The record shows that the DOJ is adept at using the Espionage Act as a cudgel to punish its political enemies.
Barely two weeks ago, the lawfare cabal at Just Security, led by Andrew Weissmann, the former senior prosecutor for the Robert Mueller special counsel investigation, released the second edition of their “model prosecution memorandum” to (presumably) help out his former colleagues at the Department of Justice (DOJ). The document seeks to offer up nearly any theory of law to “get Trump.”
Just Security bills itself as “an online forum for the rigorous analysis of security, democracy, foreign policy, and rights,” but in practice, the organization, funded in part by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, is the legal beachhead of the Trump resistance. Their model document provides 186 pages of “throw the book at him” musings along with 222 separate footnotes and has largely telegraphed the DOJ’s legal strategy. The document is supported by a variety of public and nonpublic allegations (surely a mixture of leaked information and fabricated information if history is any guide). The fact that their roadmap nearly parallels the now-public indictment of former President Donald Trump is surely a coincidence.
Prosecuting Leaks and Foreign Spies
The “document retention” portion of the Espionage Act states:
§793. Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information
(e) Whoever having unauthorized possession of, access to, or control over any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, or note relating to the national defense, or information relating to the national defense which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation, willfully communicates, delivers, transmits or causes to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted, or attempts to communicate, deliver, transmit or cause to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted the same to any person not entitled to receive it, or willfully retains the same and fails to deliver it to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it… (emphasis added)
Prominently in their model prosecution memorandum related to the Espionage Act is the acknowledgment that the statute is typically used for “leaking cases and foreign government spies.” Dismissing the DOJ’s historical circumspection regarding its applicability, the document proceeds to weave together a basis to charge Trump under the statute. It is unclear if the fan fiction roadmap was needed, as the record shows that the DOJ is in fact quite adept at using 18 U.S.C. 793 (e) as a cudgel to punish its political enemies. Take for instance the case of Thomas A. Drake.
Government Cudgels a Political Enemy
Drake Joined the National Security Agency (NSA) as an executive on Sept. 11, 2001. He quickly became concerned about illegal activities, waste, and mismanagement within the agency. Accordingly, he attempted to raise concerns through standard channels and even elevated his concerns to Congress as a whistleblower.
Eventually, after getting nowhere trying to blow the lid off both financial waste and abuse of Americans’ fundamental civil rights via certain NSA surveillance programs, he decided to leak certain controlled information to a media contact. The resulting stories about the Trailblazer program published in The Baltimore Sun in 2006 and 2007 embarrassed Michael Hayden’s NSA.
Our government rewarded his efforts in November 2007 with a raid on his home, initially suspecting him of being the source of the leaks that disclosed the agency’s warrantless wiretapping in a 2005 New York Times expose. He denied having anything to do with those leaks but acknowledged providing unclassified information to The Baltimore Sun.
After the raid of his home, which caused him to lose his job, the government sat on the case for nearly three years before indicting him in April 2010. The indictment levied five counts of willful retention of National Defense Information (the Espionage Act charges), one charge of obstruction of justice, and four counts of false statements, but the case was eventually pleaded to a misdemeanor. At sentencing, the judge excoriated the government, first for wasting the court’s time only to settle the case on the eve of trial for a misdemeanor, and second for jerking around the defendant for as long as they did.
THE COURT: What message is sent by the government, Mr. Welch … when the government dismisses a ten-count indictment a year after indictment, on the eve of trial, after days and days of hearings under the Classified Information and Procedures Act, and in what I find to be an extraordinary position taken by the government, probably unprecedented in this courthouse, for a case of this profile, literally on a Thursday afternoon before a Monday trial, subject to the government to be prepared as you will in a moment to dismiss the entire ten-count indictment and allow the defendant to plead guilty to a misdemeanor?
…
THE COURT: And as I tell you, as I say to you, Mr. Welch, I find it extraordinary. I even talked to one of my colleagues about it, his career background is similar to mine, I find it extraordinary in this case for an individual’s home to be searched in November of 2007, for the government to have no explanation for a two year delay, not a two and a half year delay, for him to then be indicted in April of 2010, and then over a year later, on the eve of trial, in June of 2011, the government says, whoops, we dropped the whole case. . . .
