(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.”
$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.
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.
(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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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 McCarthysent 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.
Liberal comedian Sarah Silverman said in a recent podcast that she’s had it with the “absolutist-ness” of the Democratic Party and no longer wants to be associated with it.
“It’s the absolutist-ness of the party I am in that is such a turnoff to me,” Ms. Silverman said in an Instagramvideo taken from her podcast Monday, Newsbusters first reported. “It’s so f—-ing elitist. You know, for something called ‘progressive,’ it allows for zero progress. It’s all or nothing.
“I think I don’t want to be associated with any party anymore,” she continued. “It comes with too much baggage. Every party, it comes with so much f—-ing baggage that no ideas can be taken at face value. And without ideas, what are we? Without a common truth, how can we talk about it? You know, Republicans might hear an idea that they would totally agree with, but if it comes from AOC, then they hate it. And of course, you know, to be honest, when I hear an idea that comes from a Republican, it’s suspect to me.
“We all put too much s—- on this stuff,” she added. “We no longer are able to be a nation of ideas.”
Ms. Silverman, who supported both of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ failed presidential runs, has become an outspoken critic of left-wing cancel culture, which she commonly dubs “righteousness porn.” In 2019, she called cancel culture a “perversion” of progressivism after revealing she was fired from a movie for a resurfaced 2007 picture of herself wearing blackface.
She also spoke in support of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
The human toll of President Joe Biden’s failed border policies is staggering as a report claims on child migrant center in Texas is at 729 percent capacity while children are forced to sleep on the door.
Biden, who Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador recently called the “migrant president,” account to Reuters, has taken what was a stable region on the border under former President Donald Trump and transformed it into an outright humanitarian crisis.
His administration, of course, avoids using the word “crisis” when describing the situation.
But things are unraveling down south as wave after wave of adults and unaccompanied minors enter the country, now that Democrats have made it clear that the border is more or less open.
Townhall reporter Julio Rosas, who became a Fox News mainstay last year amid the Democrat-created and supported riots across the country’s major cities, summed up the magnitude of the border crisis in a single tweet on Friday night.
“Just spent three hours right on the U.S.-Mexico border and I’m still in shock at how many people illegally crossed during that time. I knew it was happening, but it’s different when you see it up close. Story to come on what I saw. I will say this is definitely a crisis,” wrote Rosas.
Just spent three hours right on the U.S.-Mexico border and I’m still in shock at how many people illegally crossed during that time. I knew it was happening, but it’s different when you see it up close. Story to come on what I saw. I will say this is definitely a crisis.
Naturally, most of those people crossing will end up in a community near you, while the children are apparently being placed in overflowing detention centers. These facilities are definitely no longer “cages” as they were called after former President Donald Trump inherited the facilities from the Obama/Biden administration in 2017.
The mainstream media and Democrats excoriated Trump for four years over minors being held after crossing the border illegally and without guardians. What does the situation look like less than two months into Biden’s presidency? CBS News took an in-depth look at one facility in Donna, Texas, near McAllen.
A lawyer named Neha Desai who represents the kids being housed in cramped facilities said some kids are only being allowed to shower once a week after interviewing some of them. The situation is tragic.
“Some of the boys said that conditions were so overcrowded that they had to take turns sleeping on the floor,” Desai said. “They all said they wanted to shower more and were told they couldn’t.”
“One of them shared that he could only see the sun when he showered, because you can see the sun through the window,” Desai said.
The attorney added that kids are “hysterically crying, wanting to talk to their family,” and noted they were being denied phone calls.
CBS News reported that the facility was built to house only 250 kids but as of March 2, there were 1,800 people being housed there. That’s an increase of 729 percent in recent weeks and months.
This is what “compassionate” Democratic leadership looks like.
Amid a global pandemic, people are crossing the border in record numbers, thanks to the administration opening the floodgates. Children, many of whom likely didn’t come here willingly, are “caged” and sleeping on floors while living in squalor.
The adults who abandoned them after crossing, meanwhile, are being bussed across the country, now that catch and release policies are back.
NBC News has some interesting advice for people going to the gym: “You should wear your mask in the shower.”
NBC News reported on a guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Americans to wear masks and to practice social distancing in gyms. The CDC highlighted a study of a gym in Chicago last summer. The study focused on 81 people who exercised at the gym facility. The study found COVID-19 cases were identified in 68% of the gym attendees.
The NBC News article provides tips on exercising at the gym during the COVID-19 pandemic, including exercising at home or outdoors, disinfecting equipment, washing your hands, and wearing a face mask in the shower. Wait. What was that last one?
It’s best to avoid the showers if possible, since you can’t get masks wet — otherwise they lose their efficacy. If you need to shower at the gym, shower as quickly as possible and only remove your mask when your face and head is going to get wet.
There doesn’t appear to be any mention of wearing face masks in the shower on the CDC website. The government health agency recommends: “Be prepared to not use the locker room in order to reduce the risk of being in close proximity to others in a small space. Arrive in work-out clothes and shower at home to avoid using shared locker room and bathrooms.”
Interestingly enough, the article is in the “Wellness” section of NBC News and offering recommendations on important health issues regarding the deadly coronavirus, the article had the intention of making money off of selling face masks to readers. There were retail links for a multitude of face coverings, water bottles, reusable straws, and a yoga mat. NBC News profits from these affiliate links if readers make a purchase.
A disclaimer in the article titled “CDC updates: Wear a mask while exercising indoors at gyms” reads:
Our editors independently selected these items because we think you will enjoy them and might like them at these prices. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.
Despite offering COVID-19 health advice, the article was not written by one of NBC News’ health writers. Instead, the article is written by “a digital editorial intern for NBC News Shopping.”
Basically, NBC News peddled products to its readers in an article that provides important COVID-19 information from the CDC.
President Joe Biden has said that Americans will need to wear face masks until 2022, despite previously stating that we would only need to wear them until April.
