Obama’s Top Economist Warns About COVID Unemployment Benefits

/1 Comment/in , /by

Harvard University economist Jason Furman suggested in a new study that the American Rescue Plan’s expansion of unemployment benefits could be harming the United States’ post-pandemic economic recovery.

Furman’s study argues that a lack of childcare options for working parents of young children is not causing the country’s poor jobs numbers. Instead, he writes in the study, “the continued concern about the threat of getting COVID-19 at work or expanded unemployment insurance benefits and eligibility” are the key “factors responsible for the slow employment recovery and depressed labor supply.”

The study was co-authored with Harvard University professor Wilson Powell and University of Maryland professor Melissa Kearney. Furman previously served as the chairman of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers.

The study provides new evidence for Republicans and conservative economists, who argue that the ARP’s unemployment benefits expansion was a key contributor to April’s poor jobs numbers. At least 22 states with Republican governors have rejected the expansion.

“It’s hurting our productivity,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said of the expansion. “Every small business owner, and the workers that are currently working, they need more people.” (Read more from “Obama’s Top Economist Warns About COVID Unemployment Benefits” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Flip-Flop Fauci Changes His Mind Yet Again: COVID ‘Likely’ Developed Naturally

/0 Comments/in , /by

Dr. Anthony Fauci has reversed course yet again Monday, now claiming it is “highly likely” the Chinese coronavirus developed naturally.

“He believes that it is ‘highly likely’ that it first occurred naturally before spreading from animal to human. Since no one is 100% sure, he’s open to a thorough investigation,” a CBS News reporter tweeted.

The newest position from “Dr. Gloom” comes after the infectious disease expert reversed course May 11, claiming he is “not convinced” the Chinese coronavirus developed naturally and that its origins merit investigation.

“No, actually. … No, I’m not convinced about that. I think that we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we find out to the best of our ability exactly what happened,” Fauci said during an interview when a reporter asked about the origins of the flu.

(Read more from “Fauci Changes His Mind: COVID ‘Likely’ Developed Naturally” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

U.S. COVID Cases Lowest Seen In A Year

/0 Comments/in , /by

The coronavirus pandemic continues to recede in America — as the average number of new cases and deaths plummeted to levels not seen in around a year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Sunday that the rolling seven-day average of daily new coronavirus cases had dropped to 24,315 nationwide. The last time the average was that low was on June 15 of last year, when the CDC reported a seven-day average of 23,304 new cases.

In addition, the percentage of positive coronavirus tests nationwide came in below 3 percent on Monday, May 17 for the first time since the CDC started keeping records in March of last year. The number stayed below 3 percent for the remainder of the work week.

Deaths appear to be declining at a slower rate, but the rolling seven-day average of deaths per day has hovered around 500 since May 15 and dipped below that number on May 19 and 20. The last time that happened, according to the CDC data, was on March 31 of last year.

The strain placed on America’s health care system by the coronavirus appears to be ending as well. For the week ending Friday, the CDC reported a seven-day average of 3,198 new hospitalizations, down more than 15 percent from the previous week and down more than 80 percent from the peak in early January. (Read more from “U.S. COVID Cases Lowest Seen In A Year” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

People Don’t Want To Lose the Masks Despite Updated CDC Guidelines

/0 Comments/in , /by

Millions of vaccinated people in the United States are celebrating the prospect of soon ditching their masks when they go out to dinner or cheer on their favorite team from the stands.

But for some people, letting go of the science that drove them to take precautions is proving more difficult than embracing the science that says it’s now safe for them to stop. . .

Indeed, some people across the country reacted to the CDC’s news last week with fear that the public health agency had moved too quickly and vowed to continue wearing their masks due to uncertainty about who within their communities remains unvaccinated.

While many cities and states moved quickly to implement CDC guidance regarding the start of pandemic-related restrictions, some are moving more slowly to put in place CDC guidance regarding their end.

In California, vaccinated people won’t enjoy the relaxed rules until June 15, when the state will allow restrictions on businesses and mask mandates to expire. California health officials said they wanted to allow more time for vaccination rates to go up before they loosen the restrictions, although some of the state’s businesses have expressed frustration that they face another month of rules that other states are ditching. (Read more from “People Don’t Want To Lose the Masks Despite Updated CDC Guidelines” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Dem Governor Forced To Apologize for Violating Her Own COVID Rules

/0 Comments/in , /by

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer apologized after she was caught violating one of her own coronavirus-related orders.

On May 15, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services issued an order disallowing groups of more than six people to be seated together at a restaurant, and each party has to be separated by six feet. However, the governor was caught disregarding that rule on Saturday.

Whitmer was spotted at the Landshark Bar & Grill in East Lansing. A photograph of the group with Whitmer showing tables pushed tougher and no masks being worn was briefly posted on social media. Her chief operating officer, Tricia Foster, was also at the event.

“Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been committed to following public health protocols,” Whitmer said Sunday in a statement. “Yesterday, I went with friends to a local restaurant. As more people arrived, the tables were pushed together. Because we were all vaccinated, we didn’t stop to think about it.”

“In retrospect, I should have thought about it. I am human,” she added. “I made a mistake, and I apologize.” (Read more from “Dem Governor Forced To Apologized for Violating Her Own COVID Rules” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Judge Unseals More Than 145,000 Absentee Ballots For 2020 Election Fraud Investigation

/0 Comments/in , , /by

After months of consideration, a judge in Fulton County, Georgia, has ruled that absentee ballots from the 2020 presidential election will be unsealed and examined for evidence of fraud.

Henry Superior Court Judge Brian Amero said in a hearing Friday that Fulton election officials will be required to keep ballots in their custody. More than 145,000 ballots will be analyzed. The decision comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by voting integrity advocate Garland Favorito, who determined county workers may have recorded individual votes multiple times, and eight others. His lawsuit directly points to footage of the counting process and statements from individuals who observed the counting. There have been dozens of election-related lawsuits in Georgia.

“Georgia voters deserve to have confidence that their voice — and their vote — is heard,” said former Republican Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who lost her seat to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a January runoff election. “Unfortunately, the many irregularities we saw in the 2020 elections have eroded trust in our electoral process. We fully support the move to unseal and investigate absentee ballot process in Fulton County. Transparency is the first step toward restoring integrity and accountability in our elections, and we look forward to the investigations’ findings.” (Read more from “Judge Unseals More Than 145,0000 Absentee Ballots For 2020 Election Fraud Investigation” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

U.S. Seizes $90,000 From Man Who Sold Footage Of Capitol Riot

/0 Comments/in , /by

U.S. authorities have confiscated roughly $90,000 from a Utah man who sold footage of a woman being fatally shot during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, according to court filings.

Prosecutors also have filed additional criminal charges against the man, John Earle Sullivan, a self-described political activist who is accused of entering the Capitol building and participating in the riot, the filings unsealed on Thursday showed.

Sullivan now faces a total of eight criminal counts, including weapons charges, related to the riot. Sullivan’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prosecutors have charged more than 440 people in connection with the attack in which Trump supporters stormed the Capitol after he gave a speech to them repeating his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. The mob smashed windows, fought police and sent lawmakers into hiding. Five people died.

Many participants, including Sullivan, posted their actions on social media. (Read more from “U.S. Seizes $90,000 From Man Who Sold Footage Of Capitol Riot” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Infrastructure Talks Hit Snag After GOP Response to Biden’s Counteroffer

/0 Comments/in , /by

Negotiations between President Joe Biden’s administration and Senate Republicans over the president’s proposed infrastructure plan have hit a snag after the president failed to deliver many of the cuts Republicans had requested, according to Politico.

Biden’s initial plan had a price tag of $2.25 trillion, however, Republicans offered a counterproposal totaling $568 billion. After weeks of negotiation, the White House cut the infrastructure package to $1.7 trillion, a number Republicans still feel is unacceptable, Politico reported.