Skip The Scoop | Seek Understanding
‘Defund the Police’ Movement Could Mean More Lone Wolf Attacks: Terrorism Experts
Lone wolf killers are likely going to strike and murder innocents more often as a result of the “defund the police” movement, says a former strategic analyst in the Canadian intelligence community.
“Security systems in Canada are being torn in all directions simultaneously and they’re understaffed to do what they are being asked to do,” Phil Gurski, the president and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting, said in an interview.
“If you don’t have enough resources, then potentially there will be more of these attacks.”
The most recent lone wolf attack in Canada occurred on June 6 in London, Ont., when Nathaniel Veltman jumped the curb with his vehicle and struck a family of five, killing four of them and injuring one. Veltman, 20, is now facing terrorism charges.
Lone wolf, or lone-actor, attacks—in which an individual without formal ties to a terrorist organization goes on a murderous rampage—are considered among the most difficult to prevent, and the most shocking.
According to the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society, since the 9/11 attacks in New York there have been several high-profile lone-actor terrorist attacks in Canada, the United States, France, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
Terrorism experts Mark S. Hamm and Ramón Spaaij, authors of “The Age of Lone Wolf Terrorism,” have documented 216 attacks by 83 lone wolves in the United States alone between 1940 and 2013.
Their research reveals a chilling fact: Lone wolves are striking more often. . . .
Baked Alaska Says FBI Is Trying To Force Him To Become An Informant With Threats Of Federal Prison Time Over 1/6
Livestreamer Anthime “Baked Alaska” Gionet revealed during an interview with Milo Yiannopoulos on Monday that federal agents have attempted to force him to cooperate with their persecution of Jan. 6 defendants by leveraging the threat of an “obstruction of Congress” felony charge over his head.
“I walked through an open door [at the Capitol], and that’s crazy because they’re trying to charge me with trespassing and disorderly conduct,” Gionet said. “And now, the feds are threatening to slap me with a felony if I don’t cooperate with them, and I’m not even sure what that really means.”
“So just so that I understand this clearly, and people understand at home, they’re saying that if you don’t cooperate with the investigation, meaning you don’t become an informant, meaning you don’t give the names of the people that you were with, meaning you don’t assist them in jailing other Trump supporters, that they’re going to add charges if you don’t cooperate?” Yiannopoulos queried.
Gionet nodded. “That’s right, a felony,” he said, adding that the FBI had communicated their demands for him to “cooperate” to his attorney.
The popular livestreamer went on to describe the conditions in the solitary confinement cell he was placed in earlier this year as “like hell,” with no room to walk and roaches infesting the cell. Gionet noted that his treatment was similar to that of international terrorists, despite having not committed any terroristic acts. A judge has also revoked his Second Amendment rights to own a firearm, and he has been placed on a “high security’ airport watchlist.
Reporting by Revolver News on unindicted co-conspirators and FBI informants composing a key part of the ongoing federal investigation were hastily “debunked” by corporate media and Twitter moderators, but the shoddy debunking quickly fell apart under its own inefficacy.
Medicaid Enrollment Surpassed 80 Million, a Record, During the Pandemic
Medicaid enrollment rose sharply during the pandemic, with nearly 10 million Americans joining the public health program for the poor, a government report released Monday showed.
Eighty million people were covered under Medicaid, a record. It reflected an increase of nearly 14 percent over the 12-month period ending Jan. 31. The figure also includes enrollment in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which covers children whose parents earn too much for Medicaid, but too little to afford other coverage.
The spike in enrollment demonstrates Medicaid’s increasingly important role not just as a safety net, but also as a pillar of the American health system, with fully a quarter of the population getting coverage through it.
“This tells us that Medicaid is a critical program for American families,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Biden administration official who oversees Medicaid. “What we’ve seen during this pandemic is that people want access to affordable health insurance, and how important it is during a public health crisis.”
