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Saturday, July 25, 2020

English Dept. vs. English and other commentary

Campus watch: English Dept. vs. English

Among its several “actions in solidarity with Black Lives Matter,” Rutgers University’s English Department will de-emphasize “traditional grammar rules,” reports Alex Frank at The College Fix. In an e-mail celebrating Juneteenth, department head Rebecca Walkowitz, vowed to incorporate “ ‘critical grammar’ into our pedagogy,” which will challenge “the familiar dogma that writing instruction should limit emphasis on grammar/sentence-level issues,” so as not to put students with poor “academic” English backgrounds “at a disadvantage.” Another goal: “decolonizing the Writing Center.” How does lowering standards serve justice? Executive dean Peter March and spokeswoman Dory Devlin didn’t respond to Frank’s request for comment.

Conservative: Blame the Prosecutors, Too

“Democratic mayors, backing Joe Biden, are on the defensive” over President Trump’s threat to send in federal agents to deal with urban violent-crime waves, says The Chicago Tribune’s John Kass. But the worst culprits aren’t always the mayors, but prosecutors often elected with the help of billionaire George Soros: “They promised to empty their jails through the social-justice warrior policy of ‘decarceration.’ They also help give repeat, violent criminals little or no bond when arrested. And in many of the violent cities, the prosecutors have delivered on their promises, not to keep the violent in jail, but to let them out.” In Chicago, for ­example, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx “reportedly received at least $2 million from a Soros-backed political-action committee.” She has announced she won’t prosecute “peaceful protesters,” including those who normally face charges for “disorderly conduct and curfew violations.” In all, “you can see that something is growing in the big cities: an overwhelming sense of lawlessness.”

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Planned Parenthood finally admits that its founder was a horrific bigot

Planned Parenthood is finally removing the name of Margaret Sanger, its founder, from its Manhattan clinic — ending decades of denial about her horrid, racist views.

Just four years ago, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America did admit it was wrong of Sanger to speak to the Ku Klux Klan in 1926. And tosupport the sterilization of the disabled and “placing so-called illiterates, paupers, unemployables, criminals, prostitutes and dope fiends on farms and in open spaces as long as necessary for the strengthening and development of moral conduct.”

But it refused to confront her words such as: “The most urgent problem today is how to limit and discourage the over-fertility of the mentally and physically defective.”

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Democratic politicians are full of delusion: Devine

Every day, evidence mounts that Democratic politicians are delusional by design. They may or may not believe their increasingly absurd versions of unreality, but they are intent on fooling the rest of us until Election Day.

Take New York’s version of Dumb and Dumber, Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio.

This dimwit duo doesn’t just deny the errors that have made New Yorkers’ lives worse than they needed to be during the pandemic. Like true delusional Dems, Cuomo and de Blasio actually pose as our saviors.

The governor’s shameless vanity poster celebrating his leadership through the pandemic took the cake. It did not mention the more than 32,000 deaths on his watch, nor his disastrous nursing-home policy, and it pretended the virus originated in Europe, rather than China.

Then, on Monday, Captain Corona went on a victory tour of Georgia to pose as the conquering hero and dispense gratuitous advice to the Republican governor. That takes some chutzpah considering New York’s COVID-19 death rate is about six times greater than Georgia’s.

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Exclusive—Rep. Louie Gohmert: Instead of Canceling Our Culture, It’s Time to #CancelDemocrats

Many on the left and their willing accomplices in the media would tell you otherwise, yet a cursory examination of our nation’s factual history and records proves the riots and chaos that have swept across our country in recent months stand as a devastating reminder of the racist policies and values held by the Democratic Party throughout much of its history.

Because of this, I introduced a privileged resolution in the House calling upon Congress to acknowledge the indecorous history of the Democratic Party. I asked that the Speaker of the House be instructed to ban any political organization or political party that ever publicly supported slavery or the Confederate States of America.

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It's not 'fascism' to protect federal property from riots, revolutionaries

Are the images of lawlessness and disorder pouring out of Portland, Ore., and the gun violence and crime waves overtaking New York and Chicago going to have a negative impact on the rising political fortunes of the left?

They might. Hence the effort to frame the deployment of federal law enforcement to Portland and elsewhere as the emergence of American “fascism.”

Let’s be clear here: There are federal law-enforcement agents “deployed” in every city in the United States, and feds tasked with the protection of federal buildings in those cities. Local and federal officers work together on task forces on a daily basis on matters that cross jurisdictional lines.

