November, 2021 | The Georgia Star News

Fifth Circuit: Challenge to Biden Vaccine Mandate ‘Virtually Certain to Succeed’ Based on Constitution and Law

November 14, 2021November 15, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

woman with a hard hat and safety glasses on

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday to keep its stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) emergency rule that would require employers of more than 100 employees to mandate COVID-19 vaccines in place, determining that the private businesses challenging the rule were “very likely to win” their case.

The case is BST Holdings v. OSHA, No. 21-60845. BST Holdings, along with a host of other companies and several states, including Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Mississippi and Utah, sued President Joe Biden’s OSHA to halt the vaccine mandate.

Commentary: I am Challenging the Vaccine Mandate to Protect My Workers’ Jobs

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 RealClearWire

The Biden administration has finally published its anticipated ultimatum threatening companies like mine with severe fines and penalties for not firing any employee who declines to be vaccinated against or submit to invasive weekly testing for COVID-19. The new rule promulgated by the U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under the guise of workplace safety may well bankrupt the business my father founded. So, as the CEO of the Phillips Manufacturing & Tower Company, I am joining with The Buckeye Institute to challenge OSHA’s vaccine mandate in court. Here’s why.

Phillips is a 54-year-old company based in Shelby, Ohio, that manufactures specialty welded steel tubing for automotive, appliance, and construction industries. OSHA’s emergency rule applies to companies with 100 or more employees — at our Shelby Welded Tube facility, we employ 104 people. As a family-owned business I take the health of my workers seriously — they are my neighbors and my friends. When I heard of the mandate, we conducted a survey of our workers to see what the impacts would be. It revealed that 28 Phillips employees are fully vaccinated, while antibody testing conducted at company expense found that another 16 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies and likely possess natural immunity. At least 47 employees have indicated that they have not and will not be vaccinated. Seventeen of those 47 unvaccinated workers said that they would quit or be fired before complying with the vaccine or testing mandate. Those are 17 skilled workers that Phillips cannot afford to lose.

Perhaps the Biden administration remains unaware of the labor shortage currently plaguing the U.S. labor market generally and industrial manufacturing especially. Like many companies, Phillips is already understaffed, with seven job openings we have been unable to fill. Employees already work overtime to keep pace with customer demand, working 10-hour shifts, six days a week on average. Firing 17 veteran members of the Phillips team certainly won’t help.

Gates Calls for ‘New Way of Doing’ Vaccines Since They Don’t ‘Block Transmission’ of COVID

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has called for a “new way of doing the vaccines” against viruses like COVID-19 given that they do not “block” transmission.

Gates said the “economic damage” and death toll from COVID-19 was “completely horrific.”

Gates expects the world’s experience with COVID-19 to lead to larger research and development budgets to better prepare for a future pandemic.

Commentary: The Uncomfortable Truths About the Food Stamp Program

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 Admin

A recent administrative action has permanently increased benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by 25 percent. Unfortunately, this historic boost fails to address the structural problems that plague this nearly 60-year-old program.

The official Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) webpage proudly proclaims that, “SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food…”

To that admirable end, the program formerly known as food stamps distributed $79 billion to 40 million people last year. Yet this desire to provide wholesome food to needy families conflicts with clear evidence that wholesome food is not what they think they need. Whether they play by the rules or not, people receiving SNAP benefits currently spend between 70-100 percent of that benefit on things other than healthy food.

Lawsuits Challenging Biden’s Vaccine Mandates Mount, Likely Heading to U.S. Supreme Court

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 The Center Square

Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the Biden administration over three different vaccine mandates targeting private employees, federal employees and healthcare workers serving Medicare and Medicaid patients.

But lawsuits filed by 27 states over the private sector mandate is setting the stage for the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in because they were filed directly in five federal courts of appeals.

Trucking and Retail Associations Sue Biden Administration over Vaccine Mandates

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Multiple trucking and retail groups filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Biden Administration, seeking to block implementation of the federal vaccine mandate, as reported by Breitbart.

The lawsuit, filed with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, is led by multiple organizations, including “the National Retail Federation, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the American Trucking Associations.” The suit specifically targets the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the primary federal agency that has been tasked by Biden to carry out the many sweeping vaccine mandates.