June 21, 2021 | Nightly News Rebroadcast | Video: 49 Minutes 47 Seconds
CBS Anchor Calls Out Network Live on Air; White Farmers Sue Over Race-Based Program.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 1 | Recorded June 21, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 32 Seconds
Episode 1,037 – The Era of Resistance. NYC drops charges against Antifa members and rioters, explosive news coming out of Georgia, and they breakdown Fauci’s new interview. Guests are: Bernie Kerik, M.B.B.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 2 | Recorded June 21, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 43 Seconds
Episode 1,038 – Sovereignty and the Fight Within. Biden took the knee and let down the American taxpayer, the media can’t guilt people into giving up their sovereignty, and Americans push back against the poising of critical race theory. Guests are: M.B.B. Nigel Farage, John Spiropoulos.
Bannon’s War Room | Evening Edition | Recorded June 21, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 56 Seconds
Episode 1,039 – Woke America is Harkening North Korea. Biden took the knee and let down the American taxpayer, the media can’t guilt people into giving up their sovereignty, and Americans push back against the poising of critical race theory. Guests are: M.B.B. Boris Epshteyn, Jack Posobiec, Yeonmi Park, AMCMarine.
Bannon’s War Room | Saturday Edition Hour 1 | Recorded June 19, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 45 Seconds
Episode 1,035 – Masculinity in America: A Fathers Day Special (Part 1).Guests are: Jack Posobiec, Pastor Artur Pawlowski, Frank Mir, Colby Covington, David Rodriguez.
Bannon’s War Room | Saturday Edition Hour 2 | Recorded June 19, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 47 Seconds
Episode 1,036 – Masculinity in America: A Fathers Day Special (Part 2). Guests are: Jack Posobiec, David Rodriguez, Dr. Don Colbert MD, SG Cheah.
June 18, 2021 | Nightly News Rebroadcast | Video: 53 Minutes 48 Seconds
Portland Police’s Entire “Riot Squad” Resigns; McCloskeys Plead Guilty: ‘I’ll Do It Again’. Catholic bishops take a stand against politicians of faith who support abortions—including President Joe Biden. Court documents show unnamed people involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. The gun-wielding couple in St. Louis, Missouri, plead guilty to misdemeanor charges.
California Introduces COVID-19 Vaccine Verification System
California on Friday rolled out a new system that enables people to obtain proof of COVID-19 vaccination from the state’s health system and present it as proof of having gotten a jab.
“We’re better enabling California to verify their vaccination status to ensure our state is in a better position to encourage the best practices for reducing the spread of COVID-19,” California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan told reporters on a call.
The vaccine verification system, dubbed a “digital vaccine record,” will require people to enter several details like their name and date of birth to get a digital copy of their vaccination record. If their record is found, they will get a link that they can use to access their vaccination information, including the date or dates they received doses and a QR code confirming their record is authentic.
It’s the same information that people see on the paper card that many receive when they get a vaccine, but authorities are recommending the vaccinated keep their paper cards in a safe and secure location and use the digital pass instead.
Over 23.5 million people in California have received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to state data. Whoever administers a vaccine in the state reports details of the recipient to state authorities. Over 90 percent of the people who have been vaccinated chose to give state authorities their contact information. . . .
Smith & Wesson CEO Says Ammo Shortage Won’t End Soon: ‘Still a Lot of Interest’
The CEO of one of the largest U.S. gun manufacturers, Smith & Wesson, said that the current ammunition shortage is showing no signs of improving amid reports of Americans continuing to purchase record amounts of firearms.
Over the past year or so, according to FBI data, gun sales in the United States have skyrocketed amid uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, Black Lives Matter demonstrations and violence, and Democrat officials’ proposals for more state and federal gun-control measures.
“It’s widely known the ammunition shortages continue,” said Smith & Wesson CEO Mark Smith in a Fox Business interview on Thursday. “There is still a lot of interest in firearms.”
He noted that Smith & Wesson shipped nearly 2.5 million units last year, up 70 percent from the previous year.
A firearms market research firm, in a report released late last month, found that about 80 percent of American customers said they experienced issues trying to find ammunition in 2020. . . .
Unvaccinated West Point cadets getting bullied and punished, families say
Unvaccinated cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point are getting singled out, bullied and unfairly punished — even if they have COVID-19 immunity from earlier infections, according to a report.
