Texas Governor Abbott bans officials from requiring face masks, introduces $1,000 fine for those who do

Governmental entities in the US state of Texas will be banned from mandating mask-wearing from June 4 in places such as schools, after Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order on face coverings rules on Tuesday.

The move means officials at county level, in cities, school districts, public health authorities and government will not be able to require people to cover their face, Abbott's office announced in a statement.

From May 21, local governments or officials who try to enforce mask-wearing in Texas could be slapped with fines of up to $1,000.

Schools may follow existing guidelines until June 4, and state-run hospitals and detention facilities will be exempt from Abbott's executive order.

"Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities," Abbott said in a statement.

The governor also pledged to use vaccines and antibody therapeutic drugs to continue the fight against Covid-19, while "defending Texans' liberty" by giving them a choice over mask-wearing.

Abbott is known for his tough views on face masks and in March issued an executive order to lift the mask mandate, to instead rely on other measures such as vaccines.

More than 39% of the population of Texas has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to state data.

President Joe Biden has said vaccinated Americans may shed their masks, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends face coverings for those not yet immunized.

https://www.rt.com/usa/524178-texas-governor-bans-mandating-face-masks/

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ROBERT MAXWELL

Three More Guantanamo Prisoners Approved For Release, Report Says

Two US presidential administrations have pledged to dissolve the Guantanamo Bay military prison, established after the tragic events of 11 September, 2001, to house what were referred to at the time as the most dangerous criminals in the world. The notorious detention facility, to date, holds just 40 inmates.

The Biden administration has approved the release of three inmates from the Guantanamo Bay prison, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed government officials.

It’s unknown yet where the three inmates will be transferred, as the State Department must still negotiate security measures with those countries that will take them. It’s also unclear what restrictions would be placed on the prisoners after they leave Cuba – to remain detained or be set free under conditions.

The detainees are reported to be 73-year-old Saifullah Paracha from Pakistan, who was captured in Thailand in 2003 for purported links with the 9/11 organizers, 54-year-old Abdul Rabbani, also a citizen of Pakistan, and a 40-year-old Yemeni, Uthman Abdul al-Rahim Uthman, one of Osama bin Laden’s suspected bodyguards.

During two decades detention, no official charges have been brought against them. The decision to release the three was reportedly made last week by top US security officials, including the attorney general, the director of national intelligence, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the secretaries of defense, homeland security and state.

According to the paper, the board that supervises threat assessment earlier recommended six other detainees be transferred to other countries “if security conditions met”, making the total number of those held in Gitmo at 9 out of the 40 people who are currently imprisoned there.

Last month, Guantanamo Camp 7, once one of the most secret sections of the prison, with “especially valuable prisoners,” was closed. All prisoners held there have been transferred to another unit. Camp 7, set up in 2006 and said to house highly dangerous prisoners, has repeatedly come under criticism for reported brutality and violence toward prisoners.

The current US administration has announced that it intends to close the prison before the end of this presidential term. The action would require congressional permission to transfer any detainees for further investigation as well as coordination with other countries who would agree to accept the prisoners.

The detention facility for international terrorists at the US Guantanamo military base in Cuba was established by former US President George Bush in 2002 after the 11 September, 2001, attack to imprison those accused of terrorism. At various times, around 800 people were held in Guantanamo.

Among the total of 40 prisoners now incarcerated, only a handful have reportedly been officially charged.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202105191082932441-three-more-guantanamo-prisoners-approved-for-release-report-says/

Serial numbers missing between original, duplicate ballots in Arizona election audit: official

"We are struggling as to how we're going to be able to match up" ballots that couldn't be read by machines, Ken Bennett says.

The Arizona Senate's audit of Maricopa County's general election has hit a new snag: verifying whether some ballots may have been counted twice.

The liaison between Senate Republicans who authorized the audit and county officials told a hearing Tuesday that serial numbers were missing on damaged ballots that were duplicated so they could be read by vote tabulation machines.

Former Secretary of State Ken Bennett's team uncovered the error just a few days ago, he told Senate President Karen Fann and Judicial Committee Chair Warren Petersen. Each damaged ballot and its associated duplicate ballot are supposed to have the same serial number to ensure they are only counted once.

But he has found many batches of damaged ballots without the serial numbers that are on the duplicates, violating state law. "We are struggling as to how we're going to be able to match up" those damaged and duplicated ballots, Bennett said.

Asked by Fann if Maricopa County could assist in that effort, Bennett said county officials have made clear to him several times they wouldn't work with any of the auditors the Senate Republicans hired. He will ask for their help directly, Bennett said.

County supervisors portrayed the contractors, led by Cyber Ninjas, as incompetent and unqualified to run an election audit in their own hearing and press conference Monday.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/serial-numbers-missing-between-original-duplicate-ballots-arizona

U.S. names current and former Central American officials said to be involved in corruption or drugs

"We cannot expect the people of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to thrive at home while their elected officials are more focused on self-enrichment than serving the public," Rep. Torres said.

The U.S. government has released a list naming more than a dozen current and former officials in the Northern Triangle countries credibly alleged to have been involved in corruption or drug trafficking.

"In the report I requested, which is now public, the U.S. government acknowledges the corruption that Central American authoritarians and their henchmen deny and try to hide," Democratic Rep. Norma J. Torres of California said. "We cannot expect the people of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to thrive at home while their elected officials are more focused on self-enrichment than serving the public."

Several individuals named are presently part of the Honduran National Congress and were indicted in the Arca Abierta MACCIH-investigated corruption case for embezzlement of money from government entities.

Regarding El Salvador, "Carolina Recinos, current Chief of Cabinet in President Nayib Bukele’s administration, engaged in significant acts of corruption during her term in office," the report said.

https://justthenews.com/world/us-names-current-and-former-central-american-officials-said-be-involved-corruption-or-drugs

Senior Member of CCP Think Tank Claims China Won Unprecedented Biological War Against the US in 2020 and “Put the US Back in its Place”

A senior member of a Chinese Communist Party think tank claimed China won a biological war against the United States in 2020.

The mainstream media is finally catching up with conservative media and reporting that Covid-19 originated in a Wuhan lab.

Covid-19 was then unleashed on the world to cripple western nations, especially the United States.

Ping Chen, a professor of National Development at Peking University in Beijing said China “put the US back in its place.”

The video authenticity and translation was confirmed by New York-based Chinese blogger Jennifer Zeng.

“In 2020, China won the trade war, science and technology war, and especially the biological war. The achievement is unprecedented. This is an epoch-making historical record. So for the liberal, America-worshiping cult within China, their worship of the US is actually unfounded. After this trade war and biological warfare, the US was beaten back to its original shape,” Chen Ping said.

“So I think Trump’s attempt to restore the declining international status of the US during his 4 years has failed. This failure is not only the failure of Trump’s personal campaign for re-election as president, but also the failure of the neo-liberalism-led globalization of the past four decades led by the US and the UK. Therefore, the development and modernization model of the US and Europe is not worthy of China’s imitation and repetition,” Peng added.

Via Jennifer Zeng’s blog:

Chen Ping (his bio here), Senior Researcher at China Institute, Fudan University, professor at Peking University, recently said the #CCP won the trade war, science & technology war, and especially the biological war in 2020. “The achievement is unprecedented. This is an epoch-making historical record.”

His main argument is that the Western model has failed, the 500-year maritime civilization is doomed, the CCP has won and “will lead the way of the modernization in the new era after the biology revolution” after the 2020 CCPVirus (COVID19) pandemic.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/05/senior-member-ccp-think-tank-claims-china-won-unprecedented-biological-war-us-2020-put-us-back-place-video/