Only the most radical among us, from the far left to the far right, see a fundamental problem with this — and generally speaking, that’s because they believe law enforcement is itself inherently unjust.

Given that fact — and the fact that it’s usually liberals and leftists who demand federal intervention in local law-enforcement issues (especially those having to do with race) — we have every right to wonder at the good will of those who are suddenly embracing the glories of states’ rights.

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Fitton: Comey FBI Leadership Sent Frantic Emails on Eve of Trump’s Inauguration

As we continue uncovering details of the coup against President Trump by top Obama/Deep State officials, we’ve also noted the FBI and DOJ are still slow-rolling the release of information about the scandal.

So, frustratingly slowly – but surely – we’re getting piece after piece of the Obamagate puzzle.

We received another batch of emails, 136 pages, between former FBI official Peter Strzok and former FBI attorney Lisa Page. They include heavily redacted emails showing Strzok, Page and top bureau officials in the days prior to and following President Donald Trump’s inauguration discussing a White House counterintelligence briefing that could “play into” the FBI’s “investigative strategy.”

On January 19, 2017, the night before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a series of emails were exchanged among top officials in the FBI’s General Counsel’s office, Counterintelligence Division and Washington Field Office, and included then-Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and former Assistant Director for the Counterintelligence Division Bill Priestap.

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Joe Biden: The Chinese Communist Party's Candidate for President

It’s becoming increasingly evident that Joe Biden is China’s preferred candidate in the 2020 presidential election.

Several Chinese state-owned media outlets, including China Daily and the China Global Television Network (CGTN), have nowexpressed support for the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, a group of disaffected “NeverTrump” Republicans.

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) affinity for Biden should not come as a great shock. The former vice president has been a great ally to China throughout his decades-long political career. As a senator, Biden voted to approve Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China back in 2000, granting China unprecedented access to America’s markets despite its abysmal record on human rights and brazen violation of international trade rules.

Even now, he absurdly insists that the world’s second-largest economy doesn’t even represent “competition” for the U.S.

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Donald Trump: If Public Schools Close, Give Parents the Money for School Choice

President Donald Trump endorsed on Thursday the idea of giving federal funds to parents of students for a school of their choice if their local public school districts close during the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump said he asked Congress to pass $105 billion in funding for schools to help them reopen promptly and safely, unless they refused to do so.

“If schools do not reopen, the funding should go to parents to send their child to public, private, charter, religious, or home school of their choice,” Trump said. “The keyword being choice. If the school is closed, the money should follow the student.”

“Our goal is to protect our teachers and students from the China virus while ensuring that families with high-risk factors can continue to participate from home, very important,” Trump said.

The president cited the statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending that schools be reopened, warning of the dangers to children. He also noted that the National Education Association said that online learning was never an effective replacement for in-person learning.

Trump said that students were already behind in their studies after schools closed in the spring as a result of the pandemic, especially in black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

Trump noted that 99.96 percent of all coronavirus fatalities were among adults, making it safe for students to return to school.

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All Yankees and Nationals Players and Coaches Take a Knee Before National Anthem Opening Night

All players and coaches on the Yankees & Nationals took a knee before the national anthem tonight.

Thursday was the first night of Major League Baseball season, which began nearly 15 weeks later than scheduled due to the coronavirus.

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GOP Gov. Hogan: Trump Cabinet Secretaries Urged Me to Primary President

Appearing Thursday on Bloomberg TV, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) claimed “a couple” of President Donald Trump’s cabinet secretaries urged him to consider launching a primary challenge against the president in the 2020 election.

Exclusive:

Gov. Larry Hogan tells me “a couple” of Pres. Trump’s cabinet secretaries encouraged him to consider challenging Trump in a primary.

— Hogan declined to say who bc he “wouldn’t want to see a couple of friends be fired.”

via @BloombergTV @BloombergRadio

Watch: pic.twitter.com/OktWHib0X0

— Kevin Cirilli (@kevcirilli) July 23, 2020

A transcript is as follows:

KEVIN CIRILLI: Larry Hogan writes that members of President Trump’s Cabinet urged him to consider challenging President Trump in the 2020 Republican primary. He writes, “The media was also enamored by the idea of a popular Republican governor, a real Republican, with a proven record of electoral success going toe to toe with Donald Trump inside the GOP… but cabinet secretaries? Encouraging me to run for president agains their boss for president? That one surprised me.” That is a stunning revelation. How many and which members of the president’s cabinet told you to consider running against him?

