September, 2021 | The Georgia Star News

Fifty Georgia Professors to Mandate Masks in Classrooms, Bucking University System

September 24, 2021September 23, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

Fifty University of Georgia science professors have banded together and said they will mandate masks in their classrooms, despite the fact that the University System of Georgia (USG) says students do not have to wear masks.

“We are deeply devoted to the education and well-being of all members of the University community and feel obligated to protect our students and fellow employees from the unnecessary dangers associated with inappropriate public health planning and messages,” the professors reportedly wrote in a letter to administrators.

Commentary: Little Outcry over Antifa’s Equal-Opportunity Beatdowns of Journalists Left and Right

September 24, 2021September 23, 2021 RealClearWire

From covering displaced refugees around the globe to the obstacles faced by protesters seeking change in America, freelance photojournalist Maranie Staab believes her camera can be a force for truth and social justice. The work of a “conflict photographer” often requires physical courage in places she has reported from, such as Africa and the Middle East. It certainly did so on Aug. 22, while Staab was covering demonstrations in Portland, Ore.

Members of the left-wing group antifa called her a “slut” and then demanded that journalists assembled to cover the protests “get the f— out.” Staab, a 2020 reporting fellow for the liberal Pulitzer Center, tried to calm the situation. She was assaulted. She told the Willamette Week that they grabbed her phone and smashed it. Then they threw her to the pavement and sprayed her with mace. The ugly assault on Staab (below) was filmed and distributed quickly online, resulting in widespread condemnation. “If we’re on a public street and a newsworthy event is occurring, you’re not going to tell me what I can and cannot film,” Staab told the weekly newspaper.

Jobless Claims Increase to 351,000 as Economic Recovery Slows

September 24, 2021 Admin

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims increased to 351,000 last week as the economy continues to slowly recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics figure released Thursday represents an increase in the number of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Sept. 11, when 335,000 new jobless claims were reported. That figure was revised up from the 332,000 jobless claims initially reported last week.

Catholic Vote President: Government Has ‘No Authority’ to Tell Americans ‘What They Can or Cannot Believe’

September 24, 2021 Admin

The federal government has “no authority” to tell Americans “what they can or cannot believe” when it comes to religious exemptions to vaccinations, the president of non-profit political advocacy group CatholicVote.org told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Thousands of Americans are seeking religious exemptions to vaccine mandates, citing reports that some of the vaccines were developed using aborted fetal cell lines, but pressure from activists, commentators and mandate-minded lawmakers suggests that the religious objections may face more serious inquisition in the coming weeks.

‘Overdose Crisis’: Methamphetamine-Related Deaths Nearly Tripled from 2015 to 2019

September 24, 2021 Admin

U.S. methamphetamine-related deaths in adults between the ages of 18 to 64 nearly tripled from 2015 to 2019, according to a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

The study found that the number of psychostimulant-related overdoses increased from 5,526 to 15,489, a roughly 180% jump, between 2015 and 2019. The number of people who said they used methamphetamine increased 43% over the same years.

Construction Industry Experiences Slowdown as Labor, Supply Shortages Wreak Havoc

September 24, 2021 Admin

The construction industry is struggling to recover from the pandemic due to difficulties hiring workers and severe supply chain shortfalls, a report found.

Construction contractors project revenue to remain stagnant and below pre-pandemic levels over the next 12 months even as the economy-wide recovery continues, according to the report published Wednesday by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. While the Commerce Commercial Construction Index (CCI), which the Chamber measures on a quarterly basis, ticked up one point, it remained eight points below its early 2020 figure.

Republicans Press White House for Public Account of Military Equipment Lost to the Taliban

September 24, 2021 Admin

Twenty House Republicans signed a letter to President Joe Biden Thursday demanding a public account of the military equipment lost in Afghanistan and the risks that it poses to the U.S., its allies and its interests.

