples.[277] The court found that the people of California, by using their initiative power to target a minority group and withdraw the right to marry they once possessed under the California State Constitution, violated the federal Constitution.[278]

The court concluded that the trial court had correctly found Proposition 8 to have no purpose other than to impose the majority's private disapproval of gays, lesbians, and their relationships through the public law, and to take away from them the designation of marriage and its recognized societal status.[279] The findings of fact and expert witness testimony in District Court played an important role in this appellate decision, emphasizing that it is unreasonable to believe Proposition 8 was enacted to: promote childrearing by biological parents, encourage procreation, be cautious in social change, protect religious liberty, or control children's education.[280] The court declared that it is "implausible to think that denying two men or two women the right to call themselves married could somehow bolster the stability of families headed by one man and one woman".[281][282]

The dissenting judge, Judge N. Randy Smith, noted in his dissent that states do legitimately prohibit sexual relationships condemned by society such as incest, bigamy, and bestiality, and impose age limits for marriage without violating constitutional rights.[283] He stated that "gays and lesbians are not a suspect or quasi-suspect class" and are thus not entitled to the courts' increased scrutiny of laws that affect them.[283] He wrote, "The family structure of two committed biological parents'--one man and one woman'--is the optimal partnership for raising children." He also said that governments have a legitimate interest in "a responsible procreation theory, justifying the inducement of marital recognition only for opposite-sex couples" because only they can have children.[283] He urged judicial restraint, that the justices should refrain from striking down Proposition 8.[284]

En banc review denied On February 21, 2012, proponents requested to have to the case reviewed en banc by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.[285] If granted, en banc review could have taken a year or more, which would have delayed possible U.S. Supreme Court review.[285] Pending the appeal, a stay was continued, barring any marriages from taking place.[286] On June 5, 2012, the full Ninth Circuit refused to rehear the case; the stay would remain in place pending final action by the Supreme Court.[287]

The Ninth Court's ruling was subsequently vacated (withdrawn) although it affirmed the district court ruling, since the Supreme Court later determined that the proponents of Proposition 8 had not had standing to appeal the district court's ruling.

Hollingsworth v. Perry (U.S. Supreme Court) The proposition's proponents filed a petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on July 30, 2012, requesting that the Supreme Court review the case.[288] Briefs in opposition both from the individual respondents and from the City and County of San Francisco were filed August 24, and the petitioners replied on September 4.[289] On December 7, 2012, the Supreme Court granted the proponents' petition for certiorari[290] and asked to be briefed for arguments concerning the petitioners' Article III standing,[291] amid considerable anticipation of a finding of a lack of justiciability in order to avoid a holding on the merits.[292] Oral arguments were heard on March 26, 2013.[24]

Parties who lodged amicus briefs with the court included: Judge Georg Ress and the Marriage Law Foundation; William N. Eskridge, Jr., et al.; the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence; the Public Advocate of the United States, et al.; the National Association of Evangelicals, et al.; the American Civil Rights Union; Judicial Watch, Inc., et al.; the Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, Inc.; the Foundation for Moral Law; and the state of Indiana, et al.[289]

The Supreme Court issued a 5''4 decision on June 26, 2013.[293] Chief Justice Roberts wrote for the majority, and was joined by Justices Scalia, Ginsburg, Breyer, and Kagan.[293] Justices Kennedy, Thomas, Alito, and Sotomayor were in the minority.[294] The Court found the proponents did not have standing to appeal in federal court. To have standing, they "must have suffered an injury in fact, thus giving [them] a sufficiently concrete interest in the outcome of the issue in dispute".[11] Because no injury had been shown, the appeal to the Ninth Circuit should have been dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. (This only applied to the Ninth Circuit and Supreme Court cases.) The Court returned the case to the Ninth Circuit with instructions to dismiss the appeal. This left the district court's ruling overturning Proposition 8 as the final ruling in the case. Because the appeal was decided on the question of standing, the Supreme Court did not examine nor rule on whether in their view Proposition 8 had violated the U.S. Constitution.

Justice Kennedy, writing for the minority, said the views of the California Supreme Court on the proponents' standing should have been respected,[11] because "the basic premise of the initiative process [and] the essence of democracy is that the right to make law rests in the people and flows to the government, not the other way around".[7]:'Š13'Š

Aftermath Plaintiffs Perry and Stier at the June 30, 2013, Pride Parade in San Francisco after their marriage

On June 28, 2013, the Ninth Circuit lifted its stay of the district court's ruling, enabling same-sex marriages to resume;[12] minutes afterward, plaintiffs Perry and Stier became the first couple in California to legally wed under state law since the enactment of Proposition 8 in 2008, doing so at San Francisco City Hall at 4:45 PDT, with California's Attorney General Kamala Harris officiating at the ceremony.[295]

There were two legal challenges made to the implementation of the ruling, both subsequently denied:

Federal court legal challenge to removal of stay

On June 29, 2013, the proponents of Proposition 8 filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate the Ninth Circuit's lifting of its stay, claiming it had been "premature".

[296] The next day, June 30, 2013, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, responsible for overseeing the Ninth Circuit, denied the motion without comment.

[297]State court legal challenges to statewide implementation of ruling

Even before the Ninth Circuit lifted its stay, Proposition 8 proponents had expressed the intent to fight on, by asserting that the ruling only applies to the persons or counties involved and would be unlawful for other couples or counties to comply with it.

[298]Two petitions to this effect were filed with the California Supreme Court, by proponents (Hollingsworth v. O'Connell and Brown, July 12, 2013) and'--against county policy'--by a San Diego County Clerk (Dronenburg, July 19, 2013: dropped August 2 as duplicative). The proponents' petition challenged the state and county clerk responses to the ruling in Perry, asserting that, in their view, only two counties were affected by the ruling and other counties had no legal capacity to discretionally do likewise; that the plaintiffs, not representing a class, had their relief while others who were not plaintiffs had no change to their position within the law; and that county clerks were not in fact covered by the ruling and were therefore bound to comply with the law as it stood.

This position was rejected by California's governor, who on legal advice[299] ordered the change to license issuance, according to the ruling.[300] California's Attorney General Kamala Harris noted that "state officials are obligated to govern marriage equally in all counties and that [United States District Court for the Northern District of California Chief Judge Vaughn] Walker's ruling specifically covers those officials."[298] San Francisco's city attorney stated that it was "the most basic concepts of American law ... that a state court will not overrule the federal judiciary".[299] Twenty-four County Clerks stated, through their lawyer, that their role was "ultimately state supervised" and it would be unfeasible to have a "patchwork" of different marriage criteria varying between the counties of a single state.[301]

On July 15, the California Supreme Court unanimously declined the request to order an immediate halt to same-sex marriages in the state pending a decision on the petition. The court requested arguments from the parties on the points raised in their petition.

[302] On August 14, 2013, the California Supreme Court unanimously rejected the challenge by Proposition 8 proponents.

[303]See also Briggs InitiativeHouston Proposition 1 (2015)'--a veto referendum which led to the repealing of an ordinance protecting LGBTQ rights.LGBT rights in CaliforniaList of former U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions by typeObergefell v. Hodges'--a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case holding that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples.San Francisco 2004 same-sex weddings'--a prior controversy that sparked In re Marriage Cases and led to Proposition 8SaveCalifornia.comUnited States v. Windsor'--a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case, decided along with Hollingsworth v. Perry, that struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, thereby granting federal benefits to same sex couple who are married under state law8 (or 8 the Play)'--an American play that portrays the closing arguments of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal trial that led to the overturn of Proposition 8References ^ a b c "Statement of Vote: 2008 General Election" (PDF) . 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Retrieved February 8, 2012 . ^ "California's Proposition 8 case headed to U.S. Supreme Court". Mercurynews.com. 2012-06-05 . Retrieved November 15, 2012 . ^ Denniston, Lyle (July 31, 2012). " "Proposition 8" defenders' appeal filed (FINAL UPDATE)". SCOTUSblog . Retrieved August 3, 2012 . ^ a b Hollingsworth v. Perry, no. 12-144, (docket). Retrieved September 7, 2012. ^ The Ticket (2012-12-07). "Supreme Court will hear two gay marriage cases | The Ticket". Yahoo! News . Retrieved 2013-11-01 . ^ supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders (access date: 2013-11-01) ^ "Understanding standing: The Court's Article III questions in the same-sex marriage cases (I)". SCOTUSblog. 2013-01-17 . Retrieved 2013-11-01 . ^ a b Clarke, Rachel (June 26, 2013). "Supreme Court strikes down part of DOMA, dismisses Prop. 8 appeal". CNN . Retrieved June 26, 2013 . ^ "Strange bedfellows: The rationale of the Prop 8 dissenters". The Week. 2013-06-26 . Retrieved 2013-11-01 . ^ Winter, Michael (June 28, 2013). 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External links The District Court's decision in Perry v Schwarzenegger (Prop 8 Unconstitutional)The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Decision Affirming Perry v Schwarzenegger (Prop 8 Unconstitutional)Video'--Ninth Circuit Appeals Court Trial on the MeritsVideo'--Ninth Circuit Appeals Court Trial on RecusalProtectMarriage.com: Organizational sponsor of Proposition 8No On Prop. 8: Organizational opponent to Proposition 8California Official Voter Information Guide on Proposition 8, Title and summary, analysis, arguments and rebuttals, and the text of the proposition.Scan of Initiative from California Attorney General websiteThe Money Behind the 2008 Same-Sex Partnership Ballot Measures'--OpenSecretsProposition 8 map a detailed hyper-linked map on David Leips election atlas.Hollingsworth v. Perry at SCOTUSblogAmicus briefs filed in Hollingsworth v. Perry from the City Attorney of San FranciscoU.S. same-sex unions ballot measures

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Archived Version

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 19:39

Former policy on gay people serving in the US military

Don't ask, don't tellPresident Bill Clinton announcing new policy regarding homosexuals in the military in July 1993

PlannedDepartment of Defense Directive 1304.26Planned byClinton administrationDateFebruary 28, 1994 '' September 20, 2011Executed byLes AspinOutcomeService by gays, bisexuals, and lesbians in the military"Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service by gay men, bisexuals, and lesbians, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on December 21, 1993, and was in effect from February 28, 1994, until September 20, 2011.[1] The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. This relaxation of legal restrictions on service by gays and lesbians in the armed forces was mandated by United States federal law Pub.L. 103''160 (10 U.S.C. § 654), which was signed November 30, 1993.[2] The policy prohibited people who "demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because their presence "would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability".[3]

The act prohibited any homosexual male, lesbian, or bisexual from disclosing their sexual orientation or from speaking about any same-sex relationships, including marriages or other familial attributes, while serving in the United States armed forces. The act specified that service members who disclose that they are homosexual or engage in homosexual conduct should be separated (discharged) except when a service member's conduct was "for the purpose of avoiding or terminating military service" or when it "would not be in the best interest of the armed forces".[4] Since DADT ended in 2011, persons who are openly homosexual and bisexual have been able to serve.[5]

The "don't ask" part of the DADT policy specified that superiors should not initiate an investigation of a service member's orientation without witnessing disallowed behaviors. However, evidence of homosexual behavior deemed credible could be used to initiate an investigation. Unauthorized investigations and harassment of suspected servicemen and women led to an expansion of the policy to "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass".[6]

Beginning in the early 2000s, several legal challenges to DADT were filed, and legislation to repeal DADT was enacted in December 2010, specifying that the policy would remain in place until the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certified that repeal would not harm military readiness, followed by a 60-day waiting period.[7] A July 6, 2011, ruling from a federal appeals court barred further enforcement of the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members.[8] President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen sent that certification to Congress on July 22, 2011, which set the end of DADT to September 20, 2011.[9] Although DADT was officially repealed, the legal definition of marriage as being one man and one woman under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) meant that, although same-sex partners could get married, their marriage was not recognized by the federal government. This barred partners from access to the same benefits afforded to heterosexual couples such as base access, health care, and United States military pay, including family separation allowance and Basic Allowance for Housing with dependents.[10] The Department of Defense attempted to open some of the benefits that were not restricted by DOMA,[11] but the Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor made these efforts unnecessary.[12]

Background [ edit ] Dignity and Respect, the U.S. Army's 2001 training guide on the homosexual conduct policy, gave official guidelines on what can be considered credible information of someone's homosexuality or bisexuality.

Engaging in homosexual activity had been grounds for discharge from the American military since the Revolutionary War. Policies based on sexual orientation appeared as the United States prepared to enter World War II. When the military added psychiatric screening to its induction process, it included homosexuality as a disqualifying trait, then seen as a form of psychopathology. When the army issued revised mobilization regulations in 1942, it distinguished "homosexual" recruits from "normal" recruits for the first time.[13] Before the buildup to the war, gay service members were court-martialed, imprisoned, and dishonorably discharged; but in wartime, commanding officers found it difficult to convene court-martial boards of commissioned officers and the administrative blue discharge became the military's standard method for handling gay and lesbian personnel. In 1944, a new policy directive decreed that homosexuals were to be committed to military hospitals, examined by psychiatrists, and discharged under Regulation 615''360, section 8.[14]

In 1947, blue discharges were discontinued and two new classifications were created: "general" and "undesirable". Under such a system, a serviceman or woman found to be gay but who had not committed any sexual acts while in service would tend to receive an undesirable discharge. Those found guilty of engaging in sexual conduct were usually dishonorably discharged.[15] A 1957 U.S. Navy study known as the Crittenden Report dismissed the charge that homosexuals constitute a security risk, but nonetheless did not advocate for an end to anti-gay discrimination in the navy on the basis that "The service should not move ahead of civilian society nor attempt to set substantially different standards in attitude or action with respect to homosexual offenders." It remained secret until 1976.[16] Fannie Mae Clackum was the first service member to successfully appeal such a discharge, winning eight years of back pay from the US Court of Claims in 1960.[17]

From the 1950s through the Vietnam War, some notable gay service members avoided discharges despite pre-screening efforts, and when personnel shortages occurred, homosexuals were allowed to serve.[18]

The gay and lesbian rights movement in the 1970s and 1980s raised the issue by publicizing several noteworthy dismissals of gay service members. Air Force TSgt Leonard Matlovich, the first service member to purposely out himself to challenge the ban, appeared on the cover of Time in 1975.[19] In 1982 the Department of Defense issued a policy stating that, "Homosexuality is incompatible with military service." It cited the military's need "to maintain discipline, good order, and morale" and "to prevent breaches of security".[20] In 1988, in response to a campaign against lesbians at the Marines' Parris Island Depot, activists launched the Gay and Lesbian Military Freedom Project (MFP) to advocate for an end to the exclusion of gays and lesbians from the armed forces.[21] In 1989, reports commissioned by the Personnel Security Research and Education Center (PERSEREC), an arm of the Pentagon, were discovered in the process of Joseph Steffan's lawsuit fighting his forced resignation from the U.S. Naval Academy. One report said that "having a same-gender or an opposite-gender orientation is unrelated to job performance in the same way as is being left- or right-handed."[22] Other lawsuits fighting discharges highlighted the service record of service members like Tracy Thorne and Margarethe (Grethe) Cammermeyer. The MFP began lobbying Congress in 1990, and in 1991 Senator Brock Adams (D-Washington) and Rep. Barbara Boxer introduced the Military Freedom Act, legislation to end the ban completely. Adams and Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-Colorado) re-introduced it the next year.[23] In July 1991, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, in the context of the outing of his press aide Pete Williams, dismissed the idea that gays posed a security risk as "a bit of an old chestnut" in testimony before the House Budget Committee.[24] In response to his comment, several major newspapers endorsed ending the ban, including USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, and the Detroit Free Press.[25] In June 1992, the General Accounting Office released a report that members of Congress had requested two years earlier estimating the costs associated with the ban on gays and lesbians in the military at $27 million annually.[26]

During the 1992 U.S. presidential election campaign, the civil rights of gays and lesbians, particularly their open service in the military, attracted some press attention,[27] and all candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination supported ending the ban on military service by gays and lesbians,[28] but the Republicans did not make a political issue of that position.[29] In an August cover letter to all his senior officers, General Carl Mundy Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps, praised a position paper authored by a Marine Corps chaplain that said that "In the unique, intensely close environment of the military, homosexual conduct can threaten the lives, including the physical (e.g. AIDS) and psychological well-being of others". Mundy called it "extremely insightful" and said it offered "a sound basis for discussion of the issue".[30] The murder of gay U.S. Navy petty officer Allen R. Schindler Jr. on October 27, 1992, brought calls from advocates of allowing open service by gays and lesbians for prompt action from the incoming Clinton administration.[31]

Origin [ edit ] The policy was introduced as a compromise measure in 1993 by President Bill Clinton who campaigned in 1992 on the promise to allow all citizens to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation.[32] Commander Craig Quigley, a Navy spokesman, expressed the opposition of many in the military at the time when he said, "Homosexuals are notoriously promiscuous" and that in shared shower situations, heterosexuals would have an "uncomfortable feeling of someone watching".[33]

During the 1993 policy debate, the National Defense Research Institute prepared a study for the Office of the Secretary of Defense published as Sexual Orientation and U.S. Military Personnel Policy: Options and Assessment. It concluded that "circumstances could exist under which the ban on homosexuals could be lifted with little or no adverse consequences for recruitment and retention" if the policy were implemented with care, principally because many factors contribute to individual enlistment and re-enlistment decisions.[34] On May 5, 1993, Gregory M. Herek, associate research psychologist at the University of California at Davis and an authority on public attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, testified before the House Armed Services Committee on behalf of several professional associations. He stated, "The research data show that there is nothing about lesbians and gay men that makes them inherently unfit for military service, and there is nothing about heterosexuals that makes them inherently unable to work and live with gay people in close quarters." Herek added, "The assumption that heterosexuals cannot overcome their prejudices toward gay people is a mistaken one."[35]

In Congress, Democratic Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia and Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee led the contingent that favored maintaining the absolute ban on gays. Reformers were led by Democratic Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who favored modification (but ultimately voted for the defense authorization bill with the gay ban language), and Barry Goldwater, a former Republican Senator and a retired Major General,[36] who argued on behalf of allowing service by open gays and lesbians but was not allowed to appear before the Committee by Nunn. In a June 1993 Washington Post opinion piece, Goldwater wrote: "You don't have to be straight to shoot straight".[37]

Congress rushed to enact the existing gay ban policy into federal law, outflanking Clinton's planned repeal effort. Clinton called for legislation to overturn the ban, but encountered intense opposition from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, members of Congress, and portions of the public. DADT emerged as a compromise policy.[38] Congress included text in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (passed in 1993) requiring the military to abide by regulations essentially identical to the 1982 absolute ban policy.[39] The Clinton administration on December 21, 1993,[40] issued Defense Directive 1304.26, which directed that military applicants were not to be asked about their sexual orientation.[39] This policy is now known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". The phrase was coined by Charles Moskos, a military sociologist.

In accordance with the December 21, 1993, Department of Defense Directive 1332.14,[41] it was legal policy (10 U.S.C. § 654)[42] that homosexuality was incompatible with military service and that persons who engaged in homosexual acts or stated that they are homosexual or bisexual were to be discharged.[32][39] The Uniform Code of Military Justice, passed by Congress in 1950 and signed by President Harry S Truman, established the policies and procedures for discharging service members.[43]

The full name of the policy at the time was "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue". The "Don't Ask" provision mandated that military or appointed officials not ask about or require members to reveal their sexual orientation. The "Don't Tell" stated that a member may be discharged for claiming to be a homosexual or bisexual or making a statement indicating a tendency towards or intent to engage in homosexual activities. The "Don't Pursue" established what was minimally required for an investigation to be initiated. A "Don't Harass" provision was added to the policy later. It ensured that the military would not allow harassment or violence against service members for any reason.[38]

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network was founded in 1993 to advocate an end to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the U.S. Armed Forces.[44]

Court challenges [ edit ] DADT was upheld by five federal Courts of Appeal.[45] The Supreme Court, in Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc. (2006), unanimously held that the federal government could constitutionally withhold funding from universities, no matter what their nondiscrimination policies might be, for refusing to give military recruiters access to school resources. An association of law schools had argued that allowing military recruiting at their institutions compromised their ability to exercise their free speech rights in opposition to discrimination based on sexual orientation as represented by DADT.[46]

McVeigh v. Cohen [ edit ] In January 1998, Senior Chief Petty Officer Timothy R. McVeigh (not to be confused with convicted Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy J. McVeigh) won a preliminary injunction from a U.S. district court that prevented his discharge from the U.S. Navy for "homosexual conduct" after 17 years of service. His lawsuit did not challenge the DADT policy but asked the court to hold the military accountable for adhering to the policy's particulars. The Navy had investigated McVeigh's sexual orientation based on his AOL email account name and user profile. District Judge Stanley Sporkin ruled in McVeigh v. Cohen that the Navy had violated its own DADT guidelines: "Suggestions of sexual orientation in a private, anonymous email account did not give the Navy a sufficient reason to investigate to determine whether to commence discharge proceedings."[47] He called the Navy's investigation "a search and destroy mission" against McVeigh. The case also attracted attention because a navy paralegal had misrepresented himself when querying AOL for information about McVeigh's account. Frank Rich linked the two issues: "McVeigh is as clear-cut a victim of a witch hunt as could be imagined, and that witch hunt could expand exponentially if the military wants to add on-line fishing to its invasion of service members' privacy."[48] AOL apologized to McVeigh and paid him damages. McVeigh reached a settlement with the Navy that paid his legal expenses and allowed him to retire with full benefits in July. The New York Times called Sporkin's ruling "a victory for gay rights, with implications for the millions of people who use computer on-line services".[49]

Witt v. Department of the Air Force [ edit ] In April 2006, Margaret Witt, a major in the United States Air Force who was being investigated for homosexuality, filed suit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington seeking declaratory and injunctive relief on the grounds that DADT violates substantive due process, the Equal Protection Clause, and procedural due process. In July 2007 the Secretary of the Air Force ordered her honorable discharge. Dismissed by the district court, the case was heard on appeal, and the Ninth Circuit issued its ruling on May 21, 2008. Its decision in Witt v. Department of the Air Force reinstated Witt's substantive-due-process and procedural-due-process claims and affirmed the dismissal of her Equal Protection claim. The Ninth Circuit, analyzing the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas (2003), determined that DADT had to be subjected to heightened scrutiny, meaning that there must be an "important" governmental interest at issue, that DADT must "significantly" further the governmental interest, and that there can be no less intrusive way for the government to advance that interest.

The Obama administration declined to appeal, allowing a May 3, 2009, deadline to pass, leaving Witt as binding on the entire Ninth Circuit, and returning the case to the District Court.[50] On September 24, 2010, District Judge Ronald B. Leighton ruled that Witt's constitutional rights had been violated by her discharge and that she must be reinstated to the Air Force.[51]

The government filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit on November 23, but did not attempt to have the trial court's ruling stayed pending the outcome.[52] In a settlement announced on May 10, 2011, the Air Force agreed to drop its appeal and remove Witt's discharge from her military record. She will retire with full benefits.[53]

Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America [ edit ] In 2010, a lawsuit filed in 2004 by the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR), the nation's largest Republican gay organization, went to trial.[54] Challenging the constitutionality of DADT, the plaintiffs stated that the policy violates the rights of gay military members to free speech, due process and open association. The government argued that DADT was necessary to advance a legitimate governmental interest.[55] Plaintiffs introduced statements by President Barack Obama, from prepared remarks, that DADT "doesn't contribute to our national security", "weakens our national security", and that reversal is "essential for our national security". According to plaintiffs, these statements alone satisfied their burden of proof on the due process claims.[56]

On September 9, 2010, Judge Virginia A. Phillips ruled in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America that the ban on service by openly gay service members was an unconstitutional violation of the First and Fifth Amendments.[57][58] On October 12, 2010, she granted an immediate worldwide injunction prohibiting the Department of Defense from enforcing the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy and ordered the military to suspend and discontinue any investigation or discharge, separation, or other proceedings based on it.[59][60] The Department of Justice appealed her decision and requested a stay of her injunction,[61] which Phillips denied but which the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted on October 20[62][63]and stayed pending appeal on November 1.[64] The U.S. Supreme Court refused to overrule the stay.[65]District Court neither anticipated questions ofconstitutional law nor formulated a rule broader than is required by the facts. Theconstitutional issues regarding DADT are well-defined, and the District Courtfocused specifically on the relevant inquiry of whether the statute impermissiblyinfringed upon substantive due process rights with regard to a protected area ofindividual liberty. Engaging in a careful and detailed review of the facts presentedto it at trial, the District Court properly concluded that the Government put forwardno persuasive evidence to demonstrate that the statute is a valid exercise ofcongressional authority to legislate in the realm of protected liberty interests. SeeLog Cabin, 716 F. Supp. 2d at 923. Hypothetical questions were neither presentednor answered in reaching this decision.On October 19, 2010, military recruiters were told they could accept openly gay applicants.[66] On October 20, 2010, Lt. Daniel Choi, an openly gay man honorably discharged under DADT, re-enlisted in the U.S. Army.[67]

Following the passage of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, the Justice Department asked the Ninth Circuit to suspend LCR's suit in light of the legislative repeal. LCR opposed the request, noting that gay personnel were still subject to discharge. On January 28, 2011, the Court denied the Justice Department's request.[68] The Obama administration responded by requesting that the policy be allowed to stay in place while they completed the process of assuring that its end would not impact combat readiness. On March 28, the LCR filed a brief asking that the court deny the administration's request.[69]

In 2011, while waiting for certification, several service members were discharged under DADT at their own insistence,[70] until July 6 when a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals re-instated Judge Phillips' injunction barring further enforcement of the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members.[71] On July 11, the appeals court asked the DOJ to inform the court if it intended to proceed with its appeal.[72] On July 14, the Justice Department filed a motion "to avoid short-circuiting the repeal process established by Congress during the final stages of the implementation of the repeal".[73] and warning of "significant immediate harms on the government". On July 15, the Ninth Circuit restored most of the DADT policy,[73] but continued to prohibit the government from discharging or investigating openly gay personnel. Following the implementation of DADT's repeal, a panel of three judges of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the Phillips ruling.[74]

Debate [ edit ] General

Norton A. Schwartz, chief of staff of the United States Air Force, testifies on the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" before the Senate Armed Services Committee on December 3, 2010.

Following the July 1999 murder of Army Pfc. Barry Winchell, apparently motivated by anti-gay bias, President Clinton issued an executive order modifying the Uniform Code of Military Justice to permit evidence of a hate crime to be admitted during the sentencing phase of a trial.[75][76] In December, Secretary of Defense William Cohen ordered a review of DADT to determine if the policy's anti-gay harassment component was being observed.[77] When that review found anti-gay sentiments were widely expressed and tolerated in the military, the DOD adopted a new anti-harassment policy in July 2000, though its effectiveness was disputed.[75] On December 7, 1999, Hillary Clinton told an audience of gay supporters that "Gays and lesbians already serve with distinction in our nation's armed forces and should not face discrimination. Fitness to serve should be based on an individual's conduct, not their sexual orientation."[78] Later that month, retired General Carl E. Mundy Jr. defended the implementation of DADT against what he called the "politicization" of the issue by both Clintons. He cited discharge statistics for the Marines for the past five years that showed 75% were based on "voluntary admission of homosexuality" and 49% occurred during the first six months of service, when new recruits were most likely to reevaluate their decision to enlist. He also argued against any change in the policy, writing in the New York Times: "Conduct that is widely rejected by a majority of Americans can undermine the trust that is essential to creating and maintaining the sense of unity that is critical to the success of a military organization operating under the very different and difficult demands of combat."[79] The conviction of Winchell's murderer, according to the New York Times, "galvanized opposition" to DADT, an issue that had "largely vanished from public debate". Opponents of the policy focused on punishing harassment in the military rather than the policy itself, which Senator Chuck Hagel defended on December 25: "The U.S. armed forces aren't some social experiment."[80]

The principal candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000, Al Gore and Bill Bradley, both endorsed military service by open gays and lesbians, provoking opposition from high-ranking retired military officers, notably the recently retired commandant of the Marine Corps, General Charles C. Krulak. He and others objected to Gore's statement that he would use support for ending DADT as a "litmus test" when considering candidates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[81] The 2000 Democratic Party platform was silent on the issue,[82] while the Republican Party platform that year said: "We affirm that homosexuality is incompatible with military service."[83] Following the election of George W. Bush in 2000, observers expected him to avoid any changes to DADT, since his nominee for Secretary of State Colin Powell had participated in its creation.[84]

In February 2004, members of the British Armed Forces, Lt Rolf Kurth and Lt Cdr Craig Jones, along with Aaron Belkin, Director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military met with members of Congress and spoke at the National Defense University. They spoke about their experience of the current situation in the UK. The UK lifted the gay ban on members serving in their forces in 2000.[85][86]

In July 2004, the American Psychological Association issued a statement that DADT "discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation" and that "Empirical evidence fails to show that sexual orientation is germane to any aspect of military effectiveness including unit cohesion, morale, recruitment and retention." It said that the U.S. military's track record overcoming past racial and gender discrimination demonstrated its ability to integrate groups previously excluded.[87] The Republican Party platform that year reiterated its support for the policy'--"We affirm traditional military culture, and we affirm that homosexuality is incompatible with military service."[88]'--while the Democratic Party maintained its silence.[89]

In February 2005, the Government Accountability Office released estimates of the cost of DADT. It reported at least $95.4 million in recruiting costs and at least $95.1 million for training replacements for the 9,488 troops discharged from 1994 through 2003, while noting that the true figures might be higher.[90] In September, as part of its campaign to demonstrate that the military allowed open homosexuals to serve when its workforce requirements were greatest, the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (now the Palm Center) reported that army regulations allowed the active-duty deployment of Army Reservists and National Guard troops who claim to be or who are accused of being gay. A U.S. Army Forces Command spokesperson said the regulation was intended to prevent Reservists and National Guard members from pretending to be gay to escape combat.[91][92] Advocates of ending DADT repeatedly publicized discharges of highly trained gay and lesbian personnel,[93] especially those in positions with critical shortages, including fifty-nine Arabic speakers and nine Persian speakers.[94][95] Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, later argued that the military's failure to ask about sexual orientation at recruitment was the cause of the discharges: [Y]ou could reduce this number to zero or near zero if the Department of Defense dropped Don't Ask, Don't Tell. ... We should not be training people who are not eligible to be in the Armed Forces."[96]

In February 2006, a University of California Blue Ribbon Commission that included Lawrence Korb, a former assistant defense secretary during the Reagan administration, William Perry, Secretary of Defense in the Clinton administration, and professors from the United States Military Academy released their assessment of the GAO's analysis of the cost of DADT released a year earlier. The commission report stated that the GAO did not take into account the value the military lost from the departures. They said that that total cost was closer to $363 million, including $14.3 million for "separation travel" following a service member's discharge, $17.8 million for training officers, $252.4 million for training enlistees, and $79.3 million in recruiting costs.[90]

In 2006, Soulforce, a national LGBT rights organization, organized its Right to Serve Campaign, in which gay men and lesbians in several cities attempted to enlist in the Armed Forces or National Guard.[97] Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness stated in September: "I think the people involved here do not have the best interests of the military at heart. They never have. They are promoting an agenda to normalize homosexuality in America using the military as a battering ram to promote that broader agenda." She said that "pro-homosexual activists ... are creating media events all over the country and even internationally."[98]

In 2006, a speaking tour of gay former service members, organized by SLDN, Log Cabin Republicans, and Meehan, visited 18 colleges and universities. Patrick Guerriero, executive director of Log Cabin, thought the repeal movement was gaining "new traction" but "Ultimately", said, "we think it's going to take a Republican with strong military credentials to make a shift in the policy." Elaine Donnelly called such efforts "a big P.R. campaign" and said that "The law is there to protect good order and discipline in the military, and it's not going to change."[99]

In December 2006, Zogby International released the results of a poll of military personnel conducted in October 2006 that found that 26% favored allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, 37% were opposed, while 37% expressed no preference or were unsure. Of respondents who had experience with gay people in their unit, 6% said their presence had a positive impact on their personal morale, 66% said no impact, and 28% said negative impact. Regarding overall unit morale, 3% said positive impact, 64% no impact, and 27% negative impact.[100]

Retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Shalikashvili[101] and former Senator and Secretary of Defense William Cohen[102] opposed the policy in January 2007: "I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces" Shalikashvili wrote. "Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job."[103] Shalikashvili cited the recent "Zogby poll of more than 500 service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, three-quarters of whom said they were comfortable interacting with gay people.[104] The debate took a different turn in March when General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune he supported DADT because "homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and ... we should not condone immoral acts."[105] His remarks became, according to the Tribune, "a huge news story on radio, television and the Internet during the day and showed how sensitive the Pentagon's policy has become."[106] Senator John Warner, who backed DADT, said "I respectfully, but strongly, disagree with the chairman's view that homosexuality is immoral", and Pace expressed regret for expressing his personal views and said that DADT "does not make a judgment about the morality of individual acts."[107] Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, then in the early stages of his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, defended DADT:[108]

When I first heard [the phrase], I thought it sounded silly and I just dismissed it and said, well, that can't possibly work. Well, I sure was wrong. It has worked. It's been in place now for over a decade. The military says it's working and they don't want to change it ... and they're the people closest to the front. We're in the middle of a conflict right now. I would not change it.

That summer, after U.S. senator Larry Craig was arrested for lewd conduct in a men's restroom, conservative commentator Michael Medved argued that any liberalization of DADT would "compromise restroom integrity and security". He wrote: "The national shudder of discomfort and queasiness associated with any introduction of homosexual eroticism into public men's rooms should make us more determined than ever to resist the injection of those lurid attitudes into the even more explosive situation of the U.S. military."[109]

In November 2007, 28 retired generals and admirals urged Congress to repeal the policy, citing evidence that 65,000 gay men and women were serving in the armed forces and that there were over a million gay veterans.[103][110] On November 17, 2008, 104 retired generals and admirals signed a similar statement.[110] In December, SLDN arranged for 60 Minutes to interview Darren Manzella, an Army medic who served in Iraq after coming out to his unit.[111]

On May 4, 2008, while Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen addressed the graduating cadets at West Point, a cadet asked what would happen if the next administration were supportive of legislation allowing gays to serve openly. Mullen responded, "Congress, and not the military, is responsible for DADT." Previously, during his Senate confirmation hearing in 2007, Mullen told lawmakers, "I really think it is for the American people to come forward, really through this body, to both debate that policy and make changes, if that's appropriate." He went on to say, "I'd love to have Congress make its own decisions" with respect to considering repeal.[112]

In May 2009, when a committee of military law experts at the Palm Center, an anti-DADT research institute, concluded that the President could issue an Executive Order to suspend homosexual conduct discharges,[113] Obama rejected that option and said he wanted Congress to change the law.[114]

On July 5, 2009, Colin Powell told CNN that the policy was "correct for the time" but that "sixteen years have now gone by, and I think a lot has changed with respect to attitudes within our country, and therefore I think this is a policy and a law that should be reviewed." Interviewed for the same broadcast, Mullen said the policy would continue to be implemented until the law was repealed, and that his advice was to "move in a measured way. ... At a time when we're fighting two conflicts there is a great deal of pressure on our forces and their families."[115] In September, Joint Force Quarterly published an article by an Air Force colonel[116] that disputed the argument that unit cohesion is compromised by the presence of openly gay personnel.[117]

In October 2009, the Commission on Military Justice, known as the Cox Commission, repeated its 2001 recommendation that Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which bans sodomy, be repealed, noting that "most acts of consensual sodomy committed by consenting military personnel are not prosecuted, creating a perception that prosecution of this sexual behavior is arbitrary."[118]

In January 2010, the White House and congressional officials started work on repealing the ban by inserting language into the 2011 defense authorization bill.[119] During Obama's State of the Union Address on January 27, 2010, he said that he would work with Congress and the military to enact a repeal of the gay ban law and for the first time set a timetable for repeal.[120]

At a February 2, 2010, congressional hearing, Senator John McCain read from a letter signed by "over one thousand former general and flag officers". It said: "We firmly believe that this law, which Congress passed to protect good order, discipline and morale in the unique environment of the armed forces, deserves continued support."[121] The signature campaign had been organized by Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness, a longtime supporter of a traditional all-male and all-heterosexual military.[122] Servicemembers United, a veterans group opposed to DADT, issued a report critical of the letter's legitimacy. They said that among those signing the letter were officers who had no knowledge of their inclusion or who had refused to be included, and even one instance of a general's widow who signed her husband's name to the letter though he had died before the survey was published. The average age of the officers whose names were listed as signing the letter was 74, the oldest was 98, and Servicemembers United noted that "only a small fraction of these officers have even served in the military during the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' period, much less in the 21st century military."[123]

The Center for American Progress issued a report in March 2010 that said a smooth implementation of an end to DADT required eight specified changes to the military's internal regulations.[124] On March 25, 2010, Defense Secretary Gates announced new rules mandating that only flag officers could initiate discharge proceedings and imposing more stringent rules of evidence on discharge proceedings.[125]

Repeal [ edit ] The underlying justifications for DADT had been subjected to increasing suspicion and outright rejection by the early 21st century. Mounting evidence obtained from the integration efforts of foreign militaries, surveys of U.S. military personnel, and studies conducted by the DoD gave credence to the view that the presence of open homosexuals within the military would not be detrimental at all to the armed forces. A DoD study conducted at the behest of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in 2010 supports this most.

The DoD working group conducting the study considered the impact that lifting the ban would have on unit cohesion and effectiveness, good order and discipline, and military morale. The study included a survey that revealed significant differences between respondents who believed they had served with homosexual troops and those who did not believe they had. In analyzing such data, the DoD working group concluded that it was actually generalized perceptions of homosexual troops that led to the perceived unrest that would occur without DADT. Ultimately, the study deemed the overall risk to military effectiveness of lifting the ban to be low. Citing the ability of the armed forces to adjust to the previous integration of African-Americans and women, the DoD study asserted that the United States military could adjust as had it before in history without an impending serious effect.[126]

In March 2005, Rep. Martin T. Meehan introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act in the House. It aimed "to amend title 10, United States Code, to enhance the readiness of the Armed Forces by replacing the current policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, referred to as 'Don't ask, don't tell,' with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation".[127] As of 2006, it had 105 Democrats and 4 Republicans as co-sponsors.[99] He introduced the bill again in 2007 and 2009.

During the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaign, Senator Barack Obama advocated a full repeal of the laws barring gays and lesbians from serving in the military.[128] Nineteen days after his election, Obama's advisers announced that plans to repeal the policy might be delayed until 2010, because Obama "first wants to confer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his new political appointees at the Pentagon to reach a consensus, and then present legislation to Congress".[129] As president he advocated a policy change to allow gay personnel to serve openly in the armed forces, stating that the U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops expelled from the military, including language experts fluent in Arabic, because of DADT.[130] On the eve of the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., October 10, 2009, Obama stated in a speech before the Human Rights Campaign that he would end the ban, but he offered no timetable.[131][132] Obama said in his 2010 State of the Union Address: "This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are."[133] This statement was quickly followed up by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs chairman Michael Mullen voicing their support for a repeal of DADT.[134]

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 [ edit ] The Senate passed S.4023 65''31 with all Democrats (except for one abstention) and 8 Republicans in support.

Both yes

One yes, one did not vote

One yes, one no

One no, one did not vote

Both no

Democrats in both houses of Congress first attempted to end DADT by amending the Defense Authorization Act. On May 27, 2010, on a 234''194 vote,[135] the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Murphy amendment[136] to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. It provided for repeal of the DADT policy and created a process for lifting the policy, including a U.S. Department of Defense study and certification by key officials that the change in policy would not harm military readiness followed by a waiting period of 60 days.[137][138] The amended defense bill passed the House on May 28, 2010.[139] On September 21, 2010, John McCain led a successful filibuster against the debate on the Defense Authorization Act, in which 56 Senators voted to end debate, four short of the 60 votes required.[140] Some advocates for repeal, including the Palm Center, OutServe, and Knights Out, opposed any attempt to block the passage of NDAA if it failed to include DADT repeal language. The Human Rights Campaign, the Center for American Progress, Servicemembers United and SLDN refused to concede that possibility.[141]

President Obama meeting in the Oval Office with Secretary Gates, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Commandant of the Coast Guard on the eve of the publication of a DoD report on the repeal of DADT.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit, Collins v. United States, against the Department of Defense in November 2010 seeking full compensation for those discharged under the policy.[142]

On November 30, 2010, the Joint Chiefs of Staff released the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Comprehensive Review Working Group (CRWG) report authored by Jeh C. Johnson, General Counsel of the Department of Defense, and Army General Carter F. Ham.[143][144] It outlined a path to the implementation of repeal of DADT.[145] The report indicated that there was a low risk of service disruptions due to repealing the ban, provided time was provided for proper implementation and training.[143][146] It included the results of a survey of 115,000 active-duty and reserve service members. Across all service branches, 30 percent thought that integrating gays into the military would have negative consequences. In the Marine Corps and combat specialties, the percentage with that negative assessment ranged from 40 to 60 percent. The CRWG also said that 69 percent of all those surveyed believed they had already worked with a gay or lesbian and of those, 92 percent reported that the impact of that person's presence was positive or neutral.[145][146] The same day, in response to the CRWG, 30 professors and scholars, most from military institutions, issued a joint statement saying that the CRWG "echoes more than 20 studies, including studies by military researchers, all of which reach the same conclusion: allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly will not harm the military ... We hope that our collective statement underscores that the debate about the evidence is now officially over".[147] The Family Research Council's president, Tony Perkins, interpreted the CRWG data differently, writing that it "reveals that 40 percent of Marines and 25 percent of the Army could leave".[148]

Gates encouraged Congress to act quickly to repeal the law so that the military could carefully adjust rather than face a court decision requiring it to lift the policy immediately.[146] The United States Senate held two days of hearings on December 2 and 3, 2010, to consider the CRWG report. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs chairman Michael Mullen urged immediate repeal.[149] The heads of the Marine Corps, Army, and Navy all advised against immediate repeal and expressed varied views on its eventual repeal.[150] Oliver North, writing in National Review the next week, said that Gates' testimony showed "a deeply misguided commitment to political correctness". He interpreted the CRWG's data as indicating a high risk that large numbers of resignations would follow the repeal of DADT. Service members, especially combat troops, he wrote, "deserve better than to be treated like lab rats in Mr. Obama's radical social experiment".[151]

On December 9, 2010, another filibuster prevented debate on the Defense Authorization Act.[152] In response to that vote, Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins introduced a bill that included the policy-related portions of the Defense Authorization Act that they considered more likely to pass as a stand-alone bill.[153] It passed the House on a vote of 250 to 175 on December 15, 2010.[154] On December 18, 2010, the Senate voted to end debate on its version of the bill by a cloture vote of 63''33.[155] The final Senate vote was held later that same day, with the measure passing by a vote of 65''31.[156]

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates released a statement following the vote indicating that the planning for implementation of a policy repeal would begin right away and would continue until Gates certified that conditions were met for orderly repeal of the policy.[157] President Obama signed the repeal into law on December 22, 2010.[7]

Implementation of repeal [ edit ] The repeal act established a process for ending the DADT policy. The President, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were required to certify in writing that they had reviewed the Pentagon's report on the effects of DADT repeal, that the appropriate regulations had been reviewed and drafted, and that implementation of repeal regulations "is consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces". Once certification was given, DADT would be lifted after a 60-day waiting period.[158]

Representative Duncan D. Hunter announced plans in January 2011 to introduce a bill designed to delay the end of DADT. His proposed legislation required all of the chiefs of the armed services to submit the certification at the time required only of the President, Defense Secretary and Joint Chiefs chairman.[159] In April, Perkins of the Family Research Council argued that the Pentagon was misrepresenting its own survey data and that hearings by the House Armed Services Committee, now under Republican control, could persuade Obama to withhold certification.[160] Congressional efforts to prevent the change in policy from going into effect continued into May and June 2011.[161]

On January 29, 2011, Pentagon officials stated that the training process to prepare troops for the end of DADT would begin in February and would proceed quickly, though they suggested that it might not be completed in 2011.[162] On the same day, the DOD announced it would not offer any additional compensation to service members who had been discharged under DADT, who received half of the separation pay other honorably discharged service members received.[163]

In May 2011, the U.S. Army reprimanded three colonels for performing a skit in March 2011 at a function at Yongsan Garrison, South Korea, that mocked the repeal.[164]

In May 2011, revelations that an April Navy memo relating to its DADT training guidelines contemplated allowing same-sex weddings in base chapels and allowing chaplains to officiate if they so chose resulted in a letter of protest from 63 Republican congressman, citing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as controlling the use of federal property.[165] Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said the guidelines "make it even more uncomfortable for men and women of faith to perform their duties".[166] A Pentagon spokesperson replied that DOMA "does not limit the type of religious ceremonies a chaplain may perform in a chapel on a military installation", and a Navy spokesperson said that "A chaplain can conduct a same-sex ceremony if it is in the tenets of his faith".[167] A few days later the Navy rescinded its earlier instructions "pending additional legal and policy review and interdepartmental coordination".[168]

While waiting for certification, several service members were discharged at their own insistence[70] until a July 6 ruling from a federal appeals court barred further enforcement of the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members,[8] which the military promptly did.[169]

Anticipating the lifting of DADT, some active duty service members wearing civilian clothes marched in San Diego's gay pride parade on July 16. The DOD noted that participation "does not constitute a declaration of sexual orientation".[170]

President Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent the certification required by the Repeal Act to Congress on July 22, 2011, setting the end of DADT for September 20, 2011.[171] A Pentagon spokesman said that service members discharged under DADT would be able to re-apply to rejoin the military then.[172]

At the end of August 2011, the DOD approved the distribution of the magazine produced by OutServe, an organization of gay and lesbian service members, at Army and Air Force base exchanges beginning with the September 20 issue, coinciding with the end of DADT.[173]

On September 20, Air force officials announced that 22 Air Force Instructions were "updated as a result of the repeal of DADT".[174] On September 30, 2011, the Department of Defense modified regulations to reflect the repeal by deleting "homosexual conduct" as a ground for administrative separation.[175][176]

Day of repeal and aftermath [ edit ] US Navy LT

Gary C. Ross marries Dan Swezy, becoming the first active member of the U.S. military to legally marry a same-sex partner.

On the eve of repeal, US Air Force 1st Lt. Josh Seefried, one of the founders of OutServe, an organization of LGBT troops, revealed his identity after two years of hiding behind a pseudonym.[177] Senior Airman Randy Phillips, after conducting a social media campaign seeking encouragement coming out and already out to his military co-workers, came out to his father on the evening of September 19. When the video of their conversation he posted on YouTube went viral, it made him, in one journalist's estimation, "the poster boy for the DADT repeal".[178] The moment the repeal took effect at midnight on September 19, US Navy Lt. Gary C. Ross married his same-sex partner of eleven and a half years, Dan Swezy, making them the first same-sex military couple to legally marry in the United States.[179] Retired Rear Adm. Alan M. Steinman became the highest-ranking person to come out immediately following the end of DADT.[180] HBO produced a World of Wonder documentary, The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and premiered it on September 20. Variety called it "an unapologetic piece of liberal advocacy" and "a testament to what formidable opponents ignorance and prejudice can be".[181] Discharge proceedings on the grounds of homosexuality, some begun years earlier, came to an end.[182]

In the weeks that followed, a series of firsts attracted press attention to the impact of the repeal. The Marine Corps were the first branch of the armed services to recruit from the LGBTQ community. Reservist Jeremy Johnson became the first person discharged under DADT to re-enlist.[184] Jase Daniels became the first to return to active duty, re-joining the Navy as a third class petty officer.[185] On December 2, Air Force intelligence officer Ginger Wallace became the first open LGBT service member to have a same-sex partner participate in the "pinning-on" ceremony that marked her promotion to colonel.[186] On December 23, after 80 days at sea, US Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta won the right to the traditional "first kiss" upon returning to port and shared it with her same-sex partner.[citation needed ] On January 20, 2012, U.S. service members deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, produced a video in support of the It Gets Better Project, which aims to support LGBT at-risk youth.[187] Widespread news coverage continued even months after the repeal date, when a photograph of Marine Sgt. Brandon Morgan kissing his partner at a February 22, 2012, homecoming celebration on Marine Corps Base Hawaii went viral.[188] When asked for a comment, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps said: "It's your typical homecoming photo."[189]

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of the

USS Oak Hill (LSD-51) shares the traditional "first kiss" with her fianc(C)e, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell, December 23, 2011.

On September 30, 2011, Under Secretary of Defense Clifford Stanley announced the DOD's policy that military chaplains are allowed to perform same-sex marriages "on or off a military installation" where local law permits them. His memo noted that "a chaplain is not required to participate in or officiate a private ceremony if doing so would be in variance with the tenets of his or her religion" and "a military chaplain's participation in a private ceremony does not constitute an endorsement of the ceremony by DoD".[190] Some religious groups announced that their chaplains would not participate in such weddings, including an organization of evangelical Protestants, the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty[191] and Roman Catholics led by Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.[192]

In late October 2011, speaking at the Air Force Academy, Colonel Gary Packard, leader of the team that drafted the DOD's repeal implementation plan, said: "The best quote I've heard so far is, 'Well, some people's Facebook status changed, but that was about it. ' "[193] In late November, discussing the repeal of DADT and its implementation, Marine General James F. Amos said "I'm very pleased with how it has gone" and called it a "non-event". He said his earlier public opposition was appropriate based on ongoing combat operations and the negative assessment of the policy given by 56% of combat troops under his command in the Department of Defense's November 2010 survey. A Defense Department spokesperson said implementation of repeal occurred without incident and added: "We attribute this success to our comprehensive pre-repeal training program, combined with the continued close monitoring and enforcement of standards by our military leaders at all levels."[194]

In December 2011, Congress considered two DADT-related amendments in the course of work on the National Defense Authorization Act for 2012. The Senate approved 97''3, an amendment removing the prohibition on sodomy found in Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice as recommended by the Comprehensive Review Working Group (CRWG) a year earlier.[195][196] The House approved an amendment banning same-sex marriages from being performed at military bases or by military employees, including chaplains and other employees of the military when "acting in an official capacity". Neither amendment appeared in the final legislation.[195]

In July 2012, the Department of Defense granted permission for military personnel to wear their uniforms while participating in the San Diego Pride Parade. This was the first time that U.S. military personnel were permitted to wear their service uniforms in such a parade.[197]

Marking the first anniversary of the passage of the Repeal Act, television news networks reported no incidents in the three months since DADT ended. One aired video of a social gathering for gay service members at a base in Afghanistan.[198] Another reported on the experience of lesbian and gay troops, including some rejection after coming out to colleagues.[199]

The Palm Center, a think tank that studies issues of sexuality and the military, released a study in September 2012 that found no negative consequences, nor any effect on military effectiveness from DADT repeal. This study began six months following repeal and concluded at the one year mark. The study included surveys of 553 generals and admirals who had opposed repeal, experts who supported DADT, and more than 60 heterosexual, gay, lesbian and bisexual active duty service personnel.[200][201]

On January 7, 2013, the ACLU reached a settlement with the federal government in Collins v. United States. It provided for the payment of full separation pay to service members discharged under DADT since November 10, 2004, who had previously been granted only half that.[202]

2012 presidential campaign issue [ edit ] Several candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination called for the restoration of DADT, including Michele Bachmann,[203] Rick Perry,[204] and Rick Santorum.[205] Newt Gingrich called for an extensive review of DADT's repeal.[206]

Ron Paul, having voted for the Repeal Act, maintained his support for allowing military service by open homosexuals.[207] Herman Cain called the issue "a distraction" and opposed reinstating DADT.[208] Mitt Romney said that the winding down of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan obviated his opposition to the repeal and said he was not proposing any change to policy.[209]

On September 22, 2011, the audience at a Republican candidates' debate booed a U.S. soldier posted in Iraq who asked a question via video about the repeal of DADT, and none of the candidates noticed or responded to the crowd's behavior.[210] Two days later, Obama commented on the incident while addressing a dinner of the Human Rights Campaign: "You want to be commander in chief? You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States, even when it's not politically convenient".[211]

In June 2012, Rep. Howard McKeon, Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said he considered the repeal of DADT a settled issue and if Romney became president would not advocate its reinstatement, though others in his party might.[212]

2021 benefits restoration [ edit ] In September 2021, on the 10th anniversary of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal, President Joe Biden announced that the Veterans Administration would start providing benefits for servicemembers who received other-than-honorable discharges (before DADT was enacted and while it was in effect) because of their sexual orientation.[213]

Views of the policy [ edit ] Public opinion [ edit ] Protest in New York by

Soulforce, a civil rights group.