In addition to the total price of Biden’s proposal, Republicans take issue with where the money is being spent and how it’s being raised. The White House’s plan makes considerable investments in so-called “human infrastructure,” which includes funding for the expansion of electric vehicles and home caregiving, spending Senate Republicans feel is inappropriate. Biden’s latest proposal made major cuts to the physical infrastructure funding Republicans support, according to Politico. . .

“You won’t find any Republican that will go and raise taxes and that’s the worst thing you can do in the economy — when you are watching inflation, gas prices are going up, and it has not been this high since President Biden was vice president,” stated McCarthy. (Read more from “Infrastructure Talks Hit Snag After GOP Response to Biden’s Counteroffer” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Top Law Professor: U.S. Heading Toward Criminalization Of Speech

/0 Comments/in , /by

America is moving dangerously toward the criminalization of speech, which until now has been protected by the First Amendment, even if it’s offensive, according to constitutional expert Jonathan Turley.

He’s a law professor at George Washington University, and commented recently on a case from Connecticut, where a 16-year-old student at Fairfield Warde High is accused of taking a photo of a black classmate and posting it on social media with a “racial slur.”

AP reported police arrested the student on a state hate crime charge of “ridicule on account of creed, religion, colo9r, denomination, nationality or race.” . . .

“Free speech demands bright lines. One of the greatest threats to free speech is the chilling effect caused by ambiguous or vague standards like the one contained in this statute. Every case of an obnoxious or repugnant individual invites us to make an exception or adopt some nuanced excuse for not following our principles. The temptation is particularly great in cases like this one when defending free speech can be confused with supporting bigotry,” he said. . .

“We can all condemn racist speech without curtailing free speech our society. Otherwise, we will find ourselves on the same slippery slope as Europe toward criminal speech codes and censored speech,” he said. (Read more from “Top Law Professor: U.S. Heading Toward Criminalization Of Speech” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

County Faults ‘Coding Error’ After Voting Machines Didn’t Show Republican Ballots; Dominion Responds

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Washington Examiner. A Pennsylvania county faulted a “coding error” this week after Republican and nonpartisan voters were dismayed to see only Democratic ballots available as they tried to participate in a slew of local elections.

Luzerne County voters were issued a ballot that only indicated it was for the Democratic primary, regardless of their indicated party affiliation. Many Tuesday voters left their polling places agitated, though Director of Elections Bob Morgan said the error was not the fault of the local government, but rather the blame lied with Dominion Voting Systems, a company marred by dubious election fraud claims in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.

“We gave a final product to Dominion,” Morgan told PA Homepage. “There is no evidence of any of this problem on the mail-in ballots, which were produced from that file. We’re still working with Dominion to get an explanation as to how this coding error occurred. They were as surprised about it as we were.” . . .

A similar issue occurred in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, on the same day, according to KDKA, a local CBS affiliate, which did not which company made the machines. Multiple precincts were having difficulty scanning bar codes on all ballots, and several voters said their Republican ballots were not accepted. Chris Varney, an elections judge, said the issue was initially believed to be affecting all ballots, but officials later determined the problem only affected Republican ballots. (Read more from “County Faults ‘Coding Error’ After Voting Machines Didn’t Show Republican Ballots” HERE)

___________________________________________________________________

Dominion Responds After Pennsylvania Election Officials Report ‘Coding Error’ With Voting Machines

By LaCorte News. Dominion Voting Systems acknowledged in a statement that there was a “ballot screen error” with Republican ballots in one Pennsylvania county.

. . .Voters in Luzerne County who took to the polls to vote in some local elections reported that their ballots indicated they were for a Democratic primary, even if their indicated party affiliation was Republican. GOP voters claimed that the header on the screen at certain voting locations said “Official Democratic Ballot.” . . .

. . .Dominion Voting Systems told the outlet that “Luzerne County’s election director has confirmed that there is a ballot screen error that is confined to the header on the viewing screen of the machine, and that all ballots are printing correctly with the Republican header and the Republican primary election races.”

The company reiterated Morgan’s claimed that “all ballots will be correctly counted.” (Read more from “Dominion Responds After Pennsylvania Election Officials Report ‘Coding Error’ With Voting Machines” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.