Roberts and Kavanaugh Side with Lefties, Allow Healthcare Worker Vax Mandate to Stand

The US Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Joe Biden’s OSHA vax mandate for private businesses with 100+ employees.

In a separate, simultaneously released ruling, the highest court of the land – in a 5-4 vote – allowed a similar vaccine mandate for healthcare facilities that receive Medicaid and Medicare to stand.

Conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Clarence Thomas dissented.

“These cases are not about the efficacy or importance of COVID–19 vaccines. They are only about whether CMS has the statutory authority to force healthcare workers, by coercing their employers, to undergo a medical procedure they do not want and cannot undo. Because the Government has not made a strong showing that Congress gave CMS that broad authority, I would deny the stays pending appeal. I respectfully dissent.” Justice Thomas wrote in his dissenting opinion.

“I do not think that the Federal Government is likely to be able to show that Congress has authorized the unprecedented step of compelling over 10,000,000 healthcare workers to be vaccinated on pain of being fired,” Alito wrote in his dissent.

However, Kavanaugh (Trump appointee) and Roberts sided with the lefties on the court.

“We agree with the Government that the [Health and Human Services] Secretary’s rule falls within the authorities that Congress has conferred upon him,” the majority wrote.

“After all, ensuring that providers take steps to avoid transmitting a dangerous virus to their patients is consistent with the fundamental principle of the medical profession: first, do no harm,” the majority opinion read.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/01/roberts-kavanaugh-side-liberals-allow-healthcare-worker-vax-mandate-stand/

As Reporters Bombard Him With Questions, Biden Responds With Two Improbable Words

President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday he hopes he can have a press conference soon after he completely ignored a barrage of questions from reporters.

As press walked out of Biden’s briefing on how his administration is handling the coronavirus pandemic, NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell asked Biden “Maybe a press conference soon, Mr. President? We would look forward to that.”

“Me too,” Biden responded.

Just seconds earlier, one reporter was heard asking “Mr. President, for vaccinated Americans who are wondering why they should continue to restrict their activities, given your health officials say most Americans will get COVID at some point …” before Biden said “we’ll talk about that later, c’mon.”

Another reporter asked why Americans should trust the Biden administration while others asked about the pandemic and Biden’s recent speech in Georgia regarding voting bills.

Biden simply looked around and then down at his desk smiling.

https://rumble.com/vsiwrl-president-joe-biden-talks-about-the-pandemic.html

https://dailycaller.com/2022/01/13/president-joe-biden-reporters-press-conference-questions/

Global Economy Heading For "Mother Of All" Supply Chain Shocks As China Locks Down Ports

Over the past month, as Wall Street turned increasingly optimistic on US growth alongside the Fed, with consensus (shaped by the Fed's leaks and jawboning) now virtually certain of a March rate hike, we have been repeatedly warning that after a huge policy error in 2021 when the Fed erroneously said that inflation is "transitory" (it wasn't), the central bank is on pace to make another just as big policy mistake in 2022 by hiking as many as 4 times and also running off its massive balance sheet… right into a global growth slowdown.

And, as we have also discussed in recent weeks, one place where this growth slowdown is emerging - besides the upcoming deterioration in US consumption where spending is now being funded to record rates by credit cards before it encounters a troubling air pocket - is China and its "covid-zero" policy in general, and its covid-locked down ports in particular.

But what until recently was a minority view confined to our modest website, has since expanded and as Bloomberg writes overnight, the effects of restrictions in China as the country maintains its Covid-zero policy "are starting to hit supply chains in the region." As a result of the slow movement of goods through some of the country’s busiest and most important ports means shippers are now diverting to Shanghai, causing the types of knock-on delays at the world’s biggest container port that led to massive congestion bottlnecks last summer that eventually translated into a record number of container ships waiting off the coast of California, a glut that hasn't been cleared to this day.