In 1993, Time reported that 44% of those polled supported openly gay servicemembers,[214] and in 1994, a CNN poll indicated 53% of Americans believed gays and lesbians should be permitted to serve openly.[215]

According to a December 2010 The Washington Post-ABC News poll 77% of Americans said gays and lesbians who publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be able to serve in the military. That number showed little change from polls over the previous two years, but represented the highest level of support in a Post-ABC poll. The support also cut across partisan and ideological lines, with majorities of Democrats (86%), Republicans (74%), independents (74%), liberals (92%), conservatives (67%), white evangelical Protestants (70%) and non-religious (84%) in favor of homosexuals serving openly.[216]

A November 2010 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 58% of the U.S. public favored allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, while less than half as many (27%) were opposed.[217] According to a November 2010 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, 72% of adult Americans favored permitting people who are openly gay or lesbian to serve in the military, while 23% opposed it.[218] "The main difference between the CNN poll and the Pew poll is in the number of respondents who told pollsters that they didn't have an opinion on this topic '' 16 percent in the Pew poll compared to only five percent in the CNN survey", said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "The two polls report virtually the same number who say they oppose gays serving openly in the military, which suggests that there are some people who favor that change in policy but for some reason were reluctant to admit that to the Pew interviewers. That happens occasionally on topics where moral issues and equal-treatment issues intersect."[219]

A February 2010 Quinnipiac University Polling Institute national poll showed 57% of American voters favored gays serving openly, compared to 36% opposed, while 66% said not allowing openly gay personnel to serve is discrimination, compared to 31% who did not see it as discrimination.[220] A CBS News/The New York Times national poll done at the same time showed 58% of Americans favored gays serving openly, compared to 28% opposed.[221]

Chaplains and religious groups [ edit ] Chaplain groups and religious organizations took various positions on DADT. Some felt that the policy needed to be withdrawn to make the military more inclusive. The Southern Baptist Convention battled the repeal of DADT, warning that their endorsements for chaplains might be withdrawn if the repeal took place.[222][223] They took the position that allowing gay men and women to serve in the military without restriction would have a negative impact on the ability of chaplains who think homosexuality is a sin to speak freely regarding their religious beliefs. The Roman Catholic Church called for the retention of the policy, but had no plans to withdraw its priests from serving as military chaplains.[224] Sixty-five retired chaplains signed a letter opposing repeal, stating that repeal would make it impossible for chaplains whose faith teaches that same-sex behavior is immoral to minister to military service members.[225] Other religious organizations and agencies called the repeal of the policy a "non-event" or "non-issue" for chaplains, claiming that chaplains have always supported military service personnel, whether or not they agree with all their actions or beliefs.[226][227][228]

Discharges under DADT [ edit ] After the policy was introduced in 1993, the military discharged over 13,000 troops from the military under DADT.[110][229][230] The number of discharges per fiscal year under DADT dropped sharply after the September 11 attacks and remained comparatively low through to the repeal. Discharges exceeded 600 every year until 2009.

YearCoast GuardMarinesNavyArmyAir ForceTotal1994[231]0362581361876171995[231]15692691842357721996[231]12603151992848701997[231]10784131973091,0071998[231]14773453124151,1631999[231]12973142713521,0462000[231][232]191143585731771,2412001[231][232]141153146482171,2732002[231][232]291092184291219062003[231]''''''''''7872004[233]1559177325926682005[233]1675177386887422006[231]''''''''''6232007[231]''''''''''6272008[234]''''''''''6192009''''''''''4282010[235]11''''''''261Total'‰¥156'‰¥889'‰¥3,158'‰¥3,650'‰¥2,47713,650Disclaimer: These statistics are not official, and only include soldiers who came forward to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. Because some soldiers do not disclose their discharge, some of the numbers may be inaccurate.Rear Adm. Vic Guillory, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet leads DADT repeal training for Tier 2 command leadership at Naval Station Mayport, March 17, 2011

Naval Special Warfare Command personnel watching Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead during DADT repeal training, April 6, 2011

DADT Repeal training for enlisted, officer and civilian staff at Naval Medical Center San Diego, May 5, 2011

State-based gay and lesbian military veteran laws [ edit ] In November 2019, both Rhode Island and New York State signed into law and implemented restoring military benefits to gay and lesbian military veterans. An estimated approximately 100,000 individuals were affected by the "don't ask don't tell policy" (since it was repealed in September 2011).[236]

See also [ edit ] Liberal homophobiaSteve May, gay Republican Arizona legislator, Army reservist until May 2001Sexual orientation and gender identity in the United States militarySexual orientation and military service '' for information on policies in military services worldwideReferences [ edit ] Citations [ edit ] ^ "Department of Defense Directive 1304.26" . Retrieved September 11, 2013 . ^ "Gays in the Military" . Retrieved September 11, 2013 . ^ 10 U.S.C. § 654(b) ^ 10 U.S.C. § 654(e) ^ "Army Regulation 40-501, Standards of Medical Fitness, Chapters 2-27n and 3''35" (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2017 . Retrieved December 21, 2013 . ^ "The Legal Brief "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass: Reference (a): Personnel Manual, COMDTINST M1000.6, Ch. 12.E" " (PDF) . United States Coast Guard Ninth District Legal Office. May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2011 . Retrieved October 23, 2010 . ^ a b Sheryl Gay Stolberg (December 22, 2010). "Obama Signs Away 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022 . Retrieved December 22, 2010 . ^ a b "In reversal, federal court orders immediate end to 'don't ask, don't tell' policy". The Washington Post. Associated Press. July 6, 2011. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018 . Retrieved July 6, 2011 . ^ "Obama certifies end of military's gay ban". NBC News. Reuters. July 22, 2011 . Retrieved July 22, 2011 . ^ "Extending Benefits to Same-Sex Domestic Partners of Military Members" (PDF) . GlobalSecurity.org. February 11, 2013. ^ "DD Form X653". reginfo.gov. August 20, 2013. ^ "DoD Announces Extension of Equal Benefits for Same-Sex Military Spouses". AMPA The American Military Partner Association. August 14, 2013. ^ B(C)rub(C), Coming Out Under Fire, 9''14, 19 ^ B(C)rub(C), Coming Out Under Fire, 142''3 ^ Jones, p. 3 ^ E. Lawrence Gibson, Get Off my Ship : Ensign Berg vs. the U.S. Navy (NY: Avon, 1978), 256''67 ^ Lillian Faderman (1991). Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America. New York: Penguin. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-14-017122-8. ^ Lillian Faderman (1991). Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America. New York: Penguin. pp. 119''138. ISBN 978-0-14-017122-8. ^ "The Sexes: The Sergeant v. the Air Force". Time. September 8, 1975. Retrieved July 26, 2011. Other prominent cases included Copy Berg, Stephen Donaldson. ^ Fordham University: "Homosexuals in the Armed Forces: United States GAO Report", June 12, 1992. Retrieved February 27, 2012. ^ Vaid, Virtual Equality, 155-8 ^ Nathaniel Frank, Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America (NY: St. Martin's Press, 2009), 118''20; McFeeley, "Getting It Straight", 237-8 ^ McFeeley, "Getting It Straight", 238 ^ Stephen F. Hayes, Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President (NY: HarperCollins, 2007), 256 ^ Brian P. Mitchell, Women in the military: Flirting with Disaster (Washington: Regnery Publishing, 1998), 281 ^ McFeeley, "Getting It Straight", 237; Vaid, Virtual Equality, 158-9 ^ Schmalz, Jeffrey (August 20, 1992). "The Gay Vote; Gay Rights and AIDS Emerging As Divisive Issues in Campaign", The New York Times. Retrieved February 27, 2012. See also: Schmitt, Eric (August 26, 1992). "Marine Corps Chaplain Says Homosexuals Threaten Military", The New York Times: Retrieved February 27, 2012 ^ Vaid, Virtual Equality, 160 ^ McFeeley, "Getting It Straight", 239 ^ Schmitt, Eric (August 26, 1992). "Marine Corps Chaplain Says Homosexuals Threaten Military". The New York Times . Retrieved January 23, 2013 . ^ Reza, H.G. (January 9, 1993). "Homosexual Sailor Beaten to Death, Navy Confirms", Los Angeles Times. 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"Gay marine, partner reflect on first kiss seen around the globe: 'The world went away for a few minutes'". Retrieved March 1, 2012; MSNBC: "Marine in gay kiss photo: Breaking stereotypes a 'good feeling'" , February 28, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012. ^ Rowan Scarborough, (March 1, 2012). "Gay Marine's kiss sparks praise, anger", The Washington Times. Retrieved March 1, 2012. ^ Keyes, Charley (September 30, 2011). "Military chaplains allowed to perform same-sex weddings", CNN: Retrieved February 21, 2012 ^ Stanley, Paul (October 6, 2011). "Evangelical Chaplains Refuse to Marry Gay Couples on Military Bases", The Christian Post: Retrieved March 3, 2012 ^ Andrew Tilghman, (September 30, 2011). "Church leader opposes DoD on same-sex weddings", Army Times. Retrieved March 5, 2012. ^ U.S. Air Force Academy: Don Branum, "Academy experts discuss effects of DADT repeal" Archived October 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, October 25, 2011. 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Retrieved July 14, 2012. ^ "Veterans Discharged Under 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Get A Chance For VA Benefits". NPR.org. ^ Mark Thompson, "Why Is the Military Polling the Troops About Gays?". Time, July 12, 2010. ^ Paul Steinhauser, CNN Poll: 69% OK with gays in the military. CNN. February 22, 2010. ^ O'Keefe, Ed (December 15, 2010). "Most back repealing 'don't ask, don't tell,' poll says". The Washington Post . Retrieved December 19, 2010 . ^ Pew Research Center: "Most Continue to Favor Gays Serving Openly in Military", Nov 29, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2012. ^ "CNN Opinion Research November 11''14, 2010" (PDF) . Retrieved December 19, 2010 . ^ Steinhauser, Paul (November 29, 2010). "Poll: Majority support gays serving openly in military", CNN Political Ticker: Retrieved February 14, 2012 ^ Quinnipiac University: "U.S. Voters Say Gays In Military Should Come Out, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds", February 10, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2012. ^ CBS News: "Gays in the military", February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2012. ^ "Baptists, Catholics Threaten to Withdraw Chaplains Over DADT", November 1, 2010 Archived October 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 16, 2012. ^ Banks, Adelle M. (June 19, 2010). "Southern Baptists Convention fighting 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal". The Washington Post. ^ "Southern Baptists Convention fighting 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal". The Washington Post. June 18, 2010 . Retrieved October 13, 2010 . ^ "Retired chaplains back 'don't ask'", The Washington Times October 31, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2012. ^ "HRC Back Story, April 28, 2010". Hrcbackstory.org. April 28, 2010. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010 . Retrieved October 13, 2010 . ^ "Servicemembers Legal Defense Network". Sldn.org. August 4, 2010. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010 . Retrieved October 13, 2010 . ^ Resnicoff, Arnold E. (July 12, 2010). "If gays serve openly, will chaplains suffer? No, the mission is to serve all troops". USA Today . Retrieved October 13, 2010 . ^ Shane, Leo (January 16, 2009). "Stars and Stripes: Obama Wants to End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ". Stars and Stripes. U.S. Department of Defense . Retrieved January 21, 2009 . ^ Continued discharges anger 'don't ask, don't tell' critics: Gay-rights groups urge reversal now Bryan Bender, Boston Globe; May 20, 2009. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Servicemembers Legal Defense Network '' Annual Gay Discharges Under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" ^ a b c Individual service numbers from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, "Freedom to Serve" Archived July 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine ^ a b 365Gay.com '' Military Discharging Two Soldiers Per Day For Being Gay Despite War Group Says Archived July 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine ^ Continued discharges anger 'don't ask, don't tell' critics The Boston Globe, Bryan Bender '' May 20, 2009 ^ "261 DADT Discharges in 2010". March 25, 2011. ^ "Rhode Island & New York restore military benefits to LGBTQ veterans". Bibliography [ edit ] Allan B(C)rub(C) (1990). Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two. Plume. ISBN 978-0-452-26598-1. Allan B(C)rub(C), "How Gay Stays White and What Kind of White It Stays", in My Desire for History: Essays in Gay, Community, and Labor History, John D'Emilio and Estelle B. Freeman, eds. (University of North Carolina Press, 2011)Elizabeth Drew (1994). On the Edge: The Clinton Presidency . Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671871471. OCLC 31077297. Tim McFeeley, "Getting It Straight: A Review of the 'Gays in the Military' Debate", in John D'Emilio, William B. Turner, and Urvashi Vaid, eds., Creating Change: Sexuality, Public Policy, and Civil Rights (NY: St. Martin's Press, 2000)David Mixner, Stranger Among Friends (NY: Bantam, 1996)Randy Shilts (May 1, 1993). Conduct Unbecoming: Lesbians and Gays in the U.S. Military : Vietnam to the Persian Gulf . St Martins Press. ISBN 978-0-312-09261-0. Urvashi Vaid (1995). Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay & Lesbian Liberation. Anchor Books. ISBN 0385472986. OCLC 32468601. Further reading [ edit ] Belkin, Aaron (2008). " 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': Does the Gay Ban Undermine the Military's Reputation?". Armed Forces & Society. 34 (2). doi:10.1177/0095327X06294621. S2CID 144524502. Belkin, Aaron (2013). Readiness and DADT Repeal: Has the New Policy of Open Service Undermined the Military? Armed Forces & Society, Forthcoming ... Access OnlineFirst at http://afs.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/12/06/0095327X12466248.abstractBowling, Kirby L.; Firestone, Juanita M.; Harris, Richard J. (2005). "Analyzing Questions That Cannot Be Asked of Respondents Who Cannot Respond". Armed Forces & Society. 31 (3): 411''437. doi:10.1177/0095327X0503100305. S2CID 146142348. Carter, Chad C. and Antony B. Kolenc (2005). "'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': Has the Policy Met Its Goals?", University of Dayton Law Review, Fall 2005Huffman, J. Ford and Schultz, Tammy S. (editors) (2012), The End of Don't Ask Don't Tell: The Impact in Studies and Personal Essays by Service Members and Veterans, Marine Corps UniversityLevy, Yagil (2007). "The Right to Fight: A Conceptual Framework for the Analysis of Recruitment Policy toward Gays and Lesbians". Armed Forces & Society. 33 (2). doi:10.1177/0095327X06287616. S2CID 144959169. Moradi, Bonnie; Miller, Laura (2010). "Attitudes of Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans toward Gay and Lesbian Service Members". Armed Forces & Society. 36 (3): 397''419. doi:10.1177/0095327X09352960. S2CID 145529543. Schaub, Gary Jr (2010). "Unit Cohesion and the Impact of DADT" (PDF) . Strategic Studies Quarterly. 4 (3): 85''101. External links [ edit ] Document Library, Robert Crown Law Library at Stanford Law LibraryText of Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010Elaine Donnelly and Aaron Belkin Debate DADT at Maxwell Air Force Base, summer 2010Don't Ask Don't Tell Review, House of Representatives, Military Personnel Subcommittee, July 23, 2008

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American television writer and producer

Norman Milton Lear (born July 27, 1922) is an American television writer and film and television producer who has produced, written, created, or developed over 100 shows.[1] Lear is known for many popular 1970s sitcoms, including All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Good Times. Lear continued to actively produce television, including the 2017 remake of One Day at a Time and the Netflix revival of Good Times in 2022.[2]

Lear has received many awards, including five Emmys, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. He is a member of the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Lear is also known for his political activism and funding of liberal and progressive causes and politicians. In 1980, Lear founded the advocacy organization People for the American Way to counter the influence of the Christian right in politics, and in the early 2000s, he mounted a tour of the Declaration of Independence.

Early life [ edit ] Lear was born in New Haven, Connecticut,[3][4] the son of Jeanette (n(C)e Seicol) and Hyman "Herman" Lear, a traveling salesman.[4] He had a younger sister, Claire Lear Brown (1925''2015).[5] Lear grew up in a Jewish household in Connecticut and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony.[6] His mother was originally from Ukraine, while his father's family was from Russia.[7][8][9]

When Lear was nine years old, he lived in Chelsea, MA [Interview with Norman Lear on NPR - air date January 16, 2022] when his father went to prison for selling fake bonds.[10] Lear thought of his father as a "rascal" and said that the character of Archie Bunker (whom Lear depicted as white Protestant on the show) was in part inspired by his father, while the character of Edith Bunker was in part inspired by his mother.[10] However, Lear has said the moment which inspired his lifetime of advocacy was another event which he experienced at the age of nine, when he first came across infamous anti-semitic Catholic radio priest Father Charles Coughlin while tinkering with his crystal radio set.[11] Lear has also said he would hear more of Coughlin's radio sermons over time, and found out that Coughlin would at times find different ways to promote anti-semitism by also targeting people whom Jews considered to be "great heroes," such as US President Franklin Roosevelt.[12]

Lear graduated from Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1940[13] and subsequently attended Emerson College in Boston, but dropped out in 1942 to join the United States Army Air Forces.

Lear enlisted in the United States Army in September 1942.[14] He served in the Mediterranean theater as a radio operator/gunner on Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with the 772nd Bombardment Squadron, 463d Operations Group of the Fifteenth Air Force; he also described bombing Germany in the European theater.[10] Lear flew 52 combat missions, for which he was awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters. Lear was discharged from the Army in 1945, and his fellow World War II crew members are featured in the books Crew Umbriago, by Daniel P. Carroll (tail gunner), and 772nd Bomb Squadron: The Men, The Memories, by Turner Publishing and Co.

Career [ edit ] After World War II, Lear had a career in public relations.[10] The career choice was inspired by his Uncle Jack: "My dad had a brother, Jack, who flipped me a quarter every time he saw me. He was a press agent so I wanted to be a press agent. That's the only role model I had. So all I wanted was to grow up to be a guy who could flip a quarter to a nephew."[6] Lear decided to move to California to restart his career in publicity, driving with his toddler daughter across the country.[10]

His first night in Los Angeles, Lear stumbled upon a production of George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara at a 90-seat theater in the round Circle Theater off Sunset Boulevard. One of the actors in the play was Sydney Chaplin, who was the son of actors Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey. Chaplin, Alan Mowbray and Dame Gladys Cooper sat in front of him, and after the show was over, Chaplin performed.[10]

Lear had a first cousin in Los Angeles, Elaine, married to Ed Simmons, who wanted to be a comedy writer. Simmons and Lear teamed up to sell home furnishings door-to-door for a company called The Gans Brothers and later sold family photos door-to-door. Throughout the 1950s, Lear and Simmons turned out comedy sketches for television appearances of Martin and Lewis, Rowan and Martin, and others. They frequently wrote for Martin and Lewis when they appeared on the Colgate Comedy Hour and a 1953 article from Billboard magazine stated that Lear and Simmons were guaranteed a record-breaking $52,000 each to write for five additional Martin and Lewis appearances on the Colgate Comedy Hour that year.[15] In a 2015 interview with Vanity Magazine, Lear said that Jerry Lewis had hired him and Simmons to become writers for Martin and Lewis three weeks before the comedy duo made their first appearance on the Colgate Comedy Hour in 1950.[16] Lear also acknowledged in 1986 that he and Simmons were the main writers for The Martin and Lewis Show for three years.[17]

In 1954, Lear was enlisted as a writer hoping to salvage the new Celeste Holm CBS sitcom, Honestly, Celeste!, but the program was canceled after eight episodes. During this time, he became the producer of NBC's short-lived (26 episodes) sitcom The Martha Raye Show, after Nat Hiken left as the series director. Lear also wrote some of the opening monologues for The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show,[16][18] which aired from 1956 to 1961. In 1959, Lear created his first television series, a half-hour western for Revue Studios called The Deputy, starring Henry Fonda.

1970s [ edit ] Starting out as a comedy writer, then a film director (he wrote and produced the 1967 film Divorce American Style and directed the 1971 film Cold Turkey, both starring Dick Van Dyke), Lear tried to sell a concept for a sitcom about a blue-collar American family to ABC. They rejected the show after two pilots were taped: "Justice for All" in 1968[19] and "Those Were the Days" in 1969.[20] After a third pilot was taped, CBS picked up the show, known as All in the Family. It premiered January 12, 1971, to disappointing ratings, but it took home several Emmy Awards that year, including Outstanding Comedy Series. The show did very well in summer reruns,[21] and it flourished in the 1971''72 season, becoming the top-rated show on TV for the next five years.[22] After falling from the #1 spot, All in the Family still remained in the top ten, well after it transitioned into Archie Bunker's Place. The show was based loosely on the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, about an irascible working-class Tory and his Socialist son-in-law.[23]

Lear's second big TV sitcom, Sanford and Son, was also based on a British sitcom, Steptoe and Son,[24] about a west London junk dealer and his son. Lear changed the setting to the Watts section of Los Angeles and the characters to African-Americans, and the NBC show Sanford and Son was an instant hit. Numerous hit shows followed thereafter, including Maude, The Jeffersons (as with Maude a spin-off of All in the Family), One Day at a Time, and Good Times (which was a spinoff of Maude).[25]

What most of the Lear sitcoms had in common was that they were shot on videotape in place of film, used a live studio audience, and dealt with the social and political issues of the day.[26] Maude is generally considered to be based on Lear's wife Frances, something she herself claimed, with Charlie Hauck serving as main producer and writer.[27][28]

Lear's longtime producing partner was Bud Yorkin, who also produced All in the Family, Sanford and Son, What's Happening!!, Maude, and The Jeffersons.[29] Yorkin split with Lear in 1975. He started a production company with writer/producers Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein, but they had only two shows that ran more than a year: What's Happening!! and Carter Country. The Lear/Yorkin company was known as Tandem Productions that was founded in 1958. Lear and talent agent Jerry Perenchio founded T.A.T. Communications ("T.A.T." stood for the Yiddish phrase "Tuchus Affen Tisch", which meant "Putting one's ass on the line."[30]) in 1974, which co-existed with Tandem Productions and was often referred to in periodicals as Tandem/T.A.T. The Lear organization was one of the most successful independent TV producers of the 1970s. TAT produced the influential and award-winning 1981 film The Wave about Ron Jones' social experiment.

Lear also developed the cult favorite TV series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (MH MH) which was turned down by the networks as "too controversial" and placed it into first run syndication with 128 stations in January 1976. A year later, Lear added another program into first-run syndication along with MH MH, All That Glitters. He planned in 1977 to offer three hours of prime-time Saturday programming directly, with the stations placing his production company in the position of an occasional network.[16][31]

1980s and 1990s [ edit ] In 1980, Lear founded the organization People for the American Way for the purpose of counteracting the Christian right organization Moral Majority, founded in 1979.[32] In the fall of 1981, Lear began a 14-month run as the host of a revival of the classic game show Quiz Kids for the CBS Cable Network. In January 1982, Lear and Jerry Perenchio bought out Avco Embassy Pictures from Avco Financial Corporation, and the Avco part of its name was dropped after merging that with T.A.T. Communications Company to form Embassy Communications, Inc.[33] Embassy Pictures was led by Alan Horn and Martin Schaeffer, later co-founders of Castle Rock Entertainment with Rob Reiner.

In March 1982, Lear produced an ABC television special titled I Love Liberty, which was aimed to counterbalance groups like the Moral Majority.[34] Among the many guests who appeared on the special was conservative icon and the 1964 U.S. presidential election's Republican nominee Barry Goldwater.[34]

On June 18, 1985, Lear and Perenchio sold Embassy Communications to Columbia Pictures (then owned by the Coca-Cola Company), which acquired Embassy's film and television division (including Embassy's in-house television productions and the television rights to the Embassy theatrical library) for $485 million in shares of The Coca-Cola Company.[35][36] Lear and Perenchio split the net proceeds (about $250 million). Coke later sold the film division to Dino De Laurentiis and the home video arm to Nelson Holdings (led by Barry Spikings).

The brand Tandem Productions was abandoned in 1986 with the cancellation of Diff'rent Strokes, and Embassy ceased to exist as a single entity in late 1986, having been split into different components owned by different entities.[37] The Embassy TV division became ELP Communications in 1988, but shows originally produced by Embassy were now under the Columbia Pictures Television banner from 1988 to 1996 and the Columbia TriStar Television banner from 1996 to 2002.

Lear's Act III Communications was founded in 1986 and in the following year, Thomas B. McGrath was named president and chief operating officer of ACT III Communications Inc after previously serving as senior vice president.[38][39] On February 2, 1989, Norman Lear's Act III Communications formed a joint venture with Columbia Pictures Television called Act III Television to produce television series instead of managing.[40][41]

In 1997, Lear and Jim George produced the Kids' WB series Channel Umptee-3. The cartoon was the first to meet the Federal Communications Commission's then-new educational programming requirements.[42]

2000s and 2010s [ edit ] Norman Lear in 2014, at the Austin Book Festival

In 2003, Lear made an appearance on South Park during the "I'm a Little Bit Country" episode, providing the voice of Benjamin Franklin. He also served as a consultant on the episodes "I'm a Little Bit Country" and "Cancelled". Lear has attended a South Park writers' retreat,[43] and served as the officiant at co-creator Trey Parker's wedding.[44]

Lear is spotlighted in the 2016 documentary Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.[45] In 2017, Lear served as executive producer for One Day at a Time, the reboot of his 1975-1984 show of the same name that premiered on Netflix starring Justina Machado and Rita Moreno as a Cuban-American family. He has hosted a podcast, All of the Above with Norman Lear, since May 1, 2017.[46][47] On July 29, 2019, it was announced that Lear had teamed with Lin-Manuel Miranda to make an American Masters documentary about Moreno's life, tentatively titled "Rita Moreno: The Girl Who Decided to Go For It".[48] In 2020, it was announced that Lear and Act III Productions would executive produce a revival of Who's The Boss? [49]

In 2014, Lear published Even This I Get To Experience, a memoir.[50]

Awards [ edit ] In 1967, Lear was nominated for an Academy Award for writing Divorce American Style.[51] Lear was among the first seven television pioneers inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984. He received five Emmy Awards (two in 1971, one each in 1972 and 1973, and one in 2019)[52] and two Peabody Awards (a personal award in 1977 and an individual award in 2016). He received the Humanist Arts Award from the American Humanist Association in 1977. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6615 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1980, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[53]

In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded the National Medal of Arts to Lear, noting, "Norman Lear has held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it." Also in 1999, he and Bud Yorkin received the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of excellence and innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.[54]

In February 2017, Lear was awarded with the "Media Icon" Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition.[55]

On May 12, 2017, Lear was awarded the fourth annual Woody Guthrie Prize presented by the Woody Guthrie Center based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[56] The event took place in the Clive Davis Theater at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. The Woody Guthrie Prize is given annually to an artist who exemplifies the spirit and life work of Guthrie by speaking for the less fortunate through music, literature, film, dance or other art forms and serving as a positive force for social change in America. Previous honorees include Pete Seeger, Mavis Staples and Kris Kristofferson.[57]

On August 3, 2017, it was announced that the Kennedy Center had made Lear, along with Carmen de Lavallade,[58] Lionel Richie,[58] LL Cool J,[58] and Gloria Estefan,[58] one of the recipients of the 2017 Kennedy Center Honors.[58] US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were scheduled to be seated with the honorees during the Kennedy Center ceremony, which took place on December 3, 2017,[58] and they were planning to host a reception with them at the White House earlier in the evening.[58] Variety magazine's senior editor Ted Johnson reacted with statements such as "That in and of itself will be an interesting moment, as Lear and Estefan have been particularly outspoken against Trump and his policies."[58] It was afterwards announced that Lear would boycott the White House reception.[59] In the end, the President and First Lady did not attend.

