Today's News: November 18, 2021

FBI investigating vials labeled ‘smallpox’ found in lab near Philadelphia

Yahoo – The FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating “questionable vials” labeled “smallpox” and found in a freezer last night at a Merck facility outside Philadelphia, according to an alert sent to Department of Homeland Security leadership on Tuesday night.

There were reportedly a total of 15 questionable vials, according to the unclassified “For Official Use Only” alert, a copy of which was obtained by Yahoo News. Five of the vials were labeled as “smallpox” and 10 were labeled as “vaccinia.” The vials were secured immediately.

The discovery of the vials prompted a lockdown of the facility, which has since been lifted. The FBI and CDC launched investigations, which remain ongoing.

“There is no indication that anyone has been exposed to the small number of frozen vials. The frozen vials labeled ‘Smallpox’ were incidentally discovered by a laboratory worker while cleaning out a freezer in a facility that conducts vaccine research in Pennsylvania,” a CDC spokesperson told Yahoo News.

“CDC, its Administration partners, and law enforcement are investigating the matter, and the vials’ contents appear intact. The laboratory worker who discovered the vials was wearing gloves and a face mask. We will provide further details as they are available,” the spokesperson said.

Smallpox, a disease caused by the variola virus, is considered so deadly that only two labs in the world are authorized to store samples of the virus, including one in Russia and the other at the CDC in Atlanta.

Disney to ban unvaccinated kids on cruises

RT – Children as young as five will need to be vaccinated to travel on Disney Cruise Line ships, the company has announced, in an expansion of its vaccine mandate. It is the first major passenger liner to require jabs for kids.

The updated coronavirus vaccination requirements were announced by Disney on Wednesday. Citing US vaccination guidelines, recently expanded to include five-year-olds, the cruise liner said the new rules will take effect starting January 13.

“As we set sail again, the health and safety of our Guests, Cast Members and Crew Members is a top priority,” Disney said in a statement. “Our focus remains on operating our ships in a responsible way that continues to create magic for all on board.”

Floods Are So Bad Farmers Are Rescuing Cows With Sea-Doos in British Columbia

Severe flooding in British Columbia has reached catastrophic proportions with one person killed and several more feared dead.

“Conditions within Sumas Prairie within the last hour have escalated and pose a significant risk to life,” Abbotsford officials tweeted. “This event is anticipated to be catastrophic.”

Images circulating on social media show residents fleeing their homes, with farmers struggling to rescue their animals out—flooding has washed out the roads. One man can be seen towing a cow with a seadoo.

‘Billions’ lost through hacks of crypto lending platforms

RT – New research by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic showed that fraud and theft at decentralized finance platforms have led to $10.5 billion in losses so far this year.

According to the report, published on Thursday, cash has been pouring into the so-called DeFi platforms, reflecting the explosive interest in cryptocurrencies. DeFi platforms allow users to lend, borrow and save (usually in crypto) while bypassing traditional gatekeepers of finance such as banks. The technology offers cheaper and more efficient access to financial services, supporters say.

Data by sector tracker DeFi Pulse shows that cryptocurrency worth $86 billion is currently stored on DeFi platforms, compared with some $12 billion a year ago.

Another European country imposes Covid lockdown for unvaccinated

RT – Slovakia has become the latest European country to implement lockdown restrictions on people who haven’t had the Covid vaccine, as it seeks to prevent a resurgence in infections and hospital admissions over the winter.

Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced the new measures in a press conference on Thursday, declaring a “lockdown for the unvaccinated” after the country reported a record number of new cases.

The new restrictions in Slovakia, which come into effect on Monday, will require people to have been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid in the past six months to enter restaurants, non-essential shops, or public events.

Congressman accuses attorney general of perjury over parent ‘terrorists’

RT – U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland lied to Congress when he insisted the FBI was not targeting concerned parents at school board meetings as possible “domestic terrorists,” charged a Republican congressman.

“This brings that really to a point that Attorney General Garland basically perjured himself in front of Congress and should really face the consequences before this,” said Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., in a Fox News interview Wednesday.

“The mama bears woke up and saw what was being done to their children, and that is not wrong for them to speak out,” he said of parents protesting Critical Race Theory and mask mandates.

Murphy cited an internal FBI email provided by a whistleblower that surfaced Tuesday indicating the bureau applied a “threat tag” to concerned parents. The email contradicts Garland’s Oct. 21 sworn testimony to the House Judiciary Committee in which he said he could not “imagine any circumstance” in which parents exercising their First Amendment rights would be regarded as “domestic terrorists.”

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. — appearing with Murphy on “Fox & Friends” — said “it is vital that Attorney General Garland come back and answer more questions.”

“He did not say it didn’t happen. He said, I cannot imagine it happening. So there are many, many ways not to answer a question and not tell the truth,” the Congress member said.

On Tuesday, Rep. Jim Jordan R-Ohio, the GOP leader on the House Judiciary Committee, informed Garland in a letter that House Republicans had obtained whistleblower documents that show the FBI used its counterterrorism division to investigate and place “threat tags” on parents.

Also on Tuesday, Jordan and Foxx, the ranking member on the House Committee on Education and Labor, sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona demanding that he turn over all communications regarding the issue.

Town Declares Itself a “Constitutional Republic,” Stops Enforcing State’s Tyrannical Mandates

Activist Post – The town of Oroville, California, has declared itself a “constitutional republic” following over a year of restrictive coronavirus lockdowns and mandates in the state.

The bold move comes after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that will extend parts of his March 4, 2020, emergency proclamation powers until March 31, 2022.

According to the East Bay Times, Oroville responded to the extension by declaring that it will not enforce “any executive orders issued by the state of California or by the United States federal government that are overreaching or clearly violate our constitutionally protected rights.”

The resolution was passed with a six to one vote at the city’s Nov. 2 council meeting.

“With all of these emergencies and leaders declaring emergencies it puts one person in charge and they can do pretty much what they want even when the emergency is no longer an immediate threat, they were they are reluctant to give up that power,” Oroville Mayor Chuck Reynolds said.

The town has had concerns about the mandates and changes that keep being enacted in California, especially with regard to COVID-19.

Councilman Dave Pittman pointed out that the measures the state government is trying to impose often infringe on personal rights and local governance.

Federal Judge Grants Injunction on Biden’s Oil, Gas Ban on Federal Lands

Breitbart – A federal judge on Monday issued a nationwide injunction on President Joe Biden’s executive order to halt oil and gas operations on all federal lands in the name of fighting so-called climate change.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry led the lawsuit joined by 12 other states and reacted to the court’s decision, calling it good for America.

“This is a victory not only for the rule of law, but also for the thousands of workers who produce affordable energy for Americans,” Landry said. “The President’s Executive Order abandons middle-class jobs, cripples our economy, and hits everyday Americans where it hurts the most – their pocketbooks.”

Moreover, Landry said Biden’s order actually hurts the environment.

“What’s more it attacks Louisiana’s coast by reducing the revenue and royalties used for coastal restoration and hurricane protection,” Landry said. A press release stated:

In last week’s oral arguments, lawyers from Attorney General Landry’s Office said that Biden Officials cannot legally halt all lease sales because Congress, by statute, has commanded that such lease sales happen on a regular basis. They cited the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Mineral Leasing Act as explicitly prohibiting the Biden Ban.

“By executive fiat, Joe Biden and his administration have single-handedly driven the price of energy up – costing the American people where it hurts most, in their pocketbooks,” Landry said when the lawsuit was filed. “Biden’s executive orders abandon middle-class jobs at a time when America needs them most and put our energy security in the hands of foreign countries, many of whom despise America’s greatness.”

Over 160 Republican Lawmakers Rally Behind Resolution to ‘Nullify’ Biden’s Vaccine Mandate

Breitbart – Over 160 Republican lawmakers in the House, and all 50 in the Senate, are rallying behind a measure to “disapprove of and nullify” President Biden’s federal vaccine mandate on American workers.

Rep. Fred Keller (R-PA) introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to “disapprove of and nullify” President Biden’s federal vaccine mandate imposed on American businesses and workers via the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Under the OSHA rule, employers with over 100 employees must implement vaccinate requirements or mandate routine testing for unvaccinated workers. The burden of the cost of the latter remains on the worker, as OSHA does not require the employer to pay for testing, amounting to a “work tax.” The rule will affect roughly 80 million Americans.

According to press release from Keller’s office, the issue “falls squarely in the jurisdiction of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee on Education and Labor, of which Congressman Keller is the Republican Leader.”

Out of the gate, the measure has garnered over 160 cosponsors “and counting,” including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), as well as Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY).

Build Back Better? UK Inflation Hits Ten Year High as Food and Fuel Coasts Soar

Breibart – The inflation rate in Britain has hit the highest level in a decade as the cost of living has soared as a result of rising energy prices.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Wednesday that the Consumer Prices Index rose by 3.8 per cent in the year leading up to October, jumping sharply from 2.9 per cent in the year up to September. The figures mean that the inflation rate has hit its highest level since November of 2011.

The ONS said that the increase in inflation has come as a result of the coronavirus lockdowns in 2020, however, it was also driven by spiralling energy costs after the government’s Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) lifted caps on the price of energy.

The price of energy has risen by 28.1 per cent over the past year, alone. As part of that, electricity costs have increased by 18.8 per cent. Petrol prices also climbed by 25.4p, surging to £1.40 per litre.

The inflation spike has hit householders particularly hard, with considerable rises seen in the prices of domestic energy, food, transportation, and education.

Commenting on the rise in inflation, ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: “This was driven by increased household energy bills due to the price cap hike, a rise in the cost of second-hand cars and fuel as well as higher prices in restaurants and hotels.

Thanksgiving dinner will cost Americans 14% more this year, survey finds

CNN – Thanksgiving dinner will cost 14% more this year, according to new survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation. Dinner for a family of 10 will cost on average $53.31 — up $6.41 from last year’s average of $46.90 which was down 4% from 2019, the lowest in 10 years.

Several factors led to this year’s increased pricing, including more Americans expected to cook at home as well as economic disruptions.

“These include dramatic disruptions to the US economy and supply chains over the last 20 months; inflationary pressure throughout the economy; difficulty in predicting demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and high global demand for food, particularly meat,” said Veronica Nigh, senior economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The biggest ticket item — turkey — is up 24% since last year. But there are a few caveats. Grocery stores started advertising lower prices later than usual this year. For example, if you were shopping for a turkey during the week of November 5-11, you could have paid 18% more than the following week November 12-18, the American Farm Bureau found. That means shoppers can still find more affordable turkeys than the Farm Bureau’s estimate of $23.99 for a 16-pound bird.