The letter, led by North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd and obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation, also laments the lack of public reports detailing how tax dollars were spent in the country throughout the two-decade war. Other signees included Reps. Brian Mast of Florida, Jody Hice of Georgia and Michelle Steel and Young Kim of California.

Soros-Funded Group Sends Letter to FCC Calling for Murder of Republicans

September 24, 2021 Admin

A far-left group funded by radical billionaire George Soros submitted a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calling for Republicans to be murdered, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

The group in question is Free Press, which is funded by Soros’s Open Society Foundation, as well as the Center for American Progress, the Tides Foundation, and other far-left organizations. Free Press, whose stated goal is to “reshape media” in the United States, submitted a letter signed by almost 5,000 of its members baselessly accusing the FCC of systemic racism.

Facebook Reveals How It Decides What Content to Suppress

September 24, 2021 Admin

Person looking on Facebook with trending topics

Facebook released its updated Content Distribution Guidelines on Thursday, shedding more light on how the tech giant decides what content it suppresses.

While Facebook has previously provided some details on the types of content that receive reduced distribution in Facebook’s News Feed, the updated guidelines are designed to provide clarity and accessibility, Director of Product Management Anna Stepanov announced in a blog post Thursday.

Two Afghan Refugees at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin Face Sexual Assault and Abuse Charges

September 24, 2021September 23, 2021 Hayley Feland

Two Afghan refugees staying at Fort McCoy have been charged in separate incidents involving sexual assault of a minor and abuse. A grand jury charged Afghan refugees Bahrullah Noori and Mohammad Haroon Imaad on Thursday. Noori, 20, was charged with three counts of sexual assault of a minor, with one count of use of force. According to the indictment, the girls he assaulted at Fort McCoy “had not attained the age of 16 years and were at least four years younger than the defendant.”

Pennsylvania County Commissioners’ Group Opposes Live-Streaming of Mail-In Vote Counting

September 24, 2021 Bradley Vasoli

Bipartisan enthusiasm for election-reform legislation appeared solid at a Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee hearing on Thursday, save for one part: video live-streaming of mail-in-ballot counting.

Elements of the bill, sponsored by Sen. David Argall (R-PA-Pottsville) and Sen. Sharif Street (D-PA-Philadelphia), have arisen largely from recommendations in a June 2021 report by the Senate Special Committee on Election Integrity and Reform. Argall and Street’s proposal excludes some of the ad hoc panel’s more contentious ideas, particularly enhanced voter-identification rules, which Rep. Seth Grove (R-PA-York) is spearheading in separate legislation. (While Gov. Tom Wolf [D] vetoed Grove’s bill in June, the representative has reintroduced it in light of the governor’s subsequent remarks in favor of a strengthened voter-ID requirement.)

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter Won’t Seek U.S. Senate Seat, Endorses Herschel Walker

September 24, 2021September 23, 2021 Chris Butler

Staff for U.S. Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) said Thursday he will not run for the United States Senate to replace incumbent U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA). Carter will instead support Herschel Walker, a Republican, to run against and then replace Warnock.

House Passes $1 Billion Measure for Israel’s Iron Dome, Despite Lack of Progressive Support

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Despite opposition from progressive lawmakers, the Democratic-led House passed $1 billion of funding for Israel’s Iron Dome on Thursday with the help of Republican votes.

Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenhaur, the presiding officer, deemed the bill passed with a simple voice vote but a request was made for a recorded yes or no vote.

States Prepare for Limits on Key COVID Treatment, Criticize Federal Rationing

September 23, 2021 The Center Square

Demand for a key COVID-19 treatment has led to a nationwide shortage, and as President Joe Biden’s administration rations how much each state receives, some governors are pushing back over having to decide how to use their limited supplies.

Many states are warning their residents that the treatment may not be available, and some are discussing offering it only to unvaccinated individuals. On Tuesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, warned his states’ residents that there is “not going to be enough” of the treatment.