GOV. LARRY HOGAN: There were only a couple and I am not going to reveal the names because they are private conversations, and I certainly would not want to see a couple of friends fired from the administration… I don’t think it comes as any surprise to folks that there are a lot of people in the administration who have sometimes spoken out here and there. It was just one small thing to mention in the book. Certainly not a main focus of anything we were talking about. I did not have any kind of a serious effort to try to run for president. But a lot of people are encouraging me. I was surprised to hear how close some of these folks were in the White House.

CIRILLI: What was there primary motivation?

GOV. HOGAN: I think it was a little bit of a concern about losing the election and when the bottom is going to drop out of this thing and what was the alternative. And could we find someone who could perhaps put together a winning coalition in the fall.

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McCarthy: Pelosi Promoting Chinese Propaganda by Calling COVID ‘Trump Virus’ – ‘What Does the C.C.P. Have on the Democrats?’

During a press conference on Thursday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stated that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) referring to coronavirus as “the Trump virus” is promoting Chinese Communist Party propaganda and wondered, “what does the Chinese Communist Party have on the Democrats? Why can’t they hold them accountable?”

McCarthy said, “China’s deception has directly led to Americans’ deaths. China covered up the truth about the virus. China hoarded personal protective equipment and tried to extort other countries for political leverage. Now, China is trying to hack our vaccines, which will harm our ability to serve the world and solve this problem. China is no friend to the United States, and that fact is clear to everyone except the Democrats. … My question to my Democratic colleagues is simple: Are you willing to step up to stop these escalating threats from China, or will you continue to defend the actions of the Chinese Communist Party. Their actions and words continue to show Democrats have a China problem.”

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Trump’s DOI Announces Approval of Alaska Gas Pipeline Project

The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced Thursday that it has approved the logistics for the Alaska Liquified Natural Gas Pipeline Project.

The announcement from the agency made sure to address how the project is both good for the U.S. economy and safe for the environment.

“With this approval, the Trump Administration is keeping its commitment to work with local governments and partners,” Casey Hammond, principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, said in the DOI announcement. “This project will enable more Alaska-produced energy to enter the market through modern, efficient technology and create opportunities for Americans.”

“The project includes the potential to supply Denali National Park and Preserve and nearby communities with natural gas,” Robert Wallace, assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and Parks, said. “Careful environmental management will ensure park resources, including wildlife, wetlands, vegetation, and noise/soundscapes, will be protected during and after construction.”

“The NPS (National Parks Service) is issuing a right-of-way for the approximately six-mile portion of pipeline within a non-wilderness area of the Denali National Park and Preserve (DNPP),” the announcement said. “The route selected through the park is near the existing transportation corridor (the Parks Highway and Alaska Railroad extend across this area of the park), which limits impacts to park viewsheds and overall acreage of wetlands, and reduces the need for additional roads and their associated impacts.”

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Half of CDC Coronavirus Test Kits are Inaccurate, Study finds

Coronavirus testing has been a hot-button issue since the beginning of the pandemic. First, there weren't enough coronavirus tests to go around. Now, a new issue has emerged—just how accurate the tests people are getting actually are. According to a July 17 study published in the International Journal of Geriatrics and Rehabilitation, 50 percent of nucleic acid coronavirus tests distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)provided inaccurate results.

The study's lead author, Sin Hang Lee, MD, director of Milford Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, found that the testing kits gave a 30 percent false-positive rate and a 20 percent false-negative rate.

To determine these false-positive and false-negative rates, the Connecticut State Department of Public Health Microbiology Laboratory provided Lee 20 tests, which were then re-tested using his own methodology, which examines samples on a cellular level, rather than just testing fluid with no cellular matter from potentially infected oral and nasal secretions.

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Homeschool enrollment booms as uncertainty over School reopening

As local school districts across the country struggle to develop reopening plans in the face of uncertainty about a possible resurgence of COVID-19 and teachers' unions that are in many cases holding districts hostage with laundry lists of insane leftist demands, many parents are responding by pulling their children out of public schools altogether in favor of homeschooling.

In Texas, the Texas Homeschool Coalition says they have been "flooded" with calls from parents who have been dissatisfied with the distance learning they received from their public school system during the spring shutdowns, and have decided to pull their kids out of public school entirely and homeschool them.

