California adopts nation’s 1st ‘endemic’ virus policy:
Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, walks through rows of boxed Personal protective equipment, PPE, with dignitaries and elected officials. (Watchara Phomicinda/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP)
California Governor Gavin Newson announced on Thursday that his state will be the first US state to formally recognize the coronavirus as an endemic. A disease being endemic means that it is still present in the population, but is made manageable by building immunity. The state is planning to shift towards a more normal existence by setting plans in place which emphasize prevention and quick reaction to potential outbreaks. Republicans have been critical of this with State GOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson calling this move “an extra-large helping of word salad,” though Newsom’s plan does have specific goals set. The plan calls for a stockpiling of 75 million masks and establishing the infrastructure to provide 200,000 vaccines, 500,000 COVID-19 tests per day, and an additional 3,000 medical workers in areas where the virus is surging. This combined with plans to better monitor the virus and keep the public informed regarding ever-evolving precautions will cost the state billions of dollars while being a slow and arduous process.
'People's Convoy' of Truckers Reportedly Heading to DC for Mandate Protest:
American truckers are planning cross-country convoy heading to Washington D.C., with a message: "Government has forgotten its place." (GETTY IMAGES)
Recent COVID-19 protests in Canada have inspired American truck drivers. An American truckers’ protest dubbing itself the “People’s Convoy” is set to depart later this month with an estimated 1,000 US truck drivers. They will be heading toward the capital in response to what they believe to be unconstitutional COVID-19 mandates. Leaders of the protest say they are gathering for an American issue and that they are not far-right or far-left. One of the organizers, Brian Brase, said their purpose is, “...standing up to end the Emergency Powers Act, which ultimately would end the mandates." They want to end the mask and vaccine mandates due to believing that they deprive people of their fundamental rights. The group’s organizers are planning to make updates and release the final route for the protest in coming days.
What John Durham's Court Filing Alleges:
Special Counsel John Durham alleged in a court-filing last week that a Democrat lawyer, Michael Sussmann, shared false data with a federal agency. Sussman claimed that Trump and other officials had used rare Russian-made phones near the White House. The Special Counsel's Office found no support for these allegations. Durham also accused Sussmann of lying to the FBI in 2016 about not working "for any client" while giving purported evidence linking the Trump Organization to a Russian bank. Despite this, the investigation found Sussman to be working for at least two clients. One client is a technology executive at an unnamed internet company and the other is the Clinton campaign. Former President Donald Trump has used this to purport that Clinton’s campaign spied on him, though Durham’s filing did not accuse the campaign of any wrongdoing.
Sources:
California adopts nation’s 1st ‘endemic’ virus policy - AP News
'People's Convoy' of Truckers Reportedly Heading to DC for Mandate Protest - Newsweek