Democrats Schedule Hearing on Alleged Life-Threatening Conditions in Georgia Prisons

September 23, 2021September 22, 2021 Chris Butler

Democrats in the Georgia House of Representatives are scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday to discuss how state officials manage and secure the state’s prisons. Members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus Committee on Crisis in Prisons are scheduled to hold the hearing at 1 p.m., Thursday, September 23, in Room 132 of the Georgia State Capitol.

Commentary: The Treacherous Road to Runaway Inflation

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Admin

In January, 2001, America had a balanced budget, low debt, and was at peace. Here, briefly, is what lay ahead: war, financial crisis, civil unrest, massive growth of the federal government, and now severe inflation.

Never in the history of America has our government in its ineptitude created such a false economy, risking hundreds of years of hard work on unsound and unworkable economic policies. The Founders wisely relied on dispersion of power. They knew there would be dishonest and incompetent politicians but, in this case, the entire government is infected with deceptive leaders.

Drugmaker’s Study Shows Remdesivir Reduces COVID-19 Hospitalizations

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Admin

Gilead Sciences announced in a press release Wednesday that its COVID-19 drug remdesivir reduces hospitalizations by 87% in high-risk patients.

The study consisted of 562 patients who were randomly given either remdesivir to a placebo. The company said that it saw an 87% reduction in hospitalizations after day 28, according to the press release. The trial was supposed to have over 1,000 subjects but the Gilead halted enrollment after other COVID-19 drugs became readily available.

DHS Sec. Says Biden’s Plan Is ‘Working,’ and Has Led to ‘a Drop in the Number of Encounters at the U.S. Border’

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Admin

During a Senate hearing Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claimed the Biden Administration’s border policies are “working,” and have led to a drop of encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mayorkas was responding to Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who was grilling the DHS chief about the ongoing surge of illegal immigrants at the border during a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on “Threats to the Homeland.”

Commentary: The Media Doesn’t Accurately Cover Defensive Gun Usage in America

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 RealClearWire

While Americans know that guns take many innocent lives every year, many don’t know that firearms also save them.

On May 15, an attacker at an apartment complex in Fort Smith, Ark., fatally shot a woman and then fired 93 rounds at other people before a man killed him with a bolt-action rifle. Police said he “likely saved a number of lives in the process.”

Feds Purchasing Surveillance Drones from Chinese Company the Pentagon Says Is a Security Threat

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Admin

Federal law enforcement agencies are purchasing surveillance drones from a Chinese company the Pentagon has said could pose a threat to national security, Axios reported.

The U.S. Secret Service purchased eight surveillance drones from Da Jiang Innovations (DJI), a company based in Shenzhen, China, in July, according to procurement records obtained by the industry publication IPVM and shared with Axios. The FBI had already bought 19 DJI drones days prior to the Secret Service’s purchase.

Over 30 U.S. Corporations Join Coalition to Provide Jobs to Afghan Refugees

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Admin

Amazon, Facebook, Pfizer and 30 other major U.S. corporations have joined a coalition seeking to provide jobs and opportunities to Afghan refugees.

The companies announced that they would partner with the non-profit organization Tent Partnership for Refugees, a network of nearly 200 global businesses working to provide refugees with jobs worldwide, according to the announcement Tuesday. The coalition plans to help the refugees, who are fleeing Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, permanently resettle in the U.S. through economic integration.

Scientists Believe They’ve Found Physical Evidence for One of the Most Infamous Biblical Stories

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Admin

Scientists believe they have found physical evidence that an exploding space rock could have inspired one of the most infamous stories in the Bible, archaeologist Christopher R. Moore wrote, Yahoo News reported.

Scientists may have found proof of an icy space rock hurtling through the atmosphere at about 38,000 mph toward the ancient Biblical city Sodom, now called Tall el-Hammam, roughly 3,600 years ago, Moore wrote. The Bible describes the destruction of an urban center near the Dead Sea, with stones and fire falling from the sky.