In 2019, Lear was awarded the Britannia Award for Excellence in Television.[60] The Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television, issued by the Producers Guild of America, was named after Lear, and he was a recipient in 2005.

Political and cultural activities [ edit ] In addition to his success as a TV writer and producer, Lear is an outspoken supporter of First Amendment and liberal causes. The only time that he did not support the Democratic candidate for President was in 1980. He supported John Anderson because he considered the Carter administration to be "a complete disaster".[61]

Lear was one of the wealthy Jewish Angelenos known as the Malibu Mafia.[62] In the 1970s and 1980s, the group discussed progressive and liberal political issues, and worked together to fund them. They helped to fund the legal defense of Daniel Ellsberg who had released the Pentagon Papers,[63] and they backed the struggling progressive magazine The Nation to keep it afloat.[64] In 1975, they formed the Energy Action Committee to oppose Big Oil's powerful lobby in Washington.[63]

In 1981, Lear founded People for the American Way (PFAW), a progressive advocacy organization formed in reaction to the politics of the Christian right.[63] PFAW ran several advertising campaigns opposing the interjection of religion in politics.[65] PFAW succeeded in stopping Reagan's 1987 nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court.[66] Lear, a longtime critic of far right Christian nationalism, is an advocate for the advancement of secularism.[67][68]

Prominent right-wing Christians (such as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart), have accused Lear of being an atheist and holding an anti-Christian bias.[67][68] In the January 21, 1987 issue of The Christian Century, Lear associate Martin E. Marty (a Lutheran professor of church history at the University of Chicago Divinity School between 1963 and 1998) rejected those allegations, stating the television producer honored religious moral values and complimenting Lear's understanding of Christianity.[68] Marty also noted that while Lear and his family had never practiced Orthodox Judaism,[68] the television producer was a follower of Judaism.[68]

In a 2009 interview with US News journalist Dan Gilgoff, Lear rejected claims by right-wing Christian nationalists that he was an atheist and prejudiced against Christianity. Lear holds religious beliefs and has integrated some evangelical Christian language into his Born Again American campaign. He does believe that religion should be kept separate from politics and policymaking.[67] In a 2014 interview with The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles journalist Rob Eshman, Lear described himself as a "total Jew" but never a practicing one.[69]

In 1989, Lear founded the Business Enterprise Trust, an educational program that used annual awards, business school case studies, and videos to spotlight exemplary social innovations in American business until it ended in 1998. He announced in 1992 that he would reduce his political activism.[70] In 2000, he provided an endowment for a multidisciplinary research and public policy center that explored the convergence of entertainment, commerce, and society at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. It was later named the Norman Lear Center in recognition.

Lear serves on the National Advisory Board of the Young Storytellers Foundation. He has written articles for The Huffington Post. Lear is a trustee emeritus at The Paley Center for Media.[71]

Declaration of Independence [ edit ] In 2001, Lear and his wife, Lyn, purchased a Dunlap broadside'--one of the first published copies of the United States Declaration of Independence'--for $8.1 million. Not a document collector, Lear said in a press release and on the Today show that his intent was to tour the document around the United States so that the country could experience its "birth certificate" firsthand.[72] Through the end of 2004, the document traveled throughout the United States in the Declaration of Independence Roadtrip, which Lear organized, visiting several presidential libraries, dozens of museums, as well as the 2002 Olympics, Super Bowl XXXVI, and the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia.[73]

Lear and Rob Reiner produced a filmed, dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence'--the last project filmed by famed cinematographer Conrad Hall'--on July 4, 2001, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The film, introduced by Morgan Freeman, features Kathy Bates, Benicio del Toro, Michael Douglas, Mel Gibson, Whoopi Goldberg, Graham Greene, Ming-Na, Edward Norton, Winona Ryder, Kevin Spacey, and Ren(C)e Zellweger as readers. The film was directed by Arvin Brown and scored by John Williams.

Declare Yourself [ edit ] In 2004, Lear established Declare Yourself, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign created to empower and encourage eligible 18- to 29-year-olds in America to register and vote. Since then, it has registered almost 4 million young people.[74]

2015 Iran nuclear deal [ edit ] Lear was one of 98 "prominent members of Los Angeles' Jewish community" that signed an open letter supporting the proposed nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers led by the United States. The letter called for the resolution of the bill, warning that the ending of the agreement by Congress would be a "tragic mistake". The letter was also signed by billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad; Walt Disney Concert Hall architect Frank Gehry; Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, and many more.[75]

Personal life [ edit ] Lear has been married three times.[13] He was married to Frances Loeb, publisher of Lear's magazine from 1956 to 1985.[76] They separated in 1983 and in the divorce settlement, Loeb received $112 million from Lear.[77]

Lear is a godparent to actress and singer Katey Sagal.[78]

Legal issues [ edit ] In 1977, African American screenwriter Eric Monte filed a lawsuit accusing ABC and CBS producers Norman Lear, Bud Yorkin and others of stealing his ideas for Good Times, The Jeffersons, and What's Happening!! Monte received a $1-million settlement and a small percentage of the residuals from Good Times and one percent ownership of the show. Monte, due to his lack of business knowledge and experience as well as legal representation, would not receive royalties for other shows which he created. However, Lear and other Hollywood producers, outraged over the lawsuit, blacklisted Eric Monte and labeled him too difficult to work with.[79]

Appearances in popular culture [ edit ] Lear plays the protagonist in the video to "Happy Birthday to Me", the first single from musician and actor Paul Hipp's 2015 album The Remote Distance.

The top of my bucket list always included a desire to sing. More than that '-- a desire to enchant an audience with my voice. I ached to be Sinatra or Torm(C) for just a night. You say a night's too much? How about just one song?"My friend, actor, singer-guitarist and composer, Paul Hipp, wrote the happy birthday song when he turned fifty. I loved it and asked if I could perform it as I turn ninety-three. That was the result, and I don't care what you say, I love it.[80]

TV productions [ edit ] Note: The above chart does not include the made-for-television movies The Wave, which aired on October 4, 1981, or Heartsounds, which aired on September 30, 1984.

Publications [ edit ] Lear, Norman. "Liberty and Its Responsibilities". Broadcast Journalism, 1979''1981. The Eighth Alfred I. DuPont Columbia University Survey, Ed. By Marvin Barrett. New York: Everest House, 1982. ISBN 978-0-896-96160-9. OCLC 8347364.Lear, Norman. "Our Political Leaders Mustn't Be Evangelists", USA Today, August 17, 1984.Lear, Norman and Ronald Reagan. "A Debate on Religious Freedom", Harper's Magazine, October 1984.Lear, Norman. "Our Fragile Tower of Greed and Debt", The Washington Post, April 5, 1987.Lear, Norman. Even This I Get to Experience. New York: The Penguin Press, 2014. ISBN 978-1-594-20572-9. OCLC 870919776.Further reading [ edit ] Carroll, Daniel P., and Albert K. Brown. Crew Umbriago. [S.l.]: D.P. Carroll, 1986.Turner Publishing Co. 772nd Bomb Squadron: The Men - the Memories of the 463rd Bomb Group (The Swoose Group). Paducah, KY: Turner Pub. Co, 1996. ISBN 978-1-563-11320-8Campbell, Sean. The Sitcoms of Norman Lear. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co, 2007. ISBN 978-0-786-42763-5Just Another Version of You. PBS American Masters documentary. 2016.Miller Taylor Cole. Syndicated Queerness: Television Talk Shows, Rerun Syndication, and the Serials of Norman Lear. dissertation, University of Wisconsin''Madison, 2017.References [ edit ] ^ Lear, Norman (2014). Even This I Get To Experience. Penguin. pp. preface. ^ Andreeva, Denise Petski,Nellie; Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (2020-09-14). "Netflix Orders Animated Version Of Norman Lear's 'Good Times' From Lear, Steph Curry & Seth MacFarlane". Deadline . Retrieved 2021-09-25 . ^ "Norman Lear Biography: Screenwriter, Television Producer, Pilot (1922'')". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). Archived from the original on April 30, 2016 . Retrieved July 8, 2016 . ^ a b "Norman Lear Fast Facts". CNN. ^ Lynch, M.A.C. (12 March 2006). "Their Junior High Romance Has Lasted 60 Happy Years". Hartford Courant . Retrieved 16 October 2014 . ^ a b "An Interview with Norman Lear". Aish HaTorah. 6 March 2001 . Retrieved 29 December 2013 . ^ "Norman Lear - United States Census, 1930". FamilySearch . Retrieved 16 October 2014 . ^ "Family:Herman Lear and Jeanette Seicol (1)". WeRelate . Retrieved 16 October 2014 . ^ Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 26, 2016, PBS ^ a b c d e f Lopate, Leonard (15 October 2014). "Norman Lear's Storytelling, the Brooklyn Museum's Killer Heels". The Leonard Lopate Show. WNYC . Retrieved 16 October 2014 . ^ Schneider, Michael (17 September 2019). "How Norman Lear Devoted Himself to a Lifetime of Advocacy". Variety. ^ "Norman Lear: 'Just Another Version Of You' ". NPR.org. ^ a b "Overview for Norman Lear". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved 16 October 2014 . ^ "Norman M Lear - United States World War II Army Enlistment Records". FamilySearch . Retrieved 16 October 2014 . ^ "Billboard". 31 October 1953 '' via Google Books. ^ a b c Gray, Tim (30 October 2015). "Norman Lear Looks Back on Early Days as TV Comedy Writer". ^ "Writing for Early Live Television | Norman Lear | television, film, political and social activist, philanthropist". ^ Sickels, Robert C. (8 August 2013). 100 Entertainers Who Changed America: An Encyclopedia of Pop Culture Luminaries [2 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Pop Culture Luminaries. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598848311 '' via Google Books. ^ "Justice For All". You Tube. Archived from the original on 2021-11-07 . Retrieved Sep 6, 2018 . ^ "Those Were The Days". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-11-07 . Retrieved Oct 8, 2018 . ^ Cowan, Geoffrey (28 March 1980). See No Evil. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780671254117 '' via Google Books. ^ Leonard, David J; Guerrero, Lisa (2013-04-23). African Americans on Television: Race-ing for Ratings. ISBN 9780275995157. ^ Prial, Frank J. (1983-05-12). "CBS-TV IS DROPPING ARCHIE BUNKER". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-09-25 . ^ "Sanford And Son may have copied other shows, but Redd Foxx was an original". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2021-09-25 . ^ Gray, Tim (2021-01-12). "How 'All in the Family' Spawned the Most Spinoffs of Any Sitcom". Variety . Retrieved 2021-09-25 . ^ Weinman, Jaime (2008-09-30). "Is It Time For Sitcoms To Go Back to Videotape?". Macleans.ca . Retrieved 2021-09-25 . ^ Nemy, Enid (1 October 1996). "Frances Lear, a Mercurial Figure of the Media and a Magazine Founder, Dead at 73" '' via NYTimes.com. ^ Lee, Janet W. (2020-11-20). "Charlie Hauck, Writer-Producer of 'Maude' and 'Frasier,' Dies at 79". Variety . Retrieved 2021-09-25 . ^ Roberts, Sam (2015-08-19). "Bud Yorkin, Writer and Producer of 'All in the Family,' Dies at 89". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-09-25 . ^ Miller, Taylor Cole (2017). "Chapter 2: Rewriting Genesis: Queering Genre in Norman Lear's First-Run Syndicated Serials". Syndicated Queerness: Television Talk Shows, Rerun Syndication, and the Serials of Norman Lear (PhD). University of Wisconsin''Madison. ^ Nadel, Gerry (1977-05-30). "Who Owns Prime Time? The Threat of the 'Occasional' Networks". New York Magazine. pp. 34''35 . Retrieved 2009-10-04 . ^ "Lear TV Ads to Oppose The Moral Majority". The New York Times. 1981-06-25. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-09-25 . ^ "Avco Embassy". The New York Times. 1982-01-05. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-09-25 . ^ a b O'Connor, John J. (19 March 1982). "TV Weekend; LEAR'S 'I LOVE LIBERTY' LEADS SPECIALS (Published 1982)". The New York Times. ^ Michael Schrage (June 18, 1985). "Coke Buys Embassy & Tandem". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 2, 2013 . Retrieved January 25, 2013 . ^ Al Delugach; Kathryn Harris (June 18, 1985). "Lear, Perenchio Sell Embassy Properties". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013 . Retrieved January 25, 2013 . ^ Ryan, Joal (2000). Former Child Stars: The Story of America's Least Wanted. United Kingdom: ECW Press. p. 150. ISBN 9781550224283. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022 . Retrieved 22 June 2022 . ^ "Los Angeles County". Los Angeles Times. December 12, 1987. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. ^ "Executive Changes" . The New York Times. December 14, 1987. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. ^ Knoedelseder Jr, William K. (February 2, 1989). "Norman Lear, Columbia Form Joint TV Venture". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. ^ Stevenson, Richard W. (February 2, 1989). "Lear Joins With Columbia To Produce TV, Not Manage" . The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. ^ "WB's 'Umptee-3' has Norman Lear's signature". Variety. September 15, 1997. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019 . Retrieved 28 May 2011 . ^ Snierson, Dan (March 14, 2003). "All in the Family's creator joins South Park". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 29, 2013 . ^ "How Trey Parker and Matt Stone made South Park a success". Fortune. 2010-10-27 . Retrieved 2010-01-23 . ^ Ewing, Heidi; Grady, Rachel (July 5, 2016). "Not Dead Yet". The New York Times . Retrieved July 6, 2016 . ^ Verdier, Hannah (2017-05-11). "All of the Above With Norman Lear: the 94-year-old king of podcasts". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-04-21 . ^ "All of the Above with Norman Lear on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts . Retrieved 2019-04-21 . ^ Friedlander, Whitney (July 29, 2019). "Rita Moreno documentary coming from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Norman Lear". CNN Digital. ^ " 'Who's the Boss' Sequel in the Works at Sony". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 August 2020 . Retrieved 2021-01-02 . ^ EVEN THIS I GET TO EXPERIENCE | Kirkus Reviews. ^ "ACT III". Norman Lear . Retrieved 2021-09-27 . ^ Pond, Steve (September 15, 2019). "Norman Lear Breaks an Emmy Record, Becomes the Oldest Winner Ever". ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement. ^ "Past Recipients". Wif.org. Archived from the original on 2011-08-30 . Retrieved 2013-04-22 . ^ "February 2017, NHMC National Hispanic Media Coalition". NHMC National Hispanic Media Coalition . Retrieved 2021-08-04 . ^ "The Woody Guthrie Center Presents Woody Guthrie Prize Honoring Norman Lear '' GRAMMY Museum" . Retrieved 2021-09-27 . ^ "Norman Lear to receive Woody Guthrie Prize and Peabody Award". Oklahoman.com. April 12, 2017. ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson, Ted (August 3, 2017). "Norman Lear, Gloria Estefan Among Kennedy Center Honorees as Trump Protest Looms". ^ Baumgaertner, Emily (3 August 2017). "Kennedy Center Announces First Honorees of Trump Administration (Published 2017)". The New York Times. ^ Low, Elaine (October 25, 2019). "Britannia Awards Highlight the Breadth of U.K. Talent". Variety . Retrieved October 27, 2019 . ^ "de beste bron van informatie over theoscarsite. Deze website is te koop!". theoscarsite.com . Retrieved 2013-04-22 . ^ Brownstein, Ronald (1990). The Power and the Glitter: The Hollywood''Washington Connection. Pantheon Books. pp. 203''211. ISBN 9780394569383. ^ a b c Brownstein, Ronald (June 28, 1987). "The Man Who Would Be Kingmaker". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 12, 2020 . ^ Lacher, Irene (December 28, 1990). "Ultimate Outsider : Leftist and Fractious, the Nation Is Still Going Strong After 125 Years". Los Angeles Times. ^ Day, Patrick Kevin (October 7, 2011). "Norman Lear Celebrates 30 Years of People For the American Way". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 6 May 2015 . ^ Johnson, Ted (November 27, 2011). "Lear sees politics the American way". Variety. ^ a b c Interview: Anti-Christian-Right Crusader Norman Lear on Becoming a 'Born-Again American' US News, Dan Gilgoff, February 10, 2009, Accessed February 26, 2013 ^ a b c d e A Profile of Norman Lear: Another Pilgrim's Progress Archived 2014-10-25 at the Wayback Machine Norman Lear.com, Martin E Marty, Accessed February 26, 2013 ^ "Norman Lear on race in America, Judaism, World War II and his bright future". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. 17 December 2014. ^ Lear, Norman (July 12, 1992). "A False Picture Presented of Hollywood's Role in Politics". The Buffalo News . Retrieved August 12, 2020 . ^ "Board of Trustees". Paleycenter.org . Retrieved 2013-04-22 . ^ Today Show interview with Katie Couric, February 8, 2002 ^ "press | Norman Lear | television, film, political and social activist, philanthropist". ^ "Yahoo! Helps Declare Yourself Drive More Than 1 Million Young Americans to Download Voter Registration Forms for 2004 Election". Yahoo! recent news. Yahoo! Inc. 27 October 2004. Archived from the original (Press release) on 4 March 2016 . Retrieved May 19, 2012 . ^ "98 Prominent Hollywood Jews Back Iran Nuclear Deal in Open Letter (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. ^ Behrens, Leigh (28 February 1988). "Frances Lear: 'Women Are Bursting Forth With Their Creativity' ". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 16 October 2014 . ^ Nemy, Enid (1 October 1996). "Frances Lear, a Mercurial Figure of the Media and a Magazine Founder, Dead at 73". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 October 2014 . ^ Katey Sagal on Wise Guys, Lost and More!. 9 December 2005. TV Guide.com. Retrieved on 2015-12-30. ^ Classic TV Producer, Good Times No Longer. 29 July 2006. npr.com. Retrieved on 2021-09-06. ^ "Happy Birthday To Me" - Paul Hipp, YouTube, July 22, 2015 CBS News Sunday Morning interview with Norman Lear on January 10, 2021. "What makes Norman Lear, at 98, still tick?".External links [ edit ] Official website Norman Lear at IMDbBiography of Norman Lear at the Museum of Broadcast Communications website2006 story on Lear and All in the Family that describes Lear's interests and his life in VermontIndependence Road Trip463rd Bombardment Group Historical SocietyAppearances on C-SPANNorman Lear Interview Silver Screen Studios - Dispatches from Quarantine (June 29, 2020)

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Civil rights group serving the black LGBT community in America

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is an American civil rights organization serving primarily Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Since 2003, NBJC has collaborated with national civil rights groups and LGBT organizations, advocating for the unique challenges and needs of the African American LGBT community in the United States.[7]

Activities [ edit ] In 2011, the organization identified the issues it would focus its programming efforts on:[7]

Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)Marriage equalityBullying in schoolsDon't Ask, Don't TellHistorically black colleges and universities (HBCUs)HIV/AIDSBayard Rustin 2013 Commemoration Project [ edit ] On the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the organization is honoring the courage and legacy of the march's chief organizer, openly gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. In addition to organizing the 1963 march, Rustin was also known for mentoring Martin Luther King Jr., and helping to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Led by NBJC co-founder and political activist Mandy Carter,[8] the initiative includes ongoing collaborations with Walter Naegle, Rustin's surviving partner as well as the executor and archivist of Bayard Rustin's estate. The organization is also working with Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer, co-producers and co-directors of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, a biographical documentary about Rustin.[9][10]

Black Church Summit [ edit ] In 2006, the organization held its first Black Church Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. During the first summit, the Rev. Al Sharpton denounced homophobia and called for greater inclusion of LGBT people.[11]

Black, Trans and Proud [ edit ] Black, Trans & Proud, a campaign promoting trans visibility and raising consciousness in the black community, was launched in honor of Transgender Awareness Week. The project called for community members to submit their photos and testimonials about their pride in the black trans community. As part of the campaign, NBJC featured ads with transgender leaders, including Kye Allums, Rev. Carmarion Anderson, Kylar Broadus, Laverne Cox, Janet Mock,[12] Monica Roberts, and Valerie Spencer.[13]

Emerging Leaders Initiative [ edit ] This program identifies young activists (ages 18''30) in the black LGBT movement, and provides opportunities for young leaders to build networks and take action in their communities.[14] The organization hosted the 2013 Black LGBT Emerging Leaders Day in conjunction with the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force on February 21, 2013, in Washington, D.C.[15]

Many Faces. One Dream. [ edit ] "Many Faces. One Dream." is a series of LGBT economic conferences for LGBT communities of color co-hosted by NBJC and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The events began in early 2013 and will eventually travel to 13 major cities throughout the country that have a significant LGBT presence in communities of color, including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Oakland/San Francisco, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Participants are grouped into two tracks: "Starting Your Business" and "Taking Your Business to the Next Level". In the first track, training is provided on business plans, loans, marketing, and SBA's program and services. The second track is designed for LGBT firms that are currently in business, with a desire to expand and grow.[16][17]

OUT on the HIll [ edit ] Attendees '' black LGBT activists, allies, elected officials, faith leaders and youth '' discuss and implement strategies to educate federal lawmakers about public policies impacting the black LGBT community.[6][18][19]

#whatablacklesbianlookslike [ edit ] After the Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Jennifer Carroll, avoided answering questions about an alleged same-sex encounter with a female subordinate by telling a local news outlet that black lesbian and bisexual women 'don't look like her' in the summer of 2012, NBJC launched a campaign with the Twitter hashtag #whatablacklesbianlookslike.[20] After more than a week of pressure from groups like NBJC, Equality Florida and GLAAD, Carroll finally apologized, calling her comments "wrong and inexcusable" in a letter to Equality Florida's executive director Nadine Smith.[21]

History [ edit ] NBJC was co-founded by activist, author, and commentator Keith Boykin.

NBJC was founded on December 8, 2003, by a group of eight black civil rights leaders[2] '' Keith Boykin,[22] Mandy Carter,[23] Jasmyne Cannick, Donna Payne, Frank Leon Roberts,[24] Sonya Shields, Roddrick Colvin, and Maurice Franklin. The formation of the organization was announced during a press conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.[1] Initially the group came together to challenge support from African American religious and civil rights leaders for Republican-led efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. Instead, the group began raising money to place advertisements promoting same-sex marriage in the African American media. Within three years, the group had created an organization and employed a staff led by founding executive director H. Alexander Robinson.[2]

In July 2009, the organization became the first black LGBT group to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) board of governors when its deputy executive director, Jason W. Bartlett, urged the NAACP to pass resolutions issues pertaining to LGBT people of color.[25]

In October 2009, it was announced that Sharon Lettman-Hicks would be joining the organization as executive director. She had previously worked at People for the American Way as executive vice president of leadership programs and external affairs.[5]

See also [ edit ] LGBT rights in the United StatesList of LGBT rights organizationsReferences [ edit ] ^ a b "National Black Justice Coalition Announces National Campaign for LGBT Civil Rights" (Press release). National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. December 8, 2003 . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ a b c O'Bryan, Will (September 22, 2005). "Reaching the Summit: NBJC's H. Alexander Robinson and Donna Payne on their group's leadership summit, the African-American GLBT community's socio-political reality, and the MMM commemoration". Metro Weekly . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ a b c "GuideStar Reports for National Black Justice Coalition". GuideStar . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ a b "National Black Justice Coalition 2012 Form 990" (PDF) . Internal Revenue Service. December 1, 2012 . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ a b Mangum, Christopher (October 5, 2009). "National Black Justice Coalition Announces ED". The Advocate . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ a b "Interview with National Black Justice Coalition Executive Director Sharon Lettman-Hicks". LGBT Weekly. February 3, 2011 . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ a b "About Us". National Black Justice Coalition . Retrieved October 12, 2021 . ^ Baim, Tracy (July 24, 2013). "Old Lesbians Organizing for Change gather in St. Louis". Windy City Times . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Bayard Rustin 2013 Commemoration Project". National Black Justice Coalition . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Still Walking for Justice - November 3, 2012". Pauli Murray Project . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ Dade, Corey (May 22, 2012). "Blacks, Gays And The Church: A Complex Relationship". NPR . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Writer and trans activist Janet Mock tells NBJC why she's proud to be Black and trans". bklyn boihood. November 15, 2012 . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Black, Trans and Proud". National Black Justice Coalition . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Emerging Leaders Initiative". National Black Justice Coalition . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Quick Recap: NBJC Emerging LGBT Leaders Day in DC". bklyn boihood. March 6, 2013 . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ Stevenson, Jan (July 18, 2013). "SBA And NBJC Team Up". Between the Lines . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Many Faces. One Dream. LGBT Economic Empowerment Tour for Communities of Color". National Black Justice Coalition . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ Rea, Julius (September 19, 2012). "National Conference Supports Black LGBT". JET . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "OUT on the HIll". National Black Justice Coalition . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Week in Review (September 2 '' September 8)". ELIXHER. September 8, 2012 . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "whatablacklesbianlookslike". National Black Justice Coalition . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Sylvia Rhue - Oral History Interview - LGBT-RAN". LGBT Religious Archives Network . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "Social Justice Activist Mandy Carter to Speak at BVU". Buena Vista University. April 2, 2012 . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . ^ "NBJC Board Members | National Black Justice Coalition". nbjc.org . Retrieved 2016-03-31 . ^ "NBJC First Black LGBT Group to Address NAACP Convention". Rod 2.0. July 17, 2009 . Retrieved July 25, 2013 . External links [ edit ] Official website

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From QueerBio.com

Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks

Country United States

Birth - Death Occupation Activist

Description Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black same-gender-loving, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people which works for social justice, equality, and an end to racism and homophobia. Formerly Executive Vice President, People For the American Way (PFAW) Foundation, where her responsibilities included leading the ''Homophobia in the Black Church'' program through their African American Religious Affairs division. Member of the National Business Inclusion Consortium for the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC); Project Advisory Committee Member of the LGBT Safe Schools Initiative for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN); the Advisory Council of Creative Coalition's Be A STAR: Show Tolerance And Respect, a national anti-bullying initiative; and the Executive Committee of the National Black Leadership Forum. Formerly served on the Board of Directors for the National Stonewall Democrats and the Advisory Council of Progressive Majority's Racial Justice Campaign; and she has been a national trainer for Wellstone Action, Democracia USA and the Front Line Leaders Academy.