All but around three dozen of the 4,500 students at the centuries-old New York training academy have been vaccinated — with a spreadsheet showing the cadets’ status getting widely circulated, Fox News said.
Those not vaccinated are derided as “diseased” and “dirty” and treated as outcasts — and punished for violating mask and social distancing mandates, even after statewide restrictions have been lifted, cadets and their families told Sean Hannity.
Some cadets complain that they are unable to take any leave this summer because a seven-day enforced quarantine eats up any available time. . . .
Thousands gather at Download to enjoy bands with mosh pits, no social distancing and no masks
More than 10,000 rock fans gather at Download to enjoy their favourite bands with mosh pits, no social distancing and no need for masks at first festival selected as official test event
- Thousands flocked to Donington Park, Derby, for the beginning of the Download pilot festival event on Friday
- Around 40 bands will perform over three days on two stages and festival-goers advised not to leave venue
- It is the UK’s first post-Covid music festival which is being carefully monitored by government scientists
- The event is running at a reduced capacity but will not enforce social distancing measures and face masks
Why Shutdowns and Masks Suit the Elite
A marvelous review in these pages last November inspired me to read a new book by O. Carter Snead, “What It Means to Be Human: The Case for the Body in Human Bioethics.” It was published by Harvard University Press on Oct. 13. Covid-19 had begun its transformation of American life a few months before, and of course the book made no mention of it.
Yet Mr. Snead’s volume helped explain the bizarre and at times perverse response of prosperous Western nations to the pandemic: the long discontinuation of economic life, the belief that pixelated screens can facilitate human relationships, the prohibitions on ordinary social interactions, the fetishization of masks. These policies and practices weren’t handed down from the ether by Reason and Science but bore the weight of contemporary assumptions about—to borrow Mr. Snead’s title—what it means to be human.
His book isn’t about public health but “public bioethics”—the effort to make humane laws and rules for biotechnology and medical care. Mr. Snead’s premise and theme is that humans are embodied creatures, not mere wills and intellects. That premise stands in contrast with the dominant modern worldview, which he calls “expressive individualism”: the belief that the human self “is not defined by its attachments or networks of relations, but rather by its capacity to choose a future pathway that is revealed by the investigation of its own inner depths of sentiment. . . . Because this self is defined by its capacity to choose, it is associated fundamentally with its will and not its body.” . . .
Juneteenth is now a federal holiday. Many Americans still get the history wrong
WASHINGTON —
An incredible thing happened this week in Washington — lawmakers passed legislation.
It is no small feat in this highly partisan era that politicians, who cannot agree on a commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection or what should go into an infrastructure bill, came together to create a holiday commemorating the moment people in Texas learned the emancipation had finally come.
On Thursday, the nation’s first Black vice president, Kamala Harris, spoke ahead of the bill’s signing, highlighting the significance of the new holiday and the misconceptions surrounding it.
“Let’s be clear about what happened on June 19, 1865. The day we call Juneteenth. Because you see, that day was not the end of slavery in America,” she told lawmakers and advocates who have long pushed for the federal recognition. “On that day, the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas learned that they were free ….”
Sidney Powell summoned to Detroit for sanctions hearing
Sidney Powell and other attorneys who defended former President Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election have been summoned for a sanctions hearing in a Michigan federal court.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Linda Parker ordered the attorneys to appear at a hearing on July 6, according to court documents.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel first asked the court to sanction Powell in late January over a lawsuit challenging the 2020 presidential election results in the state.
The suit, King v. Whitmer, which was filed in November, alleged that President Biden’s victory in the state was the result of fraud. The plaintiffs asked the state’s electors to be disqualified in favor of declaring Trump the winner of the election.
Parker sided with the state about a month later, writing in an opinion that the relief being sought “would disenfranchise the votes of the more than 5.5 million Michigan citizens who, with dignity, hope, and a promise of a voice, participated in the 2020 General Election.”
Nessel also asked the court to sanction Greg Rohl, Scott Hagerstrom and Stefanie Junttila.
