White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Friday refused to release the number of COVID-19 infections among vaccinated staff.
A reporter had challenged Psaki at a press briefing for not releasing information about breakthrough Covid cases among White House staffers.
One aide tested positive earlier last week.
Coronavirus infections among the vaccinated are known as “breakthrough cases.”
THE EXCHANGE:
“Why not just provide the number? Are you trying to hide something?” the reporter asked.
“Why do you need to have that information?” Psaki responded.
“Transparency, in the interest of the public, having a better understanding of how breakthrough cases work here in the White House,” the reporter said.
A reporter challenges @PressSec on not releasing the number of breakthrough covid cases among WH staffers:
REPORTER: "Why not just provide the number are you trying to hide something?"@PressSec: "Why do you need to have that information?"
A White House official and a staff member for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California had tested positive for COVID-19, according to Newsweek.
Both of the staffers were vaccinated.
The White House announced Wednesday it would be changing its COVID-19 disclosure policy and will now announce positive tests among officials who come into contact with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, or their spouses.
ABC characterized these counties with higher-than-average vaccination rates as “lead[ing] the way” in their states.
However, one county did not make a top three spot in its state in lowest infection rates.
McKinley County, New Mexico and Teton, Wyoming in fact show significantly higher-than-average infection rates in spite of also having the highest vaccination rates in their states.
How three counties reached the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in their states: https://t.co/qraHjwdToD
ABC reported on Friday that “as of Monday, over 94% of [McKinley County] residents ages 18 and up have received at least one dose, according to the latest state health department data.”
Nearly 80% of the county’s residents are Native American, according to the U.S. Census, notes ABC. The Indian Health Service held drive-thru events at the Fire Rock Casino in Church Rock, conducting outreach to the Navajo Nation to make it more convenient to get the vaccine. The county has been focused on “bringing people back for their second dose” and increasing “vaccination efforts in those ages 12 to 16,” ABC reports.
However, McKinley County ranks fourth highest in rates of infection among New Mexico’s 33 counties, according to data reported by the New Mexico Department of Health aggregated by Wikipedia. McKinley County, therefore, has above-average vaccination rates but also above-average infection rates.
Screenshot from Wikipedia’s data “publicly reported by New Mexico Department of Health” taken July 24, 2021
LAMOILLE COUNTY, VERMONT
ABC reports over 85% of residents ages 12 and up in Lamoille County, Vermont currently have received at least one vaccine dose, according to state data.
Health officials have been connecting with local churches, schools, manufacturers, and ski resorts “as part of the vaccination efforts to reach the community and workforce,” according to ABC. “The local health office has held clinics at skate parks, fairs and race tracks in the state, and health officials look to continue to do efforts like that to continue to bring numbers up.”
Although Lamoille County has the highest vaccination rates in the state, it only has the fourth lowest infection rate among its citizens out of 14 counties, according to data reported by the Vermont Department of Health and aggregated by Wikipedia.
Screenshot from Wikipedia’s data “publicly reported by Vermont Department of Health” taken July 24, 2021
TETON, WYOMING
Nearly 60% of residents are fully vaccinated in Wyoming’s Teton County, reports ABC, which is “higher than the national average.”
However, Teton county ranks seventh highest in reported COVID-19 cases out of all 23 Wyoming counties, according to reports from the Wyoming Department of Health collected by Wikipedia. Therefore, while Teton county has above-average vaccination rates, it also nevertheless has above-average infection rates among its citizens.
Screenshot from Wikipedia’s data “publicly reported by Wyoming Department of Health” taken July 24, 2021
GOING DEEPER:
Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) intentionally urging Floridians to get vaccinated, Florida’s being the first state in the nation to vaccinate more than 500,000 individuals 65 years of age or older, and the state’s commencement of vaccine administrations as early as mid-December of 2020, Florida is currently leading the U.S. in Covid-19 cases, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Vaccinated individuals comprise the majority (75%) of new coronavirus infections in Singapore, Breitbart reports.
Dr. Peter McCullough—a cardiologist and epidemiologist who has thousands of publications and citations in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) database—has warned that current coronavirus vaccines are ineffective against new viral variants (such as the “Delta” variant, a more “aggressive” and “transmissible” strain, according to the CDC) because the vaccines only target the original COVID spike protein, which is now “extinct.” “Patients are getting vaccinated to something that doesn’t even exist anymore,” says McCullough. “That Wuhan spike protein is gone.”