After the Texas Education Agency announced that schools in Texas will be permitted to use online-only learning for at least the first eight weeks, the Texas Homeschool Coalition estimated that their average weekly number of contacts from interested parents doubled.

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Democratic mayors align w Rioters and Looters over Citizens / Police

Fifteen Democratic mayors have signed a letter addressed to Trump administration officials demanding the removal of federal agents from their cities or the cessation of impending deployments. On Monday, the letter was sent to Attorney General William Barr and acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf. The mayors and cities named should come as no surprise: Portland, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Jose, Oakland, Phoenix, Tucson, Sacramento, Denver, Boston, Philadelphia, and Kansas City, Missouri. Some have become the epicenter of protests that have devolved into riots, anarchy, looting, vandalism, and cowardly attacks on law enforcement.

The letter charges, “federal law enforcement is being deployed for political purposes.”

Actually, the White House (and much of the country) is simply exhausted and disgusted by seeing progressive politicians so beholden to their leftist political constituencies that they dare not call out those causing the mayhem. They also dare not express support for their demonized police agencies. But what these mayors do have intestinal fortitude for are worthless gestures calling out the president for attempting to restore law and order in cities under siege.

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Federal Employees can get one day off for every 1.4 Days worked

They already make an average 55% more in wages and compensation than private sector workers, get 10 paid holidays, and can be eligible for another 99 paid days off, so when Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson considered giving federal employees an additional free day for Juneteenth, he balked.

“I am happy to celebrate Juneteenth. I think we should celebrate the fact that we did remove that original sin by emancipating slaves,” said Johnson in blocking Senate approval Wednesday.

“I simply don’t believe we should make American taxpayers in the private sector pony up $600 million a year, $6 billion over 10 years, to give federal workers, who already are paid quite generously and have quite a few days off, one more paid day off,” he added.

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DC making Mask mandatory when leaving the house

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — Face coverings will now be mandatory for any D.C. resident leaving their homes, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced during a Wednesday press conference.

Bowser says this means a mask must be worn when ordering food at a restaurant, waiting for a bus, sitting in a cubicle in an open office space, and walking your dog, just to name a few examples.
We know that without a vaccine or a cure for COVID, we have to continue to take precautions. In other parts of the world, they have been able to significantly reduce the transmission and get the virus under control.

There are several exceptions to the rule:
Not required for individuals in an enclosed office
Not required for children under the age of 2
Not required when eating or drinking
Not required if vigorously exercising

"In most cases, if you're outside your house, you should have a mask on," Bowser says.

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Joe Biden Claims Nurses Would ‘Breathe in My Nostrils to Make Me Move’ During Hospital Stay

Presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden recollected with the Service Employees International Union on Wednesday a moment when he said a caring nurse “blew into my nostrils” in the hospital.

.@JoeBiden: "I had nurses at Walter Reed hospital who would bend down and whisper in my ear, go home and get me pillows. They would … actually breathe in my nostrils to make me move, to get me moving.” pic.twitter.com/hxW1UYs7Ba

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) July 22, 2020

“I had a nurse– nurses at Walter Reed hospital who would bend down and whisper in my ear, go home and get me pillows. They would … actually breathe in my nostrils to make me move, to get me moving.”

Biden said such a thing wouldn’t be allowed “during COVID time,” but it’s not clear when such a practice would ever be allowed in a hospital setting.

Tom Elliott of Grabien News surmised Biden was referring to his stay at Walter Reed, when he had surgery to deal with a brain aneurysm.

He shared a story from DelawareOnline.com that reported:

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Maryland Reports Record 34,874 Tests, Statewide Positivity Rate Drops to 4.48%

Daily Positivity Rate Drops to 3.92%, State's Testing Capacity Up 78% In Last 30 DaysState Officials Continue to Monitor Increase in Hospitalizations, Stress Safer At Home GuidanceMore Than 58% of New Cases Are Marylanders Under 40Positivity Rate Declines in Key Jurisdictions, Montgomery and Prince George’s Hit Record LowsState Officials Advise Marylanders to Use State-Operated Testing Sites for Faster Turnaround Times
ANNAPOLIS, MDThe State of Maryland is reporting a record 34,874 COVID-19 tests today, and a drop in the statewide positivity rate to 4.48% as statewide testing has increased 78% in the past month. The daily positivity rate also dropped today to 3.92%, and the positivity rate declined in each of the state’s most populous jurisdictions. State officials continue to monitor an increase in hospitalizations, and stress Safer At Home guidance to Marylanders.
 