Nessel later filed court documents in April to bring forward claims Powell made in a $1.3 billion lawsuit brought against her by voting technology company Dominion Voting Systems.
The attorney general said in a statement at the time that Powell admitted that no reasonable person would have concluded her statements were fact. . . .
Dozens Of Women Sue Pornhub After It Allegedly Posted Non-Consensual Sex Videos
Dozens of women have sued Pornhub, alleging that it posted and profited from videos depicting sex trafficking, child sexual exploitation and other non-consensual sexual content.
The complaint filed Thursday targets Pornhub’s parent company, MindGeek, for allegedly being a “classic criminal enterprise” and allowing the monetization of non-consensual sexual content. Brown Rudnick LLP filed a civil complaint on behalf of 34 victims of sexual exploitation who seek damages and protection, according to CNN Business.
“This is a case about rape, not pornography,” the complaint reads. “And it is a case about each of these defendants knowingly and intentionally electing to capitalize and profit from the horrendous exploitation and abuse of tens of thousands of other human beings so they could make more than the enormous sums of money they would have otherwise made anyway.”
The complaint lists just one of the defendants — a woman named Serena Fleites — while the other 33 remain anonymous. . . .
Georgia Election Audit Info Increasingly Troubling
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 1 | Recorded June 18, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 50 Seconds
Episode 1,032 – New Publishing House Creates a Parallel Economy. Bannon on the most egregious election fraud is in Wisconsin. Guests are: Ned Ryun, John Solomon, Boris Epshteyn, Louise Burke, Kate Hartson, Brittany Avery.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 2 | Recorded June 18, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 30 Seconds
Episode 1,033 – Ape Army Lays Out Goals While Subpoenas Are Being Written.Guests are: Brittany Avery, Sean Parnell, Mike Cernovich, Terry Schilling, Matt Guedes, Col. Lawrence Sellin.
Bannon’s War Room | Evening Edition | Recorded June 18, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 58 Seconds
Episode 1,034 – The Catholic Church Bans Biden. GA Updates, The Truth About Wuhan Continues to be Uncovered, and the Catholic Church is Making a Stand. Guests are: Vernon Jones, Nikki Fuller, Jim Marchant, Darren Beattie, Jack Posobiec, John Spiropoulos, Liz Yore, Michael Walsh.
June 17, 2021 | Nightly News Rebroadcast | Video: 53 Minutes 06 Seconds
Supreme Court Sides With Catholic Foster Care Agencies; Texas Gov. Signs Into Law 7 Gun Rights Bills. The Supreme Court dismisses a major challenge to Obamacare, a sheriff in Nevada says his peers nationwide are fed up with the federal government, and a Christian organization is denied a tax benefit by the IRS.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 1 | Recorded June 17, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 17 Seconds
Episode 1,029 – The Constitutional Crisis. GA Audit Finds Significant Election Failures That Could Help Flip the State. Guests are: John Solomon, Bernie Kerik, Mike Lindell.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 2 | Recorded June 17, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 28 Seconds
Episode 1,030 – Mainstream Meltdown Over Questions About Jan 6. Guests are: Bernie Kerik, Darren Beattie, Patrick K. O’Donnel.
Bannon’s War Room | Evening Edition | Recorded June 17, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 58 Seconds
Episode 1,031 – Anthony Fauci and the Chocolate Factory. That’s an interesting issue. What we know is that the ground zero for this virus was within a few miles of that lab, if you simply do a Occam’s razor approach it’s the simplest explanation is the probably the most likely I think it’s incumbent on China to prove that it wasn’t that lab. Guests are: Dr. Peter Navarro, Jack Posobiec.
The Real Story – OAN Missing Election Ballots with Garland Favorito | Video: 10 Minutes 57 Seconds
Garland Favorito, a Georgia voter and plaintiff, gives The Real Story on new evidence and documentation of missing ballots from the 2020 presidential election.
Dr. Kelli Ward, Arizona GOP Chairwoman gives the latest on America’s Audit | Video: 8 Minutes
Dr. Kelli Ward, Arizona’s GOP Chairwoman, gives Sophie Mann an update on the Maricopa County 2020 Election Audit. She says that “the hand counting was completed yesterday,” and they are working now on verifying the legitimacy of the ballots.