Jon Fleetwood is Managing Editor for American Faith.
Campaign filings show pro-“Defund the Police” Rep. Cori Bush (D) spent $70,000 on her personal security detail last year.
QUICK FACTS:
Missouri Representative Cori Bush spent $70,000 on her personal security over the past three months, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Bush’s campaign paid RS&T Security Consulting $54,120.92 for “security services” between April 15 and June 28.
Another $15,000 was paid by the Democrat’s campaign over the same period to Nathaniel Davis for “security services.”
Rep. Bush tweeted in January, “Defunding the police isn’t radical, it’s real.”
The representative praised St. Louis’ vote to defund police as “historic” saying “Today’s decision to defund the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department…marks a new future for our city.” The city frequently ranks as among the most dangerous cities in America and suffered 194 homicides in 2019.
RS&T Security Consulting is a New York-based firm. The Democrat’s campaign also paid $15,000 to Nathaniel Davis for “security services” over the same time period.
The $69,120 security payments accounted for more than a third of Bush’s $197,000 campaign expenses during the second quarter, according to Fox News. “It’s also nearly double what her campaign spent on private security during the first quarter of 2021,” Fox notes.
Fox also reports that RS&T’s website is no longer active, but a cached version of its now-defunct website shows that the group provides “executive protection agents” that provide “first class executive protection and security for national and international figures.”
Other Democrat “Squad” members, such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley also spent significant amounts on personal security details while advocating for defunding the police.
The Minneapolis City Council voted 12 to 1 on Friday to place a petition on the November ballot to wipe out Minneapolis’ police force, replacing it with a department of public safety, reportsHuman Events.
TREY GOWDY’S RESPONSE ON FOX NEWS:
South Carolina Representative Trey Gowdy told viewers that Rep. Bush was sending a message that, “Her safety is more important than yours.”
A GOP lawmaker from Arizona was booed off stage at a Trump “Protect Our Elections” in Phoenix.
QUICK FACTS:
The crowd was likely hostile toward Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita because she “opposed GOP lawmaker’s wish list for election changes,” tweeted KPNX reporter Brahm Resnik.
The senator had recently blocked Republican-backed election integrity legislation.
Ugenti-Rita also does not support the GOP-led 2020 presidential audit in Arizona’s Maricopa County.
Sen. Ugenti-Rita shouted “I will win my primary!” before being booed off stage and escorted out by Phoenix police.
Resnik said the crowd booed the senator before she said a word: “Wasn’t anything she said. Boos rained all over room from start till she bailed out.”
Turning Point USA hosted the event.
PHOENIX AZ: @MichelleUgenti booed off stage the moment she walked out at The Turning Point Action Election integrity event with President Donald J Trump
Sen. Ugenti-Rita chairs the Arizona Senate Government Committee.
She is now running for Arizona Secretary of State.
WHY THE SEN. BLOCKED A RECENT ELECTION INTEGRITY BILL:
Ugenti-Rita recently blocked SB1241, which would have required an electronic voting system to provide a paper receipt to the voter at the time the ballot is received for tabulation.
She tweeted late Saturday to explain why she killed the recent election bill, “I’ll put my record of fighting for election integrity up against anyone.” “What I won’t do is vote for ‘show’ legislation that does nothing to strengthen election integrity and introduced for self serving reasons. There’s too much at stake,” she added.
There’s too much at stake. Our election system is under constant assault by the left, and I won’t support bills that fail to strengthen our election system.
The same holds true for the audit. I supported the audit, but I do not support the Trump audit any longer. (3of5)
— Michelle Ugenti-RITA (@MichelleUgenti) July 25, 2021
WHY THE SEN. DOESN’T SUPPORT THE MARICOPA COUNTY AUDIT:
The senator said she no longer supports the months-long audit of the 2020 election in Arizona’s Maricopa County because she “won’t support bills that fail to strengthen our election system. The same holds true for the audit. I supported the audit, but I do not support the Trump audit any longer.”
“I wanted to review our election processes and see what, if anything, could be improved. Sadly, it’s now become clear that the audit has been botched,” she added.
