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Meghan Markle Reportedly Eyeing Bid For The White House, Talking To Top U.S. Democrats

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is reportedly “networking” with top leaders of the Democratic Party and mulling a run for U.S. president in 2024.

The report, which came in the Daily Mail, cites an unnamed British Labour Party official.

“The Blairite, internationalist and Democratic party networks are buzzing with talk about Meghan’s political ambitions and potential backers,” the anonymous source told the U.K. paper.

“During the US election last year they levelled a thinly veiled attack on Donald Trump by urging voters to ‘reject hate speech,’ which a spokesperson for the couple described as ‘a call for decency.’ Trump himself declared that he was ‘not a fan’ of Meghan, 39,” said the paper.

Markle is allegedly prepping in case Biden, who will be 82 in 2024, decides not to run for a second term, the source said. And her biographer and longtime friend, Omid Scobie, has also claimed that the one-time actress “has her eyes set on the U.S. presidency.”

“Meghan is the embodiment of the American dream. One day we may see Meghan become president,” Scobie, the author of “Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family,” previously said in a documentary.

Another friend told Vanity Fair last year that the duchess “would seriously consider running for president,” the New York Post reported.

“‘One of the reasons she was so keen not to give up her American citizenship was so she had the option to go into politics,’ the unidentified friend told the mag of Markle’s brief time in the UK,” wrote the paper.

But another biographer said Markle won’t run. “I would state categorically that she has no chance of ever running for president. She would be eaten alive,” Andrew Morton, author of “Meghan: A Hollywood Princess,” told Vanity Fair last year, the Post reported.

Markle sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey last Sunday and claimed that she was driven out of the royal family because of racism.

The duchess said that when she was pregnant with their son Archie, unnamed royals expressed “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born.” Meghan is biracial, with a white father and black mother.

Some of her claims, though, have not panned out. Markle said that when she married Prince Harry, she had to hand over her passport and car keys to palace authorities.

“When I joined that family, that was the last time, until we came here, that I saw my passport, my driver’s license, my keys,” she said. Markle said she didn’t get them back until she stepped down from royal duty and moved to California.

But new reports say Markle was a world traveler throughout the time she dated Harry and after she joined the royal family, taking at least 13 trips.

“[T]he Duchess visited 13 countries as a tourist from when she started dating Prince Harry to September 2019 – when the couple jetted off to Italy for fashion designer Misha Nonoo’s lavish wedding,” the Daily Mail reported. “Meghan and Harry announced they were stepping back as senior members of the Royal Family the following January.”

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Exposing the left’s radical version of ‘normal’

One of the most effective things that Marxists do is to commandeer language and steer it toward revolutionary goals

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Given the level of insanity erupting at all levels in America, it wasn’t really a shock when the huge, multinational corporation Unilever announced in early March that it was pulling the word “normal” from at least half of its products.

No more soap for “normal skin care,” or shampoo for “normal hair.” It’s offensive. 

A global study by Unilever found that the word “normal” made 56% of the respondents feel excluded and that 70% felt that using the word on packaging has a negative impact on people. So, “normal” has to go. 

Unilever has 400 brands in 190 countries and claims 2.5 billion customers. The company’s beauty and personal product lines include Dove, Lifebuoy, Axe, Aviance and Brut. It owns food giants Continental, Hellmann’s, Breyers, Lipton, Knorr and Pure Leaf Tea. Also, Ben & Jerry’s. Could it be that the Vermont-based ice cream company’s radical politics took over its host when Unilever acquired it? Just a theory.   

One of the most effective things that Marxists do is to commandeer language and steer it toward revolutionary goals. The border crisis created by Joe Biden is just a “border challenge,” for example, with “irregular” crossings. The coming tax increases will be “revenue enhancements.”

Meanwhile, everything gets politicized, even skin care products. Unilever’s surrender to the cancel culture’s hyper-sensitivity mirrors what’s happening in the media, entertainment and social media. 

In January, Disney removed “Dumbo,” “Peter Pan,” “Aristocats,” “The Lady and the Tramp,” “The Jungle Book” and “Swiss Family Robinson” from children’s accounts on Disney-Plus.

In late February, Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), became persona non grata after the Loudoun County School Board in Virginia announced that it was removing six of the author’s books over racial “undertones.” The board said it would not feature him on Read Across America Day, which commemorates the author’s March 2 birthday.  

Within days, the publisher pulled “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!” and “The Cat’s Quizzer.”

In his proclamation about Read Across America Day, Joe Biden obediently omitted any mention of Dr. Seuss, unlike his predecessors Donald Trump and Barack Obama.

This is not a trivial side show. Exposing the left’s insane attacks on normalcy helps to galvanize citizens against their radical agenda, such as an unsecured border, the $1.9 trillion Democratic “COVID-19 relief” slush fund, an end to fair elections (“For the People Act”) and the criminalization of Christianity (“Equality Act”). They’re also teeing up a newly hatched gun-grabbing bill and the wacko Green New Deal. 

It’s the same power-mad people whose culture vultures are purging Dr. Seuss, Dumbo and conservative media content. 

In February (Black History Month), Amazon removed the popular streaming documentary “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words.” The film began airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in May and streaming for free as part of Prime memberships in October. It was among the top-streaming documentaries, and is still selling well. 

“For a while our film was, briefly, No. 1 in documentaries,” the film’s director, Michael Pack, told Wall Street Journal columnist Jason L. Riley.  “And I think it’s still No. 25 or 30 or so.” 

The movie rating website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 99% audience approval rating. Not surprisingly, Amazon still streams two less-popular documentaries about Anita Hill, Justice Thomas’ accuser at his 1991 confirmation hearing.

On Feb. 10, Lucasfilm announced it had fired popular actress Gina Carano from its hit Disney/Star Wars series “The Mandalorian” over her conservative social media posts. 

In early March, the Gannett newspaper chain announced that it would no longer distribute the comic strip “Mallard Fillmore,” inked for 27 years by conservative humorist Bruce Tinsley and featured prominently in The Washington Times. His crime? He criticized Joe Biden’s transgender agenda, which includes biological males participating in women’s sports.

This brings us back to the war on “normal.” We’re living in a culture where bizarrely made-up men in dresses perform Drag Queen Story Hour for small children who must be protected from exposure to Dr. Seuss. It’s all about “tolerance,” and it’s a test of whether America is still the “land of the free and home of the brave.” If they get away with this, they can get away with anything.   

As usual, prescient passages in George Orwell’s “1984” help explain what’s going on. The protagonist, Winston, works with a colleague, Syme, in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth, where they rewrite history to fit Big Brother’s agenda. They employ the language of Newspeak.

“You haven’t a real appreciation of Newspeak, Winston,” Syme says. “You don’t grasp the beauty of the destruction of words. Do you know that Newspeak is the only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year?”

Syme goes on: “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.”

So, out with “normal” and anything smacking of normal. Out with “husband” or “wife.” In with genderless pronouns, “diversity,” “racism,” “woke” and nonsense terms like “Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden.” 

People with evil intent are working very hard with useful idiots to rewire our once-free America into an authoritarian nightmare. By their language, you will know them. 

Don’t give them the time of day.

Marines Say They ‘Messed Up’ After Joining Military Attacks Against Tucker Carlson

(The Epoch Times) The U.S. Marines said they “messed up” after joining in attacks lobbed by military officials at Fox News’s Tucker Carlson.

The official Twitter account for the II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group used a pejorative in responding to Carlson’s recent statements on how the military should be focused more on adversaries and less on culture issues.

The Marines shared a picture of a female soldier carrying a male one and tagged Carlson, writing that the photo showed “what it looks like in today’s armed forces.”

“Get right before you get left, boomer,” the account said, using a widely considered pejorative.

After intense pushback for using an official military account to attack a private citizen, the Marines group said: “We are human and we messed up. What was intended as a tweet in support of our female Marines and sisters serving in uniform was clearly not aligned with our standard practices or an appropriate representation of the Marine Corps. We will do better and serve the people.”

“We can do better and we will collectively take a knee, review our procedures and get back in the fight. Our focus is to train, fight and win and we have a hard time doing that without your support,” the Marines added in another tweet.

The Department of Defense’s inspector general didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The situation was the latest development in an ongoing clash between Carlson and the military, with some of the force’s highest officials lambasting the Fox News host for his views.

Carlson on March 9 on his show played comments from President Joe Biden, who has made elevating women in the military a priority in recent weeks.

In remarks on International Women’s Day the day prior at the White House, Biden highlighted how he’d nominated two women for four-star command positions in the armed forces. The nominations will underscore to young women just beginning their careers in the military that “no door will be closed to them,” Biden said.

Military leaders realize “there’s much, much more work to be done to ensure that women’s leadership is recognized and we have more diverse leaders” and that “all women feel safe and respected in our military,” he continued, adding: “Some of it is relatively straightforward work where we’re making good progress designing body armor that fits women properly; tailoring combat uniforms for women; creating maternity flight suits; updating—updating requirements for their hairstyles.”

Epoch Times Photo
A U.S. Army soldier, left, prepares to immunize a man with a COVID-19 vaccine in North Miami, Fla., on March 9, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Carlson then told viewers: “So we’ve got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the U.S. Military. While China’s military becomes more masculine as it’s assembled the world’s largest navy, our military needs to become, as Joe Biden says, more feminine, whatever feminine means anymore since men and women no longer exist. The bottom line is it’s out of control, and the Pentagon is going along with this.”

The segment drew criticism from John Kirby, the Department of Defense’s press secretary. He told reporters that “the diversity of our military is one of our greatest strengths.”

“We are better and more effective not only when we represent the American people—all the American people—but also, when we have the moral courage to include other perspectives and ideas into our decision-making; perspectives that, as the secretary himself noted Monday, are based on lived experience. It’s that experience, and the professionalism and commitment of our people, that has always been our decisive advantage,” he said, adding that one contributor to that advantage is the women who serve in the military but that the armed forces need to work on making the military more inclusive.

“We pledge to do better and we will. What we absolutely won’t do is take personnel advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military. Now maybe those folks feel like they have something to prove; that’s on them. We know we’re the greatest military in the world today, and even for all the things we need to improve, we know exactly why that’s so,” Kirby also said.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “shares the revulsion of so many others to what Mr. Carlson said in his opening statement,” according to the press secretary.

In addition, the Space Force Command’s senior enlisted leader Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, while wearing his uniform, said in a video that Carlson’s opinion is “based on zero days of service in the armed forces.” Army Sgt. Major Michael Grinston was among other officers criticizing Carlson.

Carlson on March 11 said the Pentagon had effectively “declare[d] war on a domestic news operation.”

He also amped up his critique of what he described as the military’s focus on identity politics, noting that Biden recently announced the Pentagon would pay for gender reassignment surgery for active duty personnel.

“How do sex changes in the military make this country safer? That’s not a trick question. It’s not another volley in the culture war. It’s the only question that matters—literally, the only question that matters. But no one bothered to ask it, probably because no one can remember why the U.S. military exists,” he said.

“Here’s a reminder: the US military exists to fight and win wars. That’s its only purpose. The U.S. military is not an NGO. It is not a vehicle for achieving ‘equity.’ It’s not a social experiment. It’s definitely not an employment agency. Nobody has a God given right to work in the military. No one does, and then includes all of us.”

Did boxer Marvin Hagler die from the COVID-19 vaccine?

(World Boxing News) Former middleweight rival Thomas Hearns has claimed Marvin Hagler’s death at the age of 66 was linked to the coronavirus vaccine he received recently.

Hearns, known as ‘The Hitman’ during his career, took to social media to report that Hagler was ‘fighting for his life in the ICU’ on Saturday.

The ex-boxer also added that Hagler was there due to the ‘after-effects of the vaccine.’

In a sad final statement, Hearns said he believed ‘he’ll be just fine, but we could use the positive energy and Prayer for his full recovery.’

Sadly, that didn’t happen, and Hagler passed away a short time later. Hearns’ revelation will be a massive blow to the continued roll-out of the vaccination program.

Reports in Europe of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine causing blood clots in three patients already dealt a debilitating thud as countries have paused using the UK-based jab.

Social media conspiracy theories have gone into overdrive, and there will be some work to be done to assure those taking the vaccine that it’s safe.

Hagler and Hearns met in 1985 inside the ropes. Their three-round battle was one of the most memorable, especially the first round.

Those three minutes have been labeled the greatest round of boxing ever by more than one publication over the years.

MARVIN HAGLER TRIBUTES

Tributes continued to flood in for Hagler as news filtered around the world on Sunday.

One-time Mike Tyson trainer Teddy Atlas said: “He was a no-frills solid man.

“He brought a lunch pail filled with power, guts, pride, will, talent and character. And he fought everyone, anytime, anywhere. And he was great.

“He was Marvin Hagler. R. I. P. Champ.”

Carl Weathers, the Hollywood actor who played Apollo Creed in the ‘Rocky’ saga, added: “RIP, Marvelous Marvin Hagler. So many fans held you in high regard.”

Another former middleweight ruler, Chris Eubank, stated: “Rest in Peace to the legendary Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

“I grew up studying this man & always trying to emulate the same ferocity and grit he would use to beat his opponents. You’ll be missed, Champ.”

Finally, WWE legend Mick Foley offered his thoughts.

“I’m very sorry to learn of the passing of the great Marvin Hagler.

“I was privileged to watch many of his greatest fights and was thrilled to meet him backstage at a WWE event in the late ’90s.

“We talked about our love of New Hampshire’s White Mountain.”

Marvin Hagler, we will miss you!

$1.5 Million In Counterfeit, China-Made Vaping Pens Seized By CBP

$1.55 million worth of counterfeit vaping pens were seized in Chicago by Customs and Border Protection officers.

Chicago O’Hare’s International Mail Branch uncovered over 77,000 vape pens with Rick and Morty insignia originating from Shenzhen, China.

The shipment of 258 boxes was heading to a distribution company in Georgia.

“Often CBP seizes vape pens because they violate FDA guidelines, but these parcels violate copyright laws which adds to the charges and complexity of the case,” said Shane Campbell, Area Port Director-Chicago. “Counterfeit products are unsafe for consumers, harm the economy, damage the revenue and image of the companies, and could cost American jobs.”

“Sold in underground outlets and on third party e-commerce websites, counterfeit commodities fund smugglers and members of organized crime. Consumers often believe they are buying a genuine product but soon realize the item is substandard,” the agency’s press release noted.

HR 1 contains ‘religious test for redistricting,’ FRC warns

A prominent conservative think-tank warns that a provision in H.R. 1 passed by the U.S. House contains an unconstitutional “religious test” for those wanting to serve on independent redistricting commissions.

The Family Research Council, a socially conservative think-tank based in Washington, D.C., asserted in a piece on its website that the “For the People Act,” also known as H.R. 1, contains a “religious test for redistricting.”

The For the People Act, billed as a necessary reform to expand voting rights, passed the House on an almost party-line vote on March 3, with one Democrat joining all Republicans in voting against the measure.

The Act calls for the establishment of independent redistricting commissions in every state. The commissions would draw voting districts every 10 years to reflect the most recent census population figures. Currently, the method used to draw districts for the House of Representatives varies from state to state, with some states vesting that authority in the legislature and others relying on independent redistricting commissions to draw the districts.

Section 2412 of the For the People Act establishes guidelines for who is eligible to serve on the nonpartisan redistricting commissions the legislation calls for. Candidates for the commissions must fill out an application listing “the reason or reasons the individual desires to serve on the independent redistricting commission, the individual’s qualifications, and information relevant to the ability of the individual to be fair and impartial.”

Applicants are asked to share personal information, including “any involvement with, or financial support of, professional, social, political, religious, or community organizations or causes.” The portion of the proposed application calling on people to disclose “involvement with” or “financial support of” religious organizations raised concerns for the Family Research Council.

“While it may appear minor, this is incredibly problematic because it suggests that religious affiliations may affect an individual’s ability to be impartial, and thereby may make them ineligible to serve on the commission,” wrote Travis Weber, the vice president for policy and government affairs at Family Research Council and the author of the blog post. “Article 6, Clause 3, of the U.S. Constitution states that ‘no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.’”

“As cancel culture rages, it is easy to see how this provision will be utilized to target conservative Christians, whose biblical values are increasingly at odds with the culture’s embrace of certain favored ideologies,” he warned.

The Family Research Council’s warning that H.R. 1 has a religious test hidden in the nearly 800-page bill is not the only part of the legislation causing conservatives and Republicans concern. Hans von Spakovsky, an election expert with the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, previously told The Christian Post that H.R. 1 will “make it easier to cheat and easier to manipulate election results.”

