Ron DeSantis Announces Big Tech Crackdown After They Censor Trump, Untold Number of Americans

The crackdown includes a mandatory opt out from content filters, and huge fines levied per day for the censorship of political candidates

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced a massive crackdown on Big Tech censorship, in a move that has been described as a “game-changer.”

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, DeSantis announced a number of actions that would be taken against Big Tech by his administration, with the focus seemingly more on how Big Tech censorship and interference would effect elections within the state – more general measures were also included however.

Some of the new regulations include a mandatory opt-out from content filters created by Big Tech companies, which can leave users “shadowbanned” without the need for full platform removal, a right of action for all Floridians against Big Tech companies who violated this, and a number of daily fines related to interference in elections, including a $100,000 daily fine levied for any company that suspends political candidates.

DeSantis claimed that the Big Tech companies were the number one threat to democracy and freedom of expression in America:

What began as a group of upstart companies from the west coast has since transformed into an industry of monopoly communications platforms that monitor, influence, and control the flow of information in our country and among our citizens, and they do this to an extent hitherto unimaginable. These platforms have changed from neutral platforms that provided Americans with the freedom to speak to enforcers of preferred narratives.

“These platforms have played an increasingly decisive role in elections and have negatively impacted Americans who descend from orthodoxies favored by the big tech cartel,” DeSantis told the gathered reporters. Further actions announced include disclosure requirements to be enforced by state election authorities for any company that favours one candidate, and powers given to the Florida AG to enforce any violations.

The governor higlighted the action taken against Parler, the free speech social media site which was practically removed from the internet by Amazon, and the censorship of President Trump, as evidence that Big Tech companies engaged in “clear viewpoint discrimination” against conservatives.

“The core issue here is this: are consumers going to have the choice to consume the information they choose, or are oligarchs in Silicon Valley going to make those choices for us?” DeSantis said. “No group of people should exercise such power, especially not tech billionaires in Northern California.”

Breitbart’s Allum Bokhari, who authored the seminal book on Big Tech’s efforts to prevent President Trump from winning re-election, described DeSantis’s conference as a “game-changer,” noting that this is “the widest and most aggressive range of regulatory and legislative solutions so far proposed by any U.S. state to tackle the problem of tech censorship.”

https://nationalfile.com/breaking-ron-desantis-announces-big-tech-crackdown-after-they-censor-trump-untold-number-of-americans/

US Senate Confirms Alejandro Mayorkas to Be Next Secretary of Homeland Security

A majority of lawmakers in the US Senate voted in favor of confirming Mayorkas' nomination, marking the official as the first immigrant to run the Department of Homeland Security.

US Senate lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favor of confirming Mayorkas as the next official to serve as the head of the Homeland Security agency, despite opposing sentiment from some individuals that he is unfit to serve.

The vote came down to 56 in favor and 43 against, deeming him the very first Senate-confirmed leader of the department in about 21 months.

Ahead of the vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called on his fellow Republican lawmakers to vote against Mayorkas, citing the Biden nominee as an "ethically-compromised partisan lawyer."

Speaking from the Senate floor, McConnell accused Mayorkas of doing his "best to turn [the] US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) into an unethical favor factory for Democratic Party royalty" when he served under the Obama administration. Mayorkas previously served as the head of the USCIS.

"We are talking about shoving through green cards as political favors, and intervening to overturn denials," he added, highlighting a 2015 report by the inspector general that indicated Mayorkas aided foreign investors with the EB-5 visa program.

The report itself noted USCIS staffers had grown concerned that Mayorkas' involvement in three cases tied to the EB-5 visa program seemed to suggest he was providing a special treatment to investors who had connections to top Democrats.

However, it's worth noting that the report did not specifically conclude that Mayorkas violated the law. At the time, Mayorkas addressed the issue during a hearing in the House chamber but denied any wrongdoing.

The report noted that Mayorkas intervened in procedures involving investors who were linked to former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Anthony Rodham, brother of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202102021081962032-us-senate-confirms-alejandro-mayorkas-to-be-next-secretary-of-homeland-security/

Why Has Wisconsin Done Nothing With the 200,000 Ballots Its Supreme Court Claimed Were Likely Invalid In the 2020 Election?

There were numerous corrupt activities that took place in Wisconsin in the 2020 election, many which were never addressed. But the Wisconsin Supreme Court did rule on 200,000 ballots which were invalid but no one in the state has ever addressed these ballots to determine the accurate final count in the state. Why?