The CDC Can’t Prove a Single Instance of a Naturally Immune Individual Spreading COVID

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

In response to a law firm’s query, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was unable to provide a single instance in which an unvaccinated person who’d previously had COVID-19 became reinfected with and transmitted the virus to someone else. The CDC said it does not collect such data, even though the medical freedom of millions of Americans hang in the balance.

A record 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in September, many of them pushed out of the workforce by the unnecessary vaccine mandates.

GOP Alaska Senator Murkowski Announces Reelection Bid, Prepares for Battle with Trump Allies

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Friday that she will seek reelection in 2022, setting up another tough primary battle that includes efforts by former President Trump to unseat her.

A campaign video for Murkowski does not directly mention the challenge from Trump but warns voters about the race attracting much outside interest.

“In this election, lower 48 outsiders are going to try to grab Alaska’s Senate seat for their partisan agendas. They don’t understand our state and frankly, they couldn’t care less about your future,” she says.

Far More Available Jobs Than Workers as Millions Resign

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 The Center Square

There are 10.4 million job openings in the U.S., the Department of Labor said Friday, a figure that’s well above the number of unemployed Americans.

“Job openings increased in health care and social assistance (+141,000); state and local government, excluding education (+114,000); wholesale trade (+51,000); and information (+51,000),” the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. “Job openings decreased in state and local government education (-114,000); other services (-104,000); real estate and rental and leasing (-65,000); and educational services (-45,000).”

Commentary: Medical Journals Pour Forth Hundreds of Articles on Race and Racism

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 RealClearWire

The prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association and its JAMA network of other periodicals have published about 950 articles on race, racism, and racial and ethnic disparities and inequities in the past five years – about a third appearing in just the past year.

A search for “health disparities” on the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed.gov search page shows an exponential “hockey stick” trend in recent years, with articles through October already surpassing last year’s total of 10,719. By comparison, “ovarian cancer” yields 7,134 search results last year, while “aortic aneurysm” yields fewer than 4,000.

These numbers attest to the fact that the academic study of racial justice, power and privilege is no longer the sole domain of non-scientific university departments, such as sociology, literature and education. The trendy topic has migrated to peer-reviewed medical journals, where editors now view systemic racism as a leading cause of disproportionate illness and premature mortality among black people.

Former Raiders Head Coach Gruden Sues NFL and Goodell over Alleged ‘Forced Resignation’

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders Jon Gruden filed a lawsuit Friday accusing the NFL and league commissioner Roger Goodell of launching a “malicious and orchestrated campaign” intent on ruining Gruden’s career.

According to the Washington Post, the lawsuit argues that Goodell and the league engaged in “a Soviet-style character assassination” against Gruden by intentionally leaking old emails that included disparaging language towards women, as well as racist and homophobic comments.

Georgia Rep. Jody Hice Says Joe Biden Governs Like He Doesn’t Care About Reelection

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 Chris Butler

Representative Jody Hice (R-GA-10) last week said President Joe Biden is not governing like someone who has intentions of running for reelection in 2024. Hice said this as he appeared on Newsmax.

Oklahoma National Guard Defies Pentagon, Won’t Impose COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

November 13, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

The newly installed head of the Oklahoma National Guard has ordered that troops under his command will not be forced to comply with the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the armed forces.

“No Oklahoma Guardsman will be required to take the COVID-19 Vaccine,” Army Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino wrote in a Thursday memo. The memo was at odds with a Defense Department directive that the “total force” – including the National Guard – must be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Georgia Senate Committee Learns Private-Sector Workers’ Retirement Savings Low

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Bradley Vasoli

According to data presented Friday to the Senate Retirement Security for Georgians Study Committee, about half of Peach State residents—and Americans generally—aren’t saving enough for retirement.

Jessica Eckman, a senior legislative representative with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), told the committee that about 50 percent of U.S. households are at risk of accumulating insufficient retirement savings, up from 31 percent three decades earlier.

Commentary: Dr. Fauci Warned About Coronaviruses in 2003 – But Didn’t Act on It

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 RealClearWire

Few would argue the United States, or any country for that matter, was prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, even though, starting in 2003, the U.S. devoted $5.6 billion to fund Project Bioshield, running through 2013, and another $2.8 billion of funding through 2018. Project Bioshield was designed to prepare the United States against a bio attack, including provisions for the stockpiling and distribution of vaccines.