Von Spakovsky also expressed concern that the For the People Act will “restrict and chill First Amendment-protected political activity” by requiring nonprofit organizations to “reveal who their donors are.”

Like Weber, von Spakovsky and 20 state attorneys general believe that certain parts of the bill are unconstitutional, specifically because they vastly increase the federal government’s role in managing elections despite the fact that the U.S. Constitution grants states broad discretion when it comes to setting election policies.

While the For the People Act passed the House, where legislation can pass with a simple majority, its future remains uncertain in the Senate, where legislation requires 60 votes to pass. Democrats have a narrow 50-50 majority in the Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.

In order for the For the People Act to overcome a filibuster, it would need to secure the support of 10 Republicans. Top Senate Democrats have threatened to invoke the so-called “nuclear option” to abolish the filibuster and enable legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority.

Because Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has reaffirmed his support for maintaining the filibuster, Democrats might find themselves unable to accumulate the votes required to abolish the filibuster and pass H.R. 1.

Trump thinks Meghan Markle is ‘no good’ after Oprah interview

(Page Six) Former President Donald Trump thought Meghan Markle was “no good” following her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey — but didn’t want to say so publicly for fear of being “canceled” like Piers Morgan, an ex-advisor has claimed.

Trump’s former advisor Jason Miller shared what he said the ex-commander-in-chief thought of Markle and Prince Harry’s tell-all during an appearance on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast Wednesday.

“She’s no good… I said it and now everybody is seeing it,” Miller said Trump told him.

The former president apparently told Miller he could “make a little news” on the podcast by sharing his reaction to the sit-down — while also noting it may not be the best idea.

“You realize if you say anything negative about Meghan Markle you get canceled, look at Piers (Morgan),” Trump said, according to Miller.

Trump also reportedly said “I’m on team Piers,” after the former “Good Morning Britain” host left the show Tuesday following an on-air clash with a co-star who criticized him for “trashing” the Duchess of Sussex.

Morgan — who had charged that Markle exaggerated claims about suicidal thoughts and racism in the royal family — said he lost his job because he refused to apologize for his comments.

UK regulator Ofcom said it received more than 41,000 complaints about Morgan’s comments, including from Markle herself.

“Piers Morgan is the best, he’s the greatest, and they went and tried to cancel him simply because he criticized Meghan Markle,” Miller said Trump told him.

It’s not the first time Trump has sparred with Markle.

After the former actress blasted Trump as “misogynistic” and “divisive,” ahead of the 2016 election, he lashed back that “I didn’t know that she was nasty.”

Trump later clarified he meant the comments were nasty.

During a White House press briefing in September, the then-president also said he was “not a fan” of Markle, after she and hubby Harry implicitly endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Black Lives Matter Activist Indicted With Defrauding Donors by Federal Grand Jury

A prominent Black Lives Matter activist was indicted for defrauding donors by a federal jury in Toledo, Ohio, last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news release.

Sir Maejor Page, also known as Tyree Conyers-Page, was indicted on three counts of money laundering and one count of wire fraud, according to the DOJ. The department said that he allegedly created a Facebook page called “Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta” before defrauding donors of more than $450,000 after it was revoked by the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) as a tax-exempt charity.

Page sent told local media that he didn’t “intentionally” commit any crimes.

“It is to no surprise that the government wishes to move forward in a criminal case against a social justice activist,” he told the Toledo Blade last week. “I maintain my position that I did not intentionally commit any crimes, as it is my only purpose in life to fight for those whose voices have been muffled and or silenced. Had I violated any state of federal laws I have no problem owning that and working to correct my actions. I believe that I acted in good faith. I look forward to a fair and just due process under the law.”

But according to the DOJ, Page set up the allegedly false charity in May 2020, and it lasted over the summer of 2020, where mass protests, riots, and violence racked major U.S. cities following George Floyd’s death. Page, according to the department, said the funds “would be used to combat racial and social injustices when in truth, the organization was no longer an established charity and the defendant was using the donations for his personal benefit.”

Four years before that, he created the Facebook page called “Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta” as a 501(c)(3) domestic non-profit corporation with the Georgia Secretary of State Corporation’s Division. In 2019, Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta’s charity status was revoked due to failure to submit IRS Form 990 for three consecutive years.

