Author: J.P. Knowles

A Stanford doctor laid out Wednesday what he says is Dr. Anthony Fauci’s “playbook” for silencing anyone who goes against “official” COVID-19 information.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford School of Medicine, argues that Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins try to “create a false impression of scientific consensus on COVID policy” by labeling scientists “who disagree ‘fringe.’”

“They deploy big tech misinformation hordes to suppress opposing thoughts,” Bhattacharya said.

“They deploy press propagandists & scientist allies to smear and takedown opponents” and they “reward allies with large grants.”

In a recent op-ed for Newsweek, Bhattacharya explained in detail the “playbook,” noting how during October 2020 when the Great Barrington Declaration “criticized Fauci’s lockdown strategy,” Collins, “a geneticist with little public health experience – wrote an email to Fauci suggesting a ‘take down’ of the declaration, and characterizing its Harvard, Oxford and Stanford authors as ‘fringe epidemiologists.’”

A copy of the email which was obtained by the American Institute for Economic Research through a Freedom of Information Act request, showed Collins telling Fauci that the declaration “seems to be getting a lot of attention — and even a co-signature from Nobel Prize winner Mike Leavitt at Stanford.”

“There needs to be a quick and devastating published takedown of its premises. I don’t see anything like that online yet — is it underway?” Collins wrote.

Bhattacharya also questioned Fauci’s recent claim that he was receiving death threats. He stated that while it’s “tragic” scientists often have to deal with threats, Fauci and Collins “organized a ‘take down’” of other scientists with “their grave mischaracterization of focused protection as a let-it rip strategy” which led to death threats against several authors of the Great Barrington Declaration.

President Biden had another hostile outburst with another member of the media when he snapped back at Lester Holt during a one-on-one interview this week.

Holt grilled Biden and his administration on their claims that inflation was “temporary” and “transitory” despite a 7.5%rise in inflation from January 2021 to 2022

“Back in July, you said inflation was going to be temporary,” Holt pushed. “I think a lot of Americans are wondering what your definition of temporary is.”

Biden shot back to Holt, “Well, you’re being a wise guy with me a little bit, and I understand that’s your job.” He then directed blame for inflation on the supply chain crisis.

These sassy remarks are becoming more frequent from Biden, who had to apologize to Peter Doocy after calling him a “dumb son of a b—-” when he thought his mic was off. Back in January, the president raised his voice to a reporter when pressed on divisiveness.

The question came from RealClearNews reporter Philip Wegmann, “You campaigned, and you ran on a return to civility. And I know that you dispute the characterization that you called folks who would oppose those voting bills as being Bull Connor or George Wallace. But you said that there would be sort of in the same camp?”

Well, now that makes two presidents who have yelled at me—Trump and Biden.

— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) January 19, 2022

Biden tried to explain it away, “No, I didn’t say that. Look what I said. Go back and read what I said and tell me if you think I called anyone who voted on the side of the position taken by Bull Connor that they were Bull Connor? And that is an interesting reading of English. Yeah, I assume you got it in the journals because you like to write.”

The son of Republican Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez was arrested Wednesday after assaulting Miami city commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla at a steakhouse in Coral Gables.

Carlos J. Gimenez, a lawyer, and lobbyist caught Portilla off guard when he slapped him at Morton’s Steakhouse on Wednesday afternoon. The Gimenez and Portilla families have a long history in Miami politics and both men are members of powerful political families with ties going back more than a decade.

Portilla said Gimenez acted “cowardly” and admitted he had been caught off guard.

“It was more like a flick of his wrist from behind me when I was having lunch as he cowardly approached me from behind and ran away,” Portilla said in a statement. “This guy is not known as a very courageous guy.”

Portilla accused Gimenez in his statement of being under the influence during the attack.

“There was some kind of conversation and a slap,” said Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak, according to the Miami Herald. Hudak called the altercation “unremarkable,” and he is speaking to the public about it because of “who everybody is.”

Gimenez was arrested and charged with one count of simple battery.

“That’s what was indicated to us: that there was a slap either to the back or the back of the head,” Coral Gables Police Chief announced. “The sergeant of arms, the City of Miami police officer that is assigned to the commissioner took action and affected an arrest detaining the individual on the scene until our units arrived.”

Rep. Gimenez said he was “not happy” about his son’s actions.

“Whenever a son, friend, or relative is arrested, it’s not a good day and so obviously not happy with what happened,” Gimenez said. “I understand it’s a simple battery, something I guess is between the two of them, and we’ll let the legal system work itself out.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned U.S. law enforcement and public safety officials that a trucker convoy protest may begin in California on Super Bowl Sunday and end in Washington D.C. by late March.

The warning was issued nationwide on Tuesday telling authorities that the DHS “has received reports of a convoy of truckers planning to potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates for truck drivers,” according to senior law enforcement officials.

The DHS is concerned that a trucker convoy in the U.S. could “severely disrupt transportation, the federal government, and law enforcement operations through gridlock and potential counterprotests,” an official said

A trucker convoy in Canada recently shut down a bridge that serves as one of the busiest international border crossings between the U.S. and Canada on Monday after the mayor of Ottawa declared a state of emergency on Feb. 6.

According to the DHS, at this time the protests are “purely aspirational” and have only been discussed online. But DHS said that a domestic convoy is a “real concern” that’s looking to “follow the Canadian model and shut down Washington.”

The official said law enforcement agencies working to “figure out what to do” should the convoy actually take place.

“We have not observed specific calls for violence within the United States associated with this convoy, and are working closely with our federal, state, and local partners to continuously assess the threat environment and keep our communities safe,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “DHS will continue to share timely and actionable information with the public.”

The medal ceremony for the team figure skating event was postponed on Wednesday in Beijing due to a suspected positive drug test from the gold medal-winning Russian team.

“We have athletes that have won medals involved,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said at the daily news briefing. Adams said that “legal consultation” was required before any medals could be presented.

“Everyone is doing absolutely everything that the situation can be resolved as soon as possible,” Adams said, though he cautioned, “as you know, legal issues can sometimes drag on.”

Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old Russian figure skater, is said to have tested positive for a prohibited drug. Trimetazidine, a drug intended to treat chest pain, was discovered in a sample taken two months before the Olympics, according to multiple Russian media outlets.

But it is still a banned drug in the Olympics.

“The drug trimetazidine does not help an athlete in any way,” Russian journalist Vasily Konov wrote on social media, according to ESPN. “At all. It was found in one single sample in December. A minuscule amount. Nothing in her samples before or since.”

“There is no doping in the conventional sense,” Konov continued. “No! This cardiac drug has no impact on … performance. Now leave Kamila in peace.”

According to Reuters, “Trimetazidine is listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of metabolic modulators and is prohibited both in and out of competition.” It is used in order to treat angina, which causes severe pain in the chest.

“The ITA is aware of the various reports circulating regarding the postponed medal ceremony for the figure skating team event at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022,” the International Testing Agency (ITA) said in a statement. “Any announcement connected to these events would always be publicly issued on the ITA’s website and not commented on otherwise. No such announcement has been published to date.”

Biden has “officially” lost his mind. It was widely reported on Monday that President Biden was planning to hand out “safe smoking kits” to drug addicts in a corrupted $30 million grant program funded by American taxpayers. These ‘smoking kits’ are prioritizing ‘underserved communities’ which includes most of the African American population as well as the LGBTQ+ community.

“Applicants for the grants are prioritized if they treat a majority of ‘underserved communities,’ including African Americans and ‘LGBTQ+ persons,’ as established under President Joe Biden’s executive order on ‘advancing racial equity,’” The Washington Free Beacon reported.

In what many saw as adding insult to injury, fact-checking organization Snopes then declared that the claim, “In early 2022, the Biden administration endeavored to advance racial equity by distributing crack pipes to drug users,” was “Mostly False.”

Critics immediately slammed both the policy position and Snopes rating.

Lavern Spicer: “An 80 year old white man thinks the best way to promote racial equality is handing out CRACK PIPES to Black folk. In my whole life I have never heard a dumber thing than this bulls***.”

Allie Beth Stuckey: “Ivermectin is horse dewormer, hydroxychloroquine is fish tank cleaner, monoclonal antibodies are useless, and free crack pipes are equity. I love science!”

Charlie Kirk: “It shouldn’t be easier to get a crack pipe in America than it is to get Ivermectin.”

Sean Spicer: “The Biden Administration cut funding for monoclonal treatment of COVID but is spending $30 million on crack pipes.”

Nick Freitas: “Is Hunter Biden going to be taking point on the White House’s crack pipe distribution program?”

Tim Young: “Trump wanted to revitalize the black community with the Platinum plan that invested millions in businesses… Biden sent the black community crack pipes.”

Dana Loesch: “Let me understand this — if YOU give someone a crack pipe that you bought with your own money, that’s a crime but if the GOVERNMENT gives someone a crack pipe bought with your money that’s OK?”

Tim Pool: “Snopes be like…Is Biden’s Admin funding the distribution of Crack Pipes? MOSTLY FALSE…He is also giving out syringes in addition to crack pipes…the f***?”

Dinesh D’Souza: “The Biden plan to provide $30 million in crack pipes to the black community is an apt metaphor for the relationship between the black underclass and the Democratic Party.”

Newt Gingrich: “So the Biden Administration is telling teachers overseas to replace mother and father with persons while giving away crack pipes in poor neighborhoods-are they just insane???”