Anti-Police Movement Strikes Portland | Video: 2 Minutes 8 Seconds
As anti-police riots continue to plague Portland, Oregon, and the crime rate shoots up, the police department is having a hard time holding onto officers.
Powell Exposes Corrupt Federal Prosecutors And How They Target Innocent People With Fake Crimes | Video: 4 Minutes 45 Seconds
Sidney Powell: I saw prosecutors make up crimes by piecing parts of two different statutes together and hide evidence that showed people were innocent. Federal prosecutors are absolutely corrupt.
Soy Boy Reporter Tries To Attack Mike Lindell And Gets Owned
Soy Boy Reporter Tries To Attack Mike Lindell And Gets Owned.
EU Approves COVID Passport: Here’s How It Works — and Why the U.S. Doesn’t Have One
The European Commission on June 14 formally signed legislation to create the EU Digital COVID Certificate. The regulation will take effect July 1 and expire in 12 months.
Member States are required to start issuing the first certificates within six weeks of the July 1 start date, if they haven’t done so by then.
During the official signing ceremony, three main EU institutions — Parliament, the Council and the Commission — signed the regulation to show their support, asserting the certificate is “a symbol of what Europe stands for.”
Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland started issuing the first passports on June 1. Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Spain began issuing passports days later.
The remainder of the EU and Schengen Area countries, except for Hungary and Finland which are still in the test phase, are expected to connect to the new technology framework.
How the EU passport works
Under the vaccine passport scheme, each EU Member State will issue its own certificate, but all will adopt the same entry requirements for visitors.
Individuals will obtain their passports through test centers or health authorities, or directly via an eHealth portal.
The digital version of the certificate can be stored on a mobile device. Citizens can also request a paper version. Both will have a QR code that contains essential information, as well as a digital signature to make sure the certificate is authentic.
The Digital COVID Certificate will show that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from the virus.
The certificate information differs based on the vaccination status of users. For those who have received their shot, the vaccine manufacture, date of vaccination and the number of doses will be documented.
For those who have not yet been vaccinated, Member States require PCR or antigen test results be provided when traveling between countries. The passport will record the “type of test, date and exact time of test, name of the test centre and the results.”
The stated intent of the Digital COVID Certificate is to allow people to move between EU countries without having to quarantine or undergo extra coronavirus tests. However, according to the regulation, member states can impose extra travel restrictions in cases where “additional measures are a must in order to safeguard the public health.”
What about travelers from outside the U.S.?
Earlier this month, an EU spokesperson said the app could be extended to citizens from non-EU countries, including U.S. Americans who obtain the certificate would be exempt from travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.
“Right now if you’re an American, not living in the EU, you could get the certificate if you ask the national authorities of a member state to give you that certificate based on some proof that you’ve been vaccinated, or had a recent COVID test,” said the EU spokesperson.
The decision on whether to allow non-EU citizens to use the app rests with each individual member state.
Why U.S. won’t have national vaccine passport anytime soon
A fierce debate has kicked off across the U.S. over whether a digital health certificate or “vaccine passports” should be required to prove vaccine status, The New York Times reported.
So far, the Biden administration has resisted the idea of a “vaccine passport” for the U.S. On May 28, U.S. Director of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas said the U.S. was taking a “very close look” at vaccine passports for international travel. Later that day, the DHS clarified there will be no “federal mandate” for vaccine passports in the U.S.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the U.S. does not have a national database for immunization records that could act as the source of vaccination data for use in digital passes. That’s because a national system to create a unique identification number to link the health records of every American has been banned since 1998, spearheaded by then-Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who said such a system would be an unwarranted privacy intrusion.
An attempt to overturn the ban passed the U.S. House in 2019, but was rejected by the Senate.
In the absence of a federal policy, Americans could need several digital passes, similar to having many credit cards in a wallet, The Los Angeles Times reported. It could also mean employers, businesses and venue operators will each have to decide which option works for them — or might not bother using any at all.
A growing number of businesses — from cruise lines to sports venues — have already said they will require proof of vaccinations for entry or services.