“It is alleged that the defendant failed to notify Facebook of these revocations or ask that Facebook stop displaying BLMGA as a non-profit organization. As a result, BMLGA’s Facebook page continued to be displayed as a non-profit organization with a donation button through the end of September 2020, and Facebook continued to collect and disperse the purported charity donations on a bi-monthly basis,” according to the news release.

Page then allegedly used a “substantial portion” of the donations to purchase personal items such as hotel rooms, guns, clothing, and various forms of entertainment, officials said.

“The defendant is accused of using the largest sum of funds to purchase a property and the adjoining vacant lot on Glenwood Avenue and Maplewood Avenue in Toledo, Ohio,” said the DOJ. “This property was to be used as a personal residence for the defendant, the indictment states. The defendant allegedly attempted to conceal the purchase of the property by titling it to ‘Hi Frequency Ohio’ and requesting that the seller’s realtor enter into a nondisclosure agreement,” which “prevented the seller from disclosing that the defendant was the true buyer and that he used BLMGA funds to make the purchase.”

The Biggest COVID-19 Vaccine Skeptics? Frontline Health Care Workers

What do frontline health care workers and first responders know about COVID-19 vaccines that politicians and their public health advisers don’t?

According to a January analysis by Gallup, 51 percent of health care workers and first responders polled in December were unconvinced of the merits of getting vaccinated, even if the vaccine “was free, available, FDA approved and 90% effective.”

Gallup found these results especially concerning since those at highest risk of exposure to COVID-19—the professionals required to meet America’s health, safety, and critical economic needs whom the National Academies of Engineering, Science and Medicine define as “Tier 1A workers”—were the likeliest to refuse vaccination (34 percent).

The frontline workers proved to be as defiant as Gallup’s survey of their intentions anticipated. In California, over half of Tehama County’s hospital workers at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, an estimated 50 percent of frontline workers in Riverside County, and 20 percent to 40 percent in L.A. County refused the vaccine, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

In Georgia, according to an estimate in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, only 30 percent of health care workers have been inoculated. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine reported that 60 percent of nursing-home workers refused the vaccine. In Texas, the Texas Tribune reported in February that home-health and assisted-living agencies may not be able to service their clients because so many caregivers are refusing to be vaccinated. A CDC survey of skilled-nursing facilities published in early February found that fewer than 40 percent of staff took at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Outside the United States, frontline workers are likewise skeptical. On March 2, Reuters reported that at most half of the nursing staff in Switzerland’s medical sector, only 30 percent of the staff at Germany’s BeneVit Group care-home operator, and about half of the health workers in French care homes were willing to be vaccinated.

PBS on the same day reported that since “India started administering the second vaccine dose two weeks ago, half of the frontline workers and nearly 40 percent of health care workers have not shown up.” In Canada, CTV provided an anecdotal report that many long-term-care workers in Montreal are “flat-out refusing” to be inoculated.

For health care workers around the world, their dilemma is who to believe. Their government employers and the pharmaceutical companies, who insist the vaccines’ benefits far outweigh the risks? Or their own eyes?

Many frontline workers see first-hand those who fall sick or die after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, and in the absence of independent analyses judge for themselves whether the vaccine is implicated. They noted 23 nursing-home deaths in Norway and hundreds of hospitalizations in Israel following vaccination.

Frontline workers also suffer from vaccinations themselves. As Reuters reported in February in an article entitled “AstraZeneca Vaccine Faces Resistance in Europe After Health Workers Suffer Side-Effects,” the adverse effects hitting health care workers have unexpectedly left large numbers unable to work, forcing hospitals to scramble to maintain services.

In France, the safety agency advised hospitals to stagger the inoculation of team members, to avoid disabling team functions.

In Sweden, two of the country’s 21 health care regions paused vaccinating their staff after 25 percent of the vaccinated suffered fever or flu-like symptoms.

In Austria, inoculations with a batch of vaccines were suspended after one vaccinated nurses died and another required hospitalization.

The Wall Street Journal reports that, to avoid getting vaccinated, half of the health professionals scheduled in the German state of Saarland failed to show up for their appointment.