Whoaa. GOP Secretary of State candidate @MichelleUgenti is booed off stage at TPUSA rally for Trump. She opposed GOP lawmaker’s wish list for election changes. #AZSOSpic.twitter.com/qlOQkXB5ap
President Trump says “a small group…with absolutely crazy ideas” are “forcing” the Cleveland Indians’ to change their name.
QUICK FACTS:
Trump released a statement on Thursday criticizing the Cleveland Indians’ name change to the “Guardians.”
He claimed that the people most angry about the change “are the many Indians of our Country.”
President Trump also blamed the efforts to change the name on “a small group of people” who want to “destroy our culture and heritage.”
He finished by warning that the American people will not put up with the changes anymore.
TRUMP’S FULL STATEMENT:
“Can anybody believe that the Cleveland Indians, a storied and cherished baseball franchise since taking the name in 1915, are changing their name to the Guardians? Such a disgrace, and I guarantee that the people who are most angry about it are the many Indians of our Country. Wouldn’t it be an honor to have a team named the Cleveland Indians, and wouldn’t it be disrespectful to rip that name and logo off of those jerseys? The people of Cleveland cannot be thrilled and I, as a FORMER baseball fan, cannot believe things such as this are happening. A small group of people, with absolutely crazy ideas and policies, is forcing these changes to destroy our culture and heritage. At some point, the people will not take it anymore!”
A DOJ official could not confirm when John Durham will be releasing his report into counterintelligence operations against the 2016 Trump campaign.
QUICK FACTS:
A newly released letter from Department of Justice Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joe Gaeta said he “cannot comment on the investigation or when it will be completed.”
BACKGROUND:
Gaeta’s letter was in response to and inquiry from Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).
The senators had sent a letter to the DOJ asking when the Durham report would be completed.
SEGMENT FROM THE DOJ’S LETTER:
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gaeta told Sens. Johnson and Grassley that “because the [Durham] investigation is ongoing, we cannot comment on the investigation or when it will be completed.”
SIDENOTE:
Rep. Devin Nunes—ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee—said last week he expected Special Counsel John Durham to deliver a “damaging report” on the FBI’s botched investigation into former President Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russia within a matter of days.
“I’m still positive, and I guess I have to be, that people are going to go to jail, and they are going to be prosecuted for the Russia grand fiasco and the Russia hoax,” Nunes said.
“The FDA has identified this as a Class I recall, the most serious type of recall. Use of these devices may cause serious injuries or death,” according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.
Innova Medical Group is recalling its SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test.
The test kit was recalled because performance claims “did not accurately reflect the performance estimates observed during the clinical studies of the tests.”
The test kit also presents risk of showing false positives as well as false negatives. “The performance characteristics of the test have not been adequately established, presenting a risk of false results,” says the FDA.
People who were tested using these devices, health care providers, and organizers of large testing programs may have been affected by the defective tests.
At least 77,339 kits are being recalled.
“The FDA has identified this as a Class I recall, the most serious type of recall. Use of these devices may cause serious injuries or death.” https://t.co/Bapfo7sKfR
INNOVA MEDICAL GROUP SENDS AN “URGENT” RECALL LETTER:
On April 23, 2021, Innova Medical Group sent all affected device users an Urgent Medical Device Recall letter, according to the FDA.
The letter said, “Do not use these tests to screen for or diagnose COVID-19.
It also said to “Identify and remove all affected tests from inventory.”
“Either destroy the tests by placing them in the trash or return the tests using the FedEx return label that was included with the letter Innova sent to its customers,” the letter also said.
“Complete and return the form Innova sent to its customers, indicating the number of destroyed or returned tests.”
WHY FALSE-NEGATIVE RESULTS ARE DANGEROUS:
False-negative results may lead to delayed diagnosis or inappropriate treatment of SARS-CoV-2,” writes the FDA, “which may cause patient harm including serious illness and death.”
“False-negative results can also lead to further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including when presumed negative patients are grouped into cohorts in health care, long-term care, and other facilities based on false test results.”
WHY FALSE-POSITIVE RESULTS ARE DANGEROUS:
“False-positive results could lead to a delay in the correct diagnosis and the initiation of an appropriate treatment for the actual cause of patient illness,” also writes the FDA, “which could be another life-threatening disease that is not SARS-CoV-2.”