See Also LGBTQ Founders and Executives with Charitable Foundations Chamber of Commerce LGBTQ Leaders Race Activists in the LGBTQ CommunityFurther Reading/Research http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-j-lettmanhicks/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9-1QnJz5P8

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1991 film directed by Russell Mulcahy

Ricochet is a 1991 American action crime thriller film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, written by Steven E. de Souza, and starring Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Ice-T, Kevin Pollak, and Lindsay Wagner. The film details a struggle between a Los Angeles district attorney (Washington) and a vengeful criminal (Lithgow) whom he arrested when he was a cop.

Plot [ edit ] In 1983, rookie Los Angeles police officer and law student Nick Styles (Denzel Washington) meets Alice (Victoria Dillard), and drifts away from childhood friend Odessa (Ice-T), who has become a drug dealer in South Central Los Angeles. Styles and his partner Larry Doyle (Kevin Pollak) patrol a carnival, where they encounter hitman Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow) and his accomplice Kim (Josh Evans). Styles is forced into an armed standoff when Blake takes a hostage. After stripping off his equipment and uniform off, Styles uses a gun hidden in his athletic supporter, shooting Blake in the knee and subduing him. The incident is caught on camera by an amateur videographer and televised, making Styles a hero. He and Doyle are promoted to Detective, while Blake and Kim are sent to prison.

Eight years later in 1991, Styles has become an Assistant District Attorney and is married to Alice with two daughters. Behind bars, Blake allies himself with the Aryan Brotherhood to plot an escape and take revenge against Styles. Kim is paroled and assists in Blake's escape. Blake and the AB members stage a deadly prison escape during a parole hearing, which only Blake and the AB leader survive. Blake murders the AB gang leader and burns his corpse; however, while in prison, he had swapped their dental records, in order to fake his own death and ensure authorities would believe that Blake had died in the fire.

Styles finds Odessa, now a major drug dealer in the neighborhood, and pleads with him to stop dealing to children. Blake and Kim kill a city councilman who works with Styles, planting child pornography in his briefcase and staging his death to look like a suicide, framing Styles for embezzling city funds. Blake and Kim abduct Styles outside his home and hold him hostage in an empty swimming pool for several days. They regularly inject Styles with heroin and cocaine while engaging in arm wrestling. Blake hires a prostitute (Linda Dona) to have sex with Styles. She ignores the weakened Styles' objections and rapes him as Blake records the incident on video. After Blake and Kim deposit an unconscious Styles on the steps of City Hall, Alice overhears Styles' superiors telling him he has tested positive for gonorrhea, and believes he is cheating on her.

Styles witnesses a video of Blake entering his daughters' room with a hatchet. Styles heads to the park where his family are watching a circus act, and holds a black-clad figure he believes to be Blake at gunpoint; the figure turns out to be a clown, making Styles seem unstable. Blake releases the recording of Styles' rape, making it appear as if Styles is soliciting prostitutes. District Attorney Priscilla Brimleigh (Lindsay Wagner) suspends Styles.

Determined to prove his innocence, Styles and Doyle beat information out of one of Blake's former AB allies. Blake fatally shoots Doyle and plants Styles' fingerprints on the gun.

Desperate, Styles contacts Odessa for help, bringing his family to the housing project Odessa uses as a drug lab. On the roof, Styles raves to the street below, apparently suicidal; this draws out Blake, who wants Styles to live a long, miserable life. Styles fakes his own death by escaping an explosion in the building.

Odessa's gang abducts Kim, and Odessa sends a message to Blake that Styles is alive and intends to find him, challenging him to come to the Watts Towers. Blake finds Kim tied to the scaffolding and kills him. On the towers, Blake and Styles fight until Odessa applies electricity to the metal tower, electrocuting Blake. Styles pulls Blake off the tower and as he falls, impales himself on a spike. Styles reunites with his family and calls out to Odessa one last time, inviting him to basketball. Television news crews broadcast the dramatic turn of events, declaring Styles innocent. When a newscaster (Mary Ellen Trainor) asks Styles for comment, he turns off the news camera.

Cast [ edit ] Denzel Washington as Assistant District Attorney Nick StylesJohn Lithgow as Earl Talbot BlakeIce-T as OdessaLydell M. Cheshier as R.C., Odessa's second In CommandKevin Pollak as Lieutenant Larry DoyleLindsay Wagner as District Attorney Priscilla "The Hun" BrimleighMatt Landers as Chief Elliott FloydSherman Howard as Public Defender KileyJosh Evans as "Kim" KimbleMary Ellen Trainor as Gail Wallens, the character she portrayed in Die Hard[2]Victoria Dillard as Alice StylesKimberly Natasha Ali as Lisa StylesAileaha Jones as Monica StylesJohn Amos as Reverend StylesStarletta DuPois as Mrs. StylesJohn Cothran, Jr. as Councilman U.B. FarrisMiguel Sandoval as Vargas, Drug DealerThomas Rosales Jr. as Gonzalo, Drug DealerGeorge Cheung as Huey, Drug DealerKenny Endoso as Liu, Drug DealerRick Cramer as Jesse Schultzman, Head of The Aryan Brotherhood.Jesse Ventura as Jake Chewalski, Blake's Cellmate and Aryan Brotherhood Member.Linda Dona as Wanda, Prostitute Hired By Blake to Frame Nick.Production [ edit ] Originally, the screenplay to Ricochet by Fred Dekker was written as a Dirty Harry film, but Clint Eastwood deemed it too grim. When the script was attached to Joel Silver as producer in a different direction, Dekker met Kurt Russell about starring while Dekker was to be director, which it never was able to reach in its pre-production stage.[3]

Reportedly, violent scenes in the film were heavily cut down following the test screenings. According to interview with director Russell Mulcahy, in one of the scenes that were cut out Blake physically abuses Styles until Styles vomits, and Blake gets a sponge to clean him up. This is why Styles has vomit on him when he is found in the streets. The uncut version of the film was never released.

Reception [ edit ] This section

needs expansion. You can help by

adding to it.

( December 2015

) On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 74% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10.[4] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[5]

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave the film two thumbs down on their show At the Movies, describing it as ridiculous, goofy, embarrassing, unsavory and distasteful but also stylish, ambitious and having some smart dialogue.[6]

Box office [ edit ] The movie had a modest box office. It premiered on October 4, 1991, making $4,831,181 in its opening weekend, 2nd behind The Fisher King, ending up grossing over $21 million in its theatrical run. It also came 5 weeks prior to the premiere of Cape Fear, a film starring Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte with a similar storyline.[7]

References [ edit ] External links [ edit ] Ricochet at IMDbRicochet at Box Office Mojo

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Gandhi is no great soul, he was just another Indian who was sleeping with his own niece.AFRICANGLOBE '' Mahatma Gandhi has been variously described as an anti-colonial protester, a religious thinker, a pragmatist, a radical who used non-violence effectively to fight for causes, a canny politician and a whimsical Hindu patriarch.

But was India's greatest leader also a racist?

The authors of a controversial new book on Gandhi's life and work in South Africa certainly believe so. South African academics Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed spent seven years exploring the complex story of a man who lived in their country for more than two decades '' 1893 to 1914 '' and campaigned for the rights of Indian people there.

In The South African Gandhi: Stretcher-Bearer of Empire, Desai and Vahed write that during his stay in Africa, Gandhi kept the Indian struggle ''separate from that of Africans and coloureds even though the latter were also denied political rights on the basis of colour and could also lay claim to being British subjects''.

They write that Gandhi's political strategies '' fighting to repeal unjust laws or freedom of movement or trade '' carved out an exclusivist Indian identity ''that relied on him taking up 'Indian' issues in ways that cut Indians off from Africans, while his attitudes paralleled those of whites in the early years''. Gandhi, the authors write, was indifferent to the plight of the indentured, and believed that state power should remain in white hands, and called Africans Kaffirs, a derogatory term, for a larger part of his stay in the country.

Racial Segregation

In 1893, Gandhi wrote to the Natal parliament saying that a ''general belief seems to prevail in the Colony that the Indians are a little better, if at all, than savages or the Natives of Africa''.

In 1904, he wrote to a health officer in Johannesburg that the council ''must withdraw Kaffirs'' from an unsanitary slum called the ''Coolie Location'' where a large number of Africans lived alongside Indians. ''About the mixing of the Kaffirs with the Indians, I must confess I feel most strongly.''

The same year he wrote that unlike the African, the Indian had no ''war-dances, nor does he drink Kaffir beer''. When Durban was hit by a plague in 1905, Gandhi wrote that the problem would persist as long as Indians and Africans were being ''herded together indiscriminately at the hospital''.

This, in itself, say historians, is not entirely new and revelatory. Also, some South Africans have always accused the man who led India to independence of working with the British colonial government to promote racial segregation. In April, a man was arrested in connection with vandalising a statue of Gandhi. A hashtag #Ghandimustfall (sic) has gained circulation on social media.

Gandhi's biographer and grandson, Rajmohan Gandhi, says the younger Gandhi '' he arrived in South Africa as a 24-year-old briefless lawyer '' was undoubtedly ''at times ignorant and prejudiced about South Africa's Blacks''. He believes Gandhi's ''struggle for Indian rights in South Africa paved the way for the struggle of Black rights''. He argues that ''Gandhi too was an imperfect human being'', but the ''imperfect Gandhi was more radical and progressive than most contemporary compatriots''.

Ramachandra Guha, writer of the magisterial Gandhi Before India, writes that ''to speak of comprehensive equality for coloured people was premature in early 20th Century South Africa''. Attacking Gandhi for racism, wrote another commentator, ''takes a simplistic view of a complex life''.

The authors of the new book disagree.

''Gandhi believed in the Aryan brotherhood. This involved whites and Indians higher up than Africans on the civilised scale. To that extent he was a racist. To the extent that he wrote Africans out of history or was keen to join with whites in their subjugation he was a racist,'' Ashwin Desai told me.

''To the extent that he accepted white minority power but was keen to be a junior partner, he was a racist. Thank God he did not succeed in this as we would have been culpable in the horrors of apartheid.

''But if Gandhi was part of the racist common sense of the time then how does this qualify him to be a person that is seen as part of the pantheon of South African liberation heroes? You cannot have Gandhi as an accomplice of colonial subjugation in South Africa and then also defend his liberation credentials in South Africa.''

'Blind Eye'

Desai also rejects the assertion that Gandhi paved the way for the local struggle for Black rights '' ''in one sentence,'' he says, ''you are writing out the history of African resistance to colonialism that unfolded much before Gandhi even arrived''.

In his book, Guha writes what a friend in Cape Town once told him about Gandhi. ''You gave us a lawyer, we gave you back a Mahatma [Great Soul]''. Ashwin Desai thinks this is a ''ridiculous assertion'' about a man who ''supported more taxes on impoverished African people and turned a blind eye to the brutality of the Empire on Africans''.

The authors of the new book are not the first to challenge the conventional Indian historiography on Gandhi. Historian Patrick French wrote tellingly in 2013 that ''Gandhi's blanking of Africans is the black hole at the heart of his saintly mythology''.

More than a century after he left Africa, there has been a resurrection of Gandhi in South Africa. Despite their reservations about the 'man of Empire', Desai and Vahed acknowledge that Gandhi ''did raise universal demands for equality and dignity''.

But even the greatest men are flawed. And Gandhi was possibly no exception.

By: Soutik Biswas

Mahatma Gandhi '' A Pedophile Racist EXPOSED

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Content Warning: Portions of the following entry contain mentions and/or depictions of sexual violence or abuse. If you need support or you or a loved one are in an abusive situation, please contact the National Sexual Violence Resource Center or call 1-800-656-HOPE.

AboutBuck Breaking refers to the act of sexually abusing Black slaves publically and in front of other slaves, in order to assert dominance, punish them and ultimately emasculate Black men. This is sometimes painted to be a closeted gay slave owner's way of acting out their repressed sexual urges, which were largely criminal at the time. There is debate as to whether or not Buck Breaking existed and how popular it was, with little historical evidence surrounding it. In 2021, a documentary by Tariq Nasheed featuring Judge Joe Brown titled Buck Breaking covering the history of the practice was released, claiming the practice still exists in some form today. The term became popular on 4chan's /tv/ and /pol/ boards following the film's release, particularly in mocking and ironic posts against Nasheed for spreading Buck Breaking as legitimate, and posts claiming Nasheed is interested in buck breaking as a fetish.

OriginThe history of sexual abuse towards slaves has been studied by numerous researchers. The term "buck breaking" comes from "Black Buck," a post-Reconstruction era (1861-1865) racist term used to refer to Black men who were seen as stereotypically violent or unruly and refused to work with the law and society. "Breaking a buck" refers to abusing the Black man to get him to follow orders. Specifically, it often pertains to sexual abuse.

Online DiscussionOne of the earliest posts online about buck breaking is an October 17th, 2012 post to the now-defunct Wordpress blog Diary Of A Negress. In the uncited post she describes the act of buck breaking and suggests the act was used largely by homosexual slave owners, writing:

The master, drunk on blood lust, would explain to all strong, young black men that if they do not follow strict orders and comply with the whims of the Overseer and the Master, this too would be their fate. He removed his own clothing and proceeded to savagely sodomize the buck in front his wife, family, friends and children. He then invited his associates from other plantations to join in the Nigger Festivities.In order for his plan to take effect, he would require the buck's male child to watch, front row center, so he too can witness his father's sexual demise and humiliation. Buck Breaking was the slave master's very effective tool to keep all young black slaves from ever being defiant and taking revenge. It also frightened the mother's and wives from ever giving consent to an uprising.

Buck Breaking was so successful that it was made into a ''Sex Farm'' where white men could travel from plantation to plantation feeding their sadistic, homosexual needs.

In October 2016 an anonymous user of 4chan's /pol/ board posted a graphic showing a post to an unknown forum sharing the same information about buck breaking and sex farms, as well as a post from a Facebook user showing a drawing depicting buck breaking, with a white man undoing his belt over a black man (censored version shown below).

Buck Breaking Myth DebateMany argue that, while sexual abuse towards slaves has been documented, the specific practice of Buck Breaking as a way of dominating and striking fear in slaves is a myth, with little-to-no substantial historical evidence to support it.

On July 31st, 2016, Redditor u/AristoPhilosor posted to /r/AskHistorians asking whether Buck Breaking was real. That day, u/sowser posted a long-form, cited comment denying Buck Breaking, noting that sodomy was a major crime at the time and not taken lightly, that it would never be used as a public punishment, and that the implication that slave owners were gay because of this is offensive among other arguments (shown below, click to expand). The poster acknowledges sexual abuse of slaves but says reports of Buck Breaking are exaggerated at best.

Believers in Buck Breaking often argue that there is little historical evidence of the practice because male-on-male sexual abuse is seen as taboo and embarrassing, especially back then, resulting in very little discourse about it.

On August 8th, 2016, YouTuber iAmBlackPlanet posted a video documentary on Buck Breaking, supporting its existence, garnering over 1 million views in five years (shown below). The documentary features narration detailing how Black men would be sodomized in front of their families to keep them from being defiant. The video does not offer sources.

On November 25th, 2018, director Tariq Nasheed, best known for his documentary Hidden Colors, posted to Twitter describing buck breaking, writing, "In slavery, there was a tactic called Buck Breaking where slave owners would sexually violate African males to break them down psychologically. The new Buck Breaking tactic is where white supremacists use their negro flunkies to shame Black men into having sex with transexuals" (shown below). Three years later he would release a documentary on the subject.

On November 26th, 2016, YouTuber VIRALBOOKMARK posted a clip where Tariq and other members of the Black community describe the act (shown below). The video's description uses the Diary Of A Negress article as a source.

SpreadBuck Breaking DocumentaryOn April 30th, 2021, Hidden Colors director Tariq Nasheed released a documentary titled Buck Breaking about the subject (trailer shown below).

The documentary's description on Amazon reads: "Buck Breaking is a documentary film about the historic sexual exploitation of Black people globally. The film shows the correlation between the historic exploitation of Black men during slavery and the Jim Crow era, to the Buck Breaking tactics used today."

The release of the film inspired a lot of discourse and trolling on 4chan and Twitter, many criticizing the director Nasheed for making a documentary about what they believe to be a myth and hypothesizing that he is a closeted homosexual who is into Buck Breaking as a fetish because of it (example shown below, left). Many also criticized Nasheed for hiring artists to create images depicting Buck Breaking (example shown below, right, art not confirmed to be from film).

Official Buck Breaking NFTsOn December 21st, 2021, Tariq Nasheed announced the sale of 10 official Buck Breaking NFTs on Twitter (shown below). The NFTs are available on OpenSea. Kiwi Farms user drateR shared the update on Nasheed's thread that day.

Each NFT is an original cartoon depicting a white man abusing a Black man in various ways, including holding a whip to a basketball player, holding a Black man in chains, and a white police officer escorting a Black man to prison (examples shown below). By December 22nd four of the NFTs sold for prices ranging from 0.1 Ethereum (estimated $403 US at the time of purchase) to 0.3 Ethereum (est. $1,200 US at the time of purchase).

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American political activist and convicted murderer

Edward Bernard Peter Buck (n(C) Buckmelter; August 24, 1954) is an American convicted felon and businessman. A former model and actor, he made a significant amount of money running and selling the data service company Gopher Courier. He became involved in politics after the election of Evan Mecham as Governor of Arizona in 1986; Buck, an Arizona resident, led the effort to recall him from office, accusing him of racism and corruption. The experience led Buck to change his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, and he has since donated heavily to Democratic politicians. In 2007, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the city council of West Hollywood, California.

Two African-American men, the first in 2017 and the second in 2019, were discovered dead in Buck's West Hollywood home, later to be determined as due to drug overdoses. Several reports indicated that Buck had a history of bringing African-American men to his house, where he would reportedly inject them with high doses of crystal methamphetamine for sexual gratification.[1] He plied the men with drugs and then sexually assaulted them while they were unconscious or immobile.[2]

In January 2019, a coalition of 50 civil rights organizations called for law enforcement to investigate the matter. On September 17, 2019, Buck was arrested and charged with three counts of battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house. He was convicted of nine federal charges in 2021; on April 14, 2022, Buck was sentenced to 30 years in prison.[2]

Early life [ edit ] Edward Bernard Peter Buckmelter was born in Steubenville, Ohio.[3][4] He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was educated at North High School and graduated from Phoenix College.[3][4]

Career [ edit ] Buck began his career as a fashion model in Europe,[4][5] where he also acted in television commercials and two movies.[3] He worked for a friend's company, Rapid Information Services, before buying it out of bankruptcy for US$250,000 and renaming it Gopher Courier. Buck became a millionaire upon selling it after five years.[4]

Buck led the campaign to impeach Arizona Republican Governor Evan Mecham in 1987 by founding the "Mecham Watchdog Committee".[3][5][6] He announced the campaign on December 21, 1986, before Mecham had even been sworn in,[7] and was the "leader" of a protest on the day of Mecham's inauguration.[8] In particular, Buck highlighted Mecham's "opposition to a King holiday, his proposal for voluntary drug testing and his plan to reduce the state police force by up to 300 officers".[9] Buck distributed bumper stickers that read "Mecham for Ex-Governor", and Arizona Attorney General Robert K. Corbin ruled that state employees were allowed to use them on their cars.[6] The anti-Mecham campaign "made Buck a household name in Arizona" according to The Arizona Republic.[5] In retaliation, Buck was attacked by Julian Sanders, the chairman of Arizonans for Traditional Family Values, over his homosexuality.[10][11] Buck switched his registration from Republican to Democrat in 1988.[4]

After moving to West Hollywood, California, Buck ran unsuccessfully for city council in 2007.[4] He formerly served on the steering committee of the Stonewall Democratic Club.[4][12][13] He has donated more than a total of $500,000 to political candidates and causes, almost all of them linked to the Democratic Party, including contributions to candidates like Hillary Clinton, Ted Lieu, Pete Aguilar, Adam B. Schiff, and Raja Krishnamoorthi as well as the Getting Things Done PAC.[4][14]

Criminal investigations [ edit ] On July 27, 2017, a young African-American man named Gemmel Moore died in Buck's apartment.[12][13][15] Paramedics found Moore, who had worked as an escort, naked on a mattress in the living room with a "male pornography movie playing on the television", according to a Los Angeles County coroner's report.[15] A spokesman for the coroner's office, Ed Winter, said Buck was inside his Laurel Avenue home at the time of Moore's death and that drug paraphernalia was recovered from the scene.[16] Police found sex toys, syringes, and "clear plastic bags with suspected methamphetamine in a tool box roll-cabinet in the living room", 24 syringes with brown residue, five glass pipes with white residue and burn marks, a plastic straw with possible white residue, clear plastic bags with white powdery residue, and a clear plastic bag with a "piece of crystal-like substance".[15] The death was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey declined to charge Buck on July 26, 2018.[17] Jasmyne Cannick, a local writer, activist, and political candidate who investigated Moore's death, criticized Lacey's decision, writing on Twitter that any further deaths at Ed's residence would be Lacey's responsibility.[18]

Since the death of Gemmel Moore, multiple reports have indicated that Buck had a history of luring young, Black gay men to his apartment, where he would inject them with crystal methamphetamine for sexual gratification.[18]

On January 7, 2019, another African-American man, 55-year-old Timothy Michael Dean (a part-time adult film actor known professionally as Hole Hunter[19][20]), died at Buck's home.[21] Following Dean's death, a coalition of 50 civil rights organizations released a statement calling on local law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation of Buck's role in the incident and calling on elected officials to return all contributions received from Buck.[22]

Buck was arrested on September 17, 2019, and charged with three counts of battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. He was accused of having injected a 37-year-old man, who overdosed but survived, with methamphetamine on September 11.[23]

On September 19, 2019, a federal charge of "one count of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death" was added by the United States for the death of Gemmel Moore, who died on July 27, 2017. That death had originally been ruled an accidental methamphetamine overdose by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.[24][25]

On August 4, 2020, a federal grand jury charged Buck with four additional felonies, bringing the total number of federal charges to nine counts. Buck was scheduled to go to trial on January 19, 2021,[26] but the date was postponed to April 20, 2021, due to COVID-19-related considerations.[27]

On July 27, 2021, Buck was convicted of nine federal charges, including the deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean, maintaining a drug den, distributing methamphetamines, and solicitation of prostitutes.[28][29] On April 14, 2022, Buck was sentenced to 30 years in prison.[2]

Personal life [ edit ] Buck came out to his parents as gay at the age of 16.[4] He changed his surname from Buckmelter to Buck in 1981[3] or 1983.[4] He was the Grand Marshal of the 1989 International Gay Rodeo.[4][5] Buck formerly lived near Piestewa Peak in Phoenix, Arizona.[5] He moved to West Hollywood in 1991.[4]

References [ edit ] ^ Barron, Jesse (September 16, 2020). "What Happened Inside Ed Buck's Apartment?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved December 27, 2020 . ^ a b c Ormseth, Matthew (April 14, 2022). "Ed Buck sentenced to 30 years in prison for abuses that led to men's drug deaths". The Los Angeles Times. ^ a b c d e "Recall drive. Bucking the system: unlikely figure leads challenge to Mecham" . Arizona Republic. June 28, 1987. p. 10 . Retrieved November 21, 2017 '' via Newspapers.com. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Who Is Ed Buck?". WEHOVille. August 16, 2017 . Retrieved November 21, 2017 . But it has attracted a lot of attention from the right-wing media here and abroad, including publications such as the Drudge Report; TruNews, a Christian news site; Political VelCraft, a right-wing conspiracy site, and Voat.com, a website that promotes conspiracy theories such as PizzaGate. ^ a b c d e Van Der Werf, Martin (November 29, 1987). "Buck mirror image of Mecham, critics say" . Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. pp. 9''10 . Retrieved November 21, 2017 '' via Newspapers.com. ^ a b Stanton, Sam (February 13, 1987). "Recall-Mecham stickers OK'd for state workers' cars" . The Arizona Republic. p. 16 . Retrieved November 25, 2017 '' via Newspapers.com. ^ Stanton, Sam (December 21, 1986). "Recall bid on Mecham a bit early" . The Arizona Republic . Retrieved November 25, 2017 '' via Newspapers.com. ^ "Mecham begins term as 17th governor of Arizona with call for 'new beginning' " . Arizona Daily Star. January 6, 1987. pp. 1, 2 . Retrieved November 25, 2017 '' via Newspapers.com. ^ Harris, Don; Stanton, Sam (January 6, 1987). "Special budget session to be called by Mecham" . The Arizona Republic. pp. 1, 6 . Retrieved November 25, 2017 '' via Newspapers.com. ^ Carson, Susan R. (March 15, 1987). "Opponent of Mecham lambasted" . Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. pp. 11, 12 . Retrieved November 21, 2017 '' via Newspapers.com. ^ "Phoenix man seeks to recall Mecham" . Arizona Daily Star. December 22, 1986. p. 32 . Retrieved November 25, 2017 '' via Newspapers.com. ^ a b Cullen, Terence (August 22, 2017). "Los Angeles investigators probing death of male escort at home of prominent Democratic donor". The New York Daily News . Retrieved November 25, 2017 . ^ a b "Investigation Underway Into Fatal Drug Overdose At Democratic Donor's WeHo Home". CBS Los Angeles. August 15, 2017 . Retrieved November 26, 2017 . ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (October 17, 2019). "Ed Buck was known for his abrasive behavior. But politicians still took his money". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 17, 2019 . ^ a b c Branson-Potts, Hailey; Winton, Richard (November 18, 2017). "Democratic donor's home was littered with drug paraphernalia after man died, coroner says" . The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 21, 2017 . Moore, who was black, had been homeless and had worked as an escort. ^ Winton, Richard; Tchekmedyian, Alene; Branson-Potts, Hailey (August 15, 2017). "Homicide detectives probe man's overdose death at the home of prominent L.A. Democratic donor Ed Buck". Los Angeles Times. ^ "LA County DA Declines to Charge Ed Buck in Death of Gemmel Moore". WEHOville. July 26, 2018 . Retrieved July 29, 2018 . ^ a b " 'Serial predator': L.A. writer has been sounding alarm on Ed Buck for over a year". NBC News. January 11, 2019 . Retrieved January 18, 2019 . ^ "Man Who Died in Buck's Home ID'd: Retail Worker, Adult Film Actor". The Advocate. January 10, 2019. ^ "The Story Behind the Man Found Dead in Ed Buck's Laurel Avenue Apartment". January 10, 2019. ^ "Death Reported at West Hollywood Home of Wealthy Political Donor Ed Buck '-- For the 2nd Time". KTLA. January 7, 2019 . Retrieved January 7, 2019 . ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (January 11, 2019). "Ed Buck's attorney says critics have unfairly used race to blame his client for two deaths in his home". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 27, 2019 . ^ Flynn, Meagan (September 18, 2019). "Democratic donor arrested after third man overdoses at his West Hollywood home". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 18, 2019 . ^ Chan, Stella; Mossberg, Cheri; Simon, Darran (September 19, 2019). "Democratic donor Ed Buck faces federal charge for allegedly providing lethal dose of meth". CNN . Retrieved September 20, 2019 . ^ Queally, James; Winton, Richard (September 19, 2019). "Democratic donor Ed Buck paid at least 10 men to use drugs for his own pleasure, prosecutors say". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 20, 2019 . ^ "Grand Jury Charges Ed Buck with Four Additional Felonies, Including that He Enticed Victims to Travel Interstate to Engage in Prostitution". United States Department of Justice. August 4, 2020 . Retrieved August 8, 2020 . ^ Seneeze, Thom (January 15, 2021). "Ed Buck's Trial Has Been Postponed Again, and Further Delay Could Follow". Los Angeles . Retrieved April 15, 2022 . ^ Dazio, Stefanie (July 27, 2021). "Democratic donor convicted of offering drugs for sex; 2 died". AP News . Retrieved August 8, 2021 . ^ "West Hollywood Man Found Guilty of Drug Trafficking Charges, Including Giving Methamphetamine to Two Victims Who Died". www.justice.gov. July 27, 2021 . Retrieved March 5, 2022 . External links [ edit ] Donor Lookup for people named Ed Buck at OpenSecrets.org Donor Lookup for people named Edward Buck at OpenSecrets.orgJasmyne Cannick's writings on the death of Gemmel Moore

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Wed, 29 Jun 2022 17:53

A drug that is destroying the minds of Americans but no one is really talking about it.

