U.S.
20 States Hold Protests to Reopen the Economy, Many Governors Want More Testing First
Published
3 years agoon
By
Cory Ray
- Following a handful of protests last week, demonstrators in 20 states held protests calling for leaders to reopen the economy and put employees back to work.
- At one Colorado demonstration, two medical workers blocked lines of protesters in vehicles from approaching the state capital.
- President Donald has issued support for these protesters, saying that some states’ governors have gone too far with stay-at-home orders.
- Governors, in turn, have criticized and urged the Trump Administration to provide more testing materials so they can accurately gauge if they can start to reopen their economies.
Medical Workers Standoff With Colorado Protests
Demonstrators in multiple states held protests against state stay-at-home orders over the weekend, and in some cases, there were met with counter-protesters.
Such was the case in Denver, where two medical workers stood at a crosswalk and blocked lines of vehicles filled with protesters aiming to clog the city streets around Colorado’s capital.
“This is a free country!” one woman shouted at one of the medical workers as he stood in front of her truck. “Go to China if you want Communism! Go to China! You can go to work, why can’t I go to work?”
Two nurses, who have witnessed first hand the toll Covid is taking in Colorado, stood up and peacefully counter protested. Here is how they were treated. I had join them. pic.twitter.com/iJnNcqZxSv
— Marc Zenn (@MarcZenn) April 19, 2020
That specific interaction later went viral, and “go to China” trended on Twitter Monday morning.
Colorado’s protest invoked the same name used in similar protest in Michigan last week: Operation Gridlock. In these protests, designed to literally gridlock the streets around state capitol buildings, demonstrators have called for an end to lockdown measures and for nonessential businesses to reopen.
Since Michigan and a handful of other smaller state protests last week, at least 20 states have held gatherings aimed at relaxing coronavirus-related measures, including Texas, Maryland, Minnesota, Virgina, Tennessee, and Arizona.
Like in Michigan, a lot of people remained in their cars, socially distancing themselves from others; however, others also left their cars and marched in crowds, disregarding social distancing orders.
The Reopen Maryland protest is gathering by car rather than on foot. Lots of horns and heckling pic.twitter.com/To05wkiozn
— Lilly Price (@lillianmprice) April 18, 2020
State troopers estimate that today's protest in Olympia drew 2,500 people.
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) April 19, 2020
Few masks, minimal social distancing.
A leader just likened attendees to the minutemen. The event was touted as being on the anniversary of the "shot heard round the world."https://t.co/IBNmEjkqfP pic.twitter.com/Cpo6MwifPH
In Texas, footage shows small children participating in such marches and even parents carrying infants. At that march, which was held on Saturday, protesters at times chanted, “Let us work!” and “Fire Fauci!”
“I think about the fear that was instilled in me from the initial shock of the outbreak, and it was too much,” protester Nathanael Curling told the Austin American-Statesman. “I don’t even get sick hardly anyways. I’m not going to catch the virus. I’m not rubbing up on people, coughing on people in public. You know, I’m not worried about transmitting a virus that’s just like another flu.”
Health experts have repeatedly told people that this virus isn’t like the seasonal flu. This is because not only is this virus completely new and therefore easily spread, there also is no vaccine at the moment.
Many people, however, are growing increasingly frustrated after losing their jobs or being furloughed until restrictions ease. For a lot of them, that means not being able to pay this month’s rent or other bills. As of Thursday, 22 million people have lost their jobs, wiping out a decade of job gains in the matter of a month.
But like Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has argued, protests like this might only cause stay-at-home orders to be extended if cities or states experience spikes afterward.
Trump Supports Protesters
Despite his current issue of a stay-at-home recommendation until April 30, President Donald Trump appeared to support protesters on Friday.
In the first of a series of tweets, he called to “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” Following that, Trump tweeted similar messages for Michigan and Virginia.
LIBERATE MINNESOTA!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
LIBERATE MICHIGAN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
The president’s seeming support for such protests was met with intense criticism from Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D), who said the president’s tweets had the potential to incite violence.
“The president’s statements this morning encourage illegal and dangerous acts,” Inslee said “He is putting millions of people in danger of contracting COVID-19. His unhinged rantings and calls for people to “liberate” states could also lead to violence. We’ve seen it before.”
“The president is fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies – even while his own administration says the virus is real, it is deadly and we have a long way to go before restrictions can be lifted,” he added.
The president is fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies – even while his own administration says the virus is real, it is deadly and we have a long way to go before restrictions can be lifted. 2/7
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) April 17, 2020
On Sunday, at the direction of a reporter, Trump was sympathetic to those protesters’ cause and falsely said that all demonstrators had maintained social distancing.