Though Covid-19 was a new virus, congressional testimony from 2003 paints a concerning picture about what we knew – and when – about the family of viruses from which it originated.

“I am particularly interested in learning how Project BioShield would assist in addressing the current public health emergency created by the epidemic known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS],” said Tom Davis, chairman of the Committee on Government Reform. “More than 2,000 suspected cases of this mysterious disease have been reported in 17 nations, including the United States, with 78 fatalities. So far, there is no effective treatment or vaccine to combat this deadly syndrome.”

Federal Appeals Court Orders Biden Not to Enforce Vaccine Mandate for Private Firms

November 13, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

A federal appeals court on Friday reaffirmed its early ruling temporarily halting President Biden’s national vaccine mandate for companies with more than 100 employees.

In its ruling, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals called the mandate “fatally flawed,” while ordering OSHA to “take no steps to implement or enforce the Mandate until further court order.”

FBI Director Told Former Agents the Bureau Will ‘Stay in Its Own Lane’ and Won’t Be Attending School Board Meetings

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

FBI Director Christopher Wray “made it clear” during an October speech that FBI agents “would not be attending school board meetings” and the Bureau “would stay in its own lane,” a former agent who saw the speech told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Cecil Moses, a retired FBI special agent and former police chief in Alabama, was in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the national conference for the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI, where he said Wray met with former agents on Oct. 22 and assured them that the Bureau would not be monitoring school board meetings.

Home Prices Soar in Third Quarter as Housing Market Remains Hot

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Median home prices surged in the third quarter of 2021 in almost every housing market in the U.S., the National Association of Realtors said in a report Wednesday.

The median price of a single-family home increased in 182 out of the 183 markets tracked by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Prices grew by 10% from the previous year in 78% of the 182 markets.

Commentary: ‘Unprecedented’ Capitol Protest Sets New Precedents

November 13, 2021November 13, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Unprecedented: It is the word most often applied to the events at the Capitol on January 6.

In his remarks that afternoon, as the chaos was still ongoing, Joe Biden warned that “our democracy is under unprecedented attack.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Attorney General Merrick Garland, and leaders of both political parties also describe the four-hour mostly nonviolent disturbance at the Capitol complex as something without precedent.

“On January 6, 2021, the world witnessed a violent and unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Vice President, Members of Congress, and the democratic process,” wrote Republican and Democratic senators in a joint committee report released earlier this year.

Thousands of DHS Employees Won’t Be Vaccinated Before the Federal Deadline

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Around 30% of Department of Homeland Security employees won’t be fully vaccinated before the federal deadline, My RGV reported on Tuesday.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees needed to receive their second COVID-19 vaccination shot or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Monday, two weeks before President Joe Biden’s executive order goes into effect, to be considered fully vaccinated, according to My RGV.

Obama Judge Sides with January 6 Committee, Denies Trump’s Executive Privilege Claims

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

In a 34-page ruling issued Tuesday night, D.C. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan denied Donald Trump’s request for injunctive relief to prevent the January 6 Select Committee from obtaining privileged information currently housed at the National Archives. In August, Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the committee, demanded “a wide range of White House records of the previous administration . . . [related to] how the January 6th events fit in the continuum of efforts to subvert the rule of law, overturn the results of the November 3, 2020 election, or otherwise impede the peaceful transfer of power.”

The National Archives notified the committee a few days later it would comply with the request for documents; Joe Biden twice denied Trump’s claims of executive privilege, something without precedent, which Chutkan noted: “This case presents the first instance . . . in which a former President asserts executive privilege over records for which the sitting President has refused to assert executive privilege.”

UN Climate Conference Carbon Footprint Doubles Previous Summit

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

The carbon footprint of COP26, the ongoing United Nations climate summit, is expected to double that of the previous conference held in 2019, according to a report.

The two-week COP26 conference, which is entering its final days in Scotland, is projected to lead to about 102,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide in emissions, according to a preliminary assessment commissioned by the UN from British professional services firm ARUP. That’s the equivalent of more than 225.9 million pounds of carbon emissions.

National School Boards Association Coordinated with White House on Letter Calling Parents ‘Domestic Terrorists’

November 13, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

A new timeline of events in the controversial National School Boards Association (NSBA) letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland shows that the NSBA was in contact with the White House before sending the letter to President Joe Biden.

Emails obtained by a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from the group called Parents Defending Education request show that NSBA President Viola Garcia sent a memo to state NSBA chapters on October 12 describing its work against parents who were protesting at school board meetings nationwide. Some of those protests regarded mask mandates and liberal activism within schools.

A Record Number of Workers Quit Their Jobs in September as Labor Shortage Worsens

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

A record 4.4 million people quit their jobs in September, and job openings remained near a record high as labor shortages continue throughout the country.

Roughly 3.0% of U.S. workers left their jobs in September, a jump from August, when 4.3 million people left the workforce, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report released Friday. The number of job openings remained near its August level of 10.4 million.

The Feds Appear to Have Leaked O’Keefe’s Privileged Legal Communications to the New York Times

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Someone from the Department of Justice appears to have tipped off the New York Times about recent raids on current and former employees of Project Veritas, and leaked privileged communications between founder James O’Keefe and his lawyers to the paper.

These potentially illegal actions come amid a Project Veritas defamation lawsuit against the NYTs that claims the paper’s coverage of a Veritas video was incorrect, defamatory and driven by resentment on the part of the newspaper’s reporters.

Explosive Growth: Yale Now Has as Many Administrators as Students

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Yale University nearly doubled its number of administrators from 2003 to 2019 while only bringing in an additional 600 students, according to the Yale Daily News.

Yale now has an approximately equal number of students and administrators, the Daily News reported. Yale professors expressed concern about the impact of the school’s massive bureaucracy on teaching, students’ lives and university costs.

Increased Federal Spending Gets Fresh Scrutiny with Ongoing Spike in Inflation, Consumer Costs

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 The Center Square

Skyrocketing inflation and consumer costs are hurting President Joe Biden’s and Congressional Democrats’ hopes to pass another major spending bill through the reconciliation process.

The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics this week reported an 8.6% increase in wholesale prices over the past 12 months, the highest increase in years. The federal agency also said this week that the consumer price index, another key tracker of inflation, is rising at the fastest rate in decades.

Commentary: Parents Are Students’ First Teachers and Greatest Advocates

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 RealClearWire

It is not a novel concept that family engagement is one of the strongest predictors of children’s school success. Studies over the past 50 years demonstrate a positive relationship between family engagement and student achievement for students of all backgrounds. Children are most successful when supported by families and schools working together collaboratively. As a parent, I understand the unique needs and learning behaviors of my children more than anyone. Through my respective roles as an educator and a federal K-12 policy professional, I also understand the nuances of balancing parental input with a safe and effective education for all students.

For years, parental involvement in education has been supported by Republican and Democratic leaders as integral to student success and as a guiding principle for federal and state education policy. The Every Student Succeeds ‎Act (ESSA), the bipartisan K-12 federal education law, explicitly requires that parents be meaningfully involved and consulted in the ‎development of state and school district education plans. These plans provide the ‎framework for how states and school districts will deliver education to elementary and high ‎school students. Additionally, the law requires that parents be involved in the creation of “state ‎report cards,” providing information on how schools in each state are performing – including ‎student achievement levels. The report cards ‎must be written and in an accessible way so that parents can take action to engage with their child’s school.

Facebook Blocks Search Results for ‘Kyle Rittenhouse’

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Person looking on Facebook with trending topics

Despite massive public interest in the court proceedings in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this week, Facebook has blocked search results for the name “Kyle Rittenhouse.” Facebook shows zero posts when the query “Kyle Rittenhouse” is entered into the social media platform’s search bar. A message appears that states that “832,000 people are talking about this,” but no results show up.

An attempt to find Kyle Rittenhouse posts brings up a message informing the user that Facebook did not find any results with a prompt to make sure your spelling is correct.

Rittenhouse, 18, is currently on trial for shooting three people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing two of them outright during a riot in August 2020. He is charged with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, recklessly endangering safety and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

Music Spotlight: Gracee Shriver

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Belmont student and former NBC’s The Voice contestant Gracee Shriver hails from Owasso, Oklahoma.

Shriver started singing lessons at age nine to give herself something to do. About a year after starting lessons, she got her first guitar and began writing songs.

Georgia Department of Education Announces Priorities for the 2022 General Assembly

November 13, 2021 Chris Butler

Members of the Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) have announced their priorities for the 2022 session of the Georgia General Assembly. The GDOE, among other things, wants Georgia students to focus more on civics and to give parents more power to decide what’s best for their children’s health.

Georgia Fruit Grower Warns Food Supply Chain in Danger

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021 Chris Butler

The nation’s supply chain crisis has strained Georgia’s farmers, so much so they’re unsure they can produce their crops on time. This, according to Southern Valley Fruit and Vegetable, Inc. Executive Officer Jon Schwalls. The organization is based out of Norman Park.

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Steve Bannon for Contempt of Congress

November 12, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Former White House advisor Steve Bannon was indicted by a federal grand jury Friday following his refusal to comply with a subpoena by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Bannon’s indictment, just days after the House Committee announced further subpoenas of Trump officials.

Yet Another Georgia Educator in Legal Trouble for Child Pornography

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Chris Butler

A former Georgia State University (GSU) professor has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possessing child pornography, and certain images and videos he had showed children as young as five engaging in sexually explicit conduct. That man, Daniel Deocampo, taught at GSU and was also a dean.

Newt Gingrich Commentary: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Are a Political Disaster for Democrats

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

The Democratic Party defeat last Tuesday was followed by an even more ominous report on the job approval of the two leading Democrats.

Recall, last week, Democrats lost Virginia in a remarkable sweep. They lost assembly and senate seats in New Jersey – and almost lost the governorship. A Republican was elected city attorney in Seattle (that’s right, Seattle). They lost a Texas state legislative seat in a district which is 73 percent Latino. Republicans swept to victory in Long Island, while New York voters rejected three different Democratic referenda to make elections less secure.

Commentary: History Will Grind Out the Truth

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

“History will figure that out on its own.” That is what Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) recently replied to Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

In a heated congressional exchange, Fauci derided the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic was due to the leak of a dangerous virus, engineered in the Chinese Wuhan virology lab—and in part funded by U.S. health agencies, on the prompt of Fauci himself.

26 State School Board Associations Distance Themselves from National Group

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 The Center Square

More than half of state school board associations have distanced themselves from the national association after it sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking for federal intervention to investigate parents who protest at local meetings.

Of the 26 that have repudiated the letter, 11 have discontinued their membership with the National School Boards Association (NSBA) after Kentucky did so Wednesday.

‘We’re Still Here,’ Loudoun Parents Say, ‘We’re Not Spiking the Ball Because Youngkin Won’

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

“We are still here” even though the election is over, about 150 parents reminded the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) school board outside its Tuesday meeting.

Concerned community members, parents, grandparents and students spoke out during the meeting to tell the school board that although Glenn Youngkin won the gubernatorial race last Tuesday, the problems at LCPS still remain.

Black Lives Matter Activists Promise ‘Bloodshed’ If NYC Brings Back Anti-Crime Units

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Prominent leaders of a Black Lives Matter group in New York City promised violence if Mayor-elect Eric Adams brought back the city’s anti-crime units.

“If he thinks that they’re going to go back to the old ways of policing, then we are going to take to the streets again,” Hawk Newsome, who co-founded Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, told the New York Daily News.

Illinois School District: Yes, We Are Teaching the 1619 Project and ‘Critical Race Theory’ to Seventh and Eighth Graders

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Oak Park Elementary District 97 is teaching students so-called “critical race theory,” which argues that racism is to blame for differences in racial group performance, such as lower test scores by black students, or higher violent crime rates for blacks than whites.

In response to a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request by West Cook News, District 97 indicated it is teaching the critical race theory-centric “1619 Project,” which holds that the American Revolution was fought to preserve black slavery, Abraham Lincoln was a racist and that America’s wealth today is the result of black slavery.