Yes, today the United States is a wash i n an Heroin epidemic with addicts dying of overdoses everyday. There is a second drug that is destroying the minds of Americans but no one is really focusing on this particular issue related to addiction. It seems that Meth usage is more prevalent in middle class and lower income neighborhoods but that will soon change with the over prescribing of the prescription Amphetamine, Adderall. The story will be the same as most of those that now are abusing Heroin but their addiction started with the prescription drug Oxycodone or Vicodin. When an addict no longer has access to prescription drugs there is always an option readily available on the street. What is even more alarming is the fact that Ice known as Meth is being used as a replacement for Cocaine in what is known as a Speedball. The deadly mix of a stimulant and Heroin has killed quite a few celebrities such as Jimm Belushi in the past. When use see the list of chemicals I will post used in today's Ice or Meth it will be easy realize why this drug can cause permanent psychosis or brain damage.

Chemicals commonly used to make Crystal Meth:a) Pseudoephrineb) Acetonec) Freond) Red Phosporuse) Hydrophosphrous Acidf) Lithiumg) Hydriodic Acidh) Iodine CrystalsI) Phenylopropanolamine

Now keep in mind that all the above listed chemicals are highly corrosive or toxic and some can easily ignite causing an explosion during the manufacturing process of Meth.

Mental Health workers be prepared:Those who abuse Crystal Meth are highly unpredictable. When they are actually detoxing one minute they can appear to be extremely depressed or may actually be in a drug induced psychosis so when dealing with these types of patients be prepared for extreme mood swings. The effects of Meth can last for months in some cases after an addicts last usage of the drug and may need additional help rebuilding cognitive skills once they have detoxed. It has also been said that in some cases that Meth addicts can have issues with mood regulation for up to five years after they have gotten clean and sober. So as American deals with an Heroin epidemic it might want to keep an eye of an increase of addicts being admitted to hospitals due addicts to being in a Crystal Meth psychosis.

Visit the Haven House Addiction Treatment homepage.

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Sam Quinones is an independent journalist & author of four books of narrative nonfiction

WATCH: Sam on C-SPAN BookTV's In Depth

REVIEWS: The Least of Us in Christianity Today & Plough Quarterly

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Wed, 29 Jun 2022 17:33

Jacob Engels Wiki '' Jacob Engels BiographyJacob Engels was removed from a school board meeting in Florida after reading excerpts from a book available to high school students at district libraries. The sexualized book is ''Gender Queer: A Memoir'' by Maia Kobabe, which talks about LGBTQ sex.

She first raised questions after an irate mother found her on the shelves of the Keller Independent School District, who then took to social media to express her anger. However, the recent incident allegedly occurred at an Orange County School Board meeting, where President Teresa Jacobs asked police to remove Jacob Engels after reading the vulgar passage.

Jacob Engels threw out of school board meetingThe Waukee School District has removed books from the library shelves after parents complained that the books had exposed their students to inappropriate content.

At a Waukee School Board meeting Monday, parent Amber McClanahan read passages from several books that she said were available in the Northwest High School library. The excerpts, selected from ''All Boys Aren't Blue'', ''Lawn Boy'' and ''Gender Queer'' contained graphic written and visual representations of sexual acts between boys and, in one case, relatives.

''This,'' McClanahan said, displaying a graphic set of images, ''is also in the 'Gender Queer' book at Northwest High School, available for 14-year-olds to review and read.''

Mother Courtney Collier also raised concerns about books containing same-sex relationships at the October 11 board meeting. She said her 10-year-old son told her that a book about a boy who discovered he was gay was mentioned as a suggested reading article during a library class.

''This is an issue that we explicitly told the school that we did not want to discuss with our children and, as parents, I believe it is our right,'' she said. '''... I didn't realize that you as a district could go above us and expose our kids to content about sexual orientation and things like that that we said we didn't want to be part of their education at. Waukee schools. ''

In a statement, the district said the books are under review and are not currently available in school libraries.

''A review process, per Board policy, will determine whether all or any of these titles are returned to the library's shelves,'' she read in the statement. ''Specifically, upon completion of the review of each title, a recommendation will be made to the superintendent as to the future availability of these books in school libraries.''

The statement acknowledges that the content of classroom and library materials is occasionally challenged, and that the process for requesting a review of books or other materials should generally begin at the school or classroom level.

In Urbandale, Father Dennis Murphy said he found the ''Hey, Kiddo'' book in his son's backpack. The book is about a boy who lives with his grandparents and seeks to discover the truth about his family. I can't write what I saw, but I did find 33 different pages that contained sexual or libelous / vulgar content that, if spoken in my home, would be grounds for immediate discipline, ''Murphy said in an email.

''Gender Queer'' has also been removed from some school libraries in Texas and Virginia and has been the subject of recent school board debate in states such as Illinois, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Orange County Public Schools, however, took action after the meeting. In a statement, OCPS Director of Media Relations Shari Bobinski said: ''Four copies of the 'Gender Queer' book were in three of our 22 high schools. The School Board was unaware that this book was available in school media centers. At this time, the book is not on the library shelves and is under review. If anyone has a concern about materials or books found in our media centers or in our classrooms, Orange County Public Schools has a process for parents/guardians to submit a form to the school principal to address a restlessness ''.

Meanwhile, the video of Engels reading the passage has gone viral on the internet. In reaction, one user tweeted: ''I would be absolutely horrified and disgusted if I were a parent and found out that my children are exposed to this shit!'' The second commented: ''High power. Reprimand and expulsion of parents for trying to raise awareness. Amazing.''

''I don't understand why a school board would silence a tax-paying parent who is concerned about the vulgar language in a book and was treated as a criminal. Anyone who spoke was silenced. Speechless, ''one person wondered.

Read Also: Who is Brittney Cooper? Wiki, Biography, Age, Runs Black feminist blog

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Wed, 29 Jun 2022 17:27

Larry Sinclair makes some serious allegations against Barry O including the murder of a choir member of Reverend Jeremiah Wright's church which Barry attended while living in Chicago.

The gist of the story is Sinclair was listening to Barry on TV during his run for the presidency in 2007 claim he hadn't used drugs since his college days, Sinclair knew Barry was lying and thought the American people should know a man running for President is deceiving them.

Sinclair claims he had an encounter with Barry in November of 1999 while Sinclair was in town for some event/function. While in town Sinclair was using a limousine service for his transportation and he inquired of the driver if he knew anyone that could show him around the city of Chicago while he was in town. The driver said he knew of a person he could contact and later the driver introduced Sinclair to Barry at a downtown bar/lounge.

Well, that's all the further I'm going with the details'....when you get some time here's the presser where Sinclair recounts the encounter with Barry O'....

Larry Sinclair tells of his sexual and drug use encounter with Barry O ''Barrack Obama is a wannabe black man with a white man's penis.''

This post was edited on 3/24 at 12:46 pm

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Wed, 29 Jun 2022 17:12

American politician (born 1979)

Andrew Demetric Gillum (born July 26, 1979) is an American former politician who served as the 126th mayor of Tallahassee. He served as a Tallahassee city commissioner from 2003 until 2014, first elected at the age of 23.[1] He is a member of the Democratic Party.

In 2018, Gillum was the nominee of the Florida Democratic Party to be the governor of Florida. He had won the Democratic primary election over a field of five other candidates, including former U.S. representative Gwen Graham and former Miami Beach mayor Philip Levine. In the general election, he lost in a close race to Republican U.S. representative Ron DeSantis.

In 2022, Gillum was indicted on 21 felony counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements, for allegedly diverting money raised during the campaign to a company controlled by one of his top advisors.[2][3]

Early life and education [ edit ] Gillum was born in Miami and raised in Gainesville, Florida. He is the fifth of seven children born to Charles and Frances Gillum, respectively a construction worker and a school bus driver. Gillum graduated from Gainesville High School in 1998 and was recognized by the Gainesville Sun as one of the city's "persons of the year." He then moved to Tallahassee to attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) to major in political science.[4]

Gillum served as president of the FAMU Student Government Association from 2001 to 2002 and was the first student member of the FAMU Board of Trustees. He was recognized by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation as "emerging leader for 2003." Gillum was also a board member of the Black Youth Vote Coalition, a program of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation in Washington, D.C. Gillum was elected to the Tallahassee City Commission prior to the completion of his college studies.[4][5]

Political career [ edit ] City of Tallahassee commissioner [ edit ] In 2003, aged 23, Gillum was elected to the Tallahassee City Commission for a one-year term, becoming the youngest person to be elected to the commission.[6] Gillum was a political science student at FAMU when he was elected.[4]

He was subsequently elected to a full four-year term, in 2004, garnering 72 percent of the vote, and was reelected in 2008 and again in 2012.[6]

Gillum served a one-year term as Mayor Pro Tem from November 10, 2004, through November 9, 2005. The joint body of city and county commissioners, known as the Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency, elected him to serve as their chairperson for a year (January 2005 through December 2005). Gillum has also served as lead commissioner for the Long Range Community Based Target Issue Committee.[7]

In 2005, Gillum was one of the commissioners who voted to give themselves a new retirement benefit through deferred compensation. The policy was later repealed by the commission after public outrage.[4]

City of Tallahassee projects [ edit ] During his eleven years as a city commissioner, Gillum championed a number of community enrichment projects.[7] The Digital Harmony Project is an initiative championed by Gillum with support from the City of Tallahassee, local businesses and technology partnerships. Digital Harmony won the Significant Achievement Award in the Web & e-Government Services category from the Public Technology Institute. For the first two years, it provided every incoming Nims Middle School sixth and seventh-grader with a new desktop computer, free internet access and online academic curriculum training on core subjects. The school holds ongoing training courses for parents and students on basic computer skills and school curriculum. This effort places 200 computers into the homes of Nims Middle School students.[8]

Gillum championed the opening of the first Tallahassee Teen Center, the Palmer Munroe Center, which serves as a safe haven for many area youth and operates a restorative justice program.[9] Restorative justice programs have shown significant success, compared to non-restorative measures, in improving victim and/or offender satisfaction, increasing offender compliance with restitution, and decreasing the recidivism of offenders.[10] Gillum stressed these results as some of the reasons for the great importance of the Palmer Munroe Center.[11]

Gillum supported the city's development project of Cascades Park, located in downtown Tallahassee. The park was built in 2013 and doubles as a storm-water management facility, protecting local neighborhoods from flooding.[4]

Mayor of Tallahassee [ edit ] Election [ edit ] In April 2013, Andrew Gillum announced his intention to run for mayor of Tallahassee.[12] Gillum ran against three opponents: Larry Hendricks, Zach Richardson, and write-in candidate Evin Matthews.[13] In the August 26, 2014 nonpartisan primary, Gillum defeated Richardson and Hendricks; capturing 76 percent of the vote with 19,658 votes.[14] On August 27, 2014, write-in candidate Evin Matthews withdrew from the race, resulting in Gillum becoming mayor-elect.[15]

Tenure in office [ edit ] Before taking office, Gillum met with various mayors to learn from their successes.[16] He also launched the Tallahassee Mayoral Fellows Program in partnership with Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University and Florida State University, allowing high-achieving graduate students to gain experience working in City government.[17] Gillum was sworn into Office on November 21, 2014.[18]

In January 2015, Gillum strongly supported the City of Tallahassee joining in the Ban the Box campaign; arguing that the initiative does not stop the city from conducting background checks, but rather gives applicants a fair shot at employment and reduces recidivism.[19] On January 28 the Tallahassee City Commission voted 3''2 to drop the box.[20]

On February 17, 2015, Gillum welcomed United States secretary of transportation Anthony Foxx to Tallahassee to kick off the Grow America Express Tour.[21] Gillum also contributed to the DOT Fastlane Blog, in which he stressed the importance of long-term transportation investments for America's mid-size cities.[22]

In an effort to overhaul how City Advisory Committees, a series of local advisory boards, operate in Tallahassee, Mayor Gillum released a survey in March 2015 to gain feedback into the city's numerous boards and motivate citizens to get involved with local government.[23] Also in March 2015, Gillum participated in a conference call with other Florida mayors and United States deputy secretary of commerce, Bruce Andrews; a call in which Gillum stated his support for Congress to pass trade promotion legislation that would bolster international trade, and stressed the importance for local governments of a leveled playing field.[24]

On March 27, 2015, Gillum held the Mayor's Summit on Children,[25] a large conference in which business and community leaders came together to learn about the importance of investments in quality Early Childhood Education (ECE).[26] Speakers included Dr. Craig Ramey, research scholar of human development at Virginia Tech, who spoke about the importance of ECE to language development and the vocabulary gap that can form between those who receive quality ECE and those who do not; and Rob Grunewald, economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, who spoke about the importance of early learning to the long-term economic success of a community.

On the heels of the Summit on Children, Gillum launched four community-led task forces as part of his Family First Agenda; these task forces, which Gillum introduced at the Summit, examine: Improved Quality and Affordable Child Care, Family Friendly Workplaces and Culture, Greater Community Investments in Children and Families, and Resources and Training for Parents and Families.[27] Gillum stressed that investments in early childhood education have been proven to return six dollars for every one dollar invested; this is due to lowering community costs on those children as they grow older.[28]

In May 2015, Gillum launched a 1,000 Mentors Initiative, which aimed to recruit 1,000 men and women from diverse backgrounds to increase youth mentoring opportunities in Tallahassee, and help youth in need.[29] Also in May 2015, Gillum, in partnership with several local and national organizations, orchestrated the Tallahassee Future Leaders Academy (TFLA), a summer jobs program which employed over 100 youths throughout city government.[30] Gillum summarized the importance of a program like the TFLA in a July Op-ed, in which he highlighted how similar summer jobs programs from around the country have been shown to reduce arrests for violent crime, reduce youth mortality rates, and increase the likelihood of college attendance.[31]

In response to an increase in shootings, Gillum and the Tallahassee Police Department worked with community organizations to implement Operation Safe Neighborhoods in 2015.[32][33] This initiative called for an increase in law enforcement visibility and capacity; strengthening strategic partnerships and community programs/opportunities; and enhancing community engagement and response, through the implementation of a community watch program called, Neighbors on the Block.[34]

In October 2015, more than 400 strangers gathered around a 350-foot-long table in downtown Tallahassee to participate in the launch of The Longest Table, an annual initiative aiming to use the dinner table as a medium for generating meaningful conversation among people of diverse ethnic, religious, and political backgrounds. Organized by the Office of the Mayor and spearheaded by Community Engagement Director Jamie Van Pelt, the project won a $57,250 grant from the Knight Cities Challenge via the Knight Foundation.[35]

Corruption and misuse investigations [ edit ] In February 2017, Gillum apologized after the Tallahassee Democrat reported that his government office had been used to send emails through web-based software purchased from NGP VAN, a company that provides technology to Democratic and progressive campaigns.[36] An investigation into the emails started after Paul Henry, a retired state trooper from Monticello, wrote State Attorney Jack Campbell in March to allege Gillum committed grand theft and official misconduct by paying for the software with city funds when he believed they served no public purpose. Gillum reimbursed the city for the $5,082.45 cost of the software on March 2, 2017.[37] In August 2017, a Leon County grand jury declined to indict Gillum personally due to lack of evidence of criminal wrongdoing.[37]

During his mayoral campaign in 2014, Gillum faced allegations of misconduct after hiring private equity investor Adam Corey as the treasurer. Corey is an investor in The Edison, a restaurant that received taxpayer money from the city to help with the Cascades Park development project. During a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into the matter, city officials stated that Gillum's vote did not constitute a conflict of interest[4] and Gillum cut ties with Corey.[38]

According to text messages uncovered by the Tampa Bay Times, Gillum accepted tickets to the Broadway musical Hamilton from his brother, Marcus Gillum, who got them through an undercover FBI agent conducting a corruption investigation. The agent was posing as a real estate developer.[39] Gillum responded to the Tampa Bay Times story, "These messages only confirm what we have said all along. We did go to see Hamilton. I did get my ticket to Hamilton from my brother. At the time, we believed that they were reserved by friends of Adam's, Mike Miller. And when I got there after work, got my ticket, we went in there and saw it, assumed my brother paid for it, and so far as I know, that was the deal."[39]

In late January 2019, the Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause that Gillum violated state ethics laws when he accepted gifts during out-of-town excursions with lobbyists and vendors and failed to report them.[40] Ultimately, a $5,000 settlement was agreed to on four out of the five charges.[41]

2018 gubernatorial campaign [ edit ] Andrew Gillum campaigning in 2018.

Gillum announced his candidacy for governor in March 2017, and was the first to declare his intention to run as a Democrat.[42][43] Gillum won the Democratic nomination for governor in an upset victory over the expected winner, former congresswoman Gwen Graham, 34''31%. Gillum was the first black nominee for governor in Florida's history.[44] Gillum conceded to Republican candidate Ron DeSantis on the evening of November 6, 2018.[45] However, when the recount began, Gillum withdrew his concession, saying: "I am replacing my words of concession with an uncompromised and unapologetic call that we count every single vote."[46] Gillum conceded again on November 17, after a machine recount was completed. The final tally showed DeSantis had successfully beaten Gillum by 36,219 votes, equalling about 0.4% of the over 8.2 million total votes cast.[47]

The campaign was marked by racial controversy, as DeSantis was accused of using the verb monkey as a dog whistle when he said, "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state. That is not going to work. That's not going to be good for Florida."[48] During the campaign, President Donald Trump claimed that Gillum was a "thief," which was also interpreted as a racial dog whistle.[49]

In May 2019, the FBI subpoenaed Gillum regarding his gubernatorial campaign.[50]

Political positions [ edit ] Gillum has been widely described as a progressive,[51] and by some conservatives as a democratic socialist.[52] During the 2018 gubernatorial campaign, DeSantis said that Gillum had a "far left socialist platform"; PolitiFact rated this assertion as false.[53]

Gillum supports the replacement of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the U.S. Department of Justice. He seeks to expand Medicaid to cover "700,000 people, who right now don't have access to health care".[54] He supports the removal of Confederate monuments.[55] Gillum wants to raise the Florida corporate tax rate to 7.75 percent, up from the current 5.5 percent, which he said would be used on education funding.[56] Gillum supports a $15 minimum wage.[57] He was endorsed by Bernie Sanders and received financial support from Tom Steyer and George Soros[58][59] Gillum has called for the impeachment of Donald Trump.[60] Gillum accepts the scientific consensus on climate change, and has warned that climate change causes sea level rise with adverse effects for Florida.[61][62] He opposed the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and said that he would as Florida governor work with other states in a state-based climate alliance.[63]

Gillum opposes Florida's stand-your-ground law.[57] Gillum is in favor of a 2018 ballot proposition, Amendment 4, to restore the voting rights of most individuals who have completed felony convictions.[57][64] Gillum said, "Floridians who have paid their debts deserve a second chance and they should have a voice in our state's future. Our current system for rights restoration is a relic of Jim Crow that we should end for good."[65]

Indictment [ edit ] On June 22, 2022, Gillum was indicted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Florida on 21 felony counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements for allegedly diverting money raised during the campaign to a company controlled by Sharon Lettman-Hicks, one of his top advisors on his campaign, who then used the money to pay Gillum. In response, Gillum released a statement declaring his innocence and calling the indictment "political" in nature.[2][3]

Honors and accolades [ edit ] Gillum has received various honors and accolades. While attending FAMU, Gillum was recognized by the National Center for Policy Alternatives in Washington, D.C., as the country's top student leader in 2001.[66] In 2004, he was named to Ebony magazine's "Fast Track 30 Leaders Who Are 30 and Under."[67] Gillum was named as a "2010 Emerging Leader" by Essence Magazine.[68]

As part of Florida A&M University's 2012 125th Anniversary Quasiquicentennial Celebration, Gillum was honored as an Outstanding Alumnus, along with 124 other FAMU alumni.[69] Also in 2012, Gillum was named as one of "50 Young Progressive Activists Who Are Changing America," by The Huffington Post.[70] In 2014, Gillum was named as one of the 40 Under 40 by The Washington Post political blog "The Fix."[71]

Personal life [ edit ] On May 24, 2009, Gillum married Rashada Jai Howard, a fellow FAMU graduate.[72] The couple have three children.[5][73]

In March 2020, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Gillum was one of three men, one of whom was experiencing a drug overdose, who were found with "plastic baggies of suspected crystal meth" in a hotel room in Miami Beach; however, no arrests were made. The person who overdosed has been reported by numerous outlets as a gay male escort.[74][75] Initially, Gillum was too inebriated to speak with police.[76] On March 16, Gillum stated that he would enter rehabilitation, citing struggles with alcohol after narrowly losing the 2018 Florida gubernatorial race.[77]

On September 14, 2020, Gillum came out as bisexual in an interview with Tamron Hall on her nationally syndicated talk show.[78]