In response to the many concerns raised by frontline workers, the vaccine manufacturers, care-home operators, and the public-health authorities in all these countries offer bland reassurances, such as AstraZeneca’s statement that “the reactions reported are as we would expect” and the German Health Minister’s claim that “I would be vaccinated with it immediately.”

They also plan a plethora of public education campaigns. Partnership for Medicaid Home-Based Care, an industry advocacy group, launched a “Be Wise, Immunize” campaign to educate its workforce.

And all urge media and social media to be more vigilant in policing negative vaccination news. In offering pointers on how to debunk critics, the Columbia Journalism Review on March 5, told media companies that “The first rule of reporting on mis/disinformation [is] don’t talk about the mis/disinformation” and suggested they “consider the practice of ‘pre-bunking’—that is, actively debunking or anticipating public questions and concerns rather than only reacting once false narratives have been popularized.”

Although studies show that such assurances and public-education campaigns—also known as propaganda—can reduce vaccine hesitancy, Gallup finds their effect is marginal: “The limited COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates among all occupation groups show little movement since November 2020.”

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis agrees, and concludes that barriers to “staff member vaccination need to be overcome with continued development and implementation of focused communication and outreach strategies.”

Yet the CDC doesn’t explain why continued focused communication and outreach—i.e., more of the same—would overcome worker hesitancy, when workers don’t fully trust the data, or those who deliver the data. To overcome that trust barrier and win over the frontline workers—people who have every incentive to protect themselves—the media would need to lift the censorship, industry would need to subject its studies to independent scrutiny, and all would need to engage in reasoned debate rather than “trust-us” assurances.

Vaccine brawl riles House

Uncertainty about why only 75% of the House is confirmed as vaccinated against the coronavirus is fueling a debate about when the chamber can return to its normal rules of operation.

Between the lines: The other 25% of members have either refused to get the vaccine, have not reported getting it at home or are avoiding it because of medical conditions. Until the Office of Attending Physician is clear about this, it can’t make recommendations “regarding the modification or relaxation of existing social distancing guidelines.”

  • Congress has its own supply of the coronavirus vaccine. While it’s not certain which party is most to blame for any vaccine hesitancy, the phenomenon is higher among white Republicans than any other demographic group, as Axios has reported.
  • “I won’t be taking it. The survival rate is too high for me to want it,” 25-year-old Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) told Axios in December.

Why it matters: Multiple waves of voting, meant to ensure social distancing inside the House chamber, are slowing a full legislative schedule.

  • It’s also giving power to disrupters like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.),who’s used a procedural move to further drag out the process.
  • Votes can take more than three times longer than pre-pandemic times.

What they’re saying: Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) had a lively debate on the House floor Thursday about reopening.

  • “Now that we have seen from reports … that roughly 75% of all members in this House have had a vaccination for COVID-19, there’s a strong desire to get back to a regular floor schedule,” said Scalise.
  • “It would be a lot simpler if every member had been vaccinated,” Hoyer replied.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent guidelines suggest avoiding “large events and gatherings, when possible.”

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last Wednesday. He asked for timelines of when the House will end proxy voting, extended voting sessions and resume full-time, in-person committee hearings.

  • “Simply put: it’s time that we return to regular order. House Republicans are eager for the chance to reopen the People’s House, restore America’s voice in Congress and work day in and day out to address the many concerns our constituents face,” wrote McCarthy (R-Calif.)
  • “The House continues to conduct our business in accordance with public health guidelines and in consultation with the Office of the Attending Physician,” Hoyer spokesperson Margaret Mulkerrin said in a statement to Axios.
  • “The health and safety of members, legislative staff, journalists and House employees remains paramount.”

What’s next: A memo sent last by the Office Attending Physician, obtained by Axios, urged continued social distancing and mask-wearing by members.

  • The office cares for those in the House and Senate, as well as the Supreme Court.
  • The OAP urged members who had received vaccinations from outside the OAP’s domain to report them.
  • In addition, the office said members who had previously contracted COVID-19 “are strongly encouraged to complete a full SARS-oV2 vaccination course at the earliest possible opportunity.”

The bottom line: The Office of Attending Physician reinstated the use of the congressional gym showers, locker room and swimming pool on Friday evening, according to the memo.

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