Report: Nearly 40% Of Marines Opted Out of the COVID-19 Vaccine

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Almost 40% of eligible U.S. Marines have declined COVID-19 vaccinations, according to data the service provided to CNN on Friday.

About 75,000 marines received vaccines compared to 48,000 who have opted out, according to CNN, which is a 38.9% declination rate. About 102,000 Marines have not been offered the vaccine, CNN reported.

“We fully understand that widespread acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine provides us with the best means to defeat the pandemic,” Marine Corps spokeswoman Col. Kelly Frushour said to CNN. “The key to addressing the pandemic is building vaccine confidence.”

Frushour said those who have opted out may want others to receive it first, wait until it becomes mandatory, go through other channels, or have an allergy to the vaccine. (Read more from “Report: Nearly 40% Of Marines Opted Out of the COVID-19 Vaccine” HERE)

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China and Russia Optimistic Over Iran Talks as Biden Envoy Sulks on Sidelines

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The governments of China and Russia, which appear to be taking the lead in talks between Iran and the remaining partners in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, expressed optimism after talks concluded on Friday for the week that progress had occurred.

The conversations over the agreement formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) began this week in Vienna, Austria. Representatives from China, Russia, and Iran — as well as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — met to discuss, they claimed, a way to repair what remains of the agreement after years of violations by Tehran and President Donald Trump withdrawing the United States from it in 2018. Notably absent from the invitation list was the United States, which had no formal representation in this week’s talks.

The administration of President Joe Biden claimed it would engage in “indirect” talks with Iran and sent its special envoy on the matter, Robert Malley, to Vienna. Iranian officials clarified Tuesday, however, that “no negotiations will take place between the representatives of Iran and the United States” and no talks of any kind, direct or otherwise, would take place this week.

Malley is staying in a separate hotel in Vienna from where the Iran deal talks are occurring and appears to have met only with officials not privy to the negotiations, including representatives of the Austrian government and the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA).

With no input from Washington, Iran has used the talks to vocally and repeatedly insist that it will not begin to discuss returning to compliance on the JCPOA with the United States unless the Biden administration immediately lifts all sanctions on Iran, not just those regarding the nuclear weapons issue. This would presumably include the accurate branding of Iran as a State Sponsor of Terrorism due to its international support of Hezbollah, a Shiite jihadist organization, and its involvement in deadly attacks on civilians such as the 1994 bombing of Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires. (Read more from “China and Russia Optimistic Over Iran Talks as Biden Envoy Sulks on Sidelines” HERE)

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Kansas GOP Leader Allegedly Calls Officer ‘Doughnut Boy’ in DUI Stop

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The Kansas Senate majority leader allegedly called a police officer “doughnut boy” after being stopped on March 16 at a driving under the influence checkpoint that could leave him with a felony conviction, an affidavit stated.

Officer Austin Shepley pulled state Sen. Gene Suellentrop over in Shawnee County for allegedly going the wrong way on a divided highway after observing him going up to 90 mph in a 65 mph zone. Shepley pursued Suellentrop before performing a tactical maneuver to bring him to a stop, he said.

Suellentrop appeared to be confused when Shepley approached the vehicle and was not obedient to his commands, the officer said. . .

In interactions with Shepley, the Republican leader called him “doughnut boy” and said he could “take” him, mentioning that he played sports in high school, the officer wrote in the affidavit. (Read more from “Kansas GOP Leader Allegedly Calls Officer ‘Doughnut Boy’ in DUI Stop” HERE)

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Pete Buttigieg: Racism Is ‘Physically Built Into’ Country’s Highways

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested in a recent interview that racism is built into the country’s highway system.

“There is racism physically built into some of our highways, and that’s why the jobs plan has specifically committed to reconnect some of the communities that were divided by these dollars,” the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor told reporter April Ryan this week in an interview discussing President Joe Biden’s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan. . .

“Well, if you’re in Washington, I’m told that the history of that highway is one that was built at the expense of communities of color in the D.C. area,” he said. “There are stories, and I think Philadelphia and Pittsburgh [and] in New York, Robert Moses famously saw through the construction of a lot of highways.”