We will never have a free and fair election again if we don’t stand up and demand truth and integrity in our elections. This starts with the 2020 election, not elections into the future. How do you know what to fix when you don’t know what was broken and how badly it was broken?

Wisconsin was the target of corrupt attorneys and politicians who knew they needed to steal the state in order to win the election for low energy and senile Joe Biden. So they conjured up activities like adding ballot drop boxes around the state. These boxes were illegitimate because they never were approved through the Wisconsin legislature but that didn’t stop the state from using them. This issue has never been properly settled

There were many problems with drop boxes. Proper chain of custody and dual controls to prevent fraud were missing. Who was picking up the ballots at these boxes? Were they keeping lists of the ballots picked up and were there members of both parties present to prevent fraud from occurring. Ultimately the entire drop box mess was a disaster because it wasn’t constitutional in the first place.

Another major issue revolved around ‘indefinitely confined’ individuals. This classification of voter was intended for those who were unable to easily vote due to serious conditions preventing them (e.g. individuals with serious handicaps). For these individuals the requirement of a valid photo identification is waived.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/02/wisconsin-not-done-anything-200000-ballots-supreme-court-claimed-likely-invalid-2020-election/

New York State Senate Democrats Block Subpoena for Nursing Home Fatality Data

New York State Senate Democrats blocked a subpoena for nursing home fatality data on Monday, mere days after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a damning report indicating Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) administration had “undercounted” the number of coronavirus-related fatalities in nursing homes “by as much as 50 percent.”

Sen. Thomas O’Mara, the top Republican serving on the Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, made the motion on Monday during a virtual meeting. The Republican lawmaker said he wanted to “make sure we get to the bottom” of the irregularities in reporting the data on coronavirus-related fatalities in nursing homes.

The motion followed last week’s report from New York Attorney General Letitia James, which indicated “a larger number of nursing home residents died from COVID-19 than the New York State Department of Health’s (DOH) published nursing home data reflected and may have been undercounted by as much as 50 percent.”

Health Commissioner Howard Zucker spoke out after the report came out and said the number of coronavirus-related fatalities in nursing homes stood at 12,743. As the New York Post reported, “that figure was about 4,000 more nursing home resident deaths than previously reported — confirming the attorney general’s finding.”

O’Mara said they considered issuing a subpoena over the course of the last year. Even Sen. James Skoufis, the Democrat chairman of the Investigations Committee, threatened to subpoena the department of health. However, he made his threat prior to the release of the state attorney general’s report, putting him at odds with his Republican colleague on Monday.

As the Post reported:

And then during Monday’s committee meeting, he argued that O’Mara’s motion to issue a subpoena was largely moot after Zucker was forced to release an updated tally of nursing home deaths — that included those who died in hospitals — following James’ release of her report.

He said he expected Zucker to release more information when he testifies during a Feb. 25 budget hearing.

[…]

The chief lawyer for the investigations panel then claimed the motion was procedurally out of order because it had not been submitted in writing.

“This is a political motion,” Skoufis claimed, adding that the committee will not “be bullied into doing something after we laid out a road map to getting information.” O’Mara maintained that the public is not “getting the full picture from Attorney General James’ report.”

Cuomo defended his administration, which initially instructed nursing homes to take coronavirus positive patients, following the release of the report, telling reporters that his state actually has “a lower percentage of deaths in nursing homes than other states.”

“But we’re below the national average in number of deaths in nursing homes. But who cares? Thirty-three [percent], 28 [percent], died in a hospital, died in a nursing home,” Cuomo said at the January 29 press conference. “They died.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/02/new-york-state-senate-democrats-block-subpoena-for-nursing-home-fatality-data/

Texas AG Ken Paxton on Robinhood Investigation: ‘We Just Want to Know What the Truth Is’

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, who is investigating Google in a multi-state antitrust case and recently launched an investigation into the trading app RobinHood, joined Breitbart News editor-in-chief Alex Marlow on Breitbart News Daily on SiriusXM Monday morning.

In the interview, Paxton explained what he is doing to address consumer concerns about RobinHood, the app for retail traders that is embroiled in controversy following its decision to limit trading of shares in GameStop, AMC, and other companies targeted by Reddit community WallStreetBets, a move that benefited hedge funds at the expense of retail investors.

“So we’ve sent out these investigative demands, which is really, like interrogatories… to figure out if what looks like happened actually happened,” said the Texas attorney general.

“And certainly, I think the world thinks there was collusion between these large companies to potentially protect some of these larger investors against smaller investors banding together. So, we just want to know what the truth is — hopefully we’ll find out something different, but it certainly does not look good.”

