Covidiots

Forbes reports: If the Lee County Republican Party has their way, the state of Florida will be banning the use of Covid-19 vaccines. Yes, you heard that correctly. Based on a majority vote, the Party has passed a so-called “Ban the jab” resolution that will now go to the desk of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) for his consideration. And …

Politico reports: The Florida Department of Health’s inspector general last fall investigated Joseph Ladapo, the state’s surgeon general, after the agency received an anonymous complaint alleging he falsified a report focusing on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines for young men. Among other things, the complainant alleged Ladapo committed “scientific fraud” and “manipulated data” in a report that Ladapo later used …

Politico reports: Donald Trump faces a dilemma just months into his third run for president: Two of his most important achievements from the White House have become politically complicated or just plain too hot to touch. Operation Warp Speed, the public-private partnership that developed a coronavirus vaccine in record time and which Trump once called a “miracle,” has become vilified …

Portland’s NPR affiliate reports: A Portland-area woman convicted of assaulting a Eugene cookie shop owner has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison. Today, Lane County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Morgan sentenced 46-year-old Amy Verlee Hall of Gresham to 46 months after a 12-member jury found her guilty of assault, criminal trespass, harassment, burglary, and disorderly conduct on Jan. …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: The Florida Department of Health fined TV station WESH-Channel 2 in Orlando $10,000 for barring a GOP candidate and a staffer from a debate because of the station’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement. The agency sent a letter to the station on Monday informing it of the fine. According to the DOH, GOP congressional candidate Scotty Moore and …

Via press release: Today, the Zelenko Freedom Foundation announced that Charlie Kirk will serve as keynote speaker for the inaugural gala – honoring the memory of Dr. Vladimir “Zev” Zelenko – on March 11th 2023 at the Trump Doral in Miami, Florida. Regarding the announcement, Ann Vandersteel and Kevin Jenkins, Co-Chairs of the Zelenko Freedom Foundation, issued the following statement: …

The Hill reports: The measure, introduced by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), calls for stopping the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary from enforcing workplace regulations and standards enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic — including the vaccine mandate — at Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities. The legislation, titled The Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, passed in a 227-203 vote, with seven …

The Associated Press reports: A former Russian Orthodox monk, who denied that the coronavirus existed and defied the Kremlin, was handed a seven-year prison sentence Friday. Nikolai Romanov, 67, who was known as Father Sergiy until his excommunication by the Russian Orthodox Church, urged his followers to disobey the Russian government’s lockdown measures and spread conspiracy theories about a global …

Leicester Live reports: Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen is to sue Matt Hancock for £100,000 over a row about Covid-19 vaccines. It comes after the former health secretary accused Mr Bridgen of sharing “anti-Semitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories” in a post on Twitter. Mr Bridgen recently lost the Conservative party whip for “crossing the line” and “causing great offence” when criticising …

Axios reports: Several House Republicans are declining invitations to attend a White House reception for freshman House members on Tuesday evening in protest of the event’s COVID rules. “I am forgoing a historic trip to the White House to raise awareness of this punitive policy in hopes that President Biden will reverse it and other arbitrary, outdated, and unscientific restrictions …

The Christian Post reports: The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from the Daystar Television Network, which is suing Vimeo over the website’s decision to remove multiple anti-vaccine videos uploaded by the Christian ministry. In an orders list released Monday morning, the high court denied certiorari without comment in the case of Word of God Fellowship v. Vimeo, Inc. …

The Daily Mail reports: The memorial for Lynette ‘Diamond’ Hardaway, half of the pro-Trump vlogging duo ‘Diamond and Silk,’ took a dark turn on Saturday as her sister, Rochelle ‘Silk’ Richardson, detailed the late 51-year-old’s final moments and alluded to a nefarious poisoning plot she claims caused her death. “Instead of asking if Americans are vaxxed or unvaxxed, the real …

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: DeSantis said he’s seeking to protect Florida from what he calls the “biomedical security state,” denouncing groups like the Centers for Disease Control and Biden administration for their pandemic protection efforts. “When the world lost its mind, Florida was a refuge of sanity, serving strongly as freedom’s linchpin,” DeSantis said. “These measures will ensure Florida remains …

Newsweek reports: Former President Donald Trump has dismissed claims that COVID-19 vaccines are broadly unsafe while asserting that his own role in the development of the vaccines may have saved 100 million lives. Trump touted the effectiveness of Operation Warp Speed, his administration’s program to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, during a Monday interview on the conservative …

The Hill reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) petition for a grand jury investigation into COVID-19 vaccines, in which he decries the ongoing vaccine campaign as “propaganda” by the Biden administration, is drawing fierce criticism from health experts. Physicians and public health experts say his request betrays decades of established procedure designed to ensure the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, and only serves to stoke further immunization fears. …

Politico reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to continue wielding his political influence in school board races across the state after his campaign helped two dozen conservative candidates win during this year’s midterm elections. The Republican governor this week said he intends to flip more local seats from liberal to conservative-leaning education officials, taking aim at boards in areas such …

Vice News reports: People who refused to get the COVID vaccine are far more likely to get into a traffic crash requiring hospitalization, a recently published study found, adding evidence to the theory that anti-vaxxers often demonstrate other kinds of dangerous antisocial behavior. The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, looked at data from more than 11.2 million …

The Daily Beast reports: With a dystopian backdrop of Zoom attendees and surrounded by anti-vax academics and state health officials, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis used a Tuesday roundtable discussion to call on Florida’s Supreme Court to impanel a grand jury to investigate alleged vaccine “misconduct” in the state. “Today, I’m announcing a petition with the Supreme Court of Florida to …

ProPublica reports: In a victory for public health advocates, a federal judge in Montana has blocked the state from implementing a law that would make it illegal for hospitals to ask employees if they are vaccinated. The measure, which passed last year, was the country’s most extreme anti-vaccination law. Health care providers in Montana had sued the state over the …

The Hill reports: Anthony Fauci in an interview with the BBC blasted the “cowardly” internet trolls who harass his wife and children, saying it’s a part of the backlash he’s experienced over the COVID-19 pandemic. “These people who troll about, they harass my wife and my children because they can figure out where they live and what their phone number …