Daily Archives: August 24, 2021

Massachusetts coronavirus cases spike 3,335 over the weekend, hospitalizations keep climbing – Boston Herald

Posted: August 24, 2021 at 10:34 am

Massachusetts health officials on Monday reported a spike of 3,335 coronavirus cases over the weekend, as hospitalizations continued to rise amid the spread of the delta variant.

Cases have been jumping at a rapid pace as the more highly contagious delta variant spreads. The daily average of cases is now 1,013, which compares to the record-low daily average of 64 cases in late June.

The 3,335 new cases over the weekend was 339 more infections than last weekends report.

The daily percent positivity average is now 2.59%. The percent positivity had been climbing since the pandemic-low average of 0.31% in late June, but the average has started to decline from 2.98% two weeks ago.

State health officials also reported four new COVID deaths, bringing the states total recorded death toll to 18,179.

COVID deaths had been ticking up in recent weeks following the rise of infections and hospitalizations. The daily average of COVID deaths is now 4.3, which is up from the record-low daily average of 1.1 in July.

Hospitalizations continued to climb over the weekend. The increase of 63 patients now brings the total COVID patient total to 530 patients. That total is back up to where the Bay State was in the beginning of May.

There are now 139 patients in intensive care units, and 68 patients are intubated.

The daily average of 463 hospitalizations is more than five times the record-low daily average of 85 patients in July.

The state recently started listing how many of the current patients are vaccinated or unvaccinated. Of the total 530 COVID patients, 155 patients have been fully vaccinated or 29%. Those who are unvaccinated are at a much higher risk for a severe infection.

More than 4.45 million people in Massachusetts have been fully vaccinated.

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Massachusetts coronavirus cases spike 3,335 over the weekend, hospitalizations keep climbing - Boston Herald

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Coronavirus in Oregon: Cases up 16% in past week as FDA fully approves Pfizer vaccine – OregonLive

Posted: at 10:34 am

The Oregon Health Authority on Monday reported a three-day total of 4,701 new coronavirus cases and 24 deaths as average daily cases and hospitalizations continue to set records in Oregon.

The announcement included data for three days, with 2,330 cases from Friday, 1,207 new cases from Saturday and 1,164 new cases from Sunday.

Oregon is now averaging more than 2,100 cases per day over the past seven days, with cases up 16% from the previous week. Cases have now climbed in Oregon for seven consecutive weeks, but the rate of acceleration last week slowed dramatically from previous marks.

The ongoing spike, linked to COVIDs highly contagious delta variant, continues to burn through the state, with the test positivity rate for the past three days sitting just below 12%, signaling unchecked spread. According to the state, 937 people are currently hospitalized with the disease, including 253 patients in intensive care. As of this morning, 47 adult intensive care beds were available out of 657 total.

Also Monday, Pfizer-BioNTechs coronavirus vaccine was granted full approval for anyone 16 or older, making it the first vaccine to move past emergency status in the United States. Still, despite hospitalizations and deaths largely impacting the unvaccinated, the summer surge has done little to convince more Oregonians to take the shot.

Where the new cases are by county: Baker (29), Benton (61), Clackamas (366), Clatsop (19), Columbia (80), Coos (66), Crook (19), Curry (61), Deschutes (365), Douglas (398), Gilliam (5), Grant (10), Harney (14), Hood River (14), Jackson (308), Jefferson (34), Josephine (234), Klamath (71), Lane (659), Lincoln (41), Linn (186), Malheur (24), Marion (195), Morrow (29), Multnomah (582), Polk (113), Tillamook (49) Umatilla (69), Union (78), Wallowa (16), Wasco (23), Washington (401), Yamhill (82).

Who died: The state on Monday reported 24 new deaths linked to COVID-19. They were:

A 55-year-old Jackson County man who tested positive Aug. 14 and died Aug. 19 at Providence Medford Medical Center.

An 88-year-old Douglas County man who tested positive Aug. 11 and died Aug. 19 at Mercy Medical Center.

An 81-year-old Deschutes County woman who tested positive Aug. 2 and died at St Charles Bend Hospital. Her date of death is being confirmed.

A 90-year-old Curry County woman who tested positive Aug. 6 and died Aug. 19 at Curry General Hospital.

