Scotland Defers Fertility Treatment for Unvaccinated Women
Epoch Times – Unvaccinated women in Scotland have found their NHS fertility treatment appointments cancelled due to their CCP virus vaccination status.
The Scottish government said it’s taking a “more cautious approach” because of the increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19—the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus—among unvaccinated pregnant women, as well as the uncertainty around the Omicron variant of the virus.
But the policy is criticised as being “inhumane” by the Scottish Labour Party.
The Scottish government published Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Gregor Smith’s letter of recommendation on Jan. 7.
The letter said NHS fertility treatment aimed at creating a pregnancy should be deferred for patients who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but fertility-preserving treatment is exempt from the deferral.
According to local media reports, a number of couples received phone calls on Christmas Eve telling them their fertility treatment appointments were cancelled because the women weren’t fully vaccinated.
Jemma McDonald and Hayden Brown, a couple who found out their appointment was cancelled “a couple of days before Christmas,” told Scottish tabloid the Daily Record that they had been trying for a baby for five years.
The 25-year-olds were scheduled to sign the consent forms to begin in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment after going through a yearslong process of preimplantation genetic diagnosis.
“I spoke to a receptionist who said there were some phone calls being made because if you hadn’t been vaccinated you were no longer eligible to get IVF,” McDonald said.
The nursery teacher said she had hoped to be pregnant by March or April and the setback felt “really upsetting.”
The couple decided not to get vaccinated because the Scottish government had initially advised pregnant women and women preparing for pregnancy against taking the shots.
McDonald said she personally felt that “there is not enough evidence about what could potentially happen to a baby in three or four years’ time.”
“I feel it is a complete breach of our human rights,” the young woman said.
Another woman, who didn’t get the CCP virus vaccines after hearing they affected her friends’ menstrual cycle, told the newspaper that she was “heartbroken” upon hearing the news and “cried for two hours.”
Jackie Baillie, deputy leader and health spokesperson for the Scottish Labour Party, slammed the SNP government for the policy which she said was “inhumane.”
EU Parliament president dead at 65
RT – European Parliament President David Sassoli has died after a prolonged stay in the hospital due to an immune system dysfunction
The EU Parliament president has died in an Italian hospital where he was being treated since late December, his spokesman said. The official was suffering from a “serious complication” resulting from an immune system condition.
The spokesman for EU Parliament President David Sassoli confirmed the news of his passing in a statement on Tuesday morning.
Sassoli “passed away at 1.15 am on 11 January at the CRO in Aviano( PN), Italy, where he was hospitalized,” spokesman Roberto Cuillo tweeted.
The late politician had been at the helm of the European Parliament – the law-making body of the European Union – since 2019.
SCOTUS Will Block OSHA Vax Mandate. Limits on Federal Power Still Matter
OSHA’s “work‐around” is just an attempted short‐circuiting of the law.
CATO – Based on Friday’s Supreme Court oral argument, it seems that sanity will prevail and the justices will block the federal private‐sector vaccine mandate, an “emergency” standard the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced in November. Just as the Court blocked the Centers for Disease Control’s eviction moratorium last summer, six justices are now clearly troubled by a claim of sweeping regulatory authority based on flimsy statutory text.
The federal government’s power to regulate its own employees (including servicemen), or those it funds through programs like Medicare and Medicaid—the subject of a case argued the same day—is on stronger ground. But all these issues are different from those courts have confronted with regard to state and municipal mandates and restrictions, whether in the context of religious services, business operations or vaccination requirements. That’s because state governments have different sorts of powers than the federal government has, so lawsuits against their exercise have claimed infringements on individual rights—rather than, as with OSHA and the CDC, claiming that an agency has exceeded the scope of its authority.
That is, it’s axiomatic to the American system of government that sovereignty is divided such that states wield power in their domains, while Washington, D.C. governs national issues like defense and interstate commerce. Modern constitutional law has blurred that distinction and expanded federal power, but there’s still no question that the Virginia Department of Labor could impose an occupational vaccine mandate in my home state, while OSHA’s attempt to do so has literally become a federal case.
