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Ohio Lawmaker Refuses to Wear Mask, Citing God’s Image

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  • Ohio State Rep. Nino Vitale said he is refusing to wear a mask because “people are created in the image and likeness of God” and “that image is seen the most by our face.”
  • Vitale has repeatedly spread dangerous misinformation about the coronavirus, like claiming that people who wear masks are more likely to get sick and sharing conspiracy theories about Bill Gates on his campaign Facebook.
  • Televangelist pastor Andrew Wommack made a similar comment, saying, “We’re supposed to see ourselves in Christ… And I just can’t even picture Jesus wearing a mask as he goes around praying for people.” 

Vitale Mask Remarks

Ohio State Rep. Nino Vitale has said he will not wear a face mask, arguing that the face represents the image of God.

“When we think about the image and likeness of God— that we’re created in the image and likeness of God—when we think of image, do we think of a chest or our legs or our arms? We think of a face,” Vitale said in a video posted to Facebook Monday. “That’s the image of God right there, and I want to see it in my brothers and sisters.”

“This is not the entire world,” the lawmaker wrote in the same post. “This is the greatest nation on earth founded on Judeo-Christian Principles. One of those principles is that we are all created in the image and likeness of God. That image is seen the most by our face. I will not wear a mask.”

Vitale also called on counties to directly ignore the orders of state health officials, and said that stay-at-home orders were based on “fear and propaganda.”

“Every statistical, data driven study done in the last 2 weeks says death counts are low, the models were wrong, and this is more like the flu,” he wrote, without providing evidence.

Other Misinformation Shared by Vitale

Vitale has a long track record of not only downplaying the coronavirus and fighting against quarantine restrictions, but also sharing dangerous misinformation.

Last month, he attended an anti-stay-at-home protest, where he argued that Bill Gates may have created the coronavirus.

“We’ve seen a lot of 5G and Bill Gates together for a long time,” he said. “If you’re paying attention you’ve seen a lot of that. And Bill Gates spends a fortune of his money coming up with a solution to a medical health crisis that I question whether he creates or not or is in on it. I don’t know, I hope no one’s that evil.” 

Around the same time, Vitale posted a conspiracy theory on his campaign Facebook page, writing that Gates “wants to lock us down and profit by charging us for mandatory vaccinations,” and claiming the billionaire “chose not to vaccinate his own kids.”

Shortly after that, Facebook temporarily shut down his page, reportedly because of “suspicious activity.” 

When asked by reporters if he thought it was because of something he posted, Vitale responded, “I mean, there’s some people who posted some pretty awful stuff that I think are much more racist and stuff than I have, I don’t go in for that stuff at all.”

Also on Monday, Vitale told Newsweek that, based on his research, he found that wearing face masks does more harm than good, especially in hospitals.

“The one thing they did notice is the people who wore masks actually got sick more often,” he said, again failing to provide any of the studies he claimed to reference. 

“So by putting a mask on someone, we’re actually putting them at a higher risk. One, because it makes it harder to breathe. If you have any type of lung and diaphragm restriction, you could actually be causing someone’s death sooner.”

Pastor Wommack’s Remarks 

Vitale’s refusal to wear a mask was also echoed in remarks made by televangelist pastor Andrew Wommack in an interview with the Truth & Liberty Coalition earlier this week.

“We’re supposed to see ourselves in Christ, and let this mind be in us which was in Christ. And I just can’t even picture Jesus wearing a mask as he goes around praying for people. It just doesn’t compute for me,” he said. 

Like Vitale, Wommack also has a record of sharing misinformation about the coronavirus.

Last month, he said that many Christians wait until they are sick to start seeking healing from God, adding, “But I think there’s something better than that, and that’s walking in divine health, to where— you know, this is kind of a Star Trek or science fiction kind of way of saying it—  but it’s like you have a force field around you, and no sickness can penetrate that and get to you.” 

“What about the people who are Christians and they love God and yet they’re sick? Even Christian leaders and stuff?” he continued. “Well, I’m not condemning anybody, but I can guarantee you God has provided healing. And if we get sick, it’s not God who failed, it’s me that failed.” 

See what others are saying: (NBC News) (Newsweek) (The Daily Dot)

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Survey and Census Data Shows Record Number of Americans are Struggling Financially

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Americans are choosing not to pursue medical treatment more and more frequently as they encounter money troubles.


A recent federal survey shows that a record number of Americans were worse off financially in 2022 than a year prior.

Coupled with recent census data showing pervasive poverty across much of the country, Americans are forced to make difficult decisions, like foregoing expensive healthcare. 

According to a recent Federal Reserve Bureau survey, 35% of adults say they were worse off in 2022 than 2021, which is the highest share ever recorded since the question was raised in 2014. 

Additionally, half of adults reported their budget was majorly affected by rising prices across the country, and that number is even higher among minority communities and parents living with their children.

According to recent census data, more than 10% of the counties in the U.S. are experiencing persistent poverty, meaning the area has had a poverty rate of 20% or higher between 1989 and 2019. 

16 states report at least 10% of their population living in persistent poverty. But most of the suffering counties were found in the South — which accounts for over half the people living in persistent poverty, despite making up less than 40% of the population. 

These financial realities have placed many Americans in the unfortunate situation of choosing between medical treatment and survival. The Federal Reserve study found that the share of Americans who skipped medical treatment because of the cost has drastically increased since 2020. 