Buttigieg added that there has been a lack of federal infrastructure projects in black communities throughout history and said it “wasn’t just an act of neglect” but rather a “conscious choice” that the Biden administration hopes to rectify in the new spending package. (Read more from “Pete Buttigieg: Racism Is ‘Physically Built Into’ Country’s Highways” HERE)

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Biden Proposes Spike In Federal Spending In Massive Budget Proposal

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By New York Post. President Biden’s first annual budget proposal calls for a surge in federal spending on climate change, civil rights, IRS tax collections and the worsening border crisis on top of his massive, just-passed $1.9 trillion stimulus package and pending $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill.

The budget proposal calls for a 16 percent increase in domestic spending and a 1.7 percent increase in Pentagon spending in fiscal 2022, according to a letter to Congress from acting White House budget director Shalanda Young.

The combined price tag tops $1.5 trillion for discretionary spending, which doesn’t include obligatory spending on entitlements like Social Security or interest on the national debt.

“America has a chance not simply to go back to the way things were before the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn struck, but to begin building a better, stronger, more secure, more inclusive America,” Young wrote to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) (Read more from “Biden Proposes Spike In Federal Spending In Massive Budget Proposal” HERE)

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Biden’s $1.5 Trillion ‘Skinny’ Budget Includes Increases for Climate, Education and Social Justice Spending Programs

By Daily Caller. President Joe Biden sent his discretionary budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 to Congress on Friday, which includes historic increases across various education, climate and social justice spending programs.

In total, Biden’s “skinny” budget requests $769 billion for non-defense spending, a $105.3 billion increase from the previous year’s enacted budget.

Though the president previously criticized former President Donald Trump’s drastic increases in overall defense spending, Biden’s FY22 request also includes a $13.3 billion increase for defense programs, bringing the total to $753 billion for the year.

Administration officials say the defense bumps will allow the country to pursue “its strategic goals as we outcompete China” and provide pay raises for service members.

“The upcoming appropriations process is another important opportunity to continue laying a stronger foundation for the future and reversing a legacy of chronic disinvestment in crucial priorities,” Shalanda Young, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote Friday morning in a letter sent to Congress. “Together, America has a chance not simply to go back to the way things were before the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn struck, but to begin building a better, stronger, more secure, more inclusive America.” (Read more from “Biden’s $1.5 Trillion ‘Skinny’ Budget Includes Increases for Climate, Education and Social Justice Spending Programs” HERE)

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Prince Philip Passes Away at 99; Trump Honors Prince For Embodying ‘Dignity and Grace’

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By NBC News. Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband and the longest-serving consort of any British monarch, has died at age 99.

A statement posted on the royal family’s website Friday morning said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”

His death was met with a flood of tributes from across Britain and the world. In accordance with tradition, a framed notice containing the news was also placed on the railings outside Buckingham Palace. (Read more from “Prince Philip Passes Away at 99” HERE)

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Trump Honors Prince Philip For Embodying ‘Dignity and Grace’

By New York Post. Former President Donald Trump on Friday hailed Prince Philip for embodying “dignity and grace,” saying his “exceptional example of service, constancy, and patriotism will be his greatest legacy.”

Trump and former first lady Melania Trump sent their deepest condolences to Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family following the Duke of Edinburgh’s passing at age 99.

“Prince Philip defined British dignity and grace. He personified the quiet reserve, stern fortitude, and unbending integrity of the United Kingdom,” Trump said in a statement. . .

“Aboard battleships in the Mediterranean, he saw combat at sea. He then participated in the pivotal Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943,” Trump said. “Like so many of his generation, in Britain’s darkest hour, he put his life on the line for God, country, and the values of freedom and self-government that forever unite America and the United Kingdom.” (Read more from “Trump Honors Prince Philip For Embodying ‘Dignity and Grace’” HERE)

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White House Covers For Biden, Says He Doesn’t Believe the False Statement HE MADE About Background Checks

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White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that President Joe Biden did not actually believe the verifiably false statement about background checks he made during a speech on gun control. . .