Rittenhouse Defense Team Calls for Mistrial with Prejudice Citing Prosecutorial Misconduct

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

The defense team in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse requested a mistrial with prejudice, arguing that Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger had acted in bad faith during the trial and engaged in prosecutorial misconduct.

When Binger told Kenosha Judge Bruce Schroeder that he had made his arguments in good faith, the judge said, “I don’t believe you.”

Commentary: Medical Research Rapidly Adopts ‘Systemic Racism’ as Undisputed Truth, Risking Scientific Credibility

November 12, 2021 RealClearWire

Rejection used to be common for medical sociologist Thomas LaVeist when he tried to get his research published on the effects of racism on the health of black people. “Now,” said the 60-year-old dean of Tulane University’s School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, “I have those same journals asking me to write articles for them.”

LaVeist’s experience illustrates the dramatic transformation in medical research, accelerating in the past few years. While few would dispute that black Americans are more prone to chronic health problems and have shorter life expectancies than whites, the medical community generally sought answers in biology, genetics and lifestyle. Research, like LaVeist’s, that focused on racism was frowned upon as lacking rigor or relevance, an amateurish detour from serious intellectual inquiry.

A Higher Percentage of Migrants Granted Asylum Under Biden, Report Shows

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

A higher percentage of migrants were granted asylum under the Biden administration despite fewer applications filed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new TRAC report released on Wednesday.

Asylum grants increased from 29% under former President Donald Trump to 37% during the Biden administration, according to data obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). Nearly 24,000 asylum decisions were made during the fiscal year 2021 when COVID-19 restrictions and shutdowns were in effect compared to 60,000 in the fiscal year 2020.

Department of Defense Says China and Climate Change Are ‘Equally Important’ Threats to America

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

The Department of Defense (DOD) said Wednesday that China and climate change were “equally important” threats to U.S. national security.

“We get paid to examine all the threats to our national security,” Defense Department press secretary John Kirby told reporters. “And I don’t know that it does anybody good to put some sort of relative analysis assessment on that. You’ve heard the secretary talk about the climate as a — a real and existential national security threat, and it is, not just to the United States, but to countries all over the world.”

Lyons Township High School Teachers in Illinois to Participate in Black Lives Matter Book Study Group

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Teachers at Lyons Township High School will participate in a book study organized by a Black Lives Matter group, “Teaching for Black Lives.”

The group will train LT teachers on how to better incorporate “the truth about the breathtaking heroism of black communities in the face of injustice,” and how they can replace “eurocentric textbooks with a curriculum that centers the intersectional identities of black people.”

Amidst Concerns of Election Irregularities, Commonwealth Court Recount Begins in Pennsylvania

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Bradley Vasoli

Amidst public concerns of electoral irregularities in Pennsylvania, a recount will decide the outcome of the Commonwealth Court contest between Republican Drew Crompton and Democrat Lori A. Dumas.

Based on unofficial returns published by the Pennsylvania Department of State, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Dumas now leads Superior Court Judge Crompton by 16,804 votes out of more than 2.5 million votes cast for either of the two. That’s a margin of about a third of one percent, within the 0.5 percent difference that prompts a recount under Pennsylvania’s Act 97 of 2004.

Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde Lists Harm He Thinks Infrastructure Bill Will Cause

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021 Chris Butler

Representative Andrew Clyde (R-GA-09) said he voted against the recently passed federal infrastructure bill because it contributes to more government waste, stretches out the deficit, and doesn’t concentrate enough on security at the U.S.-Mexico border. Clyde said this in an emailed newsletter to his constituents this week.

New Jersey Senate President Concedes Race to Republican Truck Driver

November 11, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

In a major upset, New Jersey’s Senate President Steve Sweeney conceded the race Wednesday to his Republican opponent Edward Durr, who spent a total of about $2,000 on his entire campaign.

“The results of Tuesday’s election are in. All votes have been fairly counted. And I, of course, accept the results,” Sweeney said during a news conference.

Wisconsin School Boards Group Withdraws from National Group over Parental Terrorism Letter

November 11, 2021November 11, 2021 Georgia Star News Staff

Wisconsin’s Association of School Boards resigned from the national group responsible for sending a letter to President Biden in which it asked for help investigating threats from angry parents.

The WASB voted unanimously on Friday to withdraw from the National Association of School Boards.