A 68-year-old Clackamas County woman who tested positive Aug. 16 and died Aug. 19 at her residence.

An 84-year-old Jackson County man who tested positive Aug. 15 and died Aug. 19 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.

A 61-year-old Josephine County man who tested positive Aug. 14 and died Aug. 20 at a location still being confirmed.

A 75-year-old Lane County man who tested positive Aug. 20 and died Aug. 21 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend.

A 57-year-old Lane County woman who tested positive Aug. 19 and died Aug. 20 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend.

A 78-year-old Lane County man who tested positive Aug. 17 and died Aug. 20 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend.

A 74-year-old Lane County woman who tested positive Aug. 13 and died Aug. 19 at her residence.

A 61-year-old Lane County woman who tested positive July 9 and died Aug. 20 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend.

A 75-year-old Multnomah County woman who tested positive Aug. 3 and died Aug. 20 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.

A 48-year-old Marion County woman who tested positive Aug. 17 and died Aug. 19 at University of Washington Medical Center.

A 49-year-old Lincoln County woman who tested positive Aug. 9 and died Aug. 19 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend.

A 54-year-old Umatilla County man who tested positive Aug. 14 and died Aug. 17 at Good Shepherd Hospital.

A 66-year-old Umatilla County man who tested positive July 19 and died Aug. 13 at a location still being confirmed.

A 49-year-old Tillamook County man who tested positive Aug. 18 and died Aug. 18 at his residence.

A 65-year-old Douglas County man who tested positive Aug. 13 and died Aug. 22 at Mercy Medical Center.

A 60-year-old Douglas County man who tested positive Aug. 12 and died Aug. 19 at Mercy Medical Center.

A 69-year-old Douglas County woman who tested positive Aug. 7 and died Aug. 20 at Mercy Medical Center.

A 94-year-old Douglas County man who tested positive Aug. 6 and died Aug. 20 at Mercy Medical Center.

A 49-year-old Jackson County man who tested positive July 31 and died Aug. 16 at Ashland Community Hospital.

A 90-year-old Jackson County man who tested positive June 28 and died on Aug. 15 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.

Each person had underlying health conditions or the presence of underlying conditions was being confirmed.

Hospitalizations: 937 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were hospitalized, up 37 from Fridays report. That includes 253 people in intensive care, up 22 from Friday.

Vaccines: Oregon reported 4,491 newly administered COVID-19 vaccine doses, including 1,032 administered Sunday.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 257,644 confirmed or presumptive coronavirus infections and 3,036 deaths, still among the lowest per capita numbers in the nation. To date, 2,587,552 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,373,947 people are fully vaccinated.

Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell

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Coronavirus in Oregon: Cases up 16% in past week as FDA fully approves Pfizer vaccine - OregonLive

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Hamilton County Has Record-Tying 65 In Intensive Care From Coronavirus, 2 More Deaths; 234 COVID Patients Hospitalized – The Chattanoogan

Posted: at 10:34 am

Hamilton County had 257 new coronavirus cases reported on Monday, bringing the total to 52,313.

There have been two more deaths from the virus, and the total is at 543 in the county. It is reported they were a man and a woman, both white, one age 71-80 and the other was age 81 or older.

There are 234 patients hospitalized and 65 are in intensive care units. Seven more are hospitalized with suspected COVID. There are 122 Hamilton County inpatients. This is the most patients Hamilton County has had in ICU since the virus starting, tying for the same number of 65 on Jan. 8.

The number of those who have recovered from coronavirus in Hamilton County is 48,711, which is 93 percent. There are 3,059 active cases.

The number of coronavirus cases in Tennessee is at 997,479 Monday with 4,120 new cases. There were 25 more deaths reported, for a total of 13,204, State Health Department officials said.

The state currently has 2,690 people hospitalized from the virus, which is 71 more than on Sunday. Testing numbers are above 8.904 million across the state.

The number of people who have recovered from coronavirus in Tennessee is 916,213, which is 92 percent.