Hundreds of digital health pass initiatives are attempting to launch apps that provide a verified electronic record of immunizations and negative COVID test results to streamline the process for businesses and other institutions.
States take a stand
The issue has sparked debate in the U.S., and led a number of states to introduce legislation to curtail or ban vaccine passports due to privacy, equity, liberty and accountability concerns.
These states include Florida, Texas, Missouri, Utah, Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, Indiana, Iowa, Alaska, Alabama, South Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia, Wyoming and Idaho.
So far, vaccine passports have been implemented in two states — New York and Hawaii.
New York implemented the “Excelsior Pass” — an electronic proof of vaccination developed by IBM — that some businesses in the state are requiring for entry.
According to The New York Times, the state plans to expand the program — estimated to cost taxpayers $17 million — possibly using the system in the future to verify a resident’s age, driver’s license status and other health records.
In Hawaii, fully vaccinated individuals who upload proof of vaccination to the state’s “Safe Travels” system are allowed to travel inter-county without pre-travel testing or quarantine restrictions. Gov. David Ige said he is targeting July 4 for allowing vaccinated out-of-state travelers who come into Hawaii to bypass restrictions through a similar system.
Beginning June 15, Hawaii will expand its passport program to trans-Pacific travelers who have been vaccinated in Hawaii.
Late last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his state will roll out a new vaccine verification system for private businesses.
During an event in San Francisco on June 14, Newsom said the system will consist of electronic vaccine cards that individuals can keep on their phones as opposed to carrying around a paper card.
Once the state fully reopens without capacity limits, which happened Tuesday, businesses can require individuals to show their vaccine cards to prove they do not need to wear a mask, SFGATE reported. Newsom will announce California’s version of this electronic system later this week.
In all of the new or proposed digital passes or apps in the U.S., people who have been vaccinated or received a negative test result must first consent to have their information uploaded into the pass or app, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Outside the EU and U.S., Australia earlier this month rolled out a digital proof of vaccination certificate, and Japan plans to issue one as soon as this summer.
26 people hit by gunfire in Chicago Tuesday — including 8 in a house in Englewood and 5 on the street in West Garfield Park
A total of eight people were killed, the most homicides in a single day in Chicago this year.
Twenty-six people were hit by gunfire in Chicago Tuesday, one of the most violent days of the year with eight shot in a house in Englewood and five wounded on the street in West Garfield Park.
A total of eight people were killed, the most homicides in a single day this year, according to Sun-Times data.
The day also saw the city’s third mass shooting in little more than a week. Around 5:40 a.m., four people were shot and killed and four others were seriously wounded when an argument apparently broke out inside a home in the 6200 block of South Morgan Street, according to Chicago police.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, three women and a man who lived there. The four others were taken to hospitals, at least two of them in critical condition. A 2-year-old girl was taken from the home and brought to Comer Children’s Hospital for observation, but did not appear injured, police said. . . .
Peter Andre apologises for promoting swimming with dolphins in YouTube video – after PETA letter
Peter Andre apologises for YouTube video showing daughter Princess fulfilling ‘dream’ of swimming with dolphins – after PETA highlights misery of mammals kept in captivity for tourism
- Video on The Andres YouTube channel featured an emotional Princess Andre, 13, discussing her bucket list dream of swimming with dolphins
- Clip showed the teen gliding through water holding on to fins of two dolphins
- PETA wrote to Peter, 48, highlighting poor conditions mammals can be kept in
- He vowed to re-edit the video and remove any reference to swimming with dolphins from his social media channels, saying ‘we live and learn’
Lyft Driver Charged For Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Teen Passenger
A Virginia Lyft driver has been charged after he allegedly sexually assaulted a teen passenger during a Monday ride, according to a local report.
The incident unfolded Monday when the 17-year-old unidentified male victim took a Lyft ride from 58-year-old Ejaz Hussain to school in the morning, Fox 5 reported. While on the way to school, the victim and Hussain reportedly gave each other their contact information.
The victim later called Hussain directly for a ride from school to home, according to the report. While in the vehicle, Hussain allegedly sexually assaulted the victim, Fox 5 reported. . .