“If people feel that way, you’re allowed to protest,” he said. “I mean, they feel that way. I watched the protest, and they were all six feet apart. I mean, it was a very orderly group of people, but you know, some have gone too far. Some governors have gone too far. Some of the things that have happened are maybe not so appropriate, and I think in the end, it’s not going to matter because we’re starting to open up our states, and I think they’re going to open up very well.
States Begin to Reopen
In fact, some states have already begun to issue preliminary rollbacks on closures.
Notably, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) gave the green light for some cities and counties to reopen beaches with restricted hours. While people aren’t allowed to sunbathe, they can still walk, swim and even fish. Once those beaches were opened on Saturday people flocked. In Jacksonville, aerial footage shows the beach flooded with visitors.
DeSantis’ move has also received some pushback because the same day, Florida recorded a record number of cases with 1,400 within 24 hours.
In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz (D) signed an executive order reopening outdoor recreational businesses like golf courses and bait shops.
On Saturday, New York, Connectiticut, and New Jersey announced they would begin reopening marinas and boatyards.
Texas is also expected to lift some restrictions later this week by allowing what Governor Greb Abbott (R) calls “retail to-go,” which allows nonessential businesses to deliver or have customers pick up merchandise, though customers won’t be allowed to shop in store.
Trump and Governors Spar Over Testing
Still, things are moving slowly, and even with some of these reopenings, governors have criticized Trump for not doing enough to help states when it comes to testing. That includes providing equipment like swabs, reagents, and other chemical solutions required to run tests.
The U.S. has been averaging about 146,000 tests a day, but state officials and public health experts have argued that number needs to be in the several hundred thousand or even millions each day. Last week, researchers at Harvard estimated that, in order to ease restrictions, testing needed to triple its current pace of testing.
At the same time, though, Trump has said that governors are responsible for testing, also saying, “The United States has the most robust, advanced, and accurate testing system in anywhere in the world.”
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) later pushed back against those claims on CNN, saying, “To try to push this off to say that the governors have plenty of testing, and they should just get to work on testing, somehow we aren’t doing our job, is just absolutely false.“
“Every governor in America has been pushing and fighting and clawing to get more tests, not only from the federal government, but from every private lab in America and from all across the world,” he added.
Virginia Governor and physician Ralph Northam (D) also criticized Trump’s response on CNN.
“We’ve been fighting for testing,” he said. “It’s not a straightforward test. We don’t even have enough swabs, believe it or not. And we’re ramping that up. But for the national level to say we have what we need, and really to have no guidance to the state levels is just irresponsible because we’re not there yet.”
Others like Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) have argued that only the federal government has the decision to tell the FDA to prioritize companies that are“putting a slightly different formula together.”
DeWine went on to say that if the FDA would do that, he could probably double or even triple testing in Ohio.
Following concerns like that, Trump announced Sunday that the federal government was preparing millions of more swabs, though he stopped short of saying he would provide reagents.
“We also are going to be using, and we’re preparing to use the Defense Production Act to increase swab production in one U.S. facility by over 20 million additional swabs per month,” Trump said. “We’ve had a little difficulty with one. So we’re going to call in — as we have in the past, as you know, we’re calling in the Defense Production Act, and we’ll be getting swabs very easily. Swabs are easy.”
“We have millions coming in,” Trump later added while defending himself and hitting back against critical governors. “They’re very easy. In all fairness, governors could get them themselves. But we are going to do it. We’ll work with the governors and if they can’t do it we’ll do it.”
On Monday morning, Trump accused Democratic governors of playing “a very dangerous political game.”
See what others are saying: (NBC News) (CNN) (The Hill)
U.S.
White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds
Published
2 weeks agoon
March 9, 2023
“We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.
White supremacist propaganda in the U.S. reached record levels in 2022, according to a report published Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center of Extremism.
The ADL found over 6,700 cases of white supremacist propaganda in 2022, which marks a 38% jump from the nearly 4,900 cases the group found in 2021. It also represents the highest number of incidents ever recorded by the ADL.
The propaganda tallied by the anti-hate organization includes the distribution of racist, antisemitic, and homophobic flyers, banners, graffiti, and more. This propaganda has spread substantially since 2018, when the ADL found just over 1,200 incidents.
“There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans with their propaganda,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash.”
There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans with their propaganda. We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash. More from @ADL experts. https://t.co/5E1ViE7H18
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) March 9, 2023
The report found that there were at least 50 white supremacist groups behind the spread of propaganda in 2022, but 93% of it came from just three groups. One of those groups was also responsible for 43% of the white supremacist events that took place last year.
White supremacist events saw a startling uptick of their own, with the ADL documenting at least 167, a 55% jump from 2021.
Propaganda was found in every U.S. state except for Hawaii, and events were documented in 33 states, most heavily in Massachusetts, California, Ohio, and Florida.
“The sheer volume of white supremacist propaganda distributions we are documenting around the country is alarming and dangerous,” Oren Segal, Vice President of the ADL’s Center on Extremism said in a statement. “Hardly a day goes by without communities being targeted by these coordinated, hateful actions, which are designed to sow anxiety and create fear.”
“We need a whole-of-society approach to combat this activity, including elected officials, community leaders, and people of good faith coming together and condemning this activity forcefully,” Segal continued.
See what others are saying: (Axios) (The Hill) (The New York Times)
Business
Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades
Published
2 weeks agoon
March 8, 2023By
Star Pralle
Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company.
Yeezy Surplus
Adidas’ split with musician Kanye West has left the company with financial problems due to surplus Yeezy products, putting the sportswear giant in the position to potentially suffer its first annual loss in over 30 years.
Adidas dropped West last year after he made a series of antisemitic remarks on social media and other broadcasts. His Yeezy line was a staple for Adidas, and the surplus product is due, in part, to the brand’s own decision to continue production during the split.
According to CEO Bjorn Gulden, Adidas continued production of only the items already in the pipeline to prevent thousands of people from losing their jobs. However, that has led to the unfortunate overabundance of Yeezy sneakers and clothes.
On Wednesday, Gulden said that selling the shoes and donating the proceeds makes more sense than giving them away due to the Yeezy resale market — which has reportedly shot up 30% since October.
“If we sell it, I promise that the people who have been hurt by this will also get something good out of this,” Gulden said in a statement to the press.
However, Gulden also said that West is entitled to a portion of the proceeds of the sale of Yeezys per his royalty agreement.
The Numbers
Adidas announced in February that, following its divergence from West, it is facing potential sales losses totaling around $1.2 billion and profit losses of around $500 million.
If it decides to not sell any more Yeezy products, Adidas is facing a projected annual loss of over $700 million.
Outside of West, Adidas has taken several heavy profit blows recently. Its operating profit reportedly fell by 66% last year, a total of more than $700 million. It also pulled out of Russia after the country’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which cost Adidas nearly $60 million dollars. Additionally, China’s “Zero Covid” lockdowns last year caused in part a 36% drop in revenue for Adidas compared to years prior.
As a step towards a solution, Gulden announced that the company is slashing its dividends from 3.30 euros to 0.70 euro cents per share pending shareholder approval.
Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company.
“Adidas has all the ingredients to be successful. But we need to put our focus back on our core: product, consumers, retail partners, and athletes,” Gulden said. “I am convinced that over time we will make Adidas shine again. But we need some time.”
See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (The New York Times) (CNN)
U.S.
Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages
Published
2 weeks agoon
March 7, 2023By
Star Pralle
98% of nursing homes in the United States are experiencing difficulty hiring staff.
The Labor Crisis
A recent National Bureau of Economic Research paper has offered up a solution to the nursing home labor shortage: immigration.
According to a 2022 American Health Care Association survey, six in ten nursing homes are limiting new patients due to staffing issues. The survey also says that 87% of nursing homes have staffing shortages and 98% are experiencing difficulty hiring.
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) outlined in their paper that increased immigration could help solve the labor shortage in nursing homes. Immigrants make up 19% of nursing home workers.
With every 10% increase in female immigration, nursing assistant hours go up by 0.7% and registered nursing hours go up by 1.1% And with that same immigration increase, short-term hospitalizations of nursing home residents go down by 0.6%.
The Solution
Additionally, the State Department issued 145% more EB-3 documents, which are employment-based visas, for healthcare workers in the 2022 fiscal year than in 2019, suggesting that more people are coming to the U.S. to work in health care.
However, according to Skilled Nursing News, in August of 2022, the approval process from beginning to end for an RN can take between seven to nine months.
Displeasure about immigration has exploded since Pres. Joe Biden took office in 2021. According to a Gallup study published in February, around 40% of American adults want to see immigration decrease. That is a steep jump from 19% in 2021, and it is the highest the figure has been since 2016.
However, more than half of Democrats still are satisfied with immigration and want to see it increased. But with a divided Congress, the likelihood of any substantial immigration change happening is pretty slim.
See what others are saying: (Axios) (KHN) (Skilled Nursing News)