On Wednesday, Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra and the Office of National Drug Control Policy director Dr. Rahul Gupta released the following statement:

HHS and ONDCP are focused on using our resources smartly to reduce harm and save lives. Accordingly, no federal funding will be used directly or through subsequent reimbursement of grantees to put pipes in safe smoking kits. The goal of harm reduction is to save lives. The Administration is focused on a comprehensive strategy to stop the spread of drugs and curb addiction, including prioritizing the use of proven harm reduction strategies like providing naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and clean syringes, as well as taking decisive actions to go after violent criminals who are trafficking illicit drugs like fentanyl across our borders and into our communities. We will continue working to address the addiction and overdose epidemic and ensure that our resources are used in the smartest and most efficient manne

The family of late actor and renowned comedian Bob Saget published an official statement on Wednesday evening, revealing the reason of his death on January 9, 2022. According to the family, Saget died of head trauma, not drugs or alcohol, as had been believed.

According to Deadline.com, the statement reads:

In the weeks since Bob’s passing, we have been overwhelmed with the incredible outpouring of love from Bob’s fans, which has been a great comfort to us and for which we are eternally grateful.

Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities’ investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us.

The authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma. They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved.

As we continue to mourn together, we ask everyone to remember the love and laughter that Bob brought to this world, and the lessons he taught us all: to be kind to everyone, to let the people you love know you love them, and to face difficult times with hugs and laughter.

The Saget Family

Saget died abruptly at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida, early last month. Dr. Joshua Stephany, Chief Medical Examiner for Orange and Osceola Counties, released a statement the morning after Saget’s body was discovered, saying that foul play or drugs were not expected to play a role in his death:

An autopsy was performed this morning on Robert Lane Saget. Mr. Saget is a 65-year-old male, who was found unresponsive in his hotel room. At this time. there is no evidence of drug use or foul play. The cause and manner of death are pending further studies and investigation which may take up to 10-12 weeks to complete.

When the autopsy report has been finalized, a follow up press statement will be released.

Our condolences go out to Mr. Sagets loved ones during this difficult time.

On NBC ‘s “Today,” Saget’s widow Kelly Rizzo expressed her grief, and shared the last text messages that she had sent her late husband.

“I was just very grateful that it was all ‘I love you so much.’ I think I said, ‘I love you dearly,’ and he said, ‘I love you endlessly.’ And then I said, ‘I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.’ It was just all love,” Rizzo said, The Daily Wire reported.

“He valued every single second that we had together,” Rizzo continued. “That’s why this is so heartbreaking, but at the same time I know that every second that we had together was just maximized to the fullest. There was nothing left unsaid, and there was nothing left on the table.”

“He was everyone’s dear friend,” she said at one point. “No one will ever be like Bob.”

A 14-year-old girl was arrested Monday after shooting a 13-year-old boy on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.

The shooting occurred around 4:00 p.m. in the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The young victim was shot twice but did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

The boy was waiting for a bus home from his middle school when he was shot, his mother said.

“It’s crazy. I just wouldn’t expect that, sending your child to school and you get that phone call that he’s been shot,” the boy’s mother said. “He’s not into the streets; he’s just a good boy. So it really shook the whole family to know that something like that happened to him.”

The female shooter, of Southeast, D.C., was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon on Tuesday, according to the police report. The case is still under investigation and officials are offering rewards of up to $10,000 to anyone who provides information about the shooting.

“They need to be off the streets, because if it’s not my son, it’s someone else’s,” the victim’s mother said.

“Nothing like this has ever happened in our family, so he’s just recovering from surgery, and we’re taking it one day at a time.”

Investigators say the motive is not yet known. The victim was said to have been alone when he was shot and is believed to have been the sole target. Law enforcement is working with local businesses to obtain footage from surveillance cameras that may have captured the shooting.

Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff was visiting a high school Tuesday when Secret Service agents rushed him away due to a bomb threat.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, was visiting Dunbar High School in northwest Washington for an event celebrating Black History Month when school officials alerted his security detail of a bomb threat, agents quickly ushered Emhoff out of the building. Once the Second Gentleman was clear the school carried out a general evacuation of the school.

Harris and President Joe Biden were transitioning from lunch to a weekly economic briefing at the time of the incident.

D.C. school officials said there were no injuries and the school had been cleared.

“We took the precaution of evacuating everybody, as you saw. I think everyone is safe,” D.C. Public Schools press secretary Enrique Gutierrez said. “The building is clear. But I don’t have any specific details at this moment.”

The source and intent of the bomb threat are still under investigation.

When asked about the incident during a White House press briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there were no updates.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had vowed not to launch any new “military initiatives” in Ukraine.

French officials said Putin made the promise during talks between Putin and Macron in Moscow on Monday. France also said Putin had agreed to recall thousands of Russian troops massed at Belarus’ border with Ukraine once exercises are finished there this month.

“I secured an assurance there would be no deterioration or escalation,” Macron said before meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Macron said he had not expected Putin to make any “gestures” prior to the meeting, reiterating that the goal of the talks was to “prevent an escalation and open new perspectives. … That objective is met.”

French officials said the development “makes it possible to consider de-escalation.”

The Kremlin has denied reports that any sort of deal to de-escalate was reached with Macron, with Putin reminding the U.S. and NATO they had ignored Moscow’s demands. He indicated his readiness to continue discussions but again warned that Ukraine’s membership in NATO could trigger a war.