What Does It Mean to Be Crowned ‘Miss Juneteenth’?
Credit…Cindy Elizabeth for The New York Times
For contestants, it’s a pageant, yes, but also a place to celebrate Black sisterhood and promote a deeper understanding of a complex holiday. . . . Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, is rooted in emancipation for the enslaved, so it involves both the celebration of joy and the commemoration of pain. June 19 marks the anniversary of the day in 1865 when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Galveston, Texas — nearly two years after the Proclamation had been issued. African Americans, beginning in Texas, have celebrated the holiday since 1866. . . .
Thousands call for Jeff Bezos to be denied re-entry to Earth after space launch
Don’t let the rocket hatch hit you where the good lord split you, Jeff Bezos!
That’s the message from the 10,000 — and counting — haters who’ve signed a petition calling for the billionaire Amazon.com founder and former CEO to be denied re-entry to Earth following his upcoming space launch on July 20, according to Change.org.
Bezos, the world’s second richest man with a net worth of approximately $186 billion, “is actually Lex Luthor,” the petition alleges. “He’s actually an evil overlord hellbent on global domination. We’ve known this for years.”
The author of the petition also claims that Bezos, 57, has “worked with the Epsteins and the Knights Templar, as well as the Free Masons to gain control over the whole world.”
“Meanwhile our government stands by and lets it happen,” they conclude. “This may be our last chance before they enable the 5G microchips and perform a mass takeover.” . . .
Afghanistan: Deliberate killing of civilians must be investigated following deadly attacks
The Afghan authorities must investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of a brutal series of attacks amounting to war crimes that have killed at least 24 civilians in little over a week, said Amnesty International.
On 15 June, five health workers were killed and four others injured after gunmen opened fire at various polio vaccination centres across the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province. The incident comes shortly after two car bombs killed at least seven civilians and injured at least six others in a district of Western Kabul largely populated by members of the persecuted Hazara minority on 12 June.
“The targeting of civilians with near total impunity continues unabated. While peace talks falter and preparations for the full withdrawal of international forces gathers pace, it’s Afghanistan’s civilians who are paying the brutal price of this conflict,” said Samira Hamidi, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner.
“The Afghan authorities must end this cycle of impunity by launching independent and effective investigations into these and other attacks on civilians and bring those responsible to justice. We urge all parties to the conflict to take all measures necessary to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law. And we call on the international community to make the protection of civilians and of minorities a central component of their ongoing support of the peace process.”
The incidents this week follow the killing of 10 mine clearers, many of whom were Hazara, working for the international humanitarian organization The Halo Trust in Baghlan province on 8 June, in an attack that injured 16 others.
Health workers, humanitarians, human rights defenders and journalists have been particularly targeted in a wave of assassinations since the start of peace talks in Doha last year. At least 24 have been killed since January 2021, including two doctors in separate attacks in Parwan and Farah provinces in the past week. With the exception of one of the killings, no other investigations have taken place, and nobody has been brought to justice in any of the cases.
This week’s attack on the polio vaccination centres in Jalalabad, which caused the vaccination drive to be suspended in Eastern Afghanistan, follows a similar attack in March which left three health workers in Nangarhar dead. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic.
“In recent months we have seen appalling attacks on schoolchildren, health workers, humanitarians and other civilians in busy streets and markets. Deliberately attacking medical personnel, humanitarian workers and other civilians are war crimes,” said Samira Hamidi. . . .
Army Long Range Strike Gives China a Taste of Its Own Medicine
Source: AP Photo/Wally Santana, File
The commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Navy Admiral Philip Davidson, recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee he likes the Army’s idea.
When Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) posed a question about China’s disruptive military power in the western Pacific, Davidson replied, “A wider base of long-range precision fires … enabled by all our terrestrial forces — not just sea and air, but by land forces as well — is critically important to stabilizing what is becoming a more unstable environment in the western Pacific … Long-range precision fires delivered by the ground force, I think, are critically important.” . . .
DeSantis: ‘We Are Not Allowing Discrimination Based on Vaccination Status’
Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) explained why his state was rejecting vaccine passports as a policy in the wake of the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic.