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ATLANTA, Ga. - The Georgia secretary of state’s office has determined Fulton County used improper procedures during its 2020 presidential election recount.

During a Georgia state elections board meeting on Tuesday, Charlene McGowan, general counsel for the secretary of state’s office, said, “The conclusion of this investigation ... is that Fulton County used improper procedures during the recount of the presidential contest in 2020.”

McGowan stressed the investigation’s outcome doesn’t change the election’s overall outcome, an election that saw Joe Biden become the first Democrat since 1992 to carry any deep Southern state on his way to ousting his Oval Office predecessor, Donald Trump.

“This investigation confirmed what we already knew,” McGowan said. “There is nothing we have learned that is new from this investigation.” Click here to read more.

 

BOSTON, MASS — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced that faculty candidates will no longer be asked to provide diversity statements during the application process.

Before the switch, which was announced on Monday, faculty candidates were required to “explain how they would enhance the university’s commitment to diversity,” according to the New York Times. “Such statements have become enshrined in faculty hiring at many elite public and private universities, as well as in corporate life. Academics have defended them as necessary in judging whether a faculty member can reach out to an increasingly diverse student body,” added the Times.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth said such statements were just compelled speech and did not help the university achieve its goal of excellence. Click here to read more.

 

MIDLAND, Mich - Vice President Kamala Harris told a crowd in Detroit during a May 6 campaign stop that Michigan is “killing it in terms of jobs, job creation,” according to MIRS News.

Harris made the comment after encouraging people to apply for fellowships at the U.S. Department of Energy, citing the auto industry’s move to electric vehicles.

Michigan lost 4,200 auto and auto parts manufacturing jobs in the past year, a 2.5% decline, said James Hohman, director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. The rest of the country added 46,500 auto and auto parts jobs, for a 5.4% increase over the same period, he added. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - NEW YORK (AP) — All dogs coming into the U.S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies, according to new government rules published Wednesday.

The new rules require vaccination for dogs that have been in countries where rabies is common. The update applies to dogs brought in by breeders or rescue groups as well as pets traveling with their U.S. owners.

This new regulation is going to address the current challenges that we're facing," said Emily Pieracci, a rabies expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who was involved in drafting the updated regulations.

The CDC posted the new rules in the federal register on Wednesday. They take effect Aug. 1 when a temporary 2021 order expires. That order suspended bringing in dogs from more than 100 countries where rabies is still a problem. Click here to read more.

 

MADISON, WI - An eighth-grade Wisconsinite is being hailed as a hero after grabbing hold of the wheel of his school bus after the driver lost consciousness.

His heroics have earned him plaudits from the mayor’s office, city council, fire and rescue, and the police department, and the young man has said the incident has made him feel more confident.

It started when Acie Holland III boarded his school bus as per his normal routine in April. He joked with the bus driver for a moment, then she put on some headphones, and the bus rumbled off. The new rules require all dogs entering the U.S. to be at least 6 months, old enough to be vaccinated if required and for the shots to take effect; have a microchip placed under their skin with a code that can be used to verify rabies vaccination; and have completed a new CDC import form. Click here to read more.

Please support my independent journalism by making sure I can send this free newsletter every morning. It’s $5 a month, and you can quit at any time. I walked away from a high-paying job in the MSM to go independent. If you haven’t already done so, please do so.

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CHICAGO, IL - Chicago Public Schools saw violent crime increase 26% in 2023 and arrests hit a record low of 8%. Now thanks to pressure from the Chicago Teachers Union and Mayor Brandon Johnson, police are being removed from schools.

Violent crimes were up 26% last year in Chicago Public Schools – hitting the total seen before the pandemic combined with Chicago Teachers Union actions put students out of classes for over a year.

But another development in 2023 is especially disturbing because CTU and Mayor Brandon Johnson, an ex-CTU employee, succeeding in getting the last members of the Chicago Police Department booted from the few schools where they remained. With 224 violent crimes in schools last year, only 18 arrests were made – a record low rate. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - The Boy Scouts of America is changing its 114-year-old name, according to a statement from the tech sector CEO who runs the fabled organization, in what seems to be a bid to deny the reality that boys are different from girls.

The new sexually-neutral name –“Scouting America” — will send “a really strong message to everyone in America that they can come to this program, they can bring their authentic self,” said Roger Krone, the organization’s president and CEO.