Here are the numbers by county:

Bledsoe County: 2,557 cases, up 62; 13 deaths

Bradley County: 17,280 cases, up 379; 159 deaths

Grundy County: 2,046 cases, up 35; 35 deaths

Marion County: 3,883 cases, up 62; 51 deaths

Meigs County: 1,641 cases, up 39; 24 deaths

Polk County: 2,407 cases, up 39; 25 deaths

Rhea County: 5,159 cases, up 165; 83 deaths

Sequatchie County: 2,052 cases, up 45; 30 deaths

Knox County: 58,529 cases, up 1,141; 680 deaths, up 2

Davidson County: 100,728 cases, up 1,353; 994 deaths, up 5

Shelby County: 119,453 cases, up 2,579; 1,831 deaths, up 17

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Hamilton County Has Record-Tying 65 In Intensive Care From Coronavirus, 2 More Deaths; 234 COVID Patients Hospitalized - The Chattanoogan

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ARCHIVE: Tracking the coronavirus in New Jersey – NJ Spotlight

Posted: at 10:33 am

July 31

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 30

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 29

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 28

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 27

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 26

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 25

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 24

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 23

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 22

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 21

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 20

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 19

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 18

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 17

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 16

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 15

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 14

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 13

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 12

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 11

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 9

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 8

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 7

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 6

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 5

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 4

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 3

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

July 2

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 30

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 29

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 28

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 26

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 25

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 24

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 23

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 22

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 21

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

June 20

For charts, maps and more detailed numbers over time, visit our COVID-19 data page: Track COVID-19 in New Jersey: Maps, graphics, regular updates

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ARCHIVE: Tracking the coronavirus in New Jersey - NJ Spotlight

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Childless or Childfree as the Choice: Solution to Overpopulation or Part of Popular Culture? – Modern Diplomacy

Posted: at 10:32 am

It was only a matter of time before vaccine mandates and passports entered the mainstream dialogue. It started with floating out the narrative in gaining public support of the vaccinated and claiming the virus as a pandemic of the unvaccinated. The us and them divide has been created. National levels of government then took the lead in requiring vaccination among federal government employees that in turn spurred places of education and the private sector to follow suit.

This momentum has resulted in large corporations, Big Tech, the travel industry, and universities and colleges leading the way in requiring their employees and students to be vaccinated in order to return to the workplace or school. The extension of the mandate has resulted in pushing for vaccine passports to attend public events, restaurants, take public transportation, and perhaps buy and sell in the marketplace.

We have seen some private sector decisions where employees must be vaccinated to work in the office or continue to work from home. While the vaccination may be voluntary, it will create tremendous pressure on employees to decide on vaccination out of fear of reprisal and potential termination of employment. This measure is a trickle-down effect that accomplishes two things. First, the employer is not necessarily seen as autocratic in their initial demands while employees begin to cave in over the fear of losing their livelihood and secondly, the employer still requires many of the non-vaccinated employees to continue operations and this slow cooker buys some time. Eventually, difficult decisions on vaccination and continuing employment will likely come to a head in some workplaces.

To be clear, I am not against vaccines or an anti-vaxxer by any stretch. What is important here is to ask questions of whether this medicine being administered under emergency authorization is thoroughly vetted.

This doesnt mean the vaccine is dangerous, but rather unresolved questions and concerns requiring answers. It is not a conspiracy theory; rather honest questions with not so clear answers about a drug yet to be approved by the FDA.

In good conscience, companies should not mandate their employees to inject an experimental vaccine into their bodies as a requirement to come to workplace and remain employed. This is inhumane to do so; and we may regret this action in years to come.

This medicine, we were told, was supposed to be effective and allow us and the world to remove our masks and return to normal. Some proudly claimed to have found freedom after taking the two vaccine dosages. I wondered how some may feel after they injected the failed AstraZeneca vaccine that is not recognized as viable in numerous countries. This is a drug that richer countries are now donating or perhaps a better definition of dumping on poor countries rather than inject the dismal vaccine into the bodies of their own citizens. How valiant and generous.

Fast forward just a couple of months from the declaration of mask independence; and nothing in the vaccines has demonstrated the pandemic is over except for what looks like less severe illness for the vaccinated if they become infected with the virus. We are now being told to mask up following many breakthrough cases where the vaccinated are now coming down with Covid.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are trying to determine what role the vaccinated carriers may have played in Provincetown, Massachusetts where three-quarters of 469 residents infected during a COVID-19 outbreak were fully vaccinated. This alarming story along with other widespread breakthrough cases prompted the CDC to reissue mask mandates.

A recent major study by the Mayo Clinic that reviewed thousands of PCR tests across six states found that the effectiveness of COVID infection dropped in July to 42% for the Pfizer vaccine and 76% for the Moderna vaccine. Immunity is waning following the vaccine shots; and it very surprising that breakthrough cases are rising this quickly. There is now a high likelihood of juicing up additional vaccine injections for third time and perhaps a fourth injection that may result in producing more variants as the virus mutates off numerous vaccines.

Additionally, there is real evidence that people who have previously contracted the coronavirus have antibodies, if not stronger than the vaccines; and they are being told to vaccinate. Should a ten-year-old child, a fifty-year-old marathoner, or an 80-year-old with underlining issues receive the same unapproved vaccine dosage? To be clear, no single medicine is best for everyone, and should be weighed carefully with family and your doctor.

There is real evidence that many people have died after taking the vaccine; whether from the vaccine itself or following a breakthrough case in getting COVID after receiving the vaccine. We only hear of the upside protection by taking the vaccine. Vaccines are not generally overtly dangerous, but they are not without any risk. While about 160 million Americans receiving the annual flu shot every season where up to 200 people die following this shot, it is a far different story with the COVID vaccine.

In just the first four months of 2021, there have been more deaths after taking the COVID vaccine than all the other vaccine deaths tracked in the 15-year period from 1997 to 2013. Its stunning. According to the data from Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), they have registered over ten thousand known COVID vaccine related deaths. How many go unreported? VAERS has also reported thousands of heart attacks, chest pain, hospitalizations, tinnitus, and high rates of deep vein thrombosis.

Yes, we should expect side effects but at this rate do we know the long-term impact. In contrast, when the US vaccinated 45 million for the swine flu in 1976, 53 people reportedly died after the shot. The US government immediately halted the vaccination. The Menveo vaccine for preventing meningitis had one known death following the vaccine over a 5-year period from 2010-2015.

For childbearing women, there is evidence that the protein spikes are remaining in the womans ovaries and are not being flushed from their bodies. The former VP and chief scientist at Pfizer, Michael Yeadon, has strongly urged childbearing age women not to take the vaccine.

Why raise questions about the safety of the vaccine for childbearing age women and those breastfeeding? Well, there were thousands of birth malformations resulting in women taking thalidomide 60 years ago. Studies did not assess the toxicity for the unborn babies. So here we have an untested medicine in terms of the impact on fertilization where the vaccine concentrates in the ovaries and perhaps in background tissues like muscles at 20-fold. We have not heard any reporting on the impact of male reproduction.

Look, this vaccine has not prevented infection 100% with more and more breakthrough cases. You can still get it, you can still pass it on, and you are told to keep wearing the mask after being vaccinated.

There are more questions than answers; and if anyone can unequivocally state that this vaccine has zero risks, then please go on the record. Again, it is not to say the vaccine is not working for a vast number of people and reducing hospitalization.

Interesting to note that according to Luc Montagnier, a world top virologist and Nobel Prize winner for his work in discovering HIV as the cause of AIDs, he says the world is silent about Antibody-Dependant Enhancement (ADE) where this vaccine is creating the variants by forcing the virus to find a way to stay alive and mutate or die. Perhaps the vaccinated may find themselves much further compromised in years to come. We just dont know; but we are willing to inject a third shot and more to follow.

Many yet to be vaccinated are not hesitant alone on the unproven medicine. It may be better described that people are hesitant to be coerced, shamed, and pressured into participating in the largest drug trial in history. If people are going to be forced into vaccination by mandates, the public has the absolute right to know the immediate and long-term effects of a drug that is not approved by the FDA and where nearly a third of the employees at the CDC and National Institute of Health have refused to take the vaccine the very organizations pushing that everyone take the COVID vaccine.

There has to be a better way and an ethical way for the private sector and government to move forward in combatting the virus without creating an us and them divide where the unvaccinated are not mocked as a conspiracist, threatened to lose ones job and means to survive, or worst labeled a murderer.

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Childless or Childfree as the Choice: Solution to Overpopulation or Part of Popular Culture? - Modern Diplomacy

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Family forced to flee child-free wedding after ‘humiliating’ confrontation – Edinburgh Live

Posted: at 10:32 am

Weddings are happy occasions, but they have been known to spark arguments in families at the best of times.