Later, when Psaki was pressed on the issue during that day’s media briefing, she quickly folded.

“Is it the president’s belief that you do not have to undergo a background check when you are at a gun show?” asked a reporter.

“No, it’s not his belief,” Psaki replied. “He believes that background checks should be universal.” . . .

“Well, we know what his position is, right, so let me reiterate that background checks should be universal,” she continued, trying to steer away from Biden’s verifiably false statement. (Read more from “White House Covers For Biden, Says He Doesn’t Believe the False Statement HE MADE About Background Checks” HERE)

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This City Lost The Most Residents In The U.S. Last Year

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A great many San Francisco residents moved out of the city over the last two years with a significant numbers of them heading to more conservative localities in Florida and Texas, new data shows.

Of all the major U.S. cities, the home to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) topped the charts for losing the most residents in 2019 and 2020, according to a study conducted by the CBRE Group, a Dallas-based commercial realty firm.

The study found that in 2020, a whopping 18 residents per 1,000 left the city, doubling 2019’s rate of 9 residents per 1,000. The mass exodus from San Francisco was clearly part of a trend over the last couple years as several other liberal metropolitan areas such as New York City, Boston, and Seattle followed behind.

Business Insider noted that while the bulk of residents exiting San Francisco ended up in other areas of California, like Sacramento, a sizable portion of them ended up across the country in redder states like Florida and Texas.

“The number of people who moved from San Francisco to Texas increased by 32.1% between 2019 to 2020, and the share of those who moved to Florida rose by a whopping 46.2%,” the news outlet reported. (Read more from “This City Lost The Most Residents In The U.S. Last Year” HERE)

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WATCH: States With Stricter COVID Policies Experiencing Surge While Others That Reopened Seeing Drop

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On Thursday, NBC News’ Today show reported on what it called a “COVID conundrum”: “Some states with stricter rules are now seeing surges in COVID-19 cases, while many others that rushed to reopen are experiencing sizable drops.” The show then offered its own suppositions as to why that might be occurring, casting doubt on the notion that the drop in states that reopened might be simply because of having opened.

Sam Brock of NBC started by declaring, “Call it a COVID conundrum. In states with the strictest measures in the country, like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and much of New England, cases are on the rise, while in the South, states like Arkansas and Texas that have reopened businesses and ripped away mask mandates are seeing their numbers drop.” . . .

Brock continued, “Texas, on the other hand, began opening its doors months ago and just jammed 40,000 people into the (Texas) Rangers’ ballpark, many without masks.”

“A lot of individuals in the southern U.S. and especially here in Texas have already been exposed to the coronavirus, so many individuals already have coronavirus antibodies,” Dr. Neil Gandhi of Houston Medical Hospital posited.

(Read more from “WATCH: States With Stricter COVID Policies Experiencing Surge While Others That Reopened Seeing Drop” HERE)

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Two-Time Baby Killer Among Trans Prisoners Moved to Women’s Jail

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An inmate convicted of murdering two babies is among the transgender prison inmates housed at a California women’s facility.

Forty-six-year-old Jessica M. Hann, formerly known as Jason Michael Hann, was admitted to Riverside County in February 2014 with a death sentence for first-degree murder, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Deputy Press Secretary Terry Thornton told the Daily Caller News Foundation Thursday.

Hann was transferred to Central California Women’s Facility in February 2020 where he is housed on death row, Thornton said. The mother of Hann’s children, 41-year-old Krissy Lynn Werntz, was admitted to the facility in July 2014 where she is housed in the general population serving life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder.

A judge sentenced Hann after authorities discovered the deceased remains of Hann’s and Werntz’s son Jason and daughter Montana hidden in the couple’s abandoned trailers. The couple was indicted by a grand jury in 2009, and attorneys said that Hann killed the children and that Werntz hid the remains, bringing the remains on their travels throughout the country. . .

Hann underwent a state-funded gender transition while incarcerated, the local California outlet KESQ reported, noting that California is the first state to pay for inmate’s gender reassignment surgeries. (Read more from “Two-Time Baby Killer Among Trans Prisoners Moved to Women’s Jail” HERE)

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