Pfizer and Valneva Announce Clinical Trial of New Lyme Disease Vaccine

Pfizer Inc. and French biotech company Valneva SE are launching a phase 3 clinical study to test an experimental vaccine against Lyme disease, the companies announced on Aug. 8.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States and is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks, also called deer ticks.

If the trial proves to be successful, Pfizer and Valneva’s experimental vaccine would be the only clinical way to prevent the disease, after the previous vaccine for humans, LYMErix, was discontinued in 2002 due to “insufficient consumer demand,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to a press release, the randomized placebo-controlled trial will include about 6,000 volunteers aged 5 years and older, and will be conducted in up to 50 locations where Lyme disease is highly endemic, including Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and the United States.

Data from the CDC shows that a total of 34,945 confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease were reported to state and local health departments by health care providers and laboratories in the United States in 2019.

However, recent estimates using other data collection methods suggest that approximately 476,000 people across the United States may get Lyme disease each year.

Infection Rates Increasing

The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says there are several possible causes of the increased incidence of Lyme disease infections, including changing land use patterns, increased density of the deer and rodent population, warmer average temperatures, and habitat encroachment by humans.

The nonprofit organization FAIR Health also analyzed health insurance claims in the United States and found that Lyme disease has drastically increased over the past 15 years, with the illness more than tripling in rural areas (pdf).

Participants in the clinical trial for the new vaccine will receive either three doses of the vaccine, known as VLA15, or three saline placebo shots as a primary vaccination series between August 2022 and the spring 2023 tick season.

After one year, they’ll get a single booster dose or another saline placebo.

According to Pfizer, VLA15 “uses an established mechanism of action for a Lyme disease vaccine that targets the outer surface protein A (OspA) of Borrelia burgdorferi” and blocks it, which then “inhibits the bacterium’s ability to leave the tick and infect humans.”

The vaccine is designed to protect people against North American and European strains of the Lyme disease bacteria.

“With increasing global rates of Lyme disease, providing a new option for people to help protect themselves from the disease is more important than ever,” said Annaliesa Anderson, senior vice president and head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer.

https://www.ntd.com/pfizer-and-valneva-announce-clinical-trial-of-new-lyme-disease-vaccine_821828.html

National Education Association adds book about kneeling during the national anthem to its suggested reading list

The National Education Association, the largest teachers' union in the country, recommended a book about two cheerleaders who protest by taking a knee during the national anthem. The reading suggestion also features reflective writing questions, a discussion guide, and additional activist resources.

NEA's "Read Across America" initiative includes "12 months of recommended books, authors, and teaching resources that promote diversity and inclusion."

"Why We Fly," a book by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal, appeared on the NEA's August 2022 reading list for young adults. The story is about two girls on the cheer team who protest the national anthem by taking a knee. The authors of the book took inspiration from Colin Kaepernick.

A passage from the book reads, "As the first strains of the anthem begin, we all look to Leni, who signals with one pom-pom and then drops until one knee touches the grass. We fall like a line of dominoes, one by one, just as we'd planned."

A couple of scenes from the book feature one of the two main characters smoking marijuana from a vape pen. When caught smoking, the student comments, "Well-behaved women rarely make history."

Supplemental reading guides are included with the book listing. The guides provide teachers with suggestions on how to quiz students. Discussion questions include "What examples of discrimination, racism, or racial privilege can you identify from the book? From your own experiences?"

Another discussion question reads, "What did Leni, Nelly, and Three learn about social justice activism? What did you learn about how to step up and when to step aside? How do you determine when it is a moment for you to speak or to listen?"

The book's listing also included an additional discussion guide sheet that asks, "After the cheer team first takes a knee, the student-led organizations in the school discuss whether they should collectively do so at the next game. What are the arguments for and against taking this action the characters espouse?"

The related resources section link to Facing History, a non-profit organization with the mission of using "lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate." The website encourages teachers to have students reflect on several questions, including "why do you think the people in each image are kneeling?" and "How has the response to the Take A Knee protest changed over time?"

https://www.theblaze.com/news/national-education-association-adds-book-about-kneeling-during-the-national-anthem-to-its-suggested-reading-list

Following FBI raid at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, leftists tell people to stop using the word 'raid'

Former President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the FBI had raided his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, but Symone Sanders, an MSNBC host who previously served as senior advisor and chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris, is calling for people to stop using the term "raid."

"Please folks stop calling it a 'raid,'" Sanders tweeted on Tuesday.

Replying to Sanders, RedState deputy managing editor Brandon Morse quipped, "Does this raid have other pronouns it'd like us to use?"

Trump issued a statement on Monday in which he declared, "my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents." Trump said that, "After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate."

The FBI alerted the Secret Service regarding the plan to execute the search warrant, NBC News reported, citing an unnamed Secret Service official — the outlet added that according to the individual, the Secret Service facilitated access to the premises.Author Teri Kanefield, who describes herself as a "Former appellate defender," declared in a tweet that people should drop the word "raid" — she said people should not allow Trump and his allies to "frame the messaging."

"People have to stop calling it a 'raid.' It was a lawful search pursuant to a warrant. Don't let Trump and pals frame the messaging," Kanefield tweeted.

A tweet posted on conservative commentator Dan Bongino's account featured a string of laughing emojis and clown emojis as a response to Kanefield's comments.

"Someone said the alternative to 'raid' also needs to be short and snappy. I think the phrase needs to suggest due process of law to counter the right-wing narrative that Trump's home was 'under siege' and 'occupied.' Okaaaay. Fiiiine. I'll go with 'search,'" Kanefield tweeted.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/leftists-stop-using-word-raid

Pentagon backs off Jerusalem security coordinator downgrade amid lawmaker pressure

Defense Department notifies Congresspeople who opposed lowering rank that it is reversing its plans, after lawmakers argued 3-star officer needed to help keep stability in region

The US Department of Defense will not downgrade the rank of the military post tasked with bolstering security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, following bipartisan opposition from lawmakers, two Congressional aides said Tuesday.

Pentagon spokesman Rob Lodewick told The Times of Israel last week that his office was going ahead with plans to lower the rank required to be appointed US Security Coordinator, or USSC, in Jerusalem from a three-star general to colonel. The move, planned for the end of the year, was slated to be part of a cost-saving program passed by Congress in 2017, which affected 111 positions across the globe.

In the wake of Lodewick’s comments, lawmakers redoubled efforts to nix the plan, expressing concerns that downgrading the post could harm US efforts to maintain stability between Israelis and Palestinians, one of the congressional aides who spoke to The Times of Israel said.

On Tuesday, several lawmakers who had reached out to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urging him to intervene on the matter were notified by the Pentagon that the Jerusalem coordinator would not be among the posts the Defense Department will downgrade, an aide to one of the lawmakers said, speaking on condition of anonymity as their office was asked not to publicize the decision before the Pentagon publicly confirms it.

Lodewick did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In June, the Israel Policy Forum, a pro-Israel advocacy group and think tank, began urging members of Congress to oppose the plan to include the Jerusalem position among posts slated for downgrading. The effort managed to recruit lawmakers from both sides of the aisle against the Pentagon plan.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/pentagon-backs-off-jerusalem-security-coordinator-downgrade-amid-lawmaker-pressure/

MI AG Dana Nessel Also Threatened Black, Republican SOS Candidate Kristina Karamo With “FELONY”Charges On LIVE Facebook Stream During Trump Rally Speech

100 Percent Fed Up reports – On Monday, it was revealed that Michigan’s lawless Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel was attempting to shop around in Oakland Co., MI, for a special prosecutor who would agree to go after her political opponent, the Trump-endorsed Constitutional Attorney Matt DePerno, in the November 2022 election. Today, during an interview on WJR-760, Matt DePerno suggested that Dana Nessel could be charged with a huge FEC violation for using taxpayer money to smear a political opponent during a campaign.

On April 2, during a speech by MI Republican Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo at a Trump rally in Washington, MI, Nessel also threatened the young, black female Republican hoping to unseat Nessel’s far-left Democrat friend, SOS Jocelyn Benson.

While Karamo repeatedly brought the huge crowd to their feet with her barnburner speech, Michigan’s lawless Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel was hosting a Facebook “watch party” with two of her Democrat friends, MI State Senator Jeff Erwin and Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum. As the trio sat and watched Kristina Karamo in real-time, Michigan’s top law enforcement officer, Dana Nessel (who behaves more like a Gossip Girl than an attorney general), threatened her with criminal action for calling out MI Democrat SOS Benson for threatening and accusing anyone who had legitimate questions about the results of the 2020 election of lying or pushing “disinformation.”

MI Dem Senator Jeff Erwin helped Nessel to set the stage for her threat by suggesting the wildly popular MI GOP candidate for SOS Kristina Karamo should “expect to be held accountable” for “pushing lies” about the election of 2020. MI Dem AG Dana Nessel jumped in to inform her co-host, Sen. Jeff Erwin, in front of her (very small) audience, “There’s actually more to it than that!” Nessel threatened, “And that’s that when you disseminate disinformation in a way that would cause a person to be deterred from voting, it’s an actual felony!” Instead of challenging her, the feckless Democrat senator shook his head in agreement as Nessel’s lapdog clerk friend Barb Byrum smirked.

Kristina Karamo knocked it out of the ballpark with her epic speech about standing up to crooked elected officials who threaten the citizens she’s elected to represent over their concerns about election fraud. Her speech, which laid bare the truth about Democrat SOS Jocelyn Benson, received at least four rousing standing ovations and clearly shook Michigan’s AG Dana Nessel enough to threaten her with criminal charges.

There were no charges ever filed against Karamo as threatened. As anyone who’s watched the lawless MI AG operate over the past three years, Nessel’s vacant threat was nothing more than a warning to Karamo and her supporters that she is watching them and is eager to use her position as a tool to punish her political enemies.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/lawless-mi-ag-dana-nessel-also-threatened-black-republican-sos-candidate-kristina-karamo-felonycharges-live-facebook-stream-trump-rally-speech-video/

12 sex offenders arrested after multi-agency investigation

Twelve sex offenders are in custody following a month-long, multi-agency investigation from July 5 through August 4 called Operation Lubbock Tornado.

The purpose of the operation, which included the Lubbock Police Department, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Homeland Security Investigations, was to ensure compliance by all registered sex offenders living within the City of Lubbock and unincorporated areas of Lubbock County.

The operation concluded with a four-day field/door-to-door compliance operation, beginning on August 1 and ending on August 4. The door-to-door compliance operation allowed teams of officers and agents to attempt in-person contact.

Six registered sex offenders were taken into custody at the beginning of July for registry violations. Five of the offenders were arrested for felony warrants for failure to comply with registry laws. One was arrested on a new charge of Indecency with a Child by Contact.

Six additional registered sex offenders, who were residing in city limits, were taken into custody during the field compliance operation. Four were arrested for felony warrants for failure to comply with registry laws, two were arrested for on-view felony violations of registry laws, and one was arrested on a municipal warrant for a 2021 citation issued by LPD for a violation of the City of Lubbock Child Safety Zone ordinance.

Following the door-to-door compliance operation, 16 new investigations of suspected Texas Sex Offender registry law violations were initiated by LPD officers and investigators.

Operation Lubbock Tornado Totals:

Address visited – 466

Full compliance on contact – 281

Month Long Operation Arrests – 12

Phone calls from door hangers – 97

Cases Initiated - 16

Arrestees:

Cory Sandefer, 55 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Gerardo Avila, 45 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Matthew Fillmore, 69 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Eduardo Ganzo, 42 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Ramon Loera, 49 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Brandon Martinez, 37 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Paul McRorey, 49 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Ruben Rodriguez, 48 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Emilio Sanchez, 48 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Rocco Love, 69 - Sex Offenders Duty to Register

Andrew Reyes, 50 - Indecency with Child Sexual Contact

Javier Elizondo, 72 - Violation of Lubbock Child Safety Zone

https://www.kltv.com/2022/08/09/12-sex-offenders-arrested-after-multi-agency-investigation/

One of America’s Greatest Patriots Disagrees With The Last Line In Trump’s Statement About The FBI Raid of Mar-a-Lago

I’m glad he will continue to fight, but I’m afraid I have to disagree with the characterization of “the Great American People.”

Nope.

Not anymore.

The American people are watching and doing nothing as the liberties that brave soldiers fought to win, preserve and protect are being obliterated in a systematic, calculated communist assault.

A great people would LIFT A FINGER to stop it. Or they would take a break from their precious daily routines to lend a hand to the handful who are trying to stop what’s happening.

We need to Make the American People Great again. And that’s something Donald Trump, amazing as he is, can’t do alone.

It’s got to come from within.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/must-read-one-americas-greatest-patriots-disagrees-last-line-trumps-statement-fbi-raid-mar-lago/

Four Charged with $150 Million Fraud on San Diego Technology Company

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/four-charged-150-million-fraud-san-diego-technology-company

REVEALED: Fred Savage was fired from Wonder Years reboot after six women complained he 'moved young female crew member into his Atlanta home' behind his wife's back and 'followed another into a restroom and put her hand on his groin'

Six women have come forward claiming Savage was fired from the Wonder Years reboot over complaints of sexual misconduct with crew members

Several of the women said they grew concerned about the relationship between the married father of three and a young woman on the set

Savage allegedly showered her with gifts and moved her into the home where he was staying at and filming the show from

They said he was verbally abusive to her on set, and belittled one of them when they tried to stand in between them

Another woman claims Savage assaulted her in a bathroom, forcefully kissing and touching her while he put her hands on his groin

Savage has denied the allegations but says he plans to 'address and change any behavior that has negatively affected anyone'

Six women have come forward saying Fred Savage was fired from the Wonder Years reboot because he was sexually harassing female crew members.

The married father-of-three, who rose to fame after starring in the original Wonder Years in 1988, was let go from directing the sequel on May 6, with Disney citing 'allegations of inappropriate conduct,' but refusing to elaborate.

The women who made those allegations want to make the details known, accusing Savage, 46, of moving a young female crew member into his Atlanta home and following another into a restroom and putting her hands on his groin, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

After the story of Savage's firing first broke, Page Six reported that the he was being supported by friends and family, including his wife of 18 years, Jennifer Lynn Stone. The article is what prompted the women to come forward to disclose their allegations, which Savage has denied.

'I and the other women feel that people need to know what the wrongdoing was,' one of the women said.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11095823/Fred-Savage-fired-Wonder-Years-reboot-six-women-complained-misconduct.html

Former gymnasts asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement during reconciliation meeting following abuse claims

Former child gymnasts who reported allegations of physical and psychological abuse have rejected an attempt at reconciliation by Gymnastics Australia (GA) because the governing body asked them to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

Key points:

A letter obtained by the ABC reveals Gymnastics Australia said participants in the meeting "cannot share details" of it

The mother of one former gymnast said GA's behaviour has been "egregious"

GA said the NDA request was "to create a safe space for open and robust conversations" in the meeting

The female gymnasts and their families have condemned the NDA as, effectively, a gag order, saying they are baffled by the invitation to the restorative meeting when GA was yet to publicly acknowledge a litany of abuse complaints.

"Justice has to be seen to be done, it has to be transparent," said Stieve de Lance, the mother of former elite gymnast, Trinity, who claims an intense training load led to broken vertebra at the age of 12.

"Otherwise, it's a tree falling in the gymnastics forest."

In May last year, the ABC aired a series of allegations made by former gymnasts about psychological and sexual mistreatment.

Days later, an independent review into gymnastics in Australia was released, exposing a culture of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, dating back decades.

The report by the Australian Human Rights Commission forced GA to unreservedly apologise to athletes.

Then, in September, the newly-established Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) began interviewing 35 complainants with recent abuse allegations.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-10/former-gymnasts-asked-to-sign-nda-abuse-reconciliation-meeting/101316032

Israeli troops fatally shoot two Palestinian teens – health ministry

Clashes in the West Bank erupted after Israeli special forces killed a suspected terrorist and another gunman

Israeli security forces fatally shot two teenage Palestinian protesters during clashes in the West Bank on Tuesday, Palestine’s health ministry and the Islamic Jihad militant group have said.

The violence in the streets erupted after Israeli special forces encircled the house of Ibrahim al-Nabulsi in Nablus. The senior Palestinian militant commander suspected of being behind several attacks in Israel refused to surrender and was killed along with another gunman.

According to media reports, mere hours after the shootout, thousands of Palestinians gathered to pay their last respects to al-Nabulsi, with calls for revenge made during the funeral procession.

Violent clashes ensued soon thereafter, with the Israeli military confirming that its troops opened fire on groups of Palestinians who were throwing rocks and launching fireworks at the soldiers.

The Islamic Jihad later claimed that a 16-year-old was killed in the clashes, while in the city of Hebron, Palestinian health authorities reported the death of another 17-year-old, who succumbed to his wounds at the hospital.

Around 40 more Palestinians are said to have sustained injuries as well.

No Israeli casualties have been reported thus far.

The escalation in the West Bank came days after Israel and the Islamic Jihad sealed a truce on Sunday, which put an end to Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip, targeting the militant group. Three days of Israeli strikes killed at least 44 Palestinians. According to Israeli officials, some of the Islamic Jihad’s top commanders were among the dead.

The Palestinian group responded by firing volleys of missiles at Israel, though no casualties were reported as a result, with the country’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepting some of the incoming rockets.

https://www.rt.com/news/560558-israeli-forces-kill-two-teenage-protesters/