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/global-economy-heading-mother-all-supply-chain-shocks-china-locks-down-ports

Father's child visitation rights suspended because he is unvaccinated

A Canadian father has been barred from seeing his 12-year-old child after a Quebec judge ruled his visits would not be in the child's "best interest" because the father is unvaccinated against COVID-19.

Superior Judge Jean-Sébastien Vaillancourt handed down the ruling on Dec. 23, stating, “It would normally be in the best interests of the child to have contact with his father, but it is not in his best interest to have contact with him if he is unvaccinated and opposed to health measures in the present epidemiological context."

According to the Montreal Gazette, the judge's decision came after the father, who was not identified in court documents, requested an extra day of visitation around the holidays. The child's mother opposed the request, informing the court that she had recently learned that the father was unvaccinated.

The mother reportedly added that her estranged partner was a "conspiracy theorist" and "anti-vaccine," and that he had demonstrated opposition to local health guidelines in posts on social media. She subsequently provided excerpts from the father's Facebook page to the court.

In response, the father acknowledged his unvaccinated status and said he had “reservations about the vaccine." But he told the court that he respected local health regulations and rarely ever leaves his home.

However, Vaillancourt studied the Facebook experts and concluded they “suggest that he is indeed what is commonly called a conspiracy theorist” and that “the court has strong reasons to doubt that he is complying with health regulations as he asserts he does in his written statement.”

In one of the posts, the father appeared to lend credence to the notion that mask-wearing is useless in preventing the spread of the virus.

It should be noted that the 12-year-old child is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But the judge argued that their protection "seems reduced against the Omicron variant which is spreading at the moment in Quebec."

The mother reportedly lives with her partner and two other children, one seven months old and the other four years old. Neither can receive vaccination in Canada, where vaccination has been authorized for children five years of age and older.

"In these circumstances," the judge said, "it [was] not in the interest of any of the three children" that the father be allowed to visit the 12-year-old.

Vaillancourt noted that the suspension of visitation rights will continue through Feb. 8, at which point the ruling will be reviewed, unless the father gets vaccinated.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/unvaccinated-father-visitation-rights-suspended

https://www.theblaze.com/news/unvaccinated-father-visitation-rights-suspended

Judge gives Kentucky prison guard convicted of sex assault choice of Army or jail

A Kentucky judge has given a jail guard convicted of sexually assaulting a female inmate two options: Join the Army or go straight to jail.

Brandon Scott Price, 28, was given the choice during his sentencing hearing in Franklin Circuit Court last week, the State Journal reported.

Judge Thomas Wingate gave Price — who is an Army veteran — a 12-month sentence that is probated for two years and ordered him to re-enlist in the US military within 30 days.

“If you don’t enroll in 30 days, you can report to the Franklin County Regional Jail,” the judge told him.

“You are under the gun, young man. You got to do it.”

Price was originally charged with third-degree sodomy in connection with the 2019 jail attack — but he pleaded down to a lesser charge of second-degree assault.

“You’re getting a huge break,” the judge told Prince said during his sentencing. “You made a terrible mistake, which I know personally cost the county money.”

Even if Price does re-enlist in the military, it wasn’t immediately clear if he would be accepted given his conviction.

The charges were brought against Price after a female inmate filed a lawsuit that alleged he sexually assaulted her when he was a guard at the Franklin County Regional Jail in January 2019.

Price assaulted her as he was transporting the inmate to a nearby medical facility to receive treatment for her high blood pressure, according to the lawsuit.

He took her to the hospital alone, which was a violation of jail policy, and stayed with her for five hours — during which time he made “sexually charged comments.”

When Price was driving the inmate back to jail after undergoing treatment, he pulled off onto a side road and asked her to perform oral sex on him in exchange for an earlier release, the lawsuit said.

He then went into the back of the van and allegedly assaulted the inmate while she was shackled.

During a subsequent interview about the allegations, Prince denied ordering the inmate to perform oral sex — but said he’d made a “stupid mistake” in letting her “touch me inappropriately.”

