Day: July 30, 2022

President Biden Tests Positive for COVID-19 Again

Admin

President Biden on Saturday tested positive for COVID-19 again, the White House state in a statement.

A statement was from the White House physician and said the 79-year-old president tested positive “late Saturday morning” after multiple negative tests earlier in the week. He returned to in-person work Wednesday, after having tested positive days earlier. The situation of getting COVID soon after having already contracted the virus is frequently referred to as “rebound” COVID.

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Tennessee Announces Statewide Teacher of the Year Finalists

Peter D'Abrosca

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) announced Thursday the nine finalists for the statewide Teacher of the Year award.

“The nine finalists represent each of the eight Center of Regional Excellence (CORE) areas in the state, as well as the Shelby County-Municipals area,” according to the TDOE. “The 2022-23 Tennessee Teacher of the Year, and winners for each grand division of the state, will be selected from this group and announced during an honorary banquet this fall.”

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Appalachia Service Project Hosts Home Dedication Ceremony in Humphreys County for Survivors who Lost Their Homes During the August 2021 Flooding

Kaitlin Housler

On Tuesday, Appalachia Service Project (ASP) hosted a Home Dedication ceremony for five new, mortgage-free homes in Humphreys County for five flood survivors who lost their homes during the August 2021 flooding. The five homes completed are a part of ASP’s 25-home commitment to help low-income residents of Humphreys County recover after the flooding, according to a press release by the organization.

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Customs and Border Patrol to Fill Holes in the U.S. Southern Border Wall Near Yuma

Neil Jones

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (D) gave U.S. Customs and Border Protection the authorization to execute the Yuma Morelos Dam Project and close four gaps along the border wall.

“These projects address operational impacts, as well as immediate life and safety risks, and will be funded with DHS’s Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations,” according to a DHS statement.

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New Questions Surround Possible Wisconsin Nursing Home Voting Violations

The Center Square

There are new questions about the opportunity for voter fraud in Wisconsin.

The Thomas More Society this week released its findings into people who are under “no vote” guardianship orders in the state. Those orders come from a judge after someone has been found “incapable of understanding the objective of the elective process,” according to state law.

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Ohio Takes Lead in Class Action Lawsuit Against Facebook

The Center Square

The Ohio Employees Retirement System will lead the effort in a class action lawsuit that seeks to recover millions of dollars from Facebook and force the company to reform its internal practices.

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court of Northern California on Wednesday chose Ohio to be lead plaintiff in the securities case Attorney General Dave Yost originally filed in November 2021, according to a release from Yost.

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The Fed’s Preferred Inflation Metric Just Surged in Another Warning Sign for the Economy

Admin

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, continued to surge in June, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

The PCE index was up 6.8% for the year ending in June, an increase from the 6.3% that it was at in both April and May, the BEA announced. PCE is the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation because it is “just better at capturing the inflation people actually face in their lives,” and the central bank endeavors to keep it at 2%, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday.

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Report: Alzheimer’s Drug Manufacturer Under Federal Investigation for Allegedly Falsifying Research

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Pharmaceutical company Cassava Sciences is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly falsifying research, according to Reuters.

The DOJ began investigating the company after it allegedly potentially manipulated the clinical trial data, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. The sources did not provide specific information on the focus of the department’s probe and whether the department was investigating any individuals.

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Biden’s EPA Will Use New Regulations to Bury Coal Industry

Admin

President Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is placing new emissions regulations on coal plants to shut down the nation’s remaining coal-fired power stations, according to a Reuters interview with EPA Administrator Michael Regan published on Friday.

The EPA will implement regulations on coal ash and ozone to further target coal plants’ carbon emissions and environmental pollution, according to Reuters. Regan’s strategy is part of the Biden administration’s ambitious climate plan to decarbonize the power sector in the face of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to limit the regulatory powers of the EPA.

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Federal Court Orders Air Force to Not Impose Vaccine Mandate on Coast Guard Members Who’ve Filed Religious Exemptions

The Center Square

A federal court in Ohio entered a nationwide preliminary injunction Thursday prohibiting the U.S. Air Force from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate against religious objectors.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio’s order in Doster v. Kendall remains effective until a full trial is held. It follows the temporary restraining order the court issued July 14 when it granted class action status for all Air Force plaintiffs nationwide. Class status protects all active-duty Airmen, active reserve, National Guard, Air Force Academy cadets, the Air Force Reserve Command, and Space Force members.