“I want to remind the people of Maryland that this crisis is not behind us, and your actions may help determine whether we see a resurgence of the virus here in Maryland,” said Governor Hogan. “Marylanders should continue practicing physical distancing, staying six feet apart whenever possible, and all Marylanders—especially our young people—should continue avoiding all large gatherings. Everyone needs to continue wearing masks in public areas, businesses, and on public transportation. This alone would help us significantly slow the spread of this virus.”
 
Statewide Positivity Rate Drops to 4.48%. The state’s seven-day average positivity rate has dropped to 4.48%, and has now been under 5% for one month. The daily positivity rate also dropped to 3.92%.
 
Total Current Hospitalizations Are 545. There are 545 current total COVID-19 hospitalizations, with 157 ICU beds in use. State officials are continuing to monitor the increase in hospitalizations statewide.
 
More Than 58% of New Cases are Marylander Under 40. 58.3% of today’s new cases are Marylanders under the age of 40. The positivity rate among Marylanders under 35 (6.65%) is now 92.8% higher than the positivity rate for Marylanders age 35 and older (3.45%)—the largest gap to date between younger and older Marylanders.
 
Positivity Rate Declines in Key Jurisdictions. Anne Arundel (4.13%), Baltimore City (5.64%), Baltimore County (5.94%), Howard (4.05%), Montgomery (3.22%), and Prince George’s (5.83%) all saw declines in their positivity rates today. Montgomery and Prince George’s are at their lowest levels on record.
 
210+ Testing Sites; Use State-Operated Testing Sites For Faster Turnaround Time. To further increase convenience and accessibility at COVID-19 testing sites, the Maryland Department of Health and local partners are providing patients with the ability to schedule their own appointments online at more sites. State officials strongly advise Marylanders concerned about delays in testing turnaround time to use state-operated testing sites, where the turnaround time is generally as low as 24-48 hours. For more information about testing sites in Maryland, visit covidtest.maryland.gov.

OC Council Approves Relief Package For Homebuilding Aimed At Year-Round Residency

OCEAN CITY — It certainly wasn’t easy, but resort officials this week signed off on an incentive program to encourage more year-round residents to make Ocean City their home by relaxing some of the fees associated with new construction and potentially short-term relief from property taxes.

For the last year or so, the Mayor and Council along with staff have been working on a two-pronged incentive program to encourage year-round residency. The effort began after city officials repeatedly heard from private citizens the cost of building a new home in Ocean City or substantially improving an existing home was disproportionately higher than other neighboring areas.

To that end, Planning and Community Development Director Bill Neville and his staff have spent the last several months developing potential incentive programs to encourage more people to build homes in Ocean City and make the resort their permanent residence. On Monday, Neville presented the final draft of the resolution creating the incentive program to the Mayor and Council for review and approval.

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Pompeo: Time for Free World to Stand Up to China and Change Its Behavior

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered an address at the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California in which he attacked the “old paradigm of blind engagement with China.”

“We must not continue it. We must not return to it,” he said.

Pompeo noted that he had chosen the Nixon Library as the site for his address because of Nixon’s role in reaching out to the People’s Republic of China nearly 50 years ago. Nixon’s hopes for China, Pompeo said, had not been fulfilled.

Worse, he said, China had exploited the U.S. and the rest of the world. “We opened our arms to Chinese citizens, only to see the CCP exploit our free and open society,” he said.

He added: “Hollywood – the epicenter of American creative freedom, and self-appointed arbiters of social justice – self-censors even the most mildly unfavorable reference to China.”

Pompeo also slammed China for taking over American supply chains, and using slave labor to produce exports to the world.

“Perhaps we were naïve about China’s virulent strain of Communism, or triumphalist after the Cold War, or cravenly capitalist, or hoodwinked by Beijing’s talk of a ‘peaceful rise,’” he said.

“Whatever the reason, today China is increasingly authoritarian at home, and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom abroad.”

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General Public Will Not Be Allowed At WMO’s Host Marina

OCEAN CITY — The 2020 White Marlin Open, now just a little more than a week away, will look different for spectators this year with no general public viewing of the live daily weigh-ins at host Harbour Island.

Last week, White Marlin Open (WMO) officials told the Mayor and Council the “satellite” viewing spot downtown at 3rd Street would be the primary venue with large viewing screens for the daily weigh-ins and family-friendly concessions and vendors.