Texas Sues Biden Administration over ‘Transgender’ Pronoun, Restroom Mandates

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Admin

The state of Texas filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Biden Administration, over a mandate enacted in June dictating that “transgender” individuals must be referred to by their preferred pronouns and be allowed to use restrooms of their choice, Fox News reports.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a statement on the lawsuit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), said that “states should be able to choose protection of privacy for their employers over subjective views of gender.” Paxton declared that “this illegal guidance puts many women and children at risk. If the Biden administration thinks they can force states to comply with their political agenda, my office will fight against their radical attempt at social change.”

Biden’s Job Approval Rating Falls to 43 Percent, Lowest in Presidency, Gallup

September 23, 2021September 24, 2021 Admin

President Biden’s job-approval rating has fallen six percentage points, to 43%, since August. The number is the lowest of his roughly eight-month presidency, and now for the first time, a majority, 53%, disapproves of his performance, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 1 to 17, after the U.S. military left Afghanistan in late August. The military’s departure after 20 years in the country included the chaotic evacuation of 120,000 people that was overshadowed by a suicide bomber killing 13 U.S. service members.

Trump Files $100 Million Lawsuit Against New York Times over Illegally Obtained Tax Records

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Admin

Former President Donald Trump filed a $100 million lawsuit against The New York Times and his niece Mary Trump on Tuesday, alleging his confidential tax documents were improperly shared.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the New York Supreme Court, alleged that New York Times reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russell Buettner pressured Mary Trump to share the former president’s tax documents for an article they were working on in 2018, the Associated Press reported.

White House Ignores Governors’ Request for Meeting with Biden on Border Crisis

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

After Gov. Doug Ducey (R), along with 25 other governors, sent a letter to the Biden Administration urgently requesting a meeting with President Joe Biden regarding the border crisis, the White House appears to be ignoring the governors’ plea.

“As chief executives of our states, we request a meeting with you at The White House to bring an end to the national security crisis created by eight months of unenforced borders,” that letter said. “The months-long surge in illegal crossings has instigated an international humanitarian crisis, spurred a spike in international criminal activity, and opened the floodgates to human traffickers and drug smugglers endangering public health and safety in our states. A crisis that began at our southern border now extends beyond to every state and requires immediate action before the situation worsens.”

Amazon Is Awarding Cars and Cash Prizes to Warehouse, Retail Workers Who Get Vaccinated

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Admin

Amazon is handing out cash prizes and vehicles to its workers that receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a push to vaccinate more of its frontline employees.

The company announced on one of its Instagram pages Monday that five employees were awarded cars worth up to $40,000 dollars as winners of a vaccine sweepstakes.

Ohio Rep. Bob Gibbs Leads Group That Files Articles of Impeachment Against Biden

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Cooper Moran

U.S. Representative Bob Gibbs (R-OH-07) on Tuesday introduced articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden, pointing to the ongoing border crisis and the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal.

Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), Brian Babin (R-TX-36), and Randy Weber (R-TX-14) announced their support of the measure and signed on as co-sponsors of the articles of impeachment.

DeKalb County Officials Won’t Say If Elections Director’s Leave of Absence Is Performance Related, Paid or Unpaid

September 23, 2021September 22, 2021 Laura Baigert

When the heads of the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections announced that effective September 9, 2021, Erica Hamilton is on an extended leave of absence from her role as Director of DeKalb County Registration and Elections, noticeably missing from the statement was whether Hamilton’s leave was related to her job performance and whether the leave was paid or unpaid.

The joint statement, issued by DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections Chair Dele Lowman Smith and Vice-Chair Nancy Jester, came just 6 business days after The Georgia Star News reported that 43,000 absentee ballots deposited into DeKalb County drop boxes were counted during the November 2020 election, despite violating a chain of custody rule.

Georgia Election Board Tosses Complaint Against Herschel Walker’s Wife, Refers 12 Others to State Attorney General

September 22, 2021September 22, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

The Georgia State Election Board on Tuesday unanimously voted to dismiss an illegal voting complaint against Julie Blanchard, the wife of GOP U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker, for voting absentee from her husband’s home in Texas.