To put a finer point on it, federal lawmaking powers are constitutionally enumerated—and thus limited to those listed in Article I, Section 8—while states enjoy a broader “police power” to regulate on behalf of public health, safety, welfare and morals. To hold that a state vaccine mandate can be constitutional, as the Supreme Court did in the 1905 case of Jacobson v. Massachusetts, doesn’t begin to answer the question of whether a federal agency has statutory authority to impose one. And to hold that federal regulation of workplace conditions is constitutional doesn’t begin to answer the question of whether and how OSHA can address viral threats that aren’t specific to the workplace.
Poll reveals Americans’ biggest concern, and it’s not Covid
A new survey suggests economic woes are continuing to overtake fears of the coronavirus pandemic in the US
RT – A shrinking number of Americans list Covid-19 among their top concerns, according to recent polling, which indicates greater worry over a lagging economy and four-decade-high inflation than the ongoing health crisis.
Published on Monday, a new poll conducted by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that just 37% of those surveyed list the virus as one of their top five priorities for government policy this year, down from 53% in 2021.
Though concerns about the economy didn’t change much from last year, a sizable 68% still named the issue as one of their top five for 2022, while those who specifically cited inflation rose much more sharply over the same period, from about 1% to 14%.
As of last November, consumer prices were up 6.8% compared to the year prior, a 39-year high, according to AP. The steep price hikes corresponded with a jump in the number of Americans who list their cost of living and household finances as a major priority for government, or 24% in Monday’s poll, compared to just 12% last year.
Immigration also saw an uptick over the last 12 months, with 32% listing it as a top concern in a 14-point jump from 2021, while ‘gun issues’ similarly rose by 19 points over the same time period. ‘Other health care’ matters beyond Covid-19, as well as ‘racism’ and ‘racial inequality’, fell by 11 and nine points, respectively.
The survey included 1,089 respondents and was conducted between December 2 and 7 – after the rise of the Omicron strain, suggesting that concerns over the virus are falling even as the latest ‘variant of concern’ designated by the World Health Organization quickly makes the rounds in the US and elsewhere.
In follow-up interviews, moreover, many of those surveyed said more recent news about Omicron did not change their opinions regarding the pandemic, AP reported, noting that the group includes ‘self-identified Democrats’.
Exclusive–American Taxpayers Charged Millions to Provide Illegal Aliens with Free Lawyers
Breitbart – American taxpayers, often unbeknownst to them, are being charged to the sum of millions to provide illegal aliens in various cities with free legal representation, an investigation exclusively shared with Breitbart News reveals.
The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) reviewed expenditures for cities that have implemented a deportation defense program that provides illegal aliens and foreign nationals with free legal representation to fight their deportations from the United States.
“Under U.S. law, illegal aliens and other non-citizens facing deportation orders do not have a right to legal representation because immigration law is a civil matter, not a criminal one,” IRLI investigators note.
The costs, as a result, are falling on American taxpayers. For Fiscal Year 2022, IRLI investigators estimate that taxpayers in 22 cities that have deportation defense programs will be charged at least $5.2 million to provide illegal aliens with free lawyers.
IRLI investigators said this estimate is conservative and does not include many other localities that have similar in-house deportation defense programs.
“These programs are an insult to every law-abiding American citizen and legal resident,” IRLI Executive Director Dale Wilcox told Breitbart News. “Our laws clearly state that non-citizens charged with civil offenses do not have a right to legal representation. Yet we have radical anti-borders groups starting these programs and sticking unknowing citizens with the bill. It’s outrageous.”
Man who bought gun for Kyle Rittenhouse pleads no contest
AP – The man who bought an AR-15-style rifle for Kyle Rittenhouse pleaded no contest Monday to a reduced charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in a deal with prosecutors to avoid prison.
Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder accepted Dominick Black’s plea during a six-minute hearing. Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger dropped two felony counts of intent to deliver a dangerous weapon to a minor as part of the deal.
Contributing to the delinquency of a minor is a misdemeanor punishable by up to nine months in jail, but Binger reduced the charge to a non-criminal citation. Under the deal, Black will pay a $2,000 fine. Each felony count would have been punishable by up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Black was 18 and dating Rittenhouse’s sister when he purchased an AR-15-style rifle for Rittenhouse in May 2020. Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, was 17 — not old enough to purchase a firearm.
Lettuce recall 2022: Dole recalls salad sold at Walmart, Kroger, Aldi, H-E-B for listeria risk
(NOTE: The above link contains all of the grocery store outlets affected!)
AOL – Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. is voluntarily recalling dozens of types of prepackaged salad for a “possible health risk” from listeria from dozens of states.
The recall comes weeks after the company had a similar recall in December and one in October.
According to the Jan. 7 recall notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website, the affected products are Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at its Springfield, Ohio and Soledad, California production facilities.
Consumers are advised to throw out the recalled items and not to eat them. Affected store brands include Walmart’s Marketside brand, Aldi’s Little Salad Bar, Kroger, H-E-B and Presidents Choice.
A list of the impacted products is posted on the FDA and Dole websites.(See the list below.)
In the December recall, Dole said salads processed at the two factories were not affected.
Why Did US Deaths Shoot Up 40% Above Normal Last Year?
Mercola – OneAmerica, a national life insurance company based in Indianapolis, reports working age people (18 to 64) are dying at a rate that is 40% higher than prepandemic rates
There’s also been an uptick in disability claims. Initially, there was a rise in short-term disability claims, but now most claims are for long-term disabilities
Hospitalizations in Indiana are also higher than before the COVID shots were rolled out in in 2021, and the highest they’ve been in five years
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India also reports a 41% rise in death claims in 2021
COVID-19 deaths were significantly lower in 2021 than 2020, so COVID-19 can be ruled out as the cause for this historical rise in excess deaths and disabilities. Right now, the most probable cause is the experimental COVID jabs
Why Is the FDA Hiding the Pfizer Vaccine Data?
Mercola – Weeks after the FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine under the name Comirnaty, the only documentation publicly available was found in press releases and journal articles
A nonprofit group filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the data used to license Comirnaty and subsequently had to file a lawsuit to release the documents the FDA has a statutory obligation to publish within 30 days of approving a drug
Peter Doshi and Matthew Herder note the review team was likely understaffed and was rushed to finalize the review in three weeks, a process that normally takes 10 months. The review did not address concerns that the trial was unblinded or the high number of side effects from the vaccine
The package inserts for medical professionals in the Moderna and J&J vaccines are intentionally left blank, sending people to a website where they can download the information
Magnesium and K2 Optimize Your Vitamin D Supplementation
Mercola – If you take supplemental vitamin D3, you also need to be mindful of taking extra vitamin K2 and magnesium
It’s important to increase your vitamin K2 intake when taking high-dose supplemental vitamin D to avoid complications associated with excessive arterial calcification
You need 146% more vitamin D to achieve a blood level of 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) if you do not take supplemental magnesium, compared to taking your vitamin D with at least 400 mg of magnesium per day
Vitamin D improves magnesium absorption, but taking large doses of vitamin D can deplete magnesium, as magnesium is required in the conversion of vitamin D into its active form
Combined intake of both supplemental magnesium and vitamin K2 has a greater effect on vitamin D levels than either individually. You need 244% more oral vitamin D if you’re not concomitantly taking magnesium and vitamin K2
Doctor’s Court Testimony: Ventilators ‘Causing Harm,’ Death in COVID Patients
Epoch Times – The family of a dying patient at a Florida hospital has filed an emergency appeal they hope will overturn a lower court’s decision and force Mayo Clinic to give their preferred treatment for COVID-19.
Judge Marianne Aho of Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit ruled against the family during an emergency hearing on Dec. 30.
