Jesse Jackson
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.