The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office recommended the dismissal following its investigation into the complaint, for which they found insufficient evidence to prove that Blanchard was ineligible to cast an absentee ballot from Walker’s Texas home in October 2020.

‘Actual Malice’: Courts Greenlight Devin Nunes Defamation Lawsuits Against Mainstream Media

September 22, 2021September 22, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Journalists who get into public spats with politicians may want to rethink their eagerness to pour salt into old wounds, at least in the middle of litigation.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals resurrected a defamation lawsuit by Rep. Devin Nunes against Ryan Lizza and Hearst Media, because the journalist called attention to his article on Nunes and illegal immigrant laborers after the California Republican sued.

Haitians Being Released into the U.S., Report

September 22, 2021September 22, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Many of the thousands of Haitians who have migrated to the Texas border city of Del Rio are reportedly being released elsewhere in the U.S.

Their release is being reported by the Associated Press based on information from two U.S. officials and appears to undercut the Biden administration’s public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion.

Commentary: Angelo Codevilla, ‘The World’s Most Privileged Man,’ Has Died

September 22, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Angelo Codevilla was many admirable things in his long, productive, and amazing life: an immigrant, a student-athlete, a naval officer, a scholar, a husband, a father, a foreign service officer, a Capitol Hill staffer, an adviser to senators and presidents, a distinguished author of great insight and foresight, and—above all things—a patriot. Although he had already accomplished a great deal in his 78 years and faced some recent health challenges, he was determined to overcome these and never abandoned the fight.

Angelo, who died Monday night, was a man of great energy and spirit, raring for the battle, and determined in every way he could to contribute to it.

Pre-Program Speakers Announced for Trump Georgia Rally

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Cooper Moran

Former President Donald Trump’s political action committee announced on Tuesday multiple speakers that will be featured in Trump’s rally on Saturday.

The speakers, all of which are endorsed by Trump, will include officials running for a host of offices: candidate for United States Senate from Georgia Herschel Walker, Georgia Secretary of State contender Congressman Jody Hice, and Georgia State Senator Burt Jones who is a candidate for Georgia Lt. Governor.

Roger Simon Commentary: The Democrats’ War on Blacks Keeps Growing in the Pandemic

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 RealClearWire

One of the key reasons I left the Democratic Party years ago was the atrocious way they treated black people.

I’m not just talking about “Jim Crow” or LBJ’s well-known patriarchal and racist use of the “n-word” to celebrate blacks voting Democratic forever in gratitude for his ultimately useless early “virtue signaling” called the “War on Poverty.”

(Notice any difference between South Central then and now?)

Afghan Refugees Bringing Numerous Diseases to U.S., Including Measles, Malaria, and Tuberculosis

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

The tens of thousands of Afghan refugees being imported into the United States by the Biden Administration are carrying numerous dangerous diseases in addition to the Chinese coronavirus, including malaria, measles, and tuberculosis, as reported by Breitbart.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) admitted to the influx of diseases through the Afghan arrivals in a statement on Monday, declaring that all of the refugees will be required to take the measles vaccine; however, there are still no measures in place to require them to receive a coronavirus vaccine.

According to the CDC press release, they had been “notified by public health departments of 16 measles cases among the evacuees.” Subsequently, they ordered that “evacuees who are in the United States are required to be vaccinated with MMR and complete a 21-day quarantine from the time of vaccination at U.S. ‘Safe Haven’ designated locations.”

Commentary: The Afghanistization of America

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

The United States should be at its pinnacle of strength. It still produces more goods and services than any other nation—China included, which has a population over four times as large. Its fuel and food industries are globally preeminent, as are its graduate science, computer, engineering, medical, and technology university programs. Its constitution is the oldest of current free nations. And the U.S. military is by far the best funded in the world. And yet something has gone terribly wrong within America, from the southern border to Afghanistan.