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Tennessee Extends State Drug Rehab Clinics to More Rural Counties

Peter D'Abrosca

Tennessee is expanding its drug rehabilitation footprint into more rural counties, according to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuses (TDMHSAS).

“Tennessee’s Project Rural Recovery is growing.  Thanks to $6.3 million budgeted in the current fiscal year by Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly, Project Rural Recovery is expanding to ten new counties,” said a Thursday release. 

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Kari Lake Files Complaint Against Gov. Doug Ducey for Flying Her Opponent from a Joint Campaign Event in a Taxpayer-Funded Jet

Rachel Alexander

Trump-endorsed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has filed a complaint with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich against Gov. Doug Ducey for using a state government helicopter to fly back from a campaign event with her opponent Karrin Taylor Robson after he hosted a campaign event with Robson. 

The complaint letter from Lake’s attorney Tim La Sota stated, “The state airplane is not a shuttle service that can be rented out by wealthy politicians when the private jet they normally use is unavailable. And the Governor has no power under the law to permit such effective rental agreements to those he favors politically. Surely after over a decade in public office he must know this.”

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Community Violence Top Public Health Concern for Virginia Voters

Eric Burk

A Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association poll found that community violence and crime is the top public health concern for Virginia voters.

“In the public opinion survey from Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy, 51 percent of respondents cited community violence and crime as the top public health concern for their families. Health care workforce shortages, which have been intensified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, was the second most commonly cited public health concern with 25 percent of those polled listing it as their primary concern,” a VHHA release states.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence Endorses Kleefisch for Governor, Sets Up Additional Contest Against Trump

Cooper Moran

Former Vice President Mike Pence endorsed Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch ahead of the state’s August 9th GOP primary.

Pence supported Kleefisch over businessman Tim Michels and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun. The decision puts Pence at odds with former President Donald Trump, who backed Michels earlier this year.

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New Poll Shows Kari Lake in Lead with the Primary Election Only Days Away

Neil Jones

Only days out from the Arizona Primary Election, a new poll from Arizona-based OH Predictive Insights (OHPI) shows leaders emerging in several GOP races across the state, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

“The inter-party battle of the GOP is about to hit its climax and the data indicates Lake is in a commanding position,” said Mike Noble, OHPI Chief of Research. “In these final weeks of the race, Lake’s campaign is like Katniss Everdeen – the girl on fire.”

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Border Patrol Union Issues Endorsement of Herschel Walker

Peter D'Abrosca

The union that represents U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Friday endorsed a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia. 

“We are proud to endorse Herschel Walker … for U.S. Senate from the state of Georgia. We need him to help secure our border and safeguard the citizens of GA and the rest of the country from the record setting deadly influx of drugs, crime and illegal immigration,” said the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC). 

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Pennsylvania Has More Teachers, Fewer Students, and There’s Still a Teacher Shortage

The Center Square

Teachers unions, public school officials and the Pennsylvania’s Department of Education say the state has a teacher shortage.

Data analyzed by The Center Square, however, shows there has been an increase in the number of teachers against a dropping enrollment. Still, the communications director for the Pennsylvania Department of Education explained how shortages do remain.

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Commentary: Raphael Warnock and the Georgia Democrats’ Anti-Police Agenda Puts Georgians in Danger

The Center Square

Despite crime being up in major metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, law enforcement officers remain under attack by radical leftists and anti-policeDemocrats like Raphael Warnock and other Georgia Democrats.

Homicides in Atlanta are up for the “third straight year” with 87 homicides reported compared to 79 from this point in 2020. 

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Experts Raise Concern Google’s Pledge to Protect Abortion Data

Admin

Google plans to purge users’ abortion-related data, including location entries showing visits to abortion clinics, as states pass new abortion restrictions following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

The company will automatically delete entries from users’ location history for certain health-related locations including abortion clinics and fertility centers, it announced July 1. Several experts have raised concerns about the pledge, given Google’s history of secretive health data collection.

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Diana Harshbarger Introduces Bill Trying to Help Improve Health Care in Rural Areas

Aaron Gulbransen

U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-1) introduced the Rural Physician Workforce Production Act of 2022 on Thursday.

In a bipartisan move, Harshbarger teamed up with U.S. Representative Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-1) to introduce H.R. 8508, which is described in a statement as “bipartisan legislation that improves Medicare reimbursements and enhances the current structure of the Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) program to bring more medical residents and doctors to rural areas.”

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