Electoral history [ edit ] Tallahassee City Commission, 2003''2012 [ edit ] 2003 Nonpartisan Primary,Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2[79]CandidateVotes%Mayo Woodward7,62729.1Andrew D. Gillum6,66225.4Bob Henderson6,43924.5Norma Parrish4,09015.6Jack Traylor1,0133.9Joshua Hicks4141.6Total votes26,245 2003 Nonpartisan Runoff,Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2[80]CandidateVotes%Andrew D. Gillum16,11956.9Mayo Woodward12,20643.1Total votes28,325 2004 Nonpartisan Primary,Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2[81]CandidateVotes%Andrew D. Gillum22,04072.0Allen Turnage4,67015.3D.J. Johnson3,90312.8Total votes30,613 2008 Election,Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2[82]CandidateVotes%Andrew D. GillumUnopposed''2012 Nonpartisan Primary,Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2[83]CandidateVotes%Andrew D. Gillum20,32972.2Nick Halley3,32111.8David (Bubba) Riddle2,7389.7Jacob S. Eaton1,7696.3Total votes28,157 Mayor of Tallahassee, 2014 [ edit ] 2014 Nonpartisan Primary,Mayor of Tallahassee[84]CandidateVotes%Andrew D. Gillum19,80575.7Zack Richardson3,70514.2Larry Hendricks2,66110.2Total votes26,171 Florida gubernatorial election, 2018 [ edit ] References [ edit ] ^ "Good news for Democrats: wins in Tallahassee, Orlando mayor races". Sarasota Herald Tribune. March 3, 2003 . Retrieved November 5, 2008 . ^ a b "Andrew Gillum, DeSantis' 2018 opponent, accused in indictment of wire fraud, false statements". NBC News. ^ a b Bort, Ryan; Bort, Ryan (June 22, 2022). "Former Florida Governor Candidate Andrew Gillum Charged With Campaign Fraud". Rolling Stone . Retrieved June 22, 2022 . ^ a b c d e f Waters, TaMaryn (August 27, 2014). "Andrew Gillum wins mayoral primary". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved August 30, 2018 . ^ a b "Mayor Andrew Gillum". Office of the Mayor. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015 . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ a b "Andrew Gillum." Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 128: Profiles from the International Black Community. Detroit: Gale, 2015. Retrieved via Biography In Context database, August 29, 2018. ^ a b "Andrew Gillum: Director of Youth Leadership Programs, People For the American Way Foundation". huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post . Retrieved September 3, 2018 . ^ Krystin Goodwin. " "Digital Harmony Project" Making a Difference for Students" . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ "Day-Long Restorative Justice Training Offered". City of Tallahassee. February 19, 2013 . Retrieved July 29, 2015 . ^ Lattimer, Jeff; Dowden, Craig; Muise, Danielle (June 2005). "The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Practices: A Meta-analysis" (PDF) . The Prison Journal. 85 (2): 127''144, 138. doi:10.1177/0032885505276969. S2CID 18534688 . Retrieved July 29, 2015 . ^ "Juvenile Delinquency and Restorative Justice". WCTV. February 20, 2013 . Retrieved July 29, 2015 . ^ "Andrew Gillum confirms interest in Tallahassee mayor job". Tallahassee News '' ABC 27 WTXL. April 3, 2013 . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ "More candidates make the ballot ahead of today's qualifying deadline". Tallahassee Democrat. June 20, 2014 . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ "Andrew Gillum wins mayoral primary". Tallahassee Democrat. August 26, 2014 . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ Andy Alcock. "Update: Withdrawal Makes Gillum Mayor-Elect, Focus Shifts To Governing" . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ "Gillum meeting with mayors as part of transition". Tallahassee Democrat. September 29, 2014 . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ "Mayor-Elect Gillum Launches Mayoral Fellows Program". WCTV. October 16, 2014 . Retrieved July 23, 2015 . ^ "Gillum talks of hope, unity during swearing-in ceremony". Tallahassee Democrat. November 21, 2014 . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ "Gillum: 'Ban the Box' helps people to pass first hurdle". Tallahassee Democrat. January 25, 2015 . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ Chris Gros, James Buechele. "Tallahassee "Drops The Box" " . Retrieved December 7, 2015 . ^ Waters, TaMaryn (February 17, 2015). "Tallahassee first stop on 'Grow America Express' tour". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved July 23, 2015 . ^ Gillum, Andrew (February 17, 2015). "America's mid-size cities need long-term transportation investment". U.S. Department of Transportation Fast Lane . Retrieved July 23, 2015 . ^ Duran, Vanity (March 16, 2015). "Tallahassee Mayor Wants More Participation In Local Advisory Boards". WFSU . Retrieved July 23, 2015 . ^ Waters, TaMaryn (March 19, 2015). "Mayor Gillum stresses 'leveling the playing field' in international trade discussion". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved July 23, 2015 . ^ Gillum, Andrew (May 7, 2015). "2015 Mayor's Summit on Children". YouTube. Andrew Gillum . Retrieved July 24, 2015 . ^ Dobson, Byron (March 27, 2015). "Tallahassee businesses are critical to meeting children's needs". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved July 23, 2015 . ^ Dobson, Byron (April 5, 2015). "Tax among options to fund children's services in Leon County". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved July 24, 2015 . ^ Schultz, Edan (May 8, 2015). " 'Summit on Children' Moves Forward". WCTV . Retrieved July 24, 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Andrew (May 27, 2015). "Mayor Gillum Calls For 1,000 Mentors". WFSU . Retrieved July 24, 2015 . ^ Dobson, Byron (June 22, 2015). "City commits $100,000 to south-side initiatives". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved July 24, 2015 . ^ Gillum, Andrew (July 18, 2015). "Summer jobs for youth vital for Tallahassee's future". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved July 24, 2015 . ^ Shultz, Edan (June 2, 2015). "Tallahassee Unveils "Operation Safe Neighborhoods" ". WCTV . Retrieved July 24, 2015 . ^ Godfrey, Georgiaree (June 2, 2015). "Tallahassee Residents Take the Streets Back". WTXL . Retrieved July 24, 2015 . ^ "Operation Safe Neighborhoods" (PDF) . Talgov.com. City of Tallahassee. June 2015 . Retrieved July 24, 2015 . ^ Poon, Linda (April 12, 2016). "Can Dinner at an Enormous Table Help Tallahassee Break Down Barriers?". Bloomberg.com. ^ Burlew, Jeff (February 28, 2017). "Mayor Gillum apologizes for political emails". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ a b Schweers, Jeffrey (August 8, 2017). "Mayor Gillum cleared in email software investigation". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ Mahoney, Emily (June 1, 2018). "Report: Andrew Gillum scheduled meeting with undercover FBI agents during Costa Rica trip with lobbyists". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved August 30, 2018 . ^ a b Mower, Lawrence (October 23, 2018). "Records show FBI agents gave Andrew Gillum tickets to 'Hamilton' in 2016". Tampa Bay Times. ^ Burlew, Jeff (January 25, 2019). "Florida Ethics Commission finds probable cause in complaint against Andrew Gillum". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved July 23, 2019 . ^ "Andrew Gillum's $5,000 settlement accepted by state ethics panel". The Orlando Sentinel. June 7, 2019 . Retrieved July 23, 2019 . ^ Man, Anthony (May 2, 2018). "Gwen Graham makes it official, announces campaign for Florida governor". SunSentinel . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ Larrabee, Brandon (March 1, 2018). "Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum says he'll run for governor in 2018". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ Mazzei, Patricia (August 28, 2018). "Andrew Gillum Upends Expectations in Florida Primary Victory". The New York Times . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ Mazzei, Patricia (November 7, 2018). "Andrew Gillum Concedes to Ron DeSantis in Florida Governor's Race". The New York Times . Retrieved November 7, 2018 . ^ "Andrew Gillum withdraws concession as Florida recount begins". CNN. November 11, 2018 . Retrieved November 11, 2018 . ^ "Florida Election Watch - Governor". Archived from the original on August 29, 2020 . Retrieved September 11, 2020 . ^ "DeSantis under fire for saying Florida shouldn't 'monkey this up' by electing Gillum, who is black". NBC News . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ "Trump calls Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum a 'thief' without citing evidence". Washington Post . Retrieved October 29, 2018 . ^ Contorno, Steve. "Federal subpoena demands records on Andrew Gillum and his campaign for governor". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved July 23, 2019 . ^ "Racist Robocalls Target Andrew Gillum, Democratic Nominee for Florida Governor" . Retrieved September 1, 2018 . ^ Luce, Edward (August 31, 2018). "Socialism in Florida". Financial Times . Retrieved September 2, 2018 . ^ "No, Andrew Gillum doesn't want to turn Fla. into Venezuela". @politifact . Retrieved September 8, 2018 . ^ Kugle, Andrew (August 29, 2018). "Florida Dem Gubernatorial Candidate Supports Abolishing ICE, Medicare for All". Washington Free Beacon . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ Burlew, Jeff. "Andrew Gillum talks racism, Confederate flags in Tallahassee during Tampa campaign stop". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ Mahoney, Emily (January 19, 2018). "Andrew Gillum proposes corporate tax hike for more education funding". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ a b c Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (August 26, 2018). "Andrew Gillum's Campaign for Governor of Florida, and the Extent of the Progressive Revolution". The New Yorker. ^ Nilsen, Ella (August 29, 2018). "Who is Andrew Gillum? Meet Florida's history-making Democratic nominee for governor". Vox . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ Wilson, Kirby (August 23, 2018). "Andrew Gillum gets another $650,000 from billionaire donors Soros, Steyer". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica (August 29, 2018). "Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum: Florida wants a governor who's 'not misogynist, not racist' ". CNN . Retrieved August 29, 2018 . ^ "Gillum knocks Trump, Scott and Graham on environmental issues". Politico PRO . Retrieved August 31, 2018 . ^ "Mayor promises to bring jobs, education home to Florida". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved August 31, 2018 . ^ "Florida gubernatorial candidates react to Trump withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved August 31, 2018 . ^ Levine, Sam (September 6, 2018). "He Could Be Florida's First Black Governor '' Unless A Jim Crow-Era Law Stops Him". Huffington Post . Retrieved September 6, 2018 . ^ Bousquet, Steve. "Where they stand: Candidates for governor on vote for felons". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved September 6, 2018 . ^ "FAMU Alum Named Emerging Leader of the Year". FAMU Headlines . Retrieved July 29, 2015 . ^ Company, Johnson Publishing (February 2004). "Fast Track 30 Leaders Who Are 30 and Under". Ebony Magazine (February 2004): 94 . Retrieved July 29, 2015 . ^ "Emerging Leaders 2010". Essence. 2010. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018 . Retrieved September 27, 2020 . ^ "FAMU to Honor 125 Alumni during Homecoming Gala". FAMU News Headlines. Florida A&M University. October 29, 2012 . Retrieved July 29, 2015 . ^ Dreier, Peter (December 12, 2012). "50 Young Progressive Activists Who Are Changing America". The Huffington Post . Retrieved July 29, 2015 . ^ Blake, Aaron (May 29, 2014). "40 under 40". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 29, 2015 . ^ "Alumni Spotlight: R. Jai Gillum, Class I '' Florida Gubernatorial Fellows". floridafellows.com. ^ "Meet Andrew". Andrew Gillum for Governor. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018 . Retrieved September 27, 2020 . {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) ^ Luscombe, Richard (March 14, 2020). "Police find Andrew Gillum in hotel room with man treated for apparent overdose". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved March 17, 2020 . ^ Fineout, Gary; Caputo, Marc. "Gillum withdraws from politics after link to suspected drug overdose". Politico PRO . Retrieved March 17, 2020 . ^ Jeff Burlew (March 13, 2020). "Andrew Gillum linked to meth overdose incident in Miami hotel, police reports state". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved March 14, 2020 . ^ "Democratic star ex-mayor Andrew Gillum to enter rehab". BBC News. March 16, 2020 . Retrieved March 17, 2020 . ^ Portwood, Jerry (September 14, 2020). "Andrew Gillum Comes Out as Bisexual". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 14, 2020 . ^ "2003 Municipal Primary Election Summary Report" (PDF) . Retrieved August 9, 2018 . ^ "2003 Regular Municipal Election Summary Report" (PDF) . ^ "2004 Primary Election Summary Report" (PDF) . Retrieved August 9, 2018 . ^ "2008 Filed Candidates, Leon County, Florida" (PDF) . Retrieved August 9, 2018 . ^ "2012 Primary Election Summary Report" (PDF) . Retrieved August 9, 2018 . ^ "2014 Primary Election Summary Report" (PDF) . Retrieved August 9, 2018 . ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 9, 2018 . Retrieved March 19, 2019 . {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) External links [ edit ] 2018 Gubernatorial Election SiteCity of Tallahassee2015 Mayor's Summit on ChildrenOffice of the Mayor Mid-Year ReportLeary, Alex (August 25, 2007). "Obama's quest: Turn support into votes. The Democrat's grass roots network is thriving". St. Petersburg Times. Florida . Retrieved November 5, 2008 . Wright, Todd (February 17, 2005). "Plan for city, students unveiled" . Tallahassee Democrat. Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News . Retrieved November 5, 2008 .

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Wed, 29 Jun 2022 17:09

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kentucky Democrat Charles Booker appears on camera with a noose around his neck to condemn Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul for blocking anti-lynching legislation two years ago '-- a personally searing ad for a trailblazing Black candidate who says some of his own ancestors were lynched.

The new online ad '-- which comes with a warning about its content '-- shows a grisly photo of a lynching victim dangling from a tree. But it fails to mention that Paul co-sponsored a new version of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act that cleared Congress this year and was signed into law by President Joe Biden. The measure, named for the Black teenager whose 1955 killing in Mississippi became a galvanizing moment in the civil rights era, made lynching a federal hate crime.

The ad exemplifies Booker's no-holds-barred approach to confronting racial and economic justice issues in a mostly rural, conservative-leaning state where only about 8% of the population is Black. And it ignores Paul's long-running outreach into mostly Black neighborhoods to discuss criminal justice issues and ways to turn around economically distressed communities, improve schools and combat gun violence.

The libertarian-leaning Paul will face Booker in a November matchup in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1992. The ad shows that Booker, the first Black major party nominee for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, won't shy from raising issues that might make some Kentuckians uncomfortable.

Booker's ad zeroes in on Paul's efforts to stall the anti-lynching legislation in 2020. At the time, Paul said the legislation was drafted too broadly and could define minor assaults as lynching. Booker says it's an example of Paul embracing divisive politics.

But the ad contains a broader message aimed at the ''continued assaults on humanity,'' Booker said Wednesday in an interview, pointing to mass shootings haunting the nation.

''The choice couldn't be clearer,'' Booker says in the ad, which debuted Wednesday. ''Do we move forward together? Or do we let politicians like Rand Paul forever hold us back and drive us apart?"

Paul's campaign said the senator worked to strengthen the anti-lynching legislation and overlooking that role amounts to "a desperate misrepresentation of the facts.'' In his own response, the senator said Thursday that he's made reaching out to Black communities a priority.

''I've introduced over two dozen bipartisan criminal justice reform bills,'' Paul said in a statement to The Associated Press. "I fought to pass a strong anti-lynching bill. To this day, I continue to work hand in hand with community leaders on issues like violence and its effect on Louisville's youth and their education and look forward to keeping up those efforts when I'm re-elected this November.''

Booker's ad has evoked strong responses.

Ricky L. Jones, a professor and chair of the Pan-African Studies Department at the University of Louisville, tweeted: ''Some people are calling this 'controversial' '-- even 'disgusting.' I think it's one of the most powerful political ads I've ever seen!''

Lavel White, a community activist, documentary filmmaker and photographer from Louisville said: ''The African American community is going to buy into it. They're going to understand it. They're going to be like, 'Charles is speaking the truth.'''

But Booker needs to avoid alienating some white voters who might wonder why he's using a lynching-themed ad to attack Paul, White said. Booker has embraced a ''hood to the holler'' theme to promote his progressive agenda and show the shared interests of inner city and rural voters.

Booker first gained statewide prominence in 2020 when he marched with protesters as a Senate candidate to demand justice for Breonna Taylor and other Black people killed in encounters with police. His campaign surged, but he narrowly lost the Democratic primary that year to an establishment-backed opponent.

Booker routinely invokes his past to promote policy, talking about rationing his insulin as he touts his plan to expand health care access. In the new ad, he talks about how lynchings were "used to kill my ancestors'' while standing next to a tree, a noose looped around his neck.

He had great-great-uncles on his mother's side of the family who were lynched, he told the AP.

''It was crushing to put that rope around my neck,'' Booker said Wednesday. ''I felt the weight of history when I did it. I imagined my uncles, you know. But I feel that being in this unique position gives me a responsibility, and it requires me to be vulnerable so that we can face hard truths.''

Booker said he realized the ad could cause ''discomfort'' for some Kentuckians but hoped they ''can see my sincerity."

The ad includes the eerie creaking sound of rope hanging from a tree branch. Booker's hands grip the rope around his neck as he talks, then he removes the noose and walks away. It's a moment steeped in symbolism aimed at people feeling frustrated and hopeless, he said.

''I want to tell the story that we can change things,'' Booker said. ''That we can get the healing and the brighter future that we deserve, but it's going to require us to stand together.''

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Tue, 28 Jun 2022 14:07

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Australia is locking down its honey bees as it applies the lessons learnt from implementing one of the world's most restrictive Covid-19 regimes to block another threat '-- a parasite that is wiping out hives around the world.

Australia is the only region in the world to have contained the varroa mite, which has been the scourge of bee populations around the globe. That has benefited its honey and pollination industry as Australia's strict biohazard laws, which include the seizure of fruit, animal skins and soil-ridden shoes at international airports, have protected its insect population.

Yet the discovery of the most destructive variant of the varroa parasite at the Port of Newcastle and a nearby commercial colony has resulted in an immediate lockdown of bees in the state of New South Wales, which accounts for almost half of Australia's commercial bee industry.

An exclusion zone has been set up around the city, with hundreds of hives due to be destroyed in the coming days in an attempt to eradicate the parasite.

Trevor Monson, a honey producer and pollinator in Gol Gol on the southern state border, said that the move to lock down the entire bee population was reminiscent of the country's approach to coronavirus, which reflected the severity of the threat.

''It doesn't look good. It appears the mite has been here for some time,'' he said, estimating that the parasite could have been in the country for three months based on what had been found in Newcastle.

The state government revealed on Tuesday that hives at three new properties had been infested. One was located in Bulahdelah, which is 100km to the north of Newcastle.

Tobias Smith, a researcher at the University of Queensland's School of Biological Sciences, said that the lessons of the pandemic strategy had been adopted to protect the country's honey bees. ''This is a lockdown of beekeepers and a freeze on their economic activity,'' he said. ''The community is now more understanding of the need for sudden and dramatic action.''

Apiarists were warned over the weekend not to move hives or touch their bees as government and industry bodies rushed to determine how far the varroa destructor, as the mite is known, had spread. A set of hives that were transported across the state by the affected farmer has also been destroyed.

The impact of the lockdown goes far beyond the country's A$70mn (US$50mn) bee industry. Hives are essential to a number of crops including almonds, a A$1bn sector that is reliant on a quarter of a million hives that are transported around Australia, and for which the season is set to begin in the coming weeks.

A prolonged lockdown could also threaten other critical harvests including macadamia nuts, blueberries, cherries and avocados. Australia's horticultural sector is already contending with bushfires, floods and a mouse plague while globally, rising energy prices and Russia's war in Ukraine have raised concerns about food security.

The pandemic also triggered labour shortages and supply chain issues in Australia, driving up inflation.

Beekeepers told the Financial Times that the agricultural industry had been thrown into turmoil in the past two days. Farmers described frantic ''behind the scenes'' discussions about how to prepare for a worst-case scenario to maintain access to the insects to pollinate their crops.

The spread of varroa destructor has been blamed in part for a sharp reduction in the number of honey bee colonies outside Australia as it has spread from Asia to Europe, North and South America and New Zealand.

RecommendedThe red mite, around 1.5mm long, feeds on the body fat of its host, causing death or deformation. It is also responsible for spreading viruses that could have a knock-on effect for Australia's indigenous stingless bee population.

Monson, a third-generation beekeeper who has worked in the industry for 60 years, remained confident that the spread of the parasite had been contained, but said the sudden appearance of the varroa mite on Australia's shores had thrown the sector into disarray.

''I turned 75 a couple of weeks ago and was due to retire but those plans have been disrupted,'' he said.

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Mon, 27 Jun 2022 21:07

People improvised in the blackouts

The Magazine is compiling a people's history of modern Britain - featuring your written memories and photos. We started with the 1950s and the 1960s and now focus on the 70s. It was the decade of strikes, electricity shortages and piles of rotting rubbish on the street.

There was more to the 1970s, such as music, fashion and long, hot summers.

But the industrial unrest had a huge impact. Here is a selection of your comments.

It has to be the power cuts and the three-day week. Two abiding memories are: being a hairdresser and having clients sitting in semi-darkness with wet hair in rollers waiting for the power to come back on so they could get under the dryer and at home boiling a kettle on the open coal fire to get hot water to make up my new baby's feed! Kate Gardiner (right, in 1972 and 2007), Perth ScotlandMy abiding memory of the rolling power cuts was having to write university essays by candle light. And then three months later being charged for the repainting of my room in Halls because of the smoke "damage" in my room. I spent 30 minutes with a bucket and sponge and the damage magically disappeared.Bill Huggins, Birmingham

WHAT WE'RE DOING

Read Andrew Marr's take on the decade in

the Magazine every Tuesday

Watch his History of Modern Britain on BBC Two on Tuesdays at 2100 BST

Read and watch your written memories, pictures and videos every Friday in

the Magazine Then I lived in the North East near Newcastle and I vividly remember my grandmother and I walking from one shop to another in search of candles to buy. All were sold out. Innovatively butchers placed string down cartons of dripping which we bought eventually. These worked although the smell and risk of fire made them less practical than candles. I loved the bread strike as my grandmother could make proper bread in her oven and it was better than anything you could buy in the shops. I remember the smell which lingered in the house was beautiful (the smell of the dripping candles in contrast was not). As a child it was exciting to sit with the family around candles and with no TV we had no choice but to indulge in the art of conversation.David Stoker, GuildfordAs a trainee engineer in 1976, I remember changing a toilet roll when on secondment to our Sheffield factory and being seriously worried that someone might find out and accuse me of doing somebody else's job. My predecessor had almost caused a strike by helping to sweep up some rubbish. The union's grip was total, and the atmosphere was poisonous. I don't agree with all that Margaret Thatcher did, but let's not pretend that drastic action was not required.AJ, Dorset, UK

I remember one time I had to wait two hours outside a fruit shop just to get some milk!Maffew, Glasgow, Scotland

Rubbish piled up in the street

I was 12 years old. I remember seeing all the rubbish in the streets and Arthur Scargill on TV and other union leaders talking about living conditions and the need to strike, and my grandparents complaining that they can't afford to turn the heat on anymore. I also remember, as barely a teenager, the awful living conditions faced by miners and others up North whilst I lived in beautiful East Anglia. Instead of making me vote for Thatcher a few years later, it turned me into a life-long socialist. SJW, Sac. CA, USA I don't remember it myself, but I was born in 1979 in Swansea, South Wales. My mother had to cross a picket line to get into the maternity hospital (they told her she couldn't come in, her response is unprintable....). My Grandmother had to bring in food for her to eat, and clean towels and bedding.Richard Evans, London, UK I remember my parents trying to bake their own bread because the bakers were on strike like everybody else. It wasn't a great success. I will always remember watching my mother pulling a shapeless lump of half cooked dough out of the oven, made to look even more obscene by candle light because the power was off.Chris Towers, Madrid, Spain I remember with fondness the three-day week, I was a compositor and we worked by hurricane lamp. Our wages were linked to inflation and seem to go up every other week, good old Ted Heath.Michael Murphy, London I remember the three-day week; going to school in groups, all wearing luminous yellow bands on our coat sleeves so that we could be seen in the dark. Then coming home and huddling round the gas cooker for heat. Then there was the heatwave in '76 when we had severe thunder storms, and water shortages. I developed my love of ice cream that year! The winter of discontent caused a lot of disruption through all the strike action but to a teenager who cared for little else but music, fashion and boys, most of the politics just passed me by! I do have fond memories of the seventies, but then I didn't have any worries or responsibilities......Gillian, Edinburgh, Scotland

I remember the excitement of the power cuts while at junior school in the early 1970s, and how much we enjoyed the use of paraffin lamps at home - the darkness in the streets and houses was intense and scary. And, of course, for those who lived through it, who can forget the desertification of the country during the incredibly long hot summer of 1976 which started in about May and went on seemingly forever!Caroline Jones, Godalming, UKI used to love power cuts. We would have candles and mum made us all Bovril to drink. We would sit around the coal fire and my dad told me fairies lived in it. That kept me entertained for hours. Better than Crackerjack!!Sarah Grimstone, London

The 70s was my teenage decade. One amusing event was during the coal strike and three day week, my father looked in he paper and decided that, as we were on a 'high risk' for power cuts at home we would go to the city to the cinema to see the new James Bond. Bond; "Your time is up Stromberg"Stromberg; "So is yours Mr Bond"Guess what? The power went out and we never did see the end of the filmLouise Warren, Leicestershire UK

Candles... I was about 8/9 during the three-day week. Mum made it sound exciting like the Blitz but it wasn't. Apart from that my abiding memories is of dreariness, decay and depression apart from the summer of 76 of courseAndy Bell, Notts Candles and power cuts are my memories of the 70s. That and starting primary school in 72 and my mother dying in 74 by heart disease; something which could easily fixed today like myself by having a bypass.David Fieldsend, ChesterfieldThree-day weeks, candles at night, cold dinners, and power cuts and all because of what? A union who used that decided to hold the country to ransom! Strikes seem to be the only thing on the news back then. As a child growing up, I believed this was how adults always behaved. If that wasn't bad enough, we had the threat of a nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union and terrorist bombings in London. The BBC news was always full of gloom stories about the Middle East, about which we cared nothing... The plus side was one or two hot summers... I stayed up all night to watch Mrs Thatcher get elected that May night, it was the start of better times as history has now proved. I was glad when the 70s ended, it was an awful time. Gavin, EssexThe main effect of the drivers' strike was lack of fuel delivery. My own school had to close and only those taking exams that summer were educated. We were taught in the science block using Bunsen burners as heaters, which kept us warm, but incredibly drowsy! In addition I remember the queues of cars at garages in Stevenage to get the little petrol that there was. Finally, do not forget that the firemen's strike did lead to the army being used for fire duties, using the already gold Green Goddesses. Matthew Wyatt, Stevenage

I got married in 1974 and when I went to rent a TV from the local Co-op was not allowed to in my own name as I was a woman. I had my second son in Feb 1979 when hospital workers strike was on .We had paper sheets on the beds, no hot food, the babies had paper baby gowns and then it snowed really hard, cutting off Chelmsford where I was in hospital from my home in Maldon. I had to stay in hospital two extra days because of the snow. Dianna Pipe, Maldon, Essex, UK As a 13-year-old at the turn of the decade I clearly remember the 70s miners' strike, the winter of discontent, the three-day working week and gritters on strike. I remember the struggle my parents had to make ends meet, food shortages caused by people panic buying only to throw it away when supplies were restored. The miserable power cuts, grey cold miserable days and even greyer colder miserable days and then along came Thatcher and it just got worse.Karen, Sheffield As a 10-year-old in 1978 I remember the piles of garbage piled up in our local recreation ground in Stanmore (a council estate in a posh part of the UK) Winchester. The piles of rotten waste became our playground, well it always was our playground so we continued to play on the soccer pitch, rather than kicking a ball but investigating all the crap spilling out of the bags! I was lucky enough to find a whole bag of used syringes! I can't really recall what we did with them, but did tell me mum later what we had found and she rang the council office to complain, not that it did any good. The rubbish kept coming, and it's only now that I realise that all the council owned recreation areas were used as garbage disposal areas, the hallowed grounds of public school Winchester College, of course were unaffected, hence the working class got kicked in the balls by its own kind yet again! Slick McIntyre, Sydney, NSW

I remember the 70s well, I was working in construction at the time, roofing and steel erecting, the power cuts and three-day week didn't affect me much but even though all the things Andrew Marr described happened, he made it sound like the country was on its knees, but I don't recall it being as bad as he writes, we still had more industry then, and were a major producing country, and the average price of a pint of beer, when we went decimal in 1971, was two shilling (10 pence)and the music was a lot better than today's rubbish, men were a lot better dressed, you wouldn't get in a night club or a dance hall, without a collar and tie, 70s comedies on the telly were better, and we had Morecambe and Wise too. And Leeds were in the 1st division where they are now.Rodney Thornton, Leeds UK

In January and February of 1974, because of a strike by Britain's miners, the government imposed a three-day working week and rationed electricity supplies. I was a control engineer at Huddersfield Power Station at the time and part of my duties was to switch off the supply to various substations around the town, according to an official rota. On many an evening shift I would have to switch off the power to my own home before going back for a candle-lit supper!In addition to this, the power station was picketed by miners so that we had extreme difficulty receiving coal supplies and getting rid of our waste product - ash. Eventually the management hired some dumper trucks which were used to ferry coal from the reserve stock area. They were also used to store piles of ash in every available space. Trying times, but we managed to keep generating as long as we were needed.John Blackburn, Wetherby UK

I don't remember all the political chaos, but I do remember playing Scrabble by candlelight and the fact that we couldn't bury my deceased grandfather. My mother never forgave Labour or the trade unions for that.Carl Parry, Antalya, Turkey

Trafalgar Square was a mountain of black garbage bags twitching with rats. The nice thing about electricity shortages was that they were announced on the wireless, by area, beforehand. Candles could not be found in hardware stores, but were plentiful in Harrods. We used Artic candles and camping lanterns. One could be somewhat prepared. No bread? They flew in bread from France until that was stopped and, if there was flour in the house, one had to bake (or not). The worst strike for many was on throwaway nappies. I am sure that hurt many people. I seem to remember contests of how to get along with tiny amounts of water - winners combined boiling food, washing dishes, bathing, washing clothes and finally, using the remains to water the garden, in about the same order with the same water. Hosepipes were banned in London. An old man in our neighbourhood used to so slowly pace his green front garden after dark with a hosepipe down his trousers so no one could see it. Sixteen strikes at one time, as I remember. Every day a new challenge. JD Constantine, now, Fairfax, VA, USA; then, London NW2, England

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Mon, 27 Jun 2022 14:31

A federal grand jury in New York has issued subpoenas to each board director of the blank check company that has agreed to take Donald Trump's social media startup, Truth Social, public.