The intent was to alleviate some of the pressure on the traditional Harbour Island host marina at 14th Street, which is typically crammed with thousands of sportfishing enthusiasts for the nightly weigh-ins. The original plan was to limit the crowd sizes at Harbour Island with a daily wristband program. Last week, WMO officials told the Mayor and Council the goal was to reduce the crowd size at 14th Street to just 25% of what it normally is during marlin week.

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One-third of COVID-19 patients who aren't hospitalized suffer long-term illness, CDC acknowledges

One patient whose symptoms have lingered for months called the report "monumental."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged Friday that a significant number of COVID-19 patients do not recover quickly, and instead experience ongoing symptoms, such as fatigue and cough.

As many as a third of patients who were never sick enough to be hospitalized are not back to their usual health up to three weeks after their diagnosis, the report found.

"COVID-19 can result in prolonged illness even among persons with milder outpatient illness, including young adults," the report's authors wrote.

The acknowledgement is welcome news to patients who call themselves "long-haulers" — suffering from debilitating symptoms weeks and even months after their initial infection.

"This report is monumental for all of us who have been struggling with fear of the unknown, lack of recognition and many times, a lack of belief and proper care from medical professionals during our prolonged recovery from COVID-19," Kate Porter, who is on day 129 of her recovery, wrote in an email to NBC News.


Task Force Discusses Vehicle Impounds, Enhanced Penalties, Sacrifices For Upcoming Pop-Up Rally

OCEAN CITY — More tough talk and the unveiling of some new tools in the enforcement tool box were the focus of the town’s latest motorized special event task force meeting on Thursday.

The motorized special event task force reconvened after a months-long layoff to begin planning for a series of sanctioned and unsanctioned special events this fall. After several troublesome motorized special events a few years back, Ocean City formed the task force – comprised of elected officials, business owners and law enforcement representatives — to begin exploring strategies to address some of the lawlessness and abject bad behavior associated with some of the participants.

Out of those early sessions came the first iteration of legislation that allowed for the creation of a special event zone with increased penalties and other fines. Those early sessions also led to an increased police presence in town during certain special events in partnership with allied law enforcement agencies along with a stronger partnership between the town and its residents and business owners.

Still, those early measures, which did achieve some successes, were not enough as the lawlessness and reckless behavior continued and even worsened in some cases, particularly with the unsanctioned pop-up social media-driven event formally known as H2O International (H2Oi). Most of the agendas and other literature disbursed by the town and the task force still refers to the event as H2Oi. Indeed, the social media pages dedicated to the event refer to it in the same way.

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Stimulus Update: $600 A Week Unemployment Benefits End Today

Unless Congress acts now, the $600 a week unemployment benefitswill end today.

Here’s what you need to know.
Stimulus update: Unemployment benefits expire tomorrow

The $600 a week unemployment benefits are scheduled to end tomorrow. The Cares Act — the $2.2 trillion stimulus package — authorized $600 a week of enhanced unemployment benefits. The Cares Act references July 31, 2020 as the official expiration date of these unemployment benefits, which are also known as Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation. However, the U.S. Labor Department says that states can pay unemployment benefits no later than the week ending one week before July 31, 2020. Since July 31 is not a Saturday or Sunday, this means the week prior becomes the end date of these supplemental benefits, which are paid weekly or bi-weekly ending on a Saturday or Sunday. This means that for all states, except New York, the end date would be today, July 25. New York’s end date would be Sunday, July 26.
Will Congress extend these unemployment benefits?

Congress has several options to address the $600 a week unemployment benefits. Here are 3 potential options:
Option 1: Don’t extend unemployment benefits
Most Popular In: Personal Finance

Update: Next Stimulus Package To Be Released Next Week


Confirmed: Second Stimulus Check Proposal Of $1,200 Per American Earning Up To $75,000


Second Stimulus Check Confirmed In GOP Proposal, But Not $1,200 Amount Or $75,000 Income Cap


Congress could allow the $600 a week unemployment benefits to expire. These enhanced benefits are slated to expire tomorrow, and Congress doesn’t have to extend these supplemental benefits. That said, there is a low likelihood that Congress will completely stop these enhanced employment benefits. Why? More than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits, and Congress doesn’t want to cut off Americans who need financial support most. It’s also an election year, and member of Congress have to answer their constituents, at least some of whom are uemployed.

