University Settles With Midwife Student After Threatening To Expel Her for Pro-Life Views

/0 Comments/in , /by

The University of Nottingham has settled with a midwifery student whom it tried to expel for her association with a campus pro-life group.

Julia Rynkiewicz got both an undisclosed payout and an apology 10 months after the university dropped its “fitness to practice” investigation, according to The Telegraph.

“Putting my life on hold because of an unjust investigation was really difficult, both mentally and emotionally,” she said. “The settlement demonstrates that the university’s treatment of me was wrong, and while I’m happy to move on, I hope this means that no other student will have to experience what I have.”

The student is now a year behind graduating because of the baseless proceeding, which also included a ban on completing her hospital placement, the newspaper reported in January when she first threatened legal action. (It’s not clear whether she actually filed suit: The Telegraph said Rynkiewicz could “carry her case through to the ombudsman and then on to court” if her complaint wasn’t remedied.) (Read more from “University Settles With Midwife Student After Threatening To Expel Her for Pro-Life Views” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Students Organize ‘Queeristan’ Event Series To Support LGBT Muslims

/0 Comments/in , /by

Muslim students at Duke University have organized a series of events to promote acceptance of homosexuality and other LGBTQ-related issues and to create a community for gay Muslims.

The event series, called Queeristan, aims to connect LGBTQ Muslims to one another at the private university in North Carolina. It is a collaboration of the school’s Center for Muslim Life and the student publication Juhood Magazine.

“As far as the CML receiving criticism here and there, the answer is yes,” Joshua Salaam, the center’s director, told The College Fix via email. The Fix had asked if the Muslim community had criticized the promotion of LGBTQ issues.

“We have a very diverse group of students on campus and they constantly engage us with their thoughts, opinions and concerns on many issues,” Salaam said. “I can only pray they continue that practice so our office can stay informed.”

He did not have data to share on the number of LGBTQ Muslims at Duke but referred The Fix to Nicholas Antonicci, the director of the school’s Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity. (Read more from “Students Organize ‘Queeristan’ Event Series To Support LGBT Muslims” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Hours After Voting To Ban Outdoor Dining, LA County Supervisor Dined Outdoors

/0 Comments/in , /by

California county supervisor dined outdoors only hours after voting to ban outdoor dining, FOX 11 reported Monday.

Shortly after Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl voted Tuesday to ban outdoor dining, calling outdoor dining a “most dangerous situation,” she was seen dining outside at the Santa Monica restaurant Il Forno Trattoria, according to FOX 11.

Kuehl admitted through a spokesperson that she dined at Il Forno “on the very last day it was permissible.” The outdoor dining ban went into effect Wednesday, the publication reported.

“She loves Il Forno, has been saddened to see it, like so many restaurants, suffer from a decline in revenue,” the spokesperson told FOX 11. “She ate there, taking appropriate precautions, and sadly will not dine there again until our Public Health Orders permit.” (Read more from “Hours After Voting To Ban Outdoor Dining, LA County Supervisor Dined Outdoors” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Media Ignore ‘Devoutly Religious’ Biden’s Embarrassing Bible Gaffe After Freaking Out About Trump’s ‘Two Corinthians’ Remark

/1 Comment/in , /by

The other day, a befuddled Joe Biden gave a speech in which he referred repeatedly to the psalmist David as “the palmist.” He apparently was confused about which letter in the Biblical reference is silent. It’s the “p,” not the “s,” which is silent. . .

As of press time, the flub has received precisely no coverage from Big Media, only in conservative media. Forgetting which letter in “psalmist” is silent isn’t the biggest deal in the world. But it provides an excellent example of how corrupted our media have been for the last four years.

That’s because during the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump gave a speech at Liberty University where he referred to St. Paul’s second epistle to the Corinthians as “2 Corinthians.” It’s usually, but by no means always, said as “Second” Corinthians. Scottish Christians, such as Trump’s mother, say it the way he did. The media immediately pounced on the alleged flub, and kept pouncing until as recently as four days ago.

CNN said it was a “mistake that raised questions about his biblical knowledge as he courts evangelical voters.” NPR said he “mispronounced a book of the Bible.” Even People magazine made fun of him, saying he “flubbed a Bible reference.” (Read more from “Media Ignore ‘Devoutly Religious’ Biden’s Embarrassing Bible Gaffe After Freaking Out About Trump’s ‘Two Corinthians’ Remark” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Joe Biden’s Transition Team Announces First All-Female WH Communications Team

/1 Comment/in , /by

President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team announced the incoming White House communications team Sunday, and for the first time in history, the entire team is female. . .

The team includes top campaign advisor Symone Sanders — who also worked on Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign — and Jen Psaki, an alumnus of former President Barack Obama’s administration. (Read more from “Joe Biden’s Transition Team Announces First All-Female Wh Communications Team” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

‘Perfect Storm’ for Suicide as Death Toll Surges Past COVID

/1 Comment/in , /by

Some scientists warned early in the coronavirus pandemic that economic lockdowns could have serious mental health repercussions, and it turns out they were right.

A report by the Foundation for Economic Education said the forced isolation in pandemic quarantines and closures have created the “perfect storm” for suicide.

CBS News, for example, reported far more Japanese people “are dying of suicide, likely exacerbated by the economic and social repercussions of the pandemic, than of the COVID-19 disease itself.”

“While Japan has managed its coronavirus epidemic far better than many nations, keeping deaths below 2,000 nationwide, provisional statistics from the National Police Agency show suicides surged to 2,153 in October alone, marking the fourth straight month of increase.”