In her order, Aho wrote that attorneys for the family of Daniel Pisano “have not established that the rights of privacy, self-determination, or any other right, entitles them to” the injunction they were seeking.
But attorneys for the family insist the Florida Patient’s Bill of Rights gives Daniel Pisano’s family the right to choose his treatment.
The patient’s son and his wife of 51 years have power of attorney giving them the legal right to make medical decisions for him while he is unconscious. And that includes the right to choose his treatment, argue their attorneys, Nick Whitney, of Jacksonville, and Jeff Childers, of Gainesville.
But they’re running out of time to provide life-saving treatment, according to the family’s trusted doctor, who’s reviewing Pisano’s chart through an online portal.
The Pisano family’s attorneys filed an emergency appeal in Florida’s First District Court of Appeal late Jan. 9 that seeks to overturn Judge Aho’s decision. At the time of publication, a hearing had not been set, and Mayo Clinic had not filed a response to the lawsuit.
Most Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in New Jersey Admitted for Non-COVID Reasons: Officials
Epoch Times – The majority of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in New Jersey were actually admitted for reasons other than COVID-19, officials said on Jan. 10.
Of the 6,075 people with COVID-19 and hospitalized in the state, just 2,963 were admitted for COVID-19, New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said during a briefing.
“We have a fair number of what I’ve started to call COVID incidental, or incidental COVID, meaning you went in because you broke your leg, but everyone’s getting tested and it turns out you’ve got COVID. You didn’t even know it,” Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said. “My wife didn’t know it and still she’s not back in the in the game, but never had any symptoms, so there is a significant amount of that.”
Previously during the pandemic, states largely neglected to distinguish COVID-19 hospitalizations from incidental COVID-19.
However, after large numbers of people began testing positive after the emergence of the Omicron variant, including those who have been vaccinated—some of whom have required hospital care—a growing number of officials have started making clear that not all COVID-19 hospitalizations are the same.
New York state for the first time reported last week its hospitalizations with COVID-19 versus its hospitalizations for COVID-19. Almost half of the hospitalizations listed as COVID-19 were incidental, state officials said.
Massachusetts is among the other states planning to soon make such data public.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Jan. 9 that some hospitals that her agency has spoken to have up to four in 10 COVID-19 patients who are being admitted for other reasons. She didn’t know how many of the deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the nation were because of other reasons, and the agency hasn’t responded to a request for that information.
800,000 Noncitizens Allowed to Vote in NYC Elections
Epoch TImes – New York City Mayor Eric Adams allowed a measure to become law on Jan. 9 making about 800,000 noncitizens in the city eligible to vote in municipal elections.
“I believe that New Yorkers should have a say in their government, which is why I have and will continue to support this important legislation,” Adams said in a statement. “I believe allowing the legislation to be enacted is by far the best choice, and look forward to bringing millions more into the democratic process.”
The bill was approved by the City Council on Dec. 9, 2021, giving the mayor 30 days to veto; Adams allowed it to become law without any action. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio had expressed concerns about the measure but declined to veto it before leaving office on Dec. 31.
“To me, this is something that I’m not sure is legally what a city can do,” he said during a Nov. 23 press briefing. “I think it’s something the state government needs to do.”
The law applies to legal permanent residents, people with working papers, and so-called Dreamers, as long as they’ve been residents of the city for 30 consecutive days.
“Dreamers” are people who entered the United States illegally as children and were granted amnesty under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a controversial executive order signed by President Barack Obama.
The law doesn’t apply to state or federal elections.
These noncitizen voters also can apply to cast an absentee ballot for municipal elections.
Adams was initially concerned about the 30-day residency requirement. But he told CNN on Jan. 9, “After hearing their rationale and their theories behind it, I thought it was more important to not veto the bill.”
He said that in Brooklyn, where he was the borough president, 47 percent of residents don’t speak English at home.
“I think it’s imperative that people who are in a local municipality have the right to decide who’s going to govern them.”
New York Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy criticized the law as “perhaps the worst idea out of New York City Democrats.”
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