The reflection of this can be found in the overall health of households in different income brackets. 75% of households with an income of $25,000 or less report being in good health – compared to the 91% of households with $100,000 or more income. 

See what others are saying: (Axios) (The Hill) (Federal Reserve)

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Montana Governor Signs TikTok Ban

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The ban will likely face legal challenges before it is officially enacted next year. 


First Statewide Ban of TikTok

Montana became the first state to ban TikTok on Wednesday after Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed legislation aimed at protecting “Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party.”

The ban will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, though the law will likely face a handful of legal challenges before that date. 

Under the law, citizens of the state will not be held liable for using the app, but companies that offer the app on their platforms, like Apple and Google, will face a $10,000 fine per day of violations. TikTok would also be subject to the hefty daily fine. 

Questions remain about how tech companies will practically enforce this law. During a hearing earlier this year, a representative from TechNet said that these platforms don’t have the ability to “geofence” apps by state.

Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics, told the Associated Press that app stores could have the capability to enforce the restriction, but it would be difficult to carry out and there would be a variety of loopholes by tools like VPNs.

Montana’s law comes as U.S. politicians have taken aim at TikTok over its alleged ties to the CCP. Earlier this year, the White House directed federal agencies to remove TikTok from government devices. Conservatives, in particular, have been increasingly working to restrict the app.

“The Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented,” Gov. Gianforte said in a Wednesday statement. 

Criticism of Montana Law

TikTok, however, has repeatedly denied that it gives user data to the government. The company released a statement claiming Montana’s law “infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people” in the state. 

“We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community as we continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana,” the company said. 

The American Civil Liberties Union condemned Montana’s law for similar reasons. 

“This law tramples on our free speech rights under the guise of national security and lays the groundwork for excessive government control over the internet,” the ACLU tweeted. “Elected officials do not have the right to selectively censor entire social media apps based on their country of origin.”

Per the AP, there are 200,000 TikTok users in Montana, and another 6,000 businesses use the platform as well. Lawsuits are expected to be filed against the law in the near future.

See what others are saying: (Associated Press) (Fast Company) (CBS News)

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How a Disney-Loving Former Youth Pastor Landed on The FBI’s “Most Wanted” List

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 “Do what is best, not for yourself, for once. Think about everyone else,” Chris Burns’ 19-year-old son pleaded to his father via The Daily Beast. 


Multi-Million Dollar Scheme 

Former youth pastor turned financial advisor Chris Burns remains at large since going on the run in September of 2020 to avoid a Securities Exchange Commission investigation into his businesses.

Despite his fugitive status, the Justice Department recently indicted Burns with several more charges on top of the $12 million default judgment he received from the SEC. 

Burns allegedly sold false promissory notes to investors across Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida. The SEC claims he told the investors they were participating in a “peer to peer” lending program where businesses that needed capital would borrow money and then repay it with interest as high as 20%. Burns allegedly also reassured investors that the businesses had collateral so the investment was low-risk. 

The SEC says that Burns instead took that money for personal use. 

Burns’ History 

Burns began his adult life as a youth pastor back in 2007 before transitioning into financial planning a few years later.  By 2017, he launched his own radio show, The Chris Burns Show, which was funded by one of his companies, Dynamic Money – where every week Burns would “unpack how this week’s headlines practically impact your life, wallet, and future,” according to the description. He also frequently appeared on television and online, talking about finances and politics. 

The SEC alleges that he used his public appearances to elevate his status as a financial advisor and maximize his reach to investors.

His family told The Daily Beast that he became obsessed with success and he reportedly bought hand-made clothes, a million-dollar lakehouse, a boat, several cars, and took his family on several trips to Disney World. His eldest son and wife said that Burns was paying thousands of dollars a day for VIP tours and once paid for the neighbors to come along. 

Then in September 2020, he reportedly told his wife that he was being investigated by the Securities Exchange Commission but he told her not to worry. 

The day that he was supposed to turn over his business documents to the SEC, he disappeared, telling his wife he was just going to take a trip to North Carolina to tell his parents about the investigation. Then, the car was found abandoned in a parking lot with several cashier’s checks totaling $78,000

FBI’s Most Wanted

The default judgment in the SEC complaint orders Burns, if he’s ever found, to pay $12 million to his victims, as well as over $650,000 in a civil penalty. Additionally, a federal criminal complaint charged him with mail fraud. Burns is currently on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. 

Last week, the Justice Department indicted him on several other charges including 10 counts of wire fraud and two counts of mail fraud. 

“Burns is charged for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from clients in an illegal investment fraud scheme,” Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a statement to The Daily Beast. “Financial crimes of this nature can cause significant disruptions to the lives of those who are victimized, and the FBI is dedicated to holding these criminals accountable.”

His family maintains that they knew nothing of Burns’ schemes. His wife reportedly returned over $300,000 that he had given to her. 

She and their eldest son, who is now 19, told The Daily Beast they just want Burns to turn himself in, take responsibility for his actions, and try to help the people he hurt. 

“Do what is best, not for yourself, for once. Think about everyone else,” Burns’ son said in a message to his father via The Daily Beast. 

See what others are saying: (The Daily Beast) (Fox 5) (Wealth Management)

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