He was later arrested and posted a $10,000 bond.

https://nypost.com/2022/01/13/judge-gives-prison-guard-convicted-of-sex-assault-choice-of-army-or-jail/

First-ever Sentence on Syrian Government's Crimes against Humanity Handed Down by German Court

Koblenz—Today, a former Syrian government official has been found guilty of crimes against humanity for torture, and other crimes including murder and sexual violence, and sentenced to life in prison by the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany. This trial against Anwar R., which also resulted in the conviction of another, lower-level official, Eyad A., on February 24, 2021, is the first time a court has convicted Syrian government officials for crimes against humanity for their role in the torture and killing of civilians in government-run prisons as part of President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal suppression of peaceful protests in 2011 and the conflict that followed.

As a senior intelligence officer heading the investigations team of the government-run al-Khatib detention center in Damascus, also known as Branch 251, Anwar R. ordered and oversaw the systematic use of torture against peaceful pro-democracy protestors to intimidate the population and coerce false confessions. The indictment concerned Anwar R.’s role overseeing the torture of at least 4,000 prisoners from April 30, 2011 to September 7, 2012. Witnesses attributed 30 deaths to Anwar R. during the trial, although the number of actual deaths under his command is considered to be higher.

“While some of Anwar R.’s victims had a chance to speak about the torture and suffering they experienced, we will never know of the innumerable stories that have not been heard—of those who died, or the 64,000 individuals still detained or missing,” said Eric Witte, senior policy officer at Open Society Justice Initiative. “By ensuring that the testimony and evidence brought forward by survivors contribute to exposing the crimes of Bashar al-Assad’s government, this trial represents an initial step in bringing a measure of justice to all victims of systemic torture in Syria.”

“These crimes were not committed by only one individual. They are state crimes overseen by Bashar al-Assad himself. This trial doesn’t only deal with past events, but it laid bare the systemic atrocities that continue to this day against innocent Syrians,” said Steve Kostas, senior legal officer with the Open Society Justice Initiative. “The record established in this trial should stop countries from normalizing relations with the Syrian government and should galvanize governments to ensure that President Assad and the other architects of Syria’s detention and torture program are prosecuted.”

https://www.justiceinitiative.org/newsroom/first-ever-sentence-on-syrian-government-s-crimes-against-humanity-handed-down-by-german-court

Ron Paul: "We Need A Revolution"

A recent Washington Post/University of Maryland poll found that 34 percent of Americans think violent action against the government can be justifiable. This view is held by 40 percent of Republicans and 23 percent of Democrats. The result may seem surprising since leftists have been responsible for much of the recent politically-motivated violence, and many Democrats have called for violence against Trump supporters. However, the cultural Marxists appear to have (temporarily) ceased using violence as a tactic—although had President Trump won reelection, it may well have been ANTIFA members inside the Capitol on January 6 trying to “stop the steal.”

The rising support for violence against government is rooted in the growing (and justified) belief that the people’s liberties are being taken by a ruling class that is indifferent at best, and hostile at worst, to their values and concerns.

The devastation wrought by the lockdowns, as well as the conflict over the promotion of masks, vaccines, critical race theory, and transgenderism, heighten these social tensions.

Another major contributor to the social unrest is the economy. Rising prices combined with supply shortages and the increasing national debt are all signs that we may be witnessing the final days of the Keynesian welfare-warfare state. Unless Congress immediately begins to cut spending and transition to a free-market monetary system, America will soon face a major economic crisis. The crisis will likely be caused by a collapse of the dollar’s value. This will likely lead to increased violence. The violence will start when those who believe they are entitled to live off the stolen property of their fellow citizens decide to take matters into their own hands because the government can no longer do the looting for them.

The only way to avoid this fate is by a revolution. I am not speaking of a violent revolution that replaces one form of authoritarianism with another, but a peaceful revolution of ideas. This revolution aims to replace the authoritarian interventionist ideology that dominates both the left and right wings of the ruling class with the ideas of liberty. Such a revolution would restore respect for individual liberty, constitutional government, free markets, a non-interventionist foreign policy, and sound money.

The revolution of ideas would resolve social conflicts by getting the government out of social issues and instead allowing private property owners to, for example, decide who can and cannot use which restroom on their property. It would also restore control over education to parents. The goal is to respect the rights of each individual to live their lives as they choose as long as they do not violate the rights of others to do the same.

A free market with a sound currency would release lower-income Americans from the Federal Reserve’s inflation tax as well as provide them with expanded economic opportunities. The growing economy would reduce tensions between races and lead Americans to view immigrants as an asset rather than a burden.

A free and peaceful society cannot be brought about by a violent revolution. Instead, it must occur via peaceful conversation of a critical mass of citizens. When that critical mass is reached, even many authoritarian politicians will endorse liberty and limited government out of fear of losing reelection if they do not. Therefore, the best thing those of us who know the truth can do to restore a free society is to convert as many people as possible to the movement for liberty, peace, and prosperity.

http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2022/january/10/we-need-a-revolution/

China Reveals AI News Anchor, Almost Indistinguishable from a Real Human

AI is a high priority for the regime to strengthen its authoritarian rule

“Hello everyone, I am the artificial intelligence news anchor on National Business Daily. I am the virtual twin of the original host. I have been running—reporting the news—undetected for 70 days now,” the AI news anchor N Xiaohei revealed itself to its television viewers on Dec. 20, 2021, after 1700 hours of a continuous live news broadcast.

On the same day, the Chinese state-controlled media National Business Daily (NBD) and the AI company Xiaoice jointly announced the official launch of their collaborative live news broadcasting TV programs run entirely by AI—the first of its kind.

The TV program is named “AI Business Daily.” It will broadcast financial news 24 hours a day, seven days a week, hosted by two AI news anchors—named N Xiaohei and N Xiaobai—technically supported by Xiaoice.

N Xiaohei and N Xiaobai are virtual replicas of two real-life news anchors—a man and a woman. The Xiaoice Framework uses data collected from the two real-life anchors to train its AI models. Meanwhile, Xiaoice Neural Rendering (XNR) technology makes the virtual humans’ facial expressions and body movements look real and natural.

AI anchors have appeared in China’s TV programs in the past, but they could be identified immediately back then. Since the test launch of AI Business Daily on Oct. 11, 2021, N Xiaohei’s Douyin account—the Chinese version of TikTok—has accumulated over 3 million fans despite the real person not appearing on air for 70 days. Xiaoice, in collaboration with NBD, has demonstrated its ability to develop virtual replicas that are almost indistinguishable from real humans through advanced AI learning and rendering technologies, according to the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency.

According to the report, Xiaoice Framework’s small-sample learning technology allowed the two virtual humans to complete their training cycle in one week. Chinese business commentator Zeng Xiangling said that long training cycles were needed to train AIs in the past, whereas short training cycles significantly reduce the high cost of developing AIs.

https://www.ntd.com/china-reveals-ai-news-anchor-almost-indistinguishable-from-a-real-human_726932.html

'No pubs, no bottle shops, no gym': WA Premier Mark McGowan widens restrictions on the unvaxxed, says rules will be in place 'for years to come'

West Australians will have to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to access a wide range of venues and events from January 31, Premier Mark McGowan has announced.

West Australians will have to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to access a wide range of venues and events from January 31 as Premier Mark McGowan seeks to avoid what he calls the "disaster" in NSW.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the Premier said double-dose vaccination proof would be required for people aged 16 and older at hospitals, aged care facilities and all hospitality venues, including pubs and bars, cafes, nightclubs and dine-in fast food establishments.

In announcing the new rules, Mr McGowan cited the surge in COVID-19 cases in NSW.

West Australians will have to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to access a wide range of venues and events from January 31 as Premier Mark McGowan seeks to avoid what he calls the "disaster" in NSW.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the Premier said double-dose vaccination proof would be required for people aged 16 and older at hospitals, aged care facilities and all hospitality venues, including pubs and bars, cafes, nightclubs and dine-in fast food establishments.

In announcing the new rules, Mr McGowan cited the surge in COVID-19 cases in NSW.

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“We have seen the disaster in New South Wales when they removed proof of vaccination requirements in mid-December. We have learned from their mistakes and are determined not to repeat them," the Premier said.

The vaccination requirement will also extend to indoor entertainment venues, bottle shops, gyms, fitness centres and health studios, amusement parks and the zoos.

Under the extended rules the unvaccinated will have very limited options as to the places they can visit, but Mr McGowan made no apologies for the tough new measures.

"If you choose to remain unvaccinated, you are choosing to put yourself at risk, you are choosing to put the people around you at risk, and you are choosing to increase the burden on our health staff."

Mr McGowan said the proof of vaccination requirement would apply throughout WA an he expected the requirement to be in place “for years to come”.

The Premier also said he expected the vaccination requirement would be expanded in the future to three doses.

"Our expectation is that in order to be fully vaccinated, the Commonwealth rules will say three doses, and once that happens, we will move to the three-dose rule in due course."

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/no-pubs-no-bottle-shops-no-gym-wa-premier-mark-mcgowan-widens-restrictions-on-the-unvaxxed-says-rules-will-be-in-place-for-years-to-come/news-story/cbe7638131ccd3b6db61357e2c929d83

Operation False Haven: Former U.S. Army Sergeant and Convicted Child Molester Sentenced for Naturalization Fraud, Judicially Denaturalized and Ordered Removed From the United States

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/operation-false-haven-former-us-army-sergeant-and-convicted-child-molester-sentenced

Jan. 6 Panel Subpoenas Records From Alphabet, Meta, Twitter & Reddit After 'Inadequate Responses'

Back in August, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol contacted a slew of websites and social media platforms—including Google, Facebook, Reddit, and Tik Tok—demanding a trove of records that date back to the spring of 2020 and, in part, relate to "efforts to overturn the 2020 election"

The 9-member panel, led by Rep. Bennie Thompson, confirmed in a Thursday memo that it had issued subpoenas to Reddit, Meta, Twitter, and Google parent company Alphabet after receiving "inadequate responses to prior requests for information."

Chairman Thompson asserted that the aforementioned social media companies have access to information that could assist in making sense of how the spread of misinformation and violent extremism contributed to the deadly storming of the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021.

"It’s disappointing that after months of engagement, we still do not have the documents and information necessary to answer those basic questions," Thompson said in a quoted statement.

"We cannot allow our important work to be delayed any further," he said.

Alphabet

The House Select Committee believes Alphabet, the parent company of Google and its subsidiary, YouTube, has "significant undisclosed information that is critical" to the panel's probe, according to a memo accompanying the subpoena.

"Alphabet has not demonstrated a commitment to voluntarily and expeditiously producing the information critical to the Select Committee's investigation," the memo read.

The panel is particularly interested in how Alphabet "developed, implemented, and reviewed" its platforms' content moderation, algorithmic promotion, demonetization, and other company policies "that may have affected the January 6, 2021 events."

Alphabet has also been tapped to produce documents on YouTube's policy decisions around the time of the insurrection.

Meta

In a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc., the House Select Committee detailed that "the largest social media company in the world" failed to provide the panel with critical company analyses that examined "misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation relating to the 2020 election" and efforts to overturn its results.

Thompson's letter details that the subpoena was issued due to the committee's belief that the company has been dragging its feet—especially after the company's inner workings were exposed by leaks from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

Twitter

The House Select Committee stressed to Twitter that, in 2021, then-CEO Jack Dorsey proclaimed under congressional testimony that the company's social media platform aided in the spread of misinformation on the 2020 election, as well as the planning of the deadly January 6 riot.

https://sputniknews.com/20220113/jan-6-panel-subpoenas-records-from-alphabet-meta-twitter–reddit-after-inadequate-responses-1092242177.html