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Jill Biden: ‘They Already Had a Pandemic Ready to Go’

At a press conference, Jill Biden said that before the Covid-19 pandemic started, they “already” had one “ready to go.”

Fauci Says No New Lockdowns

“I don’t think we’re gonna see lockdowns.”

QUICK FACTS:
  • On Sunday, Chief White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci was interviewed by ABC’s Jonathan Karl on “This Week.”
  • Karl asked Dr. Fauci if the U.S. would see a return to lockdowns or if the delta coronavirus variant surge merely represents a “temporary setback.”
  • “John, I don’t think we’re gonna see lockdowns,” said Fauci.
  • Referring to the percentage of Americans who have now been vaccinated, he added, “I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country—not enough to crush the outbreak—but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter.”
BACKGROUND:
  • Dr. Fauci has been criticized for “flip-flopping” on positions relating to the Covid-19 phenomena.
  • Drew Holden has chronicled a long list via tweets featuring “the various flip-flops of the CDC and Dr. Anthony Fauci over the last 18 months,” including position changes regarding the danger of the coronavirus, mask-wearing, and the virus origin.
  • One video compilation of Fauci’s COVID-related position reversals has been circulating on social media. See below.

‘Woke’ U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Defeated By Canada

They will now compete for a bronze medal.

QUICK FACTS:
  • In Tokyo, the U.S. women’s soccer team lost its chances of Olympic gold.
  • They lost 1–0 to Canada in the competition’s semifinal match on Monday.
  • The U.S. team will face whoever loses the semifinal between Sweden and Australia.
  • Canada’s Jessie Fleming scored the winning goal in minute 74 of the game.
  • Canada’s win marks the nation’s first victory over the U.S. women’s team in 20 years.
WHAT RAPINOE SAID:
  • “It’s terrible,” said U.S. player Megan Rapinoe. “We just didn’t have it today. Just too many errors from us again. I felt like the space was there for us to play and we just couldn’t get into it too many touches or, you know, an errant touch. That’s football.”
  • “[I]t’s a bitter one to swallow,” Rapinoe went on to say. “Obviously we never want to lose to Canada. I don’t think I’ve ever lost Canada. So it’s a bitter one. Obviously there’s still a lot to compete for. That’s what I told the girls and what we talked about in the huddle. It’s not the color we want, but there’s still a medal on the line. That’s a huge thing and we want to win that game, but yeah, this is … this sucks. It sucks.”
BACKGROUND:
  • Megan Rapinoe has been described as a “great” athlete but “needlessly, selfishly divisive.”
  • She’s also recently been described as a “woke warrior” for her outspokenness and support of left-leaning political issues.
  • She’s said that America was “founded on slavery,” according to The Wall Street Journal, a notion popular among proponents of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the “1619 Project.”
  • Rapinoe—the co-captain of the U.S. national women’s soccer team—refused to place her hand over her heart with the rest of her team when the anthem was played at the World Cup in Lyon, France, according to The New York Post.
  • She took a knee at the opening matches of the Tokyo Olympics to protest social issues in America ahead of the team’s match against Sweden. Rapinoe and team went on to lose that match.
  • Rapinoe’s protests are seen by conservative commentators as sending “the message that her differences with her country are irreconcilable to the point she, even on the grandest global stage of them all, cannot set them aside.”
  • The commentators go on to say that only “extreme culture warriors honestly believe institutions like U.S. Soccer can solve all the world’s problems. They’re not policymakers nor partisan institutions. They exist solely to regulate a game beloved by millions around the world, entertain and, hopefully, unite a world in a shared passion.”
  • “For that unity to manifest, players must be willing to set aside their differences when walking onto the pitch. Representing all Americans includes representing those they don’t see eye-to-eye with.”

U.S. Hits Biden’s 70% Vax Rate Goal, Washington Still Masking, Delta Spiking

America has reached Joe Biden’s 70% vaccination rate goal, but Washington, D.C., is still mandating face coverings, delta variant still “spiking.”

  • The White House announced Monday that the U.S. has surpassed Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one coronavirus vaccine dose to 70% of Americans, according to CNBC.
  • Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “shows 70% of U.S. adults have had at least one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine.”
  • White House Covid-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar said on Twitter that at least 70 percent of adults have at least one shot, notes Politico.
  • Despite the nation’s high vaccination rate, the Delta variant of the coronavirus is still “spiking.”
  • Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser’s reinstated mandate went into effect Saturday.
  • The mandate “requires residents over the age of 2 to wear face masks indoors, regardless of vaccination,” according to Fox News.
  • 54% of the DC’s residents are vaccinated, according to city data.
WHAT NOW?:
  • Health officials are setting new goals: “We need to have at least 80% of the population vaccinated to truly have some form of herd immunity,” Dr. Paul Offit, a voting member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, said in a recent interview.
BACKGROUND:
  • When Biden set his sights on the 70% goal in May, he wanted the milestone to be hit by the Fourth of July.
  • U.S. health officials continue to promote vaccines even though studies cited by the CDC show that nearly 75% of those who become infected with the coronavirus had been fully vaccinated.
  • 233 vaccinated San Francisco health workers also recently caught COVID.
  • CDC Director Rochelle Walensky says that vaccinated people “can transmit the virus.”
  • Vaccinated Olympic athletes have had to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics because they’ve tested positive for Covid-19.
74% of Delta COVID Infections Are Among ‘Fully Vaccinated’: CDC
233 Vaxxed San Francisco Health Workers Catch COVID
Vaccinated People ‘Can Transmit the Virus’: CDC Director Walensky
Vaccinated Olympic Athletes, Coaches Test Positive for COVID