The lucky couple can get stressed, families ' emotions run high, and stress levels can run through the roof.

For one couple, a particular request from the bridal pair turned their happy day into a full-blown family drama.

READ MORE - Edinburgh worker sacked after 'festive hug' at Brewhemia bar given compensation

As reported by the Irish Mirror, the bride and groom requested their friends and family to leave their kids at home so they could have a child-free wedding.

However, the groom's brother elected to ignore the request, sparking a family feud that's still going on long after the wedding itself has finished.

After they brought their kids in along to the special day, the groom asked his brother and family to leave the wedding altogether.

The result was a "humiliating" confrontation in front of the rest of the guests.

Since then, the married mad has been questioning whether he made the right call, and sought advice from Reddit's 'Am I The A**hole' forum to get some impartial opinions.

He explained how the drama unfolded: "My wife and I got married days ago. We decided the wedding will be childfree. We thought this was the best option considering several factors from budget to keeping the order, etc.

"Everyone got an invitation but my biggest concern was how my brother 'Ramsey' was going to react. Ramsey married young and has four kids that he takes everywhere he and his wife go. They're always there at every family event. The kids are grade A, hyperactive to say the least."

Ramsey was given the invitation in person and got "somewhat mad" at the kid-free rule, saying his children have never been excluded from any event before.

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The Reddit poster continued: |I said I'm sorry but it's already been decided and everyone had to follow the rules not just him. He stared off for a minute then to my surprise he said 'I totally get it man, no children means no children, no worries'. I was glad he didn't start an argument over it and seemed to accept the rule."

The big day arrived and when Ramsey and family arrived just before the ceremony, the groom was "legit mad" that the children were in tow, despite the couple's wishes.

The groom said: "I greeted the kids and asked my SIL (sister in law) to take them back to the car. He loudly asked WTF was wrong with me. I asked why he brought his kids and who said it was OK.

"He said no one but he was planning on bringing the kids all along and figured that by initially agreeing to my rule then showing up with the kids anyway would get me to agree on letting them stay.

"I stated this was no event for kids for many reasons and that everyone respected the rule except him. He complained about me disrespecting him and his kids since, again, he never attends any event without them.

"I told him he needed to leave then. Not only did he call me a lunatic but a terrible brother and terrible uncle. He also called me a simp for agreeing to my wife's 'stupid' rule saying if that was him and his wife even hinted he couldn't have the family's kids at their wedding he would've dropped her right there right then.

"It was humiliating and loud enough for the guests to notice. My inlaws did too. I told him to leave that's when my mom and aunt tried to convince me to let it go and let them stay but I refused and had him leave after a massive argument between us. To say that I felt absolutely sh***y is an understatement."

He added that ever since the showdown happened, his family have been giving him grief and "are siding with Ramsey saying I wronged him and acted cold towards him and his kids when they showed up to celebrate me and my wife".

The brothers' father is particularly mad over their relationship being permanently affected.

The new husband told Reddit users: "I believe that I behaved like an a****** towards my brother who came with his family to support me and my wife and share our joy. I get he's upset and even shocked I'd get him to leave like that and refusing to listen to my family and compromise."

However, most people believed he acted reasonably in his response to his brother not adhering to the wedding request.

One person said: "As a parent, I hate people like the brother so much. Makes the rest of us parents look like idiots. Childfree is childfree FFS. Get a sitter. Damn. Quit pushing your kids down peoples throats."

A second added: "I mean, the bride and groom get to make the call about their wedding. Don't like it? Don't go. If it seems unreasonable to you, DON'T GO. If you care about the people, send a nice gift anyway.

"It makes me INSANE when parents try and drag their kids to things when they're clearly not invited."

A third said: "As a mom YES! NTA. One of my first questions when asked to do something is if it's kid-friendly.

"If the answer is yes, then awesome, if it's no, cool thank you for the invite, if I can find a babysitter I'll be there. If not I appreciate the offer. Like my kids are my responsibility, not for everyone else to deal with."

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Family forced to flee child-free wedding after 'humiliating' confrontation - Edinburgh Live

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Donald Trump speaking in Alabama for the first time in 4 …

Posted: at 10:31 am

Six years to the day after a stadium rally in Mobile gave an early glimpse of Donald Trumps ability to generate the excitement that would propel him to the White House, the former president is back in Alabama today to fire up his supporters again.