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HUD Revokes ‘Unworkable’ Obama-era Rule Designed to Diversify the Suburbs

The Trump administration said Thursday that it is revoking an Obama-era housing regulation that was designed to eliminate racial disparities in the suburbs but was deemed “unworkable” in practice.

In a statement, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said the regulation known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, or the AFFH rule, was “unworkable and ultimately a waste of time for localities to comply with.”

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Biden says Trump trying to 'indirectly steal' election by raising doubts about mail-in voting

Biden made similar comments on "The Daily Show" last month

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden this week repeated his concern that President Trump might try to "steal" the 2020 election, citing the president's repeated comments on the reliability of mail-in ballots.

Biden made the remarks Thursday during a virtual fundraiser hosted by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played the first female vice president in the TV show "VEEP."

"This president is going to try to indirectly steal the election by arguing that mail-in ballots don't work. They’re not real. They’re not fair," Biden said.

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-says-trump-trying-to-indirectly-steal-election-by-raising-doubts-about-mail-in-voting

Ignored by the Media and Dr. Fauci: Nearly Twice as Many Children and Young Adults Died from Flu than from China Coronavirus in Past Year

Most US schools have been closed since March due to the Wuhan Coronavirus.

Democrats want to keep the schools closed.
They say its because of coronavirus.
But it’s only because of politics.

So far this year, via the CDC— since February, there have been 226 deaths of children and young adults under age 24 in the United States caused by coronavirus or possibly linked to coronavirus.

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'Walking on eggshells': Stunning number of Americans afraid to voice political views

Members of only one group believe they can express themselves fearlessly

Self-censorship is on the rise according to a new Cato Institute survey that reports nearly two-thirds of Americans are afraid to share their political views.

A new CATO Institute/YouGov national survey found 62% of Americans say the political climate today prevents them from saying what they believe. This is up several points from 2017 when 58% of Americans said they were afraid to share their political beliefs.

“31% of liberals, 30% of moderates and 34% of conservatives are worried their political views could get them fired or harm their career trajectory,” the CATO survey stated.

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Maryland reports 930 new cases of coronavirus — highest number since May 30

Maryland has confirmed 930 new coronavirus cases Friday — the highest daily number since May 30 — as hospitalizations continued to accumulate.

It is Maryland’s 11th straight day of more than 500 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, reaching 81,766 total cases. The figure marks the highest daily increase that the state has seen since May 30, when 1,027 new cases were confirmed.

The state also reported 12 more deaths Friday. The confirmed death toll from the disease or its complications has reached 3,281 since the state began tracking it in March.

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Berlin district reveals school reopening plan

District moves forward with in-person instruction this fall

The Berlin Borough School District Board of Education held its monthly meeting Wednesday, July 22 and addressed its school reopening plan.

During the virtual session, Superintendent Joe Campisi presented the district’s 2020-’21 objectives for the fall and described the difficulties of moving forward as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Gov. Phil Murphy indicated earlier in July that parents can opt to have their child continue remote learning if they fear in-person schooling.

While that right, of course, also extends to parents within Berlin Borough, Campisi said during his presentation that the Berlin Community Schools’ Restart and Reopening Committee, which focused on health and the logistics of returning to school, was able to determine the district can safely bring back all students.

“After a close examination of our building, we have determined that we can bring back 100 percent of students and staff in September for full in-person and on-site teaching and learning,” Campisi said. “But parents, and I can’t stress this enough, do have the option to keep [their] children on remote instruction if they would like.”

Regarding the plan for a return to in-person instruction, Campisi noted the district will utilize all spaces that can be used for instruction, while following numerous health and safety precautions determined by the Restart and Reopening Committee.

“We’re going to utilize every room in the building possible for teaching and learning, which will allow us to spread the student sections out and allow for smaller class sizes, which will help with social distancing,” he added.

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Dough Roller’s Legacy Began, Continues With Family

OCEAN CITY – The Dough Roller founder Bill Gibbs said he always knew he would be a restauranteur.

“I love the restaurant business,” he said. “I love making pizza. I love feeding people. I like the challenge.”

As an Ocean City native, Gibbs spent his adolescent years as a beach boy for the Breakers Hotel. As he rented out umbrellas, chairs and surf mats, visitors would often approach him for dining recommendations.

“People were constantly asking me where to go eat,” he said. “So I’d send them down the Boardwalk.”