Australians Who Post Anti-Lockdown Content Online Could Face $11,000 Fines

Citizens who plan and attend protests being spoken about as if they were terrorists.

Australians who merely post anti-lockdown information online could face fines of up to $11,000 under a draconian new piece of legislation.

Under the proposal, which is being pushed by the opposition in in New South Wales, protest organizers would be fined a whopping $20,000 and people who attend would be fined $5,500.

However, the law would punish “people sharing information on social media about illegal rallies and inciting others to illegally attend” even more harshly, hitting them with $11,000 fines.

The onerous fines are intended to neutralize a protest movement that has grown in recent weeks over New South Wales imposing yet another brutal lockdown on its citizens, which is now being enforced by military occupation of Sydney.

Shadow Police Minister Walt Secord said the massive fines were needed to “throw the book at these idiots who spread misinformation and lies along with the Delta variant.”

Police Commissioner Mick Fuller warned of “online chatter” about a possible second protest this Saturday, using rhetoric that is usually reserved for terrorists planning a deadly attack.

Fines for not wearing masks, which are now compulsory even outdoors, are also set to rise to $500.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott even bragged about how many calls – a total of over 15,000 – had been received from people reporting on others for attending “illegal” protests.

“The 15,000 calls to Crime Stoppers is a clear message to the government that the community expects action,” said Elliott.

As we previously highlighted, Australians have been placed under one of the most authoritarian lockdowns out of any major developed country.

A pregnant woman was arrested in her own home for planning an anti-lockdown protest on Facebook, while the state also gave itself the power to seize children from their parents and enter homes without a warrant under COVID-19 rules.

The chief health officer of New South Wales even went so far as to tell Australians that they shouldn’t “engage in conversation with each other,” even if they’re wearing masks, in order to reduce the transmission of COVID.

Australian MP Frank Pangallo also recently asserted that unvaccinated people “will need to be controlled and restricted” by authorities.

Iran attacks Israeli ship with explosive drones, Blinken says; US response forthcoming

On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken blamed Iran for a Friday drone attack on the Israeli-owned oil tanker Mercer Street, which resulted in the death of two people. Blinken said the U.S. and other international partners to determine an appropriate response.

“We join our partners and allies in our strong condemnation of the attack against the Mercer Street, a commercial ship that was peacefully transiting through the north Arabian Sea in international waters,” Blinken said. “Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran conducted this attack, which killed two innocent people, using one-way explosive UAVs, a lethal capability it is increasingly employing throughout the region.”

Mercer Street was operated by Zodiac Maritime, an international ship management company headquartered in London and led by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer.

The attack, which took place off the coast of Oman, resulted in the death of one United Kingdom national and a Romanian national, CNN reported.

“There is no justification for this attack, which follows a pattern of attacks and other belligerent behavior,” Blinken said. “These actions threaten freedom of navigation through this crucial waterway, international shipping and commerce, and the lives of those on the vessels involved.”

Blinken added, “We are working with our partners to consider our next steps and consulting with governments inside the region and beyond on an appropriate response, which will be forthcoming. We once again offer our condolences to the families of the victims.”

On Sunday, U.K. Foreign Minister Dominic Raab also said, “UK assessments have concluded that it is highly likely that Iran attacked the MV MERCER STREET in international waters off Oman using one or more Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.”

Raab tweeted, “UK believes the attack on MV MERCER STREET was carried out by Iran and was deliberate, targeted and unlawful. The UK calls on Iran to immediately cease actions that risk regional & international peace & security.”

On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted, “For the past two days, I have also spoken to the Secretary of State @SecBlinken And also with my colleagues around the world on the subject of the Iranian attack. The murderous regime in Iran and the terrorist acts it exports are a global threat. I am glad that both the US and the UK condemn these terrorist acts.”

Lapid further said, “The threat from the terrorist regime in Iran will only increase after the rise to power of the ‘executioner from Tehran’ Raisi. The whole world needs to put up a wall in a form – political and security – against Iran. Israel will continue the dialogue with its allies around the world and work together on the necessary steps against Iranian terrorism.”

Iran’s newly elected president, Ebrahim Raisi, previously served as a member of Iran’s prosecution committee, which the Guardian reported was responsible for sending as many as 3,000 accused Iranian criminals and dissidents to be executed in 1988. The prosecuting committee earned the nickname of the “Death Committee” by opponents of the Iranian regime and by some in western media.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told the Iranian state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, that the accusations by Israel, the U.S. and U.K. are baseless and said “the illegitimate occupying regime must put an end to false accusations against Iran.”

Something Truly Remarkable is Unfolding in France, And It’s Starting to Feel a Little “King Louis-ish”

There’s something remarkable happening in France right now, and it’s starting to feel a little “Louis XVI-ish.”

If you’re not familiar with the French Revolution (May 5, 1789 – November 9, 1799), it was an incredible period of sweeping political and societal change in France.

And while there were many different circumstances and reasons which sparked the revolution, it really boiled down to three main crisis points: social, political, and economic. And one of the most formidable groups spearheading the push for reform were the peasants — or as we’d call them today, the “working class.”

French peasants were furious over rapid population growth, harvest failures, physiocratic calls for modernization of agriculture — basically “agricultural economists” seeking to revamp farming – -as well as the rising cost of dues paid out to the Lords who owned the land.

These issues were the driving force behind the peasants’ desire to demolish feudalism in France.

In short, the monarchy had gotten far too big for its britches, and the working class said, “enough,” and grabbed their pitchforks and took to the streets… and the rest is history.

There was far more to it than that, but you get the picture.

And as it always does, history repeats its self… and once again, the French working class is back in the streets, with symbolic pitch-forks in hand, protesting a government that’s gotten far too big for its britches.

This time around, the French working class is furious over President Emmanuel Macron’s tyrannical Covid vaccine push.

Macron is basically telling people, you either take the jab or you lose any shot at a normal life.

Threats like that didn’t sit well with the hard-working people of France, and they came out to protest — hundreds of thousands of people.

However, what’s happening in France goes even deeper than vaccines — many of the people who are protesting are also experiencing mounting poverty, and a country that’s been overrun with refugees — this is true especially in cities like Marseilles, whose citizens have a natural inherent distrust of authority and government — they’re like the “Rebel South” in the US.

When you put the entire picture together, you can start to see those “Louis XVI” vibes I mentioned earlier, right?

The images coming out of France are stunning and for those of us in the United States, who feel we’re just a hop, skip, and a jump away from this happening in our country, it’s inspiring to see brave citizens stand up and fight back against tyranny.

Take a look:

Nurses and doctors faced off against cops:

Citizens again swarmed at the Place de la Bastille:

Bombs in the streets:

It’s quite a sight to see.

And it makes you wonder, as Emmanuel Macron gazes out his palace window, looking down upon the hordes of angry peasants below if he doesn’t feel a slight kinship to King Louis the 16th — another privileged man who couldn’t understand the plight of his people, and who ended up paying for it with his life.

Crypto industry faces $30 billion tax threat from infrastructure bill

It’s finally “Infrastructure Week” and Congress is hammering out the details of a $1 trillion bill inching closer to the finish line. But one area that could face unpleasant consequences from the bill is cryptocurrencies.

Why it matters: Nearly $30 billion in taxes from cryptocurrency transactions, as part of the bill’s “pay-fors,” is at stake.

Driving the news: In an updated text of the bill, senators have narrowed the definition of “brokers” that would fall under the new transaction reporting requirements, but it’s still not specific enough, according to industry insiders.

  • The new version defines a broker as “Any person who (for consideration) is responsible for regularly providing any service effectuating transfers of digital assets on behalf of another person.”
  • The worry is that even the new definition still doesn’t explicitly (or more clearly) exclude parties like miners, node operators, and software developers.
  • “Such a requirement is essentially forcing miners, lightning nodes, etc., to identify others on the network,” Coin Center executive director Jerry Brito tweeted. “Not only is this nonsensical from a technical perspective, such a mandate would very likely be unconstitutional surveillance.”

Between the lines: This is yet another example of the cryptocurrencies only getting attention from lawmakers when they want something. The industry has been clamoring for clearer regulations and laws, and a slew of bills have emerged over the years, but things today are far from a neat and comprehensive set of rules.

  • Moreover: While many a hearing on the topic has included dramatic accusations by lawmakers that cryptocurrencies are only used by criminals or “a crock,” the current situation shows that more members of Congress should have a solid understanding of how things work.
  • The industry’s got a few champions in Congress, but it can’t be comfortable knowing that most don’t understand its fundamentals, or don’t even want to.

What’s next: Senators will now begin a dayslong amendment process—so there’s still an opportunity for the cryptocurrency industry to get the tweaks it wants.

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