Why it matters: This is in addition to previously disclosed investigations into the blank-check company by both the SEC and Justice Department, thus intensifying questions about Truth Social's financial future.

Details: Digital World Acquisition Corp. on Monday disclosed the subpoenas, adding that some of the information requested was about communications with a Miami-based investment firm called Rocket One Capital.

It also said the Bruce Garelick, chief strategy officer at Rocket One, is resigning from Digital World Acquisition's board of directors.By the numbers: Trump currently has 3.37 million followers on Truth Social, a far cry from the 88.7 million followers he had on Twitter before being banned in early 2021. It's worth noting, however, that Truth Social remains unavailable for Android users.

What they're saying: Trump Media Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, this morning issued the following statement:

"TMTG is focused on reclaiming the American people's right to free expression. Every day, our team works tirelessly to sustain Truth Social's rapid growth, onboard new users, and add new features. We encourage-and will cooperate with-oversight that supports the SEC's important mission of protecting retail investors." The bottom line: There have been some attempts to frame these investigations in political terms, but they appear to be more about apolitical securities law. Namely, that blank check companies can't court potential targets prior to their own IPOs '-- which is something Digital World Acquisition is speculated to have done.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:45

Breaking911 : Vice Pres. Kamala Harris says she's "the daughter of a woman, and a granddaughter of a woman." https://t.co/OrhNV7BX7G

Mon Jun 27 20:33:36 +0000 2022

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:42

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:35

Michael Shellenberger : Biden was counting on Arab nations to produce more oil but a few hours ago French President Macron was overheard te'... https://t.co/Kr5jQxHw90

Mon Jun 27 22:53:45 +0000 2022

Will Myers : @ShellenbergerMD The call is coming from inside the house. The sooner you stop deluding yourself into thinking that'... https://t.co/56Mk1FjoG9

Thu Jun 30 14:50:01 +0000 2022

Will Myers : @ShellenbergerMD Their WEF puppet pretends to talk sense to ours.

Thu Jun 30 14:48:16 +0000 2022

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:32

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:23

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:15

Nat : Peter McCullough: ''This month the World Council for Health which represents 70 bodies worldwide has called for a gl'... https://t.co/T89AkBh6H7

Wed Jun 29 15:15:26 +0000 2022

Carlyn : @Arwenstar @kceelake How long before he suddenly dies? Anyone care to guess?!!!

Thu Jun 30 16:09:05 +0000 2022

Lyndy Lou (Lyn S Wales 🌹) : @Arwenstar I can't believe the medical board are going after him. ðŸ'--

Thu Jun 30 16:00:34 +0000 2022

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:15

Daily Wire : CNN guest: "I think we've made a case that [Trump] was responsible for 9/11, uh..or January 6th." https://t.co/TK9RzoiY0L

Tue Jun 28 21:12:54 +0000 2022

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:09

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Log in or sign up to leave a comment level 1Time for a lawsuit or 10,000 against the state of California.

level 2They'll just roll it into one class action law suit handled by a class attorney and they'll settle in a way where each person gets maybe $10 and a coupon for identify theft protection.

level 2Sue each of the officials who had oversight?

level 2There's 10,000 CCW owners in my county of 150,000. There's gonna be a lot more than that. This is so scary. And a huge reminder of why over use of government involvement is a huge problem.

level 1The excel sheet it allowed you download is the perfect file for selling on the darkweb. You see threat actors do it all the time and yet this time it was done by a state government in the open. The information is beyond damaging. First, middle, last name. Address. Race. Age. It even lists if you are a judge or reserve officer. I have 30k residents from my county sitting on my computer. I'm beyond livid

level 2I'm sure it's already for sale on the dark web.

level 2I'm not asking for the list. Do you have the list? If so, how many entries are there? That's all I want to know. I deal with data breaches all day every day. CA has a law requiring you to report a breach of 500+ containing PPI which this list clearly does

level 1This is blatant retaliation for the SCOTUS ruling on shall issue.

We need to call on SCOTUS to rule for constitution carry. The states have now proven they cannot be trusted with a registry without violating the 4th and 14th amendments.

The people should not have to worry about being attacked by the state for utilizing their 2A. The state needs to fear the people!

level 2Well said. I agree this is retaliatory.

level 2Indeed. The supreme court does not react kindly to a state flouting its ruling, especially when it comes to peoples rights.

level 2wouldn't that be quite the clap back. File a civil rights lawsuit and run it up to SCOTUS.

level 1It wasn't a leak, it was an intentional public release.

level 2As a Californian, It's clear as a gun owner you are an enemy of this state. In a state where our leaders and government are almost all Dems, I don't know how you can bring yourself to vote for a dem candidate here going forward after this. They just declared war on your life and you'll still give them votes?

level 2This was an intentional leak by the state government in the same way it leaked non-profit donor forms a few years back resulting in Prosperity vs California case. California's AG has extensive record of disclosing Californians confidential material.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:07

The Recount : Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell: "I think we now understand better how little we understand about inflation."'... https://t.co/imXRqhOAQT

Wed Jun 29 14:58:32 +0000 2022

Redemption Arc : @therecount @flacqua Facking bs and everyone knows it.

Thu Jun 30 16:07:32 +0000 2022

Iverist : @therecount @flacqua For the children in the room blaming greedhttps://t.co/eBSVyiL1D2

Thu Jun 30 15:56:38 +0000 2022

AfghanisDAN 🇸🇴 : @therecount For being the ones we're supposed to trust our "expert class" seems to have been screwing up a lot in recent times.

Thu Jun 30 15:54:35 +0000 2022

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:05

Commentary By Elizabeth Stauffer June 29, 2022 at 11:09am During a Saturday interview with NBC News' Kate Snow at the Aspen Ideas Health conference, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra suggested his agency is considering providing taxpayer-funded transportation to women seeking out-of-state abortions.

Snow asked Becerra what steps the administration is taking ''to help women'' in response to the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade.

''Well, we're working with centers like Planned Parenthood, we are restoring funding for Title 10, family planning services. We are working with supporters on the ground to make sure that we are providing services to women where we can,'' the Secretary said.

He added, ''We are looking into everything, including assisting in transportation, something that HHS doesn't typically do.''

This caught Snow's attention. ''Can you do that legally?'' she asked.

Becerra smiled conspiratorially and said, ''Talk to me later,'' eliciting laughter from the audience.

Snow said, ''That's a big question, right?''

''I always tell my team at HHS, 'If you've done your homework, then we have no right to go mild. And so, we're going to be aggressive and go all the way.

Will the Hyde Amendment stop the Biden administration from using taxpayer dollars to transport women to out-of-state abortion facilities?

Yes: 63% (611 Votes)

No: 37% (366 Votes)

''I would tell you if '... you're recording so I won't tell you,'' he added. He smiles again, which draws more laughter from the crowd.

''This is all on the record, Mr. Secretary.'' Snow tells him.

''We are looking at every option and among those is transportation.''

Snow asks him to repeat his last remark.

''We are looking at every option and among those is transportation.''

Snow clarifies, ''Transporting women to other states.''

Biden HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra says his agency is ''looking at'' using taxpayer dollars to fund transportation to other states for abortions.

''Can you do that legally?''

*laughs* pic.twitter.com/SeYroVxuUZ

'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 27, 2022

Becerra was being coy because he knows that the use of taxpayer funds to pay for abortion-related expenses would be a violation of the Hyde Amendment. This legislation prohibits the ''use of federal funds for any health benefits coverage that includes abortion.'' Exceptions to this law include rape, incest or if an abortion is required to protect the mother's life.

Biden's lead among rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination took a big hit after his memorable ''flip-flop-flip'' on his support of the Hyde Amendment in the summer of 2019.

Considering the Biden administration's general contempt for the Constitution and federal laws that apply to them, they're not likely to let it stand in their way.

Kudos to Kate Snow for highlighting the issue.

Another option being considered in the wake of Friday's decision is the use of federal lands for abortion facilities. This could include the emergence of abortion clinics in national parks. For example, if you were visiting Yellowstone National Park with your family, and realized you needed an abortion, you could have one.

Becerra was noncommittal about the idea during a Tuesday news conference, according to PBS.

''Every option is on the table,'' he said. ''We will take a look at everything we can, and everything we do will be in compliance with the law.''

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appeared to throw cold water on the idea, CNN reported.

Jean-Pierre said, ''We understand the proposal is well-intentioned, but here's the thing: It could actually put women and providers at risk. And importantly, in states where abortion is now illegal, women and providers who are not federal employees, as you look at the federal land, could be potentially '-- be prosecuted. And so this is, as we understand why they would put forward this proposal, there's actually dangerous ramifications to doing this.''

On Monday, CNN's Dana Bash asked Vice President Kamala Harris about setting up abortion clinics on federal lands. She replied, ''It's not right now what we are discussing.''

SummaryMore Biographical Information Recent Posts ContactElizabeth is a contract writer at The Western Journal. Her articles have appeared on many conservative websites including RedState, Newsmax, The Federalist, Bongino.com, HotAir, MSN and RealClearPolitics.Please follow Elizabeth on Twitter.

Elizabeth is a contract writer at The Western Journal. Her articles have appeared on many conservative websites including RedState, Newsmax, The Federalist, Bongino.com, HotAir, MSN and RealClearPolitics.Please follow Elizabeth on Twitter.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:04

RNC Research : Biden climate advisor Gina McCarthy brags about ''fossil fuels losing jobs" under Joe Biden. https://t.co/cHs9zIvw33

Wed Jun 29 18:03:30 +0000 2022

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:02

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 15:57

The Recount : Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson testifies that she heard Donald Trump wanted to go to the Capitol so badly on 1/6 t'... https://t.co/UvD00UezZX

Tue Jun 28 18:06:10 +0000 2022

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 15:55

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CNN '--

The top aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows who testified before the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot on Tuesday was a young, fast-rising star in the Trump administration.

Cassidy Hutchinson, 26, was a staff assistant at the Office of Legislative Affairs before she was quickly promoted to special assistant to then-President Donald Trump and adviser to Meadows, before becoming his executive assistant until the end of the Trump administration.

Meadows made Hutchinson his legislative aide, and she would accompany Meadows to Capitol Hill for his most serious meetings. Hutchinson was with Meadows ''all the time,'' one former White House official said, and another source said she had ''very close access to Meadows.''

One former White House aide said Hutchinson had a falling out with Meadows in 2021. She was supposed to go to Mar-a-Lago as the permanent staff but that never ended up happening.

Hutchinson's experience of working closely with Meadows will allow the committee to gain further insight into Meadows' efforts to overturn the election and knowledge of what took place the day the Capitol was breached. A person close to Hutchinson has told CNN she previously testified to the committee for at least 20 hours detailing her time in key meetings at the White House as Trump and his allies tried to overturn the election results.

She was an eyewitness to several key episodes leading up to January 6, in addition to witnessing some of Trump's real-time reactions that day.

During interviews conducted by the committee, Hutchinson testified that multiple Republican members of Congress, including Reps. Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Scott Perry and Louie Gohmert, asked for preemptive pardons after January 6.

She also testified that Meadows was directly warned prior to the insurrection of the possible violence. Meadows refuses to speak to the House committee.

Prior to her confirmation of speaking in front of the committee, CNN previously reported that Hutchinson replaced her lawyer that had close ties to Trump in preparation for her testimony. CNN also reported that Hutchinson has become increasingly aware of the safety risk speaking in front of the committee poses and has been on alert.

Trump, as he often does with aides and allies with whom he was once close but later turned against him, claimed on Tuesday that he ''hardly know[s]'' Hutchinson and personally rejected a request she made to join his post-presidency staff at Mar-a-Lago.

''When she requested to go with certain others of my team to Florida after my having served a full term in office, I personally turned her request down,'' Trump said on Truth Social during Hutchinson's live testimony.

Trump attempted to cast Hutchinson's testimony on Tuesday as revenge, claiming she was ''very upset and angry that I didn't want her'' at his Palm Beach residence.

The former President's attempt to distance himself from Hutchinson, whom he described as ''bad news'' on Tuesday despite also claiming he barely knew her, came after the committee showed renderings of the West Wing to demonstrate just how close she was to the Oval Office as an assistant to Meadows. Multiple former White House aides also publicly vouched for Hutchinson's proximity to Trump and his chief of staff before and during her appearance on Tuesday.

''Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinson's role or her access in the West Wing either doesn't understand how the Trump [White House] worked or is attempting to discredit her because they're scared of how damning this testimony is,'' former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews tweeted.

In response to this, one former White House aide said, ''Everyone high up at the WH knew her. And even if Trump didn't know her name he most certainly recognized her. She traveled on AF1 with Mark for every trip.'' Additionally, this former aide said that while Tuesday's testimony was crazy, it's also 100% believable given what this person knew after working in the White House. The most surprising episode to some aides so far has been ''The Beast'' incident, in which Trump allegedly tried to lunge for the steering wheel of the presidential limousine so he could be driven to the Capitol on January 6.

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 15:50

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:06

Christina what the hell is wrong with the world governments?!?!

1d ago

5248

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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:39

Farmers protested and rioted in Holland this past week as the government has declared war on livestock farming, setting a goal of reducing nitrogen emissions by 50 percent by 2030, drastically reducing herds, forcing many farmers out of business and cutting back on meat, pork, poultry and dairy food for human consumption. To accomplish this the government expects to reduce by one-third Holland's 50,000 farms by 2030.

Tuesday night farmers attacked a police car barricade to march on the home of Holland's Nitrogen and Nature minister where they set off fireworks and burned bales of hay in protest, reported Dutch Review (excerpt):

On Tuesday evening, a group of rioting farmers broke through a police barricade and headed towards the Dutch Nitrogen and Nature Minister's home.

The farmers pushed down a police car that was supposed to block the way towards minister Van der Wall's house so that they could drive their tractors down the street.

TRENDING: Dr. Zev Zelenko Who Saved Thousands of Lives During the COVID Pandemic Is in Critical Condition - Transferred to ICU

A group of rioters also set off fireworks at the house, according to the NOS. At the time, the minister wasn't present at home, but her family had to deal with the violent circumstances.

Opnieuw acties bij woning @ChristianneWal sfeer is grimmig, me ter plaatse hele wijk afgesloten. #boerenprotesten pic.twitter.com/h7VnBNd5TD

'-- Ton F. van Dijk (@tonfvandijk) June 28, 2022

Boeren door de afzetting gebroken #vanderwal pic.twitter.com/EdiMEfsB8m

'-- Ton F. van Dijk (@tonfvandijk) June 28, 2022

#boerenprotest #vanderwal pic.twitter.com/Z7Tvv0UJ9H

'-- Ton F. van Dijk (@tonfvandijk) June 28, 2022

''Police indicate that they can do little against the tractors''

Politie geeft aan weinig te kunnen doen tegen de trekkers #vanderwal pic.twitter.com/EV3m8pgMuG

'-- Ton F. van Dijk (@tonfvandijk) June 28, 2022

Protesters ignored threats of arrest.

Politie dreigt met aanhoudingen #boerenprotest #vanderwal pic.twitter.com/cWl2dM1bs1

'-- Ton F. van Dijk (@tonfvandijk) June 28, 2022

''Police officers indicated tonight that in fact nothing can be done against the tractors. Two officers literally had to flee when their car was pulled over and a tractor broke through the opening. An agent: 'Then you should deploy the army.'''

Politieagenten gaven vanavond aan dat men in feite niks kan doen tegen de trekkers. Twee agenten moesten letterlijk vluchten toen hun auto aan de kant werd gezet en een trekker door de opening brak. Een agent: 'Dan moet je het leger inzetten.' #vanderwal #boerenopstand pic.twitter.com/Od5bcSrYld

'-- Ton F. van Dijk (@tonfvandijk) June 28, 2022

Hay bales set ablaze.

Eind van de straat. #boerenprotest #vanderwal pic.twitter.com/zYmcWZIw6F

'-- Ton F. van Dijk (@tonfvandijk) June 28, 2022

Last week farmers blocked roads with tractors in protest of the war on food production.

Holland closes dozens of farms and cattle ranches to reduce nitrogen by 30%. Angry and hungry farmers block the nation everywhere. pic.twitter.com/VNSodhGanB

'-- RadioGenova (@RadioGenova) June 28, 2022

Background from English language Dutch News site.

Dutch News, June 3 (excerpt):

The amount of nitrogen compound pollution in some parts of the Netherlands will have to be cut by 70% to 80% to comply with a Dutch court ruling, the NRC reported on Friday.

Sources in The Hague told the paper that the government's strategy to take a regional approach to the issue will lead to major problems in parts of Gelderland and Noord-Brabant, where livestock farming is concentrated and a number of vulnerable habitats are being seriously damaged.

To meet the new rules, the amount of livestock farming will have to be reduced drastically, and that means some farmers will have to be bought out and shut down their operations, the paper said.

Dutch News lengthy, detailed explainer on the Nitrogen controversy in Holland published June 5 (excerpt):

Nitrogen-based pollution is behind delays to the building of new homes and roads, has led to plans to reduce the number of cows and pigs in the Netherlands and is causing damage to rare habitats. Here's what you need to know.

Nitrogen, or N2, constitutes 78% of the atmosphere and is harmless to life on earth. In a reactive form it is essential for life: all organisms need reactive nitrogen.

It is a colourless, odorless element and is found in the water we drink, the soil we walk on and in the air we breath. But in the Netherlands, which is densely populated and has an extremely intensive farming sector, it is also a major source of pollution. The new government even has a minister dedicated to dealing with it.

What is nitrogen pollution?Nitrogen can also be highly polluting when some compounds '' like ammonia (NH3), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and nitrous oxide (N2O) '' are present in high concentrations. Nitrous oxide is also known as the forgotten greenhouse gas. In the Netherlands, nitrogen pollution derives from two main sources '' burning fossil fuels for energy or transport (nitrogen oxides), and from the manure created by the livestock farming industry (ammonia and nitrous oxide). Artificial fertilisers containing nitrogen are also a source of pollution during both the production process and when over-used on farm land.

'...Thousands of building projects were put on hold, threatening housing targets, the speed limit on all roads was reduced to 100 kph during the day and plans were drawn up to slash the size of the intensive farming sector. Some officials even suggested to reduce the amount of protein in animal feed so that manure would be less polluting or giving livestock feed containing an enzyme which reduces the amount of nitrogen they produce.

The New Zealand government has a detailed report on Holland's war on food production (excerpt):

Earlier in June, the Dutch government presented its long-awaited plan to tackle the country's 'nitrogen crisis'. The bold plan zeroes in on the Netherlands' agriculture industry, calling for scaled emissions reduction across the country, including up to 95 percent reductions near vulnerable natural areas. The Minister of Nature and Nitrogen Policy expects about a third of the 50,000 Dutch farms to 'disappear' by 2030. Experts are calling it ''the greatest overhaul of the Dutch agricultural sector in history.''

The buyout of farmers, especially in the vicinity of protected nature areas, is increasingly considered by the government as a way to meet its legally mandated nitrogen reduction targets in time. However, strong pushback from farmers' interest groups and others will test the future of the plans.

'...With the agricultural sector accounting for 45 percent of nitrogen emissions, the sector is under pressure to make significant changes in order to reduce emissions. The government will draw on the 25 billion euro Nitrogen Fund to help farmers (voluntarily) quit, relocate or downsize their business and make them more nature-friendly. The Minister of Nature and Nitrogen Policy says she is expecting about one third of the Netherlands' 50,000 farms to disappear as a result of the plans.

The compensation plans include the following:

Dairy farmers that want to be bought out need to reduce their cattle stocks by 95 percent and permanently relinquish their right to increase stocks in future. For pig, chicken, and turkey farms, this percentage is 80 percent.

The subsidy the farmers receive include compensation for losing production rights and for the value loss of the company. 270 million euro is reserved for dairy compensation, 115 million for chicken and turkey-related compensation, and 115 million for pig-related compensation.

A separate arrangement for provincial governments seeking to buy out farmers close to sensitive Natura 2000 areas will be in play. For this arrangement, an additional 250 million euros will be provided.

Freedom fighter farmer:

Boer zegt te strijden voor ons alle vrijheid. #boerenprotest #vanderwal pic.twitter.com/oS9ab0fE7m

'-- Ton F. van Dijk (@tonfvandijk) June 28, 2022

AP video report on massive protests:

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Wed, 29 Jun 2022 15:18

For the second time, top cardiologist presents the facts about COVID-19 early treatment, the unsafe and ineffective mRNA injections and the censorship of experts that contradict the official dogma. Joel Smalley4 hr ago

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Tue, 28 Jun 2022 13:17

The man in charge of protecting the Senate during the Capitol riot has died just a day before the Committee investigating the attack was set to reveal new evidence in a surprise session.

Michael Stenger, 71, was the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate on the day of the attempted insurrection.

He resigned amid criticism he had failed to react effectively to the building being overrun.

His sudden death on Monday came the same day an unexpected additional hearing of the committee investigating the riot was announced.

The surprise meeting will 'present recently obtained evidence and receive witness testimony.'

The committee is set to hear from Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Donald Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, on Tuesday.

Punchbowl News reported that the hearing was set because of 'sincere concerns' for Hutchinson's physical safety over her revelations to the panel, including her claims that Trump approved of 'hang Mike Pence'

She will be the first White House employee to testify publicly before the committee.

Michael Stenger, 71, (pictured) who was Sergeant at Arms of the Senate during the Capitol riot, died on Monday

He resigned after the riot amid criticism he had failed to react effectively to the building being overrun. His sudden death on Monday came the same day an unexpected additional hearing of the committee investigating the riot was announced

Stenger, right, is seen with Mike Pence heading to the House chamber on January 7, 2021, for the final certification of the election. Stenger would resign hours after this photo was taken

In a private meeting Hutchinson previously said Meadows was warned in advance that there could be trouble on January 6.

Her video deposition was used to support the committee's argument that several of the Republicans later sought presidential pardons.

'We had intel reports saying that there could potentially be violence on the 6th,' Hutchinson told the panel, in a portion of a transcript shared in court documents in April.

'And Mr Meadows said: 'All right. Let's talk about it.'

Cassidy Hutchinson is seen speaking to the January 6 Committee. On Tuesday she will testify in public in a surprise hearing

Hutchinson's testimony is seen being broadcast to the committee hearing on June 23

Hutchinson was present during meetings between Meadows and multiple House Republicans who backed Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election.

She also said that she saw Meadows burn documents.

Meadows has been subpoenaed by the committee, but refused to cooperate.

'I know that he was on several calls during the rally,' Hutchinson testified.

'And I went over to meet with him at one point, and he had just waved me away, which is out of the ordinary.'

The shock additional hearing was reportedly kept a secret in part owing to security threats to a witness, the Washington Post reported.

Stenger (left) and Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont (right) are seen speaking on January 6 after the riot, as Congress resumed its session. The pair are watched over by police

The Capitol was placed under lockdown and Vice President Mike Pence left the floor of Congress as hundreds of demonstrators swarmed past barricades surrounding the building where lawmakers were debating Joe Biden's victory in the Electoral College

Stenger previously served in the United States Marine Corps, and spent 35 years in the Secret Service.

He was the chief law enforcement officer and head of protocol for the chamber since April 2018.

In February 2021, Stenger told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the role of 'professional agitators' needed to be investigated.

He said: 'There is an opportunity to learn lessons from the events of January 6.

'Investigations should be considered as to funding and travel of what appears to be professional agitators.

'First Amendment rights should always be considered in conjunction with professional investigations.'

Stenger was born in New Jersey, and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in the state, graduating with a BA in arts.

He lived in Falls Church, Virginia, with his wife Janet. The pair are believed to have two adult children.

Stenger rose to be a captain in the Marines, before joining the Secret Service.

Karen Gibson is the current Sergeant at Arms for the Senate

He worked on protective details before taking leadership roles - first as an assistant director for the Office of Investigations, and then in the Office of Protective Research.

By the time he left the Secret Service, he had risen to be the third in command, Roll Call reported.

In 2011, he first took a job at the Senate, serving as Assistant Sergeant at Arms for protective services and continuity.

In 2014, when Drew Willison, a longtime aide to former Democratic leader Harry Reid, became Sergeant at Arms, he made Stenger his deputy.

'Mike and I are definitely planning to work as a team,' Willison said in 2014, in an interview with Roll Call.

He said at the time that he expected Stenger will 'naturally gravitate' toward security.

'Security is going to be critically important, but I want to continue to focus on the back half of it, which is going to be everybody's day-to-day interaction on the customer service end.'

Stenger also served as deputy to Frank Larkin, who served as Sergeant at Arms from 2015-18.

When Larkin stepped down, Mitch McConnell appointed Stenger to succeed him.

'I appreciate Mike stepping up to this critical role,' said McConnell at the time.

'He is extremely well-qualified and will continue to serve the Senate and our nation well.'

Stenger's full-time replacement, who currently serves as Sergeant at Arms, is Karen Gibson, who took over on March 22, 2021, after a 33-year military career.

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Mon, 27 Jun 2022 20:41

The Post Millennial : HHS Sec. Becerra is asked if it's legal to assist in providing transportation for out-of-state abortions:"I would'... https://t.co/mFEvj7utxD

Mon Jun 27 19:38:57 +0000 2022

Nicholas Lagano : @TPostMillennial Let him pray on it during Sunday mass.

Mon Jun 27 20:39:51 +0000 2022

Nicholas Lagano : @TPostMillennial Same administration which allows hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens to cross the border witho'... https://t.co/6vBkXjeJg7

Mon Jun 27 20:39:11 +0000 2022