“False-positive results could also lead to further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus when presumed positive patients are grouped into cohorts based on false test results.”
DEVICE DESCRIPTION:
“The Innova SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test claimed to determine if a person has an active COVID-19 infection. The test used a nasal swab sample and test strip to detect specific proteins, called antigens, from the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” writes the FDA.
“If the nasal sample had SARS-CoV-2 antigens, a colored test line should have appeared on the test strip, indicating that the person may have COVID-19. If the nasal sample did not have SARS-CoV-2 antigens, a colored line should not have appeared on the test strip. The test has not been authorized, cleared, or approved by FDA for commercial distribution in the United States.”
BACKGROUND:
Innova SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test is also distributed under the names Innova COVID-19 Self-Test Kit (3T Configuration), Innova SARS-CoV-2-Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test (7T Configuration), and Innova SARS-CoV-2-Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test (25T Configuration), according to the FDA.
The kit was manufactured from September 1, 2020 to March 3, 2021.
They were distributed from November 2, 2020 to March 22, 2021.
American Faith reported earlier this month that Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Oxford University were teaming up with outside scientists to consider “re-engineering” their Covid-19 vaccines in order to lower the risk of serious blood clotting associated with their shots.
An office handling the Vatican’s properties and investments revealed the Catholic body owns more than 5,000 church and investment properties around the world.
QUICK FACTS:
The Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See (APSA), which administers Vatican properties and investments, made a summary of its annual budget public for the first time on Saturday, according to the Catholic News Service.
APSA directly administers 4,051 properties in Italy and entrusts to outside companies the administration of some 1,200 properties in London, Paris, Geneva, and Lausanne, Switzerland, the Vatican report said.
The report released July 24 contained more than 50 pages of financial material including pie charts, graphs, and maps.
One luxury property has received multiple noise complaints, one involving a DJ.
Pope Francis talks with Nunzio Galantino, Bishop of Cassano allo Ionio, and general secretary of the Italian Episcopal Conference, as he leaves after visiting the inmates of the prison of Castrovillari, southern Italy, Saturday, June 21, 2014. Pope Francis is paying a one day visit to Castrovillari and Cassano allo Jonio, in the Calabria region of Italy. (AP Photo/Adriana Sapone)
WHAT THE APSA PRESIDENT SAID:
President of the APSA Bishop Nunzio Galantino said in an interview with Vatican News that making the budget synthesis public was “a step forward in the direction of transparency and sharing.”
“The release of the balance sheet is a sign of great respect for all those who, with trust and generosity, have placed and continue to place part of their resources in the hands of the Catholic Church,” Bishop Galantino said.
“I harbor a secret hope: I hope that the publication and reading of the numbers and the important notes that accompany them will foster more correct and complete information,” he added.
SIDENOTE—“HELLISH” NOISE:
Noise complaints were recently lodged about a Vatican-owned, £30,000 per week luxury London flat at Hans Place in Chelsea, reportsFinancial Times.
The 9,000 sq ft property spans three floors, boasting an indoor swimming pool and a large garden, according to The Telegraph.
Complaints were made about the apartment from local residents over what they called “hellish noise” from late night gatherings.
Noise enforcement officers at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) have received four complaints this year about the property, relating to two parties, notes the Telegraph.
Police and council officers were forced to intervene.
The purchase of the luxury apartment in 2014 was overseen by Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who now faces corruption charges. Becciu is the first cardinal in modern times to be charged with financial crimes by the Vatican.
Residents have filed numerous complaints about ''hellish noise'' coming from the Vatican-owned flat https://t.co/dLHrEs81I0
The APSA, a sort of general accounting office, manages real estate and investments, pays salaries, and acts as a purchasing office and human resources department, according to Reuters.
14% of its Italian properties were rented at market rates. Others were rented at cut rates to Church employees. About 40% were institutional buildings such as schools, convents and hospitals, also notes Reuters.
Struggling with its budget, the Vatican reported the Roman Curia had a $78 million (66.3 million Euros) deficit in 2020.
The Vatican cited the coronavirus pandemic as having a negative impact on the Vatican’s financial situation.
Jesuit Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, told Vatican News, “We come from a culture of secrecy, but we have learned that in economic matters transparency protects us more than secrecy.”