TikTok to Require Labels on Manipulated Media, Ban Deepfakes of Children

White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds

Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades

U.S. Intel Suggests Pro-Ukraine Group Sabotaged Nord Stream Pipeline

White House Endorses Bipartisan Senate Bill That Could Ban TikTok

Twitch Tightens Policies on Explicit Deepfakes

Elon Musk Bashes Disabled Ex-Twitter Employee, Gets Blowback

Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages

Fans Defend Pedro Pascal After Actor Refused to Read Thirst Tweets: “It’s Sexual Harassment”

Another Norfolk Southern Train Derailed in Ohio, Reportedly Without Hazardous Chemicals

Conservatives Pledge to #BoycottHershey After International Women’s Day Campaign Featured a Trans Woman

Influencer Coconut Kitty Accused of Editing Nude and Suggestive Photos To Make Herself Look Underage

Dixie D’Amelio Responds to Rumors That She Faked Seizures to Get Out of Class

Joe Rogan Denies Spotify Censorship Rumors, According to Alex Jones

Netflix Apologizes and Changes Marketing Materials for “Cuties” After Backlash

Conservatives Slam Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Over “WAP” Lyrics

Corinna Kopf Accused of Scamming Fans With OnlyFans Launch

Lil Nas X and Bella Poarch May Have Abandoned Plans To Participate In TikTok NFT Program

Influencers Exposed for Posting Fake Private Jet Photos

Belle Delphine Calls Out YouTube for Double Standards After It Terminated Her Channel

Tana Mongeau’s “Booty for Biden” Promotion Sparks Legal Concerns

Instagram Head Says Scammer, Not Facebook Employee, May Have Asked Julia Rose for $65K To Restore Her Accounts

Why The Internet Is Freaking Out About The Cringiest Man On The Internet & Today’s News