The suicide toll is about 600 higher than the same time a year earlier, the network reported. The surge followed an extended time in which suicide deaths had been declining. (Read more from “‘Perfect Storm’ for Suicide as Death Toll Surges Past COVID” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Retailers Struggle to Survive Through Black Friday in Coronavirus America

/0 Comments/in , /by

Black Friday appears to be calm but not catastrophically slow across much of the United States.

Most of the country’s biggest retailers were closed Thursday and abjured the late-night or midnight doorbuster openings of years past due to the risk of coronavirus infection. When they opened their doors on Friday morning, stores in some areas had small lines or few shoppers while in other areas shoppers faced sizeable lines, although none comparable to the prepandemic era.

The pandemic has created some wild and unpredictable swings in the economy, triggering shortages at times and igniting a home-buying boom. How holiday shopping will be affected is a big question mark at this point, making this arguably the most important Black Friday since the frightening days of the 2008 financial crisis.

Consumer spending has been surprisingly robust since the economy began to reopen and the labor market has staged a swifter than expected recovery. Many consumers are feeling flush, their wealth boosted by a stock market that has pushed the S&P 500 up 65 percent since the lockdown low in March and soaring home values. Money not spent on trips, sports games, movies, or eating out has apparently gone into the purchase of consumer goods and contributed to savings accounts of many households.

It’s unclear whether this will hold up on Black Friday as infections and hospitalizations hit new record highs across much of the country, lockdowns are being reimposed, and layoffs have begun climbing again. Retailers have much less inventory than is typical at this time of the year, a bet that demand will be softer. (Read more from “Retailers Struggle to Survive Through Black Friday in Coronavirus America” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Court Rules States Can Drop Planned Parenthood From Medicaid

/0 Comments/in , /by

A circuit court ruled Monday that Texas and Louisiana can exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid funding, a win for the movement to deprive the abortion provider of federal funding.

The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled a district court’s preliminary injunction preventing the exclusion of Planned Parenthood from Medicaid funding. The court of appeals ruled in an 11-5 majority that Planned Parenthood did not have the right to challenge the state’s decisions regarding who receives Medicaid benefits.

Medicaid beneficiaries “have no right under the statute to challenge a State’s determination that a provider is unqualified,” the court’s chief judge wrote in the majority’s opinion. Because Planned Parenthood, or its patients, did not have the right to challenge Texas or Louisiana’s decision to remove it from Medicaid benefits, the states are allowed to proceed with removing the organization from Medicaid funding.

The legal battle over Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in the two states began in 2015 after the release of controversial undercover videos purporting to show Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sale of fetal tissue. Texas and Louisiana state officials moved to kick the abortion provider out of Medicaid funding, citing the videos as evidence that the organization showed a willingness to profit off the sale of fetal tissue. In 2017, a lower court blocked the states from cutting off the Medicaid funding.

The loss of Medicaid funding comes after Planned Parenthood withdrew from Title X funding because of a Trump administration rule forbidding participants in the program from providing direct abortion referrals. The organization cannot receive federal funding for abortion services but does receive Medicaid funding for other health care services it provides. (Read more from “Court Rules States Can Drop Planned Parenthood From Medicaid” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

National Guard Soldier Killed Herself After Being Gang-Raped by Colleagues, Higher-Ups Did “Nothing”

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A devoted Army National Guard soldier killed herself after she reported being sexually assaulted on the job — but the military branch did nothing to help, according to her mom. . .

The horror that led to Morgan Robinson’s suicide began two years earlier, when one of her supervisors allegedly sexually assaulted and harrassed her multiple times while they were stationed in Kuwait, according to CBS, which is investigating failures by the US military to address sex crimes internally.

But when Morgan reported the attacks, higher-ups did “nothing” to punish the supervisor or protect her, according to her mother. . .

While on the same deployment, Robinson was then sent to Afghanistan, where multiple soldiers allegedly gang-raped her, CBS reports. This time, she was too scared and disillusioned by the system to report it — and four months later, she committed suicide.

The Army began an investigation into her untimely death and later handed Debbie a report — but much of it was redacted. (Read more from “National Guard Soldier Killed Herself After Being Gang-Raped by Colleagues, Higher-Ups Did “Nothing” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Nurse Who Claimed Dying COVID Patients Filled With ‘Anger and Hate’ Appears to Have Embellished Story

/0 Comments/in , /by

Last week, CNN hosted a nurse who claimed in a Twitter thread that conservatives with COVID-19, whom she claimed to be treating, were denying the disease’s existence up to their dying breath. An investigation from RedState’s Scott Hounsell, however, suggests the nurse embellished her claims. . .

“Their last dying words are, ‘This can’t be happening. It’s not real,’” Doering claimed. “And when they should be spending time — FaceTiming their families, they’re filled with anger and hatred.”

In her Twitter thread, Doering claimed: “The ones that stick out are those who still don’t believe the virus is real. The ones who scream at you for a magic medicine and that Joe Biden is … [g]oing to ruin the USA,” she wrote. “All while gasping for breath on 100% Vapotherm. They tell you there must be another reason they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that ‘stuff’ because they don’t have COViD because it’s not real. Yes. This really happens.”

After Doering’s appearance on CNN, which led many to question the validity of her claims and at the very least suggest CNN did absolutely no verification before inviting her on to speak, RedState’s Hounsell looking into the South Dakota coronavirus numbers and found Doering’s claims to be farfetched.

“Nurse Doering, a Marquette grad and licensed Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP) lives in a little town called Woonsocket, in Sanborn County. Sanborn County has had just one COVID-19 death since the beginning of the pandemic, according to South Dakota’s COVID-19 statistics website, which provides data from all the different regions and counties in South Dakota, and USFacts.org. That death occurred in October,” Hounsell reported. (Read more from “Nurse Who Claimed Dying COVID Patients Filled With ‘Anger and Hate’ Appears to Have Embellished Story” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE