WORLD NEWS
US tells all Americans to leave Ukraine now
RT – The US government advised Americans in Ukraine to leave the country immediately and by any means available on Thursday. The previous US travel alert issued in January cited the same concerns of “increased threats of Russian military action and Covid-19” while calling on US citizens to avoid going to Ukraine, but did not go as far as to urge them to flee the country as soon as possible.
Russia, Already ‘Banned’ from Olympics for Doping, Caught Doping Again
Breitbart – 15-year-old Russian figure skating champion Kamila Valieva was allowed to continue practicing for the Beijing Winter Olympics on Thursday even though she tested positive for a banned substance.
Russia was technically banned from the Olympics after a massive state-sponsored doping scheme was busted at the 2014 Sochi games, but its athletes are permitted to compete as representatives of a bureaucratic fiction called the “Russian Olympic Committee.”
Nobel-winning scientist who co-discovered HIV virus dies
RT – Professor Luc Montagnier, a French scientist whose Paris laboratory discovered the HIV virus in the 1980s, has passed away aged 89. Montagnier earned a joint Nobel Prize in 2008 for his work in identifying HIV.
His death was confirmed to AFP on Thursday by the mayor of Paris suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine where he had been hospitalized. Montagnier died peacefully on Tuesday surrounded by his children, France Soir reported.
Ontario court freezes access to GiveSendGo donations for truckers’ protest
The Globe and Mail The Ontario government says it has successfully petitioned a court to freeze access to millions of dollars donated through online fundraising platform GiveSendGo to the convoy protesting COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa and at several border crossings.
The province obtained an order from the Superior Court of Justice that prohibits anyone from distributing donations made through the website’s “Freedom Convoy 2022″ and “Adopt-a-Trucker” campaign pages, said a spokeswoman for Premier Doug Ford.
Ivana Yelich said the order binding “any and all parties with possession or control over these donations” was issued Thursday afternoon. She cited a section of the Criminal Code that allows the attorney general to apply for a restraint order against any “offence-related property.”
Ontario’s move to freeze access to the donations comes the same day as an all-party House of Commons committee of MPs heard testimony from deputy directors of Canada’s financial intelligence hub about how it doesn’t cover crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe.
Fintrac has a mandate to identify money linked to terrorist financing and money laundering from reports it receives each year from entities including banks, insurance companies, money service businesses and casinos.
It doesn’t investigate potential crimes or stop money from flowing, but passes its intelligence onto police.
Fintrac deputy director Barry MacKillop testified that it doesn’t regulate crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe and so wouldn’t receive from it reports of suspicious transactions.
The payment services that users rely on to send money to crowdfunding campaigns, like PayPal, and the banks that in turn deposit the cash do fall under is reporting requirements, the MPs heard.
“The intersection with the crowdfunding platforms and our financial institutions is a must in order to disperse the money,” he said.
“If the money were going through a Canadian bank, for example, and directed to the Proud Boys – they’re a listed terrorist organization. That money would be stopped by the bank.”
US tells Canada to stop trucker protests at border
RT – US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have urged their Canadian counterparts to “use federal powers” to stop truckers protesting against Canada’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate from blocking the busiest border crossing between the two countries.
The following are videos of truck convoys around the world:
Brave Canadian Trucker In Ottawa Gives Swift Powerful Speech!
Truck Convoy in The Netherlands! Honk Honk!
Truck Breaks Down In Australia, Convoy Helps Driver!
Truck Convoy In Alaska! Honk Honk!
U.S. NEWS, POLITIC & GOVERNMENT
US faces its own trucker convoy, intel warns Biden
RT – The US Department of Homeland Security has warned its police partners and the administration of President Joe Biden that a group of truckers may seek to emulate the Canadian Freedom Convoy, setting out from California with the intent of arriving in Washington, DC as a protest against vaccination mandates. The agency pointed out on Wednesday that such a protest could disrupt the Super Bowl or Biden’s SOTU address.
The agency reportedly wrote in a memo to police that it had “received reports of truck drivers potentially planning to block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates.” The memo suggested the convoy would begin in California in mid-February, potentially interfering with the February 13 football championship game or Biden’s March 1 speech.
EXCLUSIVE: Rand Paul Encourages Truckers to Come to America and ‘Clog Cities Up’
Daily Signal – Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is “all for” trucker convoys coming to the United States.