Krone’s “authentic self” phrase matches language used by transgender activists who oppose the public recognition that boys and girls, women and men, have different needs and desires. The pro-transgender activists insist that young children can create their individual sexual persona and “gender,” regardless of their male or female nature. Click link to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - A new report from the World Bank called for resources to be allocated away from producing red meat and dairy to focus production on low-carbon foods, which could lead to an increase in prices for some foods. 

In a new paper, the World Bank noted wealthy nations should switch from high production of red meat and dairy, which produce high levels of carbon dioxide and are dangerous for accelerating climate change, to producing more foods such as chicken, fruits, and vegetables. It argued the switch to chicken and plant-based production is one of the more cost-effective ways to curb climate change. Click here to read more.

 

SEATTLE, WASH — A few dozen people remain at an encampment for asylum seekers and refugees at a Seattle park where officials have now posted notices advising the area will be cleared later this week.

According to the signs at Powell Barnett Park, people who are camping there have to remove their belongings by Thursday morning or they will be cleared by the city.

Around 200 people had been staying in the park since last week when funding ran out for the Kent hotel where they were living.

On Monday, city crews helped dozens of migrants from the encampment to move back to the Quality Inn on Wheeler Road in Kent. The Seattle mayor's office confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the city is funding the migrants' hotel stay through June 30. Click here to read more.

 

LANSING, Mich - Michiganders could soon learn if the state’s concealed gun law violates the U.S. Constitution.

“Even if you’re not concerned about gun rights, I think we’re all concerned with how the U.S. Constitution gets interpreted,” attorney Roland Lindh told WEMU.

Lindh is representing Kimberly Erin Langston, who filed an application on Monday to appeal a decision by the Michigan Court of Appeals last month that found the state’s concealed gun law comports with U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Constitution.

Langston is charged with illegally carrying a concealed weapon in her purse without a permit as a passenger during a traffic stop in South Haven in April 2023. Langston moved to dismiss the case based on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v Bruen, which found the government must demonstrate that a regulation is consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation, Bloomberg Law reports. Click here to read more.

LANSING, Mich. — Dr. Tim Boring, Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), has issued a comprehensive emergency order. The directive, titled “HPAI Risk Reduction Response Order,” takes effect on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, and introduces stringent biosecurity measures for all dairy and commercial poultry operations across Michigan.

The order outlines several mandatory actions, including the appointment of biosecurity managers and the establishment of secure perimeters around facilities to control access. Enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols at these access points are required, along with detailed logging of all entries and exits by vehicles and personnel.

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In an effort to curb the spread of the virus, the order also places strict restrictions on the exhibition of animals. It prohibits the display of lactating dairy cattle and all poultry until the state confirms no new cases of HPAI for 60 and 30 consecutive days, respectively.

“This national HPAI outbreak must be a top priority for all who work in agriculture,” stated Director Boring. “We’re taking aggressive action to protect both animal and public health and to help reduce the further spread of HPAI in Michigan.”

Click here to read the entire order.

State Veterinarian Dr. Nora Wineland and other officials emphasized the necessity of these measures to prevent the virus from reaching vulnerable animal populations. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Hertel, Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, reassured the public about the safety of the state’s dairy products. “Recent testing by the Food and Drug Administration has shown that consuming pasteurized dairy remains safe,” she confirmed.

The commercial milk supply remains unaffected thanks to rigorous health regulations and pasteurization standards, ensuring that there is no increased risk to consumer health.

The Michigan Allied Poultry Industries and the Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions have expressed strong support for the MDARD’s leadership during this crisis. They anticipate that the biosecurity measures will not only safeguard animal health but also allow poultry exhibitors to return to fair activities once the situation improves.

CDC and state and local health departments monitor people exposed to infected cattle for 10 days after exposure.  Between March 2024 and now, there have been

• At least 220 people monitored

• At least 30 persons tested for novel influenza A

• One case of avian influenza A(H5N1) was identified

At a briefing last week, government health officials said they are preparing for a potential scenario of H5N1 jumping from animal to person — or person to person. The virus has taken off in dairy cows, infecting at least 36 herds across nine states, raising concerns that it could acquire mutations that would make it easier to spill over into humans.

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Studies “suggest that the vaccines will offer good cross-protection against cattle outbreak viruses,” Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on the call Wednesday.

Both of the vaccine candidates are already in the nation’s stockpile in limited quantities, officials said in a previous interview. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said Wednesday that it is testing blood samples from people previously vaccinated with an influenza vaccine to see if it generates an immune response, although it didn’t say which vaccine

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