At the age of 14, Gibbs began his first restaurant gig serving pizza at a local establishment. By the age of 22, he had bought Jose’s, an old pizza shop on Wicomico Street.

“That was my first store,” he said. “I sold pizza, soda and beer for six or seven years. Then in 1980 I got the opportunity to buy the Breakers Hotel. Having been the beach boy and hearing so many people talk about where to go eat, I thought ‘well, I’ll put a pizza place out front.’”

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China 'orders Christians to destroy crosses on their churches and take down images of Jesus in intensifying crackdown on religion'

Chinese officials have reportedly ordered some Christians to smash the crosses on their churches and remove images of Jesus from their homes.

Authorities have recently destroyed religious symbols by force in churches in multiple provinces, including Anhui, Jiangsu, Hebei and Zhejiang, according to US-based news site Radio Free Asia.

Furthermore, officials of Shanxi, another region, demanded religious images be taken down and replaced with pictures of Communist leaders at the homes of impoverished believers, said independent outlet Bitter Winter.

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Northam signs law allowing undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) -- Governor Ralph Northam held a virtual signing Monday to celebrate the legislation that gives the Department of Motor Vehicles permission to issue driver privilege cards to undocumented immigrants living in Virginia beginning January 1, 2021.

In February, the Virginia Senate passed legislation introduced by Senators Scott Surovell and Jennifer Boysko that would allow immigrants to possess a driver's license "regardless of legal status."

Previously, Virginia law required anyone applying for a driver's license to provide proof of a "legal presence" to show you are legally authorized to be in the country.

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Hogan Administration Announces Open Enrollment for Assisted Housing Relief Program

Will Provide Four-Month Rebate Voucher For Renters Living in State-Financed Properties Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Also Deploying Resources to Local Jurisdictions to Help Prevent EvictionsStatewide Moratorium on Evictions For Tenants Affected By COVID-19 Pandemic, First Enacted on March 16, Remains in Place During State of Emergency
ANNAPOLIS, MDGovernor Larry Hogan today announced open enrollment for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) Assisted Housing Relief Program, which will provide a four-month rent rebate voucher for renters living in DHCD-financed properties who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the first actions I took in response to this unprecedented crisis was prohibiting the eviction of tenants affected by the pandemic during the state of emergency,” said Governor Hogan. “Our administration will continue to do everything we can to help Marylanders weather this storm, get back on their feet, and recover.”
The Assisted Housing Relief Program is intended to help bring rental delinquencies current and provide real relief for tenants through direct payments to their eligible property management company. Tenants in eligible properties will be credited a four-month rent rebate paid directly to the property management company, which will eliminate their rental debt and the threat of eviction. 
The program will include rental units in multifamily projects financed by DHCD’s Community Development Administration using state funds or federal resources, such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, where the unit rent is controlled. 
Eligible Applicants for Assisted Housing Relief Program:
Maryland Eviction Prevention Partnership. In addition to the Assisted Housing Relief Program, DHCD is deploying federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding across all 24 local jurisdictions in Maryland to prevent evictions. ​​​​​The first round of program funding is currently being deployed to local jurisdictions, which will administer the funds to local residents. Landlords and tenants should contact their local jurisdiction for more information, or email DHCD customer service at customerservice.dhcd@maryland.gov. Learn more about the Maryland Eviction Prevention Partnership.
Prohibition on Evictions During State of Emergency. On March 16, Governor Hogan issued an emergency order that prohibits Maryland courts from ordering the eviction of any tenant who can demonstrate that their inability to pay rent was the result of COVID-19—for example, because of lost or reduced employment, or needing to care for a school-aged child—or because they are diagnosed with, or under investigation for, COVID-19. The order remains in place during the state of emergency. The District Court of Maryland has delayed any hearings on failure to pay rent cases until August 31.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know....

What about the employees that risked their lives to service these business owners and customers and ultimately lose their jobs for getting sick.

Epstein floodgates open as judge rules explosive docs detailing Ghislaine Maxwell's sex life can be UNSEALED in Virginia Giuffre's defamation case within a week

A judge today has ordered the unsealing of a vast tranche of documents related toJeffrey Epstein, which could shed light on his friendship with powerful men accused of having sex with his victims.

Judge Loretta Preska said that 80 documents - which will run to hundreds of pages - should be made public within a week.

The documents will include depositions from Ghislaine Maxwell, which could explain her alleged role in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.

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