The Republican senator discussed the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” during a Thursday interview with The Daily Signal following an NBC News report that a similar trucker convoy may form for this weekend’s Super Bowl in Los Angeles–and potentially come to Washington, D.C., for the State of the Union address in early March.
“I’m all for it,” Paul said. “Civil disobedience is a time-honored tradition in our country, from slavery to civil rights, you name it. Peaceful protest, clog things up, make people think about the mandates.”
“And some of this, we started,” he added. “We put [COVID-19] mandates on truckers coming across the border from Canada so then they put mandates on, and the truckers are annoyed. They’re riding in a cab by themselves, most of them for eight, 10-hour long hauls, and they just want to do what they want to do. It’s their own business.”
—> Related Video: Rand Paul Weighs In on COVID-19 Tyranny, Hypocrites, and Civil Disobedience
CNN Poll: Majority Disapprove of Joe Biden, Deem His Presidency a ‘Failure’
Breitbart – A majority of Americans disapprove of President Joe Biden’s job performance, as most also deem his first year a “failure,” a CNN poll released Thursday revealed.
“Nearly 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of how Joe Biden is handling his presidency, with most of that group saying there’s literally nothing Biden has done since taking office that they approve of,” CNN detailed.
The latest survey, taken January 10-February 6, 2022, shows 58 percent disapproving of Biden’s job performance, compared to 41 percent who approve. That reflects a seven-point increase in the number who disapproved from the last survey, taken in December 2021.
The past surveys, fielded in March, April, August, September, October, November, and December, show Biden’s approval sinking and his disapproval continually rising.
From March 2021 to February 2022, Biden’s approval has tanked ten percentage points. In that same time frame, Biden’s disapproval rose 17 percentage points, as his disapproval stood at 41 percent in March 2021.
Carville: January 6 Probe Will Not Influence Midterms — ‘People Want an Election About Their Lives’
Breitbart – Democratic strategist James Carville said Thursday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that the House Select Committee investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 would not influence voters in the 2022 midterms.
Guest host John Berman said, “If you were advising Democrats running in the midterms, what would you tell them to do with Donald Trump? Is it something they should focus on? How much of a deal do you think the January 6 select committee will be?”
Carville said, “We have to wait and see when the committee comes out. I suspect their findings will be intriguing and devastating. But people are going to know by then. People want an election about their lives. They don’t want an election about a former president. They don’t want an election about any of this. If you show them substantial policies that improve people’s lives and you run on that like we did in 2018, you will be successful.”
He added, “You know I don’t know what is going to happen with Donald Trump with the 1/6 committee, the Manhattan DA, the Fulton County DA, the archives, I have no idea. But what you can do is do the best you can to talk about how you improved American lives and win elections.”
Declassified document accuses CIA of bulk collection of data on Americans
RT – Two US senators have accused the CIA of bulk collecting data on citizens following the release of documents disclosing the problems with how the agency searches and handles the information.
In their letter, sent on April 13, 2021, but partially disclosed on Thursday, Democratic Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico asked CIA Director William J. Burns and US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to declassify the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board’s (PCLOB) study into the CIA’s intelligence gathering on Americans under Executive Order 12333 – an order passed by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1981, which expanded the power of intelligence agencies.
Dems Still Pushing IRS Bank Account Snooping, Says Treasury Official
Americans for Tax Reform – Despite firm opposition from the American people, the Biden administration and congressional Democrats are still trying to insert IRS bank account snooping into the reconciliation bill, a top Treasury official said Wednesday during a panel sponsored by the Center for American Progress.
The Biden administration has proposed to give the IRS new power to automatically access bank account, Venmo, Paypal, and CashApp account inflows and outflows for all business and personal accounts with more than $600 in total deposits and withdrawals for what it describes as a “comprehensive financial account reporting regime.” This would inevitably increase audits on taxpayers making less than $400,000 per year.
School Assigns Seventh Graders to Read Novel Glamorizing Illegal Immigration
The Daily Signal – A Virginia parent says his seventh grade daughter was assigned to read a book meant to “elicit sympathy” for illegal immigrants.
At the end of January, Michael Erickson’s daughter and her classmates were assigned the 2007 novel “Crossing the Wire” by Will Hobbs.
The novel promotes a “leftist-leaning philosophy that we should just open up the borders and take whoever we want,” Erickson told The Daily Signal during a phone interview Tuesday.
Erickson’s daughter, whom he prefers not to name, attends Katherine Johnson Middle School in Fairfax, Virginia, about 20 miles west of Washington, D.C.
When he learned about the reading assignment for English class, Erickson did some research on Hobbs’ novel, which tells the story of 15-year-old Victor Flores and his harrowing journey north from Mexico to cross the border into America.
The novel depicts Flores’ goal as to find work and support his impoverished family. The boy hops trains, stows away in vehicles, and walks miles in the desert.
2021 Was Deadliest Year for Law Enforcement Officers in History
National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund reports fatalities increased 55% in 2021 over 2020, with Covid-19 fatalities the leading cause of officer deaths
The number of law enforcement professionals nationwide who died in the line of duty in 2021 increased 55% over the previous year, according to preliminary data provided by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), the leading authority on officer fatalities.
NLEOMF announced in its official 2021 Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report that as of December 31, 2021, 458 federal, state, county, municipal, military, campus, tribal, and territorial officers died in the line of duty during the past year, representing a 55% increase over the 295 officers who died in the line of duty in 2020. In the category of “Other” causes, which includes 301 Covid-19-related deaths, the number of fatalities is 338, an increase of 63% over 2020’s line-of-duty fatalities in this category.
“This time of year always reminds us of the sacrifice of law enforcement and the importance of our mission to honor the fallen, tell the story of American law enforcement, and make it safer for those who serve. The year 2021 will go down as the year of the most line-of-duty fatalities since 1930 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and increases in traffic fatalities and firearms ambushes,” said National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund CEO Marcia Ferranto.
Most significant in the 2021 Fatalities Report are the number of officer deaths in the category of “other” causes, which increased 63% over the number of deaths from other causes in 2020 due to officers who died from contracting Covid-19 in the line of duty.
In addition to the 301 Covid-19 deaths, 37 officers died from other causes, including 25 officers who died in the line of duty from health-related illnesses, such as heart attacks, strokes, and 9/11-related illnesses. In addition, 4 officers were beaten, and 4 officers drowned in 2021. There were 2 officers stabbed to death, 1 was killed when their patrol vehicle was swept away by floodwaters, and 1 was killed in a tornado.
Epoch Times – Despite chilly winds and overcast skies, around 50 Convention of States Action team members gathered for what has become known as the Rally in Tally, to urge legislators and Americans to support a Convention of States.
On Tuesday, Feb. 8, Florida Convention of States (COS) team members gathered for their annual visit to the state capital in Tallahassee, otherwise known as the Rally in Tally. For Brenda Karlin—a regional director for the COS organization in Florida—the day began at 7 a.m. with a prayer service on the 22nd floor of the Florida State Capitol building. At 8 a.m. Karlin met with legislators to deliver information packets and to observe legislative proceedings from the gallery. By 11 a.m., Karlin’s group had set up a table in the courtyard by the Capitol Steps and by 11:30, over 50 team members had gathered to share their enthusiasm for a movement that is nearly 10 years in the making and may finally be nearing fruition. As she sat in a quiet conference room, beyond the cacophonous din of voices exploding through the expansive marbled lobby of the Capitol Building, Karlin shared her thoughts about what could be a historic calling for a Convention of States.
“Our Constitution currently has 27 amendments,” Karlin told The Epoch Times. “This is a process under our Constitution to propose amendments to the Constitution. There have been other Conventions of State, but they came because Congress saw the writing on the wall and decided to put something in that addressed whatever an issue was. But this will be the very first Convention of States that will go through the entire process of holding an Article Five Convention of the states to propose amendments to our Constitution.”
Epoch Times – Beto O’Rourke has backtracked from comments he made in 2019 when he asserted that he would confiscate AR-15-style firearms from Americans.
The Democrat, who announced his run for Texas governor on Nov. 15, said on Tuesday that he’s “not interested” in taking anyone’s firearms.
“I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone,” O’Rourke told supporters during a campaign stop in Tyler, Texas, according to KLTV. “What I want to make sure that we do is defend the Second Amendment.”
He added: “I want to make sure that we protect our fellow Texans far better than we’re doing right now. And that we listen to law enforcement, which [Gov.] Greg Abbott refused to do. He turned his back on them when he signed that permitless carry bill that endangers the lives of law enforcement in a state that’s seen more cops and sheriff’s deputies gunned down than in any other.”
The U-turn comes just months after O’Rourke doubled down on his comments regarding removing AR-15-style firearms in an interview with the Texas Tribune.
“I think most Texans can agree—maybe all Texans can agree—that we should not see our friends, our family members, our neighbors, shot up with weapons that were originally designed for use on a battlefield,” O’Rourke told the publication.
Epoch Times – The Justice Department has waived ethics rules to allow Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar to work on a number of high-profile cases before the Supreme Court that could have huge implications for abortion and gun rights laws, according to documents filed with the Office of Government Ethics.
Prelogar, who is the federal government’s chief advocate before the Supreme Court, was granted ethics waivers that would allow her to work on five Supreme Court cases involving her former law firm, Cooley LLP, or its clients.
Specifically, the waivers allow her to work on the Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College case, despite her having earlier served as a guest lecturer at the law school.
The case pertains to a nonprofit called Students for Fair Admissions which disagrees with how Harvard uses race to determine which applicants to admit and is seeking to overturn the admissions policy.
Harvard has acknowledged that they use race as a factor in admission decisions, but say that such consideration doesn’t violate federal law or the Constitution.
In the Harvard case, Prelogar submitted a brief siding with the University.
The Justice Department said in its Nov. 18 waiver regarding the Harvard College case that Prelogar has “unique qualifications to meet the government’s needs in this particular matter” as a veteran appellate lawyer whose career includes both public and private service.
Prelogar has also received four other authorizations in cases that “presented potential appearance issues.”
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
It’s a Bad Idea to Tap Medicare to Bail Out Postal Service
The Daily Signal – The U.S. Postal Service is in trouble. So Congress is coming to the rescue by debating a proposed “Postal Service Reform Act” (HR 3076) to “stabilize” the independent agency’s financing and put it on a path of fiscal responsibility.
But although the legislation passed Tuesday by the House and now before the Senate might end up digging the Postal Service out of a fiscal hole, it would worsen Medicare’s already weakened financial condition.
The operation is an annual multibillion-dollar loser, but Americans depend on the U.S. mail and are happy to get it, even when it is inexplicably late.
Among the biggest issues facing the Postal Service is how to handle the large chunk of unfunded obligations for retirees’ health benefits. These liabilities amount to a whopping $75 billion, the amount of benefits promised but not financed.
The Government Accountability Office, the congressional watchdog agency, detailed the extent of the Postal Service problem in a 2020 report. It said the Postal Service has accumulated a total debt of $188 billion (about $580 per person in the U.S.), including unfunded health benefit obligations. This amounts to over 250% of annual revenue.
So, what to do? Sponsors of the House bill, which passed with a vote of 342-92 as 120 Republicans joined all Democrats, decided to shift the Postal Service’s health benefit costs to the Medicare program.
According to the text of the bill, as of next Jan. 1, all postal retirees, with certain exceptions, would be required to get their primary coverage through Medicare. The active workforce, meanwhile, would be enrolled in a new “Postal Service Health Benefits Program.”
In text accompanying the bill, the House Oversight and Reform Committee estimates that enrollment of all Medicare-eligible postal retirees would save $36 billion in 10 years.
From the standpoint of the taxpayer, adding tens of billions of Postal Service costs to Medicare amounts to yet another massive shift of costs to the taxpayers. In terms of unfunded obligations—benefits promised but not paid for—Medicare already has racked up long-term (75-year) unfunded obligations of $48.3 trillion. That’s about $150,000 per person in the U.S.
The proposal also comes at an inconvenient time. The Medicare Board of Trustees is warning that Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund is running headlong toward insolvency in 2026.
HEALTH
Dried goji berries may provide protection against age-related vision loss
Science Daily – Regularly eating a small serving of dried goji berries may help prevent or delay the development of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, in healthy middle-aged people, according to a small, randomized trial conducted at the University of California, Davis.
AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in older people, and is estimated to affect more than 11 million in the United States and 170 million globally.
“AMD affects your central field of vision and can affect your ability to read or recognize faces,” said Glenn Yiu, a co-author of the study and an associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences.
The researchers found that 13 healthy participants aged 45 to 65 who consumed 28 grams (about one ounce, or a handful) of goji berries five times a week for 90 days increased the density of protective pigments in their eyes. In contrast, 14 study participants who consumed a commercial supplement for eye health over the same period did not show an increase.
Improve your adrenal function naturally with adaptogenic herbs
NaturalHealth365 – If you experience chronic feelings of malaise and fatigue, a weak immune system, cardiovascular issues, poor digestion, anxiety, emotional imbalances, hair loss, sexual dysfunction, and sleeping issues, these describe the classical signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue.
Once shrugged off by conventional practitioners as a pseudo-diagnosis, adrenal fatigue is a major culprit underlying modern health concerns today. Research shows that ongoing, chronic environmental stress is the driver behind hormonal imbalances that cause adrenal problems. Recognizing that you may be suffering from adrenal fatigue is the first step toward healing and recovery.
How can I improve adrenal function and eliminate stress without toxic drugs?
Adaptogenic herbs have been well-researched for their ability to promote health and address adrenal problems head-on. Adaptogens are non-toxic phytomedicines that exert resistance to chronic fatigue, trauma, stress, and anxiety without eliciting any serious (negative) side effects.
Here are some endurance-promoting adaptogens for adrenal problems:
- Cordyceps: The use of the cordyceps combines the wisdom of Ancient Chinese Medicine with the prowess of modern science. Cordyceps are also categorized as an adaptogenic medicinal agent, often referred to as a medicinal mushroom. One of the most well-researched phytomedicines today, cordyceps, treats immune issues resulting from adrenal problems such as upper respiratory concerns as well as symptoms of adrenal fatigue that cause male sexual dysfunction.
- Rhodiola Rosea: Choose rhodiola to reduce mental and emotional stress. Studies show rhodiola’s positive effects on fighting fatigue while improving cognitive abilities. In addition, athletes using rhodiola tend to notice increased strength and energy.
- Ashwagandha: Known as an energizing and simultaneously soothing herb, this multi-faceted adaptogen helps improve sleep, promotes feelings of contentment, and relieves sexual issues in both men and women – due to its positive effects on DHEA and testosterone levels. Consider ashwagandha to help increase endurance and improve sexual libido.
- Astragalus: Another adaptogen used for centuries by Chinese medical practitioners, astragalus is a tonifying herb that relieves fatigue by improving immunity, insulin levels, blood pressure, and blood flow.
When combining several adaptogens, ask your integrative health practitioner which are the most ideal combinations for your endocrine and immune needs.
How to boost your immune system and fight cancer with spirulina
NaturalHealth365- Spirulina is in a class all its own when it comes to superfoods. Spirulina is a blue-green alga that contains a potent mix of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, essential amino acids, and concentrated protein.
It helps support immune function, helps prevent cancer and cellular damage, and offers a myriad of other benefits. In fact, it is so good for you, a human being could consume just spirulina (along with clean water) and not just survive, but thrive.
Here’s a great way to boost immune function and ward off infections
Spirulina is loaded with antioxidants that reduce free radical damage. Less free radical damage means a decreased risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and cancer.
Don’t forget: Free radical damage is one of the biggest precursors to cancer – so eating spirulina regularly can help prevent many cancer types. Its antimicrobial properties also help ward off a range of viruses and harmful bacteria, from influenza A, measles, and mumps to herpes and HIV-1.
Reduce your risk of radiation toxicity
Did you know that spirulina was awarded a patent in Russia in 1994 as a medical food to reduce allergic reactions from radiation sickness? It literally expels radiation from the body while preventing radiation side effects, adding to its ability to help prevent cancer.
Some of the other key features and health benefits of spirulina include:
Vitamins and minerals. Spirulina is loaded with calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. It’s also rich in vitamin K, iodine, selenium, potassium, manganese, and zinc.
Spirulina is also well known for its phytopigments content, including chlorophyll, phycocyanin, and carotenoids (a vitamin A precursor). It’s also rich in vitamin E and a number of B vitamins (B1, B2, and B6), which can help offset the effects of stress. Other key nutrients include iron, chromium, and copper.
Provides potent, easily digestible protein. The protein content of spirulina is a whopping 60 percent – a full 33 percent more protein than most meats. It is also easier to digest due to the absence of cellulose walls.
Healthy fatty acids. It’s an excellent source of the fatty acid GLA (gamma-linolenic acid, crucial for heart health) as well as one of the highest concentrations of omega-6 fatty acid. It also contains sulfolipids, which support T-cell (immune system) health.
Better brain chemistry. An abundance of essential amino acids helps spirulina optimize neurotransmitter functioning and balance brain chemistry.
Improved digestion. Spirulina is an alkalizing food containing around 2,000 enzymes that aid in digestion. As a result, it has a suppressant effect on harmful bacteria like E. coli and candida while stimulating beneficial gut flora.
Additional health benefits of spirulina include:
- Liver function support
- Cardiovascular health
- Better tooth and gum health
- Regulates blood sugar
- Controls cravings and appetite
The health benefits of spirulina are varied and abundant, with its ability to boost immune system function and prevent cancer among the most impressive. As for consumption, organic spirulina is best since some brands can contain additives and heavy metals. One to two tablespoons per day is ideal, but higher amounts can be consumed if fighting an illness.
COVID NEWS
CDC Struggles to Maintain Public Trust, Leader of House Doctors Caucus Says
Daily Signal – Amid new information on its inner workings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is facing a credibility problem for its COVID-19 response, a leader of the House’s GOP Doctors Caucus told The Daily Signal.
“The American people don’t do well with being told ‘Because I told you so,’ which has, unfortunately, been the Biden administration’s public relations approach to COVID-19 vaccinations,” Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, said.
Wenstrup is the co-chairman of the GOP Doctors Caucus, composed of 18 House Republicans who are medical doctors focused on health care policy.
Wenstrup, a podiatric surgeon who served as a combat surgeon during the Iraq War, referenced CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s CNN interview in December, when she said the agency’s guidelines for COVID-19 were based on what officials believed the public would tolerate.
“The CDC, in particular, has struggled to maintain public trust, due in part to revelations that official policies on school lockdowns were influenced by the powerful teachers unions as well as suggestions that shifting guidance on social isolation was determined by ‘what we thought people would be able to tolerate,’” Wenstrup told The Daily Signal in an email response to questions.
Authors of Barrington Declaration Speak Out
Mercola – October 4, 2020, three public health scientists launched The Great Barrington Declaration1 — a public health proposal that calls for focused protection of the most vulnerable while letting the rest of the world resume normal life. The declaration has since garnered more than 920,000 signatures by doctors, scientists and other health professionals who agree with its premises. The founding trio include:
- Martin Kulldorf, Ph.D., a biostatistician, epidemiologist with expertise in detecting and monitoring infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety evaluations, and a professor of medicine at Harvard University
- Sunetra Gupta, Ph.D., professor at Oxford University, an epidemiologist with expertise in immunology, vaccine development, and mathematical modeling of infectious diseases
- Jay Bhattacharya, MD, Ph.D., professor at Stanford University Medical School, a physician, epidemiologist, health economist, and public health policy expert focusing on infectious diseases and vulnerable populations
In the following video (Doctors Smeared By Fauci SPEAK OUT Against Lockdowns & Mandates) Jimmy Dore interviews Kulldorf and Bhattacharya about the declaration, and the recent revelation that Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and his former boss, now retired National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins, colluded behind the scenes to quash the declaration from day one.
Video: Masks – The Truth is Leaking Out – Slowly
WHO: Global COVID-19 Case Counts Decline 17 Percent in Latest Week
Epoch Times – The World Health Organization says coronavirus case counts fell 17 percent worldwide over the last week compared to the previous week, including a 50 percent drop in the United States, while deaths globally declined 7 percent.
The weekly epidemiological report from the U.N. health agency, released late Tuesday, shows that the omicron variant is increasingly dominant—making up nearly 97 percent of all cases tallied by the international virus-tracking platform known as GISAID. Just over 3 percent were of the delta variant.
“The prevalence of the omicron variant has increased globally and is now detected in almost all countries,” WHO said. “However, many of the countries which reported an early rise in the number of cases due to the omicron variant have now reported a decline in the total number of new cases since the beginning of January 2022.”
All told, WHO reported more than 19 million new cases of COVID-19 and under 68,000 new deaths during the week from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6. As with all such tallies, experts say such figures are believed to greatly underestimate the real toll.
Case counts fell in each of WHO’s six regions except its eastern Mediterranean zone, which reported a 36 percent jump, notably with increases in Afghanistan, Iran, and Jordan.
GSK-Vir Monoclonal Antibody Protects Against Omicron Subvariant, Companies Say
Epoch Times – The monoclonal antibody treatment from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Vir BioTechnology protects well against the Omicron subvariant that is becoming more prevalent in the United States, the companies said Feb. 10.
Preclinical data suggest that sotrovimab, the monoclonal, “retains neutralizing activity against the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron,” the companies said in a press release.
The data, based on pseudovirus and pharmacokinetic testing, was not made public. A Vir spokesperson didn’t respond when asked why. The companies said the results are being shared with government authorities around the world and that they plan on publishing them on the preprint server bioRxiv in the coming weeks.
“Our view of the data is that they support the ongoing role of sotrovimab as a critical treatment in the fight against the continuously evolving SARS-CoV-2 virus,” Vir’s CEO George Scangos said in a statement.
SARS-CoV-2 is another name for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.
The GSK-Vir treatment is the only monoclonal currently allowed to be used against the virus in the United States. Drug regulators in January barred the use of the two others they previously cleared from Eli Lilly and Regeneron. Regulators cited early data that suggested the treatments weren’t effective against Omicron, a move some experts supported but others did not.
Omicron, a CCP virus variant, became dominant in the country in December 2021, displacing the Delta strain.
All three monoclonals authorized in the country were effective against Delta, data show.
AstraZeneca Sees Higher 2022 Sales, but Forecasts COVID-19 Shot Revenues to Decline
Epoch Times – British–Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on Thursday forecast higher sales in 2022 after posting a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit.
But the biotechnology company warned that it expects revenues to decline as sales of its COVID-19 products drop, and that the gross profit margins from those products would be lower than the company average.
The drugmaker recorded full-year revenues of $37.4 billion in its fourth-quarter results (pdf), an increase of 38 percent from the year before.
Part of the boost in revenue came from $4 billion in sales of its COVID-19 vaccine, which was developed with the University of Oxford.
In the final quarter, sales rose 62 percent to $12 billion. For 2022, AstraZeneca forecast total group sales to rise by a “high teens percentage.”
However, the drugmaker warned that COVID-19 revenues would decline by “a low-to-mid twenties percentage.”
VIDEO: Parents Shoved, Denied Access to Pennsylvania School Board Meeting
Epoch Times – Tensions boiled over Wednesday at a Downingtown Area School District board meeting when a district employee, guarding the door to prevent the unmasked from entering, got into a physical altercation with a parent.
The Chester County Pennsylvania school district requires everyone attending the meeting to wear a mask. The rule is enforced with guards at the door, guards in the meeting, and police on speed dial.
In early December, the state Supreme Court ruled that the state Department of Health, no longer working under an emergency order, did not have the authority to continue requiring schools to mask students. At that point, school boards could decide individually if they wanted to require masking. Many opted to end masking immediately, or make it optional, but Downingtown continues requiring masking and parents have been attending meetings for months, asking for them to change the rule.
Nathan Laing, father of two, had a scarf wrapped around his head twice. It covered his mouth and nose. He figured that would be sufficient since the Department of Education website says an acceptable face covering can be made of a variety of synthetic or natural fibers including cotton, silk, or linen; that it may be secured to the head with ties, straps, loops over the ears, or is wrapped around the lower face; and it can be a scarf, bandana, T-shirt, sweatshirt, or towel.
When he approached the door, Laing noticed another parent, Shannon Grady, arguing with the school employee about entering the meeting.
“Are you wearing a mask?” a video shows the school employee asking Grady while the employee stands in the middle of the doorway.
“No,” she replied.
“Then, you cannot come in,” the employee said.
Laing pulled the door open wider to get around and inside, and a shoving match erupted.
In independent interviews, both Grady and Laing told The Epoch Times that the employee started shoving first. The school solicitor did not respond to requests for comment.
“I took one small step, and he grabbed my arm, and then he was sort of shoving me. I pushed him back and then he was trying to punch me. I pushed back again and said, ‘Don’t touch me’,” Laing said. Then the employee pulled the door shut, locked it, and called the police.