“She Is Evil!” What Addison Rae Religious Backlash Reveals, Joe Rogan, Jake Paul, Teacher Shortage

Alex Jones Was Just Exposed BY HIS OWN LAWYERS! lol WOW! Beyonce Backlash, GenZ Debt, & Today’s News

These Ninja Scamming Accusations Expose A Growing Problem & How Spiders Are Causing Massive Fires

The Problem With Will Smith’s Apology Video & Taylor Swift Climate Backlash, Taiwan, & Today’s News

PewDiePie Backlash Grows After Mocking Deaf TikToker, Jon Stewart Unloads on Cruel Cowards, & More

Leave Shawn Mendes Alone You Weirdos! He’s Not The One You Should Be Angry At… (And Today’s News)

The Logan Paul, Nope, Pink Sauce Backlash Really Exposed 4 Key Things…

Why Dave Chappelle Can’t Get Cancelled…Even After He Gets Cancelled & What FaZe Clan’s Flop Exposes

Get These People Off TV If They’re Going To Be This Dumb! Plus AOC Arrested, Student Loans, & More

HE IS A DRUGGED-OUT MAN BABY! Why People Are Talking About Joe Rogan, Zack Snyder, Climate Change, &

YouTube To Allow Multi-Language Audio Dubs For Thousands of Creators

Conservatives Pledge to #BoycottHershey After International Women’s Day Campaign Featured a Trans Woman

Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages

Elon Musk Bashes Disabled Ex-Twitter Employee, Gets Blowback

Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades

U.S. Intel Suggests Pro-Ukraine Group Sabotaged Nord Stream Pipeline

What You Need to Know About Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Race — The Most Important Election in 2023

Fans Defend Pedro Pascal After Actor Refused to Read Thirst Tweets: “It’s Sexual Harassment”

Another Norfolk Southern Train Derailed in Ohio, Reportedly Without Hazardous Chemicals

White House Endorses Bipartisan Senate Bill That Could Ban TikTok

Twitch Tightens Policies on Explicit Deepfakes

TikTok to Require Labels on Manipulated Media, Ban Deepfakes of Children

White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds

Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades

U.S. Intel Suggests Pro-Ukraine Group Sabotaged Nord Stream Pipeline

White House Endorses Bipartisan Senate Bill That Could Ban TikTok

Twitch Tightens Policies on Explicit Deepfakes

Elon Musk Bashes Disabled Ex-Twitter Employee, Gets Blowback

Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages

Fans Defend Pedro Pascal After Actor Refused to Read Thirst Tweets: “It’s Sexual Harassment”

Another Norfolk Southern Train Derailed in Ohio, Reportedly Without Hazardous Chemicals

Conservatives Pledge to #BoycottHershey After International Women’s Day Campaign Featured a Trans Woman

Why The Internet Is Freaking Out About The Cringiest Man On The Internet & Today’s News

“She Is Evil!” What Addison Rae Religious Backlash Reveals, Joe Rogan, Jake Paul, Teacher Shortage

Alex Jones Was Just Exposed BY HIS OWN LAWYERS! lol WOW! Beyonce Backlash, GenZ Debt, & Today’s News

These Ninja Scamming Accusations Expose A Growing Problem & How Spiders Are Causing Massive Fires

The Problem With Will Smith’s Apology Video & Taylor Swift Climate Backlash, Taiwan, & Today’s News

PewDiePie Backlash Grows After Mocking Deaf TikToker, Jon Stewart Unloads on Cruel Cowards, & More

Leave Shawn Mendes Alone You Weirdos! He’s Not The One You Should Be Angry At… (And Today’s News)

The Logan Paul, Nope, Pink Sauce Backlash Really Exposed 4 Key Things…

Why Dave Chappelle Can’t Get Cancelled…Even After He Gets Cancelled & What FaZe Clan’s Flop Exposes

Get These People Off TV If They’re Going To Be This Dumb! Plus AOC Arrested, Student Loans, & More