The inexplicable in Afghanistan—surrendering Bagram Air Base in the middle of the night, abandoning tens of billions of dollars of military equipment to the Taliban, and forsaking both trapped Americans and loyalist Afghans—has now become the new Biden model of inattention and incompetence.

Health and Human Services Whistleblower Calls Federal Government’s COVID Policies ‘Evil at the Highest Level’

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

A medical professional who works for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is blowing the whistle on the federal government for pushing dangerous experimental vaccines on an unsuspecting public, calling the malfeasance “evil at the highest level.”

“You have the FDA, you have the CDC, that are both supposed to be protecting us, Registered Nurse Jodi O’Malley told Project Veritas founder and CEO James O’Keefe, “and everything that we’ve done so far is unscientific.”

The whistleblower works at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, an Arizona hospital run by the Indian Health branch of HHS, but perhaps not for long. After contacting O’Keefe, she recorded some of her HHS colleagues raising concerns about the COVID vaccines. Putting her faith in God, O’Malley said that after everything she had witnessed, she was willing to lose her job to expose the federal government’s counterproductive and destructive COVID policies.

U.S. Supreme Court to Reconsider Roe v. Wade

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 The Center Square

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it would hear a case in December that directly challenges the landmark 1973 abortion case Roe v. Wade.

The high court set Dec. 1 as the date it would hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which means a decision could be reached by June 2022.

This case features a challenge to a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. The case especially addresses the constitutionality of abortion bans that take effect before a fetus would be viable outside the womb.

Group of State Attorneys General Urge Passage of House Bills Targeting Big Tech

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Smartphone with display of social media apps

A bipartisan group of 32 state attorneys general sent a letter to leading lawmakers in the House and Senate on Monday urging the passage of a series of antitrust bills targeting major technology companies.

The letter, led by attorneys general Phil Weiser of Colorado, Douglas Peterson of Nebraska, Letitia James of New York, and Herbert H. Slatery III of Tennessee, was addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The attorneys general urged Congress to modernize federal antitrust laws and enhance consumer protections by passing a series of bills introduced in the House Judiciary Committee in June that target big tech companies.

“A comprehensive update of federal antitrust laws has not occurred in decades,” the attorneys general wrote. “The sponsors of these bills should be commended for working to ensure that federal antitrust laws remain robust and keep pace with that of modern markets.”

Commentary: The Bidenization of America

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Day by day, as the Biden Administration crashes into utter shambles and a cloud of dust reminiscent of 9/11, the Bidenization of America becomes more stark and horrifying.

I can remember no more pitiful words from a senior American government official in 65 years than Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s complaint that the Taliban government in Kabul was disappointing in its lack of “inclusiveness.” (To be sure, that is not all it lacks, and that could hardly have been a surprise.)

Nor can I think of any diplomatic initiative by a senior American government official more certainly doomed to ludicrous failure than environment ambassador John Kerry’s recent trip to China requesting the collaboration of the People’s Republic in this administration’s hell-bent-for-leather assault on what it is trying to identify as climate change.

Apple Reportedly Developing iPhone Technology That Knows When You’re Depressed

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Apple is reportedly working on iPhone technology capable of detecting and diagnosing depression, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The tech giant is developing the iPhone features to reliably detect and diagnose depression as well as cognitive decline, people familiar with the matter told the WSJ. The technology is being developed in partnership with researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and pharmaceutical company Biogen.

The technology is in its early stages of development, according to the WSJ, but will collect data on iPhone users’ mobility and sleep patterns, physical activity, and other behaviors. However, researchers are still unsure whether they can create algorithms that reliably detect the mental health state of users.

Commentary: IRS Guidance Would Punish Small Business Owners with Families

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 RealClearWire

Most IRS guidance documents make for poor pleasure reading. Then again, most IRS guidance doesn’t effectively impose a retroactive tax on small business owners merely for having a family. IRS Notice 2021-49, issued on August 4, includes a bizarre interpretation of the law that will effectively raise taxes for business owners with close relatives, even if their family members have no involvement in the company.

A core goal of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed early on in the pandemic was to assist businesses in keeping employees on their payroll even as they dealt with the economic effects of lockdowns. Part of the plan was the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC), which provides a tax credit against employer payroll tax liabilities.

Commentary: One Simple Change to Begin Reversing the Left’s Takeover

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Take heart. The resurgence of a freedom-based conservatism has already begun. On the other side of the pandemic tyranny, the debacle in Afghanistan, and the catastrophic reckoning with inflation, Americans will be ready to be rid of the screechy pseudo-intellectuals who ruin everything. When that day comes, it’s critical we take steps to eliminate the Left’s toxic syndicate that indoctrinated so many Americans. It’s not enough to beat them back. We must look to the source of this poison that almost overtook our country.

There are so many problems that need to be unwound. Leftist authoritarianism has infected everything as indoctrinated graduates began assuming leadership roles in heretofore apolitical organizations from churches to school boards to the military. Instead of trying to fight the battle on every front, we should look first to stopping it at its source: Academics unmoored from market incentives.

Tea Party Patriots to Hold Nationwide Protests Against Medical Mandates

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Cooper Moran

Tea Party Patriots Action (TPPA) announced on Tuesday that they will hold nationwide protests against Democrat-led mandates for COVID-19 vaccines and masks.

The movement, entitled “Just Say No,” describes mandates as a power move, rather than for public health, and encourages individuals to not comply.

Georgia U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson Submits Amendments to Counteract Democrats’ Latest Budget Proposals

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Chris Butler

U.S. Representative Drew Ferguson (R-GA-03) this week said Democrats on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee blocked every amendment he added to what he called that party’s $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend budget proposal. Ferguson serves on the committee.

Georgia State Sen. Jason Anavitarte Wants Clarence Thomas Statue on Capitol Grounds

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Chris Butler

Georgia State Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R – Dallas) has called upon his colleagues in the Georgia General Assembly to place a statue of U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas on the state capitol grounds. This, according to a press release that Anavitarte emailed Tuesday.

Biden Administration Will Raise the Yearly Cap on Refugee Admissions to 125,000 Beginning in October

September 21, 2021September 21, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

President Joe Biden is planning to increase the number of refugees allowed to enter the U.S. to 125,000 during the new fiscal year, which will begin October 1.

The move, which was announced by the State Department Monday, fulfills a Biden campaign promise. Though, the action will likely not impact two groups of people in the news of late – the thousands of Afghans who fled Kabul last month as U.S. forces were hastily withdrawn, and the more than 15,000 Haitians who are camped under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, along the southern border having fled political and economic turmoil in their home country. The two groups are not classed by the department as refugees.

Biden’s First Border Chief Accuses Administration of Destroying Security, Misleading Congress

September 21, 2021September 21, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

In a stunningly blunt warning to senators, President Joe Biden’s just-departed Border Patrol chief is accusing the administration of intentionally eroding security to bring illegal aliens into the country and misleading Congress about the severity of the crisis.

Rodney S. Scott, a 29-year career law enforcement officer who retired last month as the U.S. Border Patrol chief, wrote the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate and its Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that career experts have offered numerous recommendations to slow the crisis but have been repeatedly rebuffed.

Georgia Psychologist Indicted for Medicaid Fraud

September 21, 2021September 21, 2021 The Center Square

Doctor with arms folded, holding stethescope

A Georgia man is facing a fraud charge after law enforcement officials said he stole more than $99,000 from the state’s Medicaid program.

The Georgia attorney general’s office said Gainesville psychologist Dr. Guy Jordan filed claims for therapy sessions that never happened. Jordan was indicted on Medicaid fraud and false statements charges by a Hall County Grand Jury.

“We will not stop protecting taxpayer dollars, and we thank the Hall County Grand Jury for their work on this case,” Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement. “We hope this indictment sends a clear message that tax dollars will not be abused.”