“A lot of people, even people who are supposed to be allies of the everyman, are concerned for Wall Street, and concerned for the hedge funds,” said Alex Marlow.

“And these are people that are seen as largely, if not entirely responsible for the 2008 financial crisis, not one of whom went to jail, very few people held accountable at all. Is this an apt comparison?”

“I think you’ve got it,” said Paxton. “It’s interesting that these big guys seem to be protected by government, seem to be protected by the legal system, and it seems if one of the little guys veers even slightly, they’re in trouble, versus the big guys, who seem to always be able to do what they need to do to make a lot of money, potentially off the backs of these small investors.”

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2021/02/02/texas-ag-ken-paxton-on-robinhood-investigation-we-just-want-to-know-what-the-truth-is/

McConnell Defends Cheney as 'Courageous'; Condemns Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as 'Loony'

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is not in an enviable position. He has to ride herd on the most disparate group of politicians in Washington.

Almost by default, he’s emerging as the Republican leader in Washington with Trump sidelined and muzzled and no other GOP personality stepping forward. And McConnell doesn’t relish his position. He was comfortable being one of the good old boys in the Senate, which is no longer quite the collegial place it used to be.

With his position as the media-designated Republican spokesman, McConnell is being asked to comment on people and issues he really shouldn’t have to. A case in point is Liz Cheney’s vote to impeach Donald Trump in the House. He said nice things about Cheney, who would be ridden out of town on a rail after being tarred and feathered if Trump supporters got their way.

He was also asked about the unbalanced Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is running for the post of “Primary Trump Worshipper” in the House.

McConnell could have said something neutral about both politicians. Instead, he waded into the controversies and staked out his territory as the highest-ranking anti-Trump Republican in Washington.

About Cheney, he was positively gushing.

Daily Caller:

“Liz Cheney is a leader with deep convictions and the courage to act on them,” McConnell said in a statement to CNN. “She is an important leader in our party and in our nation. I am grateful for her service and look forward to continuing to work with her on the crucial issues facing our nation.”

McConnell had not yet commented on the divide between House Republicans and Cheney.

The House Freedom Caucus Chief, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, called for Cheney to resign from GOP leadership in January after Cheney announced her support for Trump’s impeachment. The House vote on Jan. 13 was 232-197 with 10 Republicans, including Cheney, voting to impeach Trump.

I think that’s a pretty strong statement about the divide between House Republicans and Cheney. Calling Cheney courageous while she’s impeaching the former president says clearly how he feels about pro-Trump politicians calling for her head on a spike.

McConnell also made a strong statement condemning Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has stirred up quite a fuss by saying crazy, stupid things.

The Hill:

“Somebody who’s suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.’s airplane is not living in reality,” McConnell said in a statement first shared with The Hill. “This has nothing to do with the challenges facing American families or the robust debates on substance that can strengthen our party.”

McConnell didn’t mention Greene by name in his three-sentence statement, but his rare, scathing remarks about a freshman GOP lawmaker from the other chamber suggests he recognizes the potential damage her violent rhetoric and bizarre conspiracy theories could inflict on congressional Republicans as they try to take back both the House and Senate in next year’s midterms.

It should be noted that Democrats also say crazy, stupid things. Rep. Hank Johnson’s hilarious fear that the island of Guam might “capsize” because of too many people on it stands out. And, of course, just about anything that is uttered by Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and other Squad members is Loony-Tunes nutty. Their “theories” on race and other cultural matters are demonstrably false and stupid.

But those conspiracy theories about “white supremacy” resonate with the liberal media, who nod their heads and call the former cocktail waitress a genius.

It’s true. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a screwball. But like her or not, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives fair and square. Who is McConnell, or any Democrat, to question her legitimacy and tell her to resign? She may be toxic waste, but it’s not up to any outsider to kick her out.

The people of her district will let her know soon enough whether they want her to be in Washington or not. To forestall that, she is wrapping herself like a blanket around Trump, hoping his embrace will protect her.

Whether it does nor not, the people in her district in Georgia will be the ultimate judgea.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2021/02/02/mcconnell-defends-cheney-as-courageous-condemns-rep-m-t-greene-as-loony-n1422421

Door-to-door COVID testing underway across the UK

Door-to-door testing for COVID-19 has begun in communities across the United Kingdom in an effort to squash the transmission of a South African variant of the virus.

This comes as 11 local cases of the new strain have been detected in five different locations across England.

Tests are being offered to everyone aged 16 and over, even if they have already been vaccinated.

https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6228428018001

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