Laing said he intended to go in with his scarf on, and if anyone gave him trouble about it, he would have grabbed one of the free masks located inside two sets of doors behind the security guard. He had planned a two-minute speech during public comment, asking the board to end masking. But he was too distracted after the shoving incident, so he didn’t speak at all.
“Do people realize that right now we are starting, like Germany or China activities? This shouldn’t be happening. That man at the door, I don’t know his life or anything, but I’m sure he’s a normal person. It shows that normal people can be subverted into thinking they are doing good,” Laing said. “I hope this wakes people up to show them how close we are to becoming Germany. It’s kind of scary. I never thought that would happen to me just trying to attend the school board meeting on children.”
While Laing got into the meeting, Grady was not allowed in, because she would not wear a mask.
Grady filed a lawsuit against the school district in December and intended to serve papers to the board at the meeting, calling for the removal of board members who voted to keep the mask mandate in place.
Some parents attended the meeting to ask for the end of masking, others begged the board to continue masking.
GOOD NEWS
80-Year-old Man Walks Through Blizzard to Rescue 3 Cars of People
A retiree rescuer hiked half a kilometer through a winter whiteout to reach a woman that had used social media to alert the local neighborhood that she was stuck and afraid for her safety.
At 80-years old, Andre Bouvier Sr. is being hailed as a hero for rescuing not only the woman, but three other cars likewise stuck in an impassable blizzard which locals describe as a “Saskatchewan Screamer.”
Many have had the same thought as Shannon St. Onge when looking at the approach of snow on a weather forecast—that they have time to finish their errands. The director of finance at the First Nations University of Canada, her signature on a check required her to drive her usual commute of 25 kilometers (15 miles) from her home in Pense, over to the city of Regina.
As she was leaving, the winter snow began to fall, and taking a dirt road for better traction on her tires, she quickly became lost, with no ability to see more than a sliver of the road’s edge from a rolled-down window. After a while she stopped and called 911, with the operator suggesting she wait out the storm as her tank was full and she was warm.
“She (the operator) took my information and told me an officer would call me back. Almost 14 hours and counting and nobody has called me yet to check in,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
“Would the gas tank last until morning? What if I was hit by another vehicle? What if I fell asleep and the tailpipe was blocked? What if I didn’t make it home at all?” St. Onge wondered.
Determined to ensure the safest end to her turn for the worse, she went out in the storm and discovered her location on a road sign, then found a neighborhood Facebook group for the area she was passing through—alerting those it contained of her plight through a Google Maps pin.
That’s when Andre Bouvier Sr., doing some at-home genealogy research, got a call about St. Onge’s situation, and bundling up while ignoring his wife’s concern for his safety, the 80-year-old went out to find her, on foot, since he couldn’t manage to start his tractor.
On the way he found three other stranded vehicles, totaling seven people, and walking the quarter mile there and back, he led the helpless cars one by one to his home.
“Once we arrived to [his] house, and I parked the car, I got out and jumped into his arms and gave him a great big bear hug,” St. Onge told CBC News. “I was sobbing with gratitude, I was so grateful.”
Bouvier let the survivors sleep at his house, where they ate and laughed, and departed the next morning after he had plowed the driveway.
Bouvier remarked that everyone would have done the same, and that it took very few thoughts or courage to help.
Epoch Times – A Maryland police officer is being credited with saving a middle school student from being hit by a car, officials say.
Corporal Annette Goodyear of the North East Police Department was directing traffic on Friday, Feb. 4 at a crosswalk when the North East Middle School student entered the intersection. The officer then realized that an approaching car was not going to be able to stop in time and reacted quickly by pushing the student out of the way. The officer herself was struck by the car.
The incident was caught on camera, WUSA reported.
After the officer was struck, the student and the driver were seen attending to her.
Cecil County executive Danielle Hornberger shared the video on her Facebook page. Hornberger said she has spoken with the town’s mayor and they are working on commendations for Goodyear.
Corporal John Fakner of the North East Police Department said Goodyear was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was later released.
OTHER
GM Super Bowl AD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEuEBT0TWQE&t=4s
Comment: GM is apparently woke, co-mingingling climate change with the sale of their new models. Interesting to note that the entire Austin Powers team is featured in the commercial.
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