Trump will hold a Save America outdoor rally at York Family Farms in Cullman, which is in the heart of a Congressional district where four out of five voters supported him in 2016 and 2020.

Its his first speaking event in Alabama since campaigning for Luther Strange during the special election for the Senate in 2017.

Admission starts at 2 p.m. today live music, food and beverage concessions, and guest speakers.

The rally starts at 5 p.m. Alabama Republican Party Chair John Wahl said nine speakers are lined up to precede Trump. The former president takes the stage at 7 p.m.

Other speakers include Wahl; columnist and commentator Todd Starnes; state Sen. Garlan Gudger of Cullman; Congressman Robert Aderholt of Haleyville; state Rep. Andrew Sorrell of Muscle Shoals; Attorney General Steve Marshall; Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth; Sen. Tommy Tuberville; and Congressman Mo Brooks, who carries Trumps endorsement in the U.S. Senate race.

Wahl said he started working to bring Trump back to Alabama as soon as he was elected state party chair in February. He said the 45th presidents appearance will help build momentum for Alabama Republicans for next years elections.

Alabama is Trump Country, and the president has such a special bond with its people, Wahl said in a press release. We are delighted he is coming to the heart of the Fourth Congressional District, where he received his highest vote percentages in the 2016 and 2020 general elections.

The Alabama Democratic Party has denounced Trumps return to Alabama as a bad idea. Democratic Party Executive Director Wade Perry said it had the potential to be a super-spreader of COVID-19 at a time when the coronavirus has filled up Alabama hospitals.

In fundraising emails to members and supporters, the Alabama Democratic Party has said it would greet Trump with billboards carrying messages such as Welcome to Alabama, Liar.

Since leaving office, Trump has regularly repeated his unsubstantiated claims that President Biden won the election because of fraud and irregularities.

Tickets to tonights event are free but are required. Register for tickets.

The U.S. Secret Service will prohibit chairs, coolers, alcoholic beverages, signs and placards, guns, knives, umbrellas, selfie sticks, tripods, and other items.

Things you cant bring to the Trump rally in Cullman include guns, aerosols, balloons

York Family Farms is the venue that hosted the Rock the South music festival last week.

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Twitter blocked and labeled Donald Trump’s tweets on election fraud. They spread anyway. – USA TODAY

Posted: at 10:31 am

Trump sues Facebook, Twitter over 'blacklisting and canceling'

Claims that tech companies are biased against conservatives have emerged as a top issue to rally the GOP base ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

Associated Press, USA TODAY

Twitter blocked and labeled some Donald Trump's claims ofelection fraud in the run-up and aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

The tweetsspread on and off Twitter anyway.

Thats according to a new study from New York University researchers published Tuesday in Harvard Kennedy's School Misinformation Review and shared exclusively with USA TODAY.

The study is raisingnew questions about the ability of social media companies to halt the flood of falsehoods on mainstream social media platforms during election cycles.

NYU researchers say Trump tweets withfact-check labels spread further on Twitter than those without. And when Twitter blocked engagement with the former presidents tweets, they leapedto Facebook, Instagram and Reddit where they were more popular than tweets that Twitter labeled or did not flag at all.

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It's not clear if Twitter intervened on social media posts that were more likely to spread or if it was the intervention itself that gave the tweets a boost, the researchers said.

But they say their studyunderscores how harmful misinformation can hopfrom platform to platform with too little coordination among social media companies to curb its spread.

Misinformation halted on one platform does not halt it on another, said Megan Brown, research engineer with NYU's Center for Social Media and Politics.

Blocked on Twitter, Trumps tweets turned up on Facebook in the form of links, quotes andscreenshots, where they garnered an average engagement of more than 300,000, said Zeve Sanderson, executive director of the NYU center.

That phenomenon shows that political actors seeking to advance a narrative online are not limited to working within a single platform, said Joshua Tucker, co-director of the center.

We are in a world where people who are trying to control information environments and who are trying to push political information environments are in a multiplatform world, Tucker said. Right now, the only way we have to deal with content is on a platform-by-platform basis.

In a statement, Twitter saidit took a number of steps to limit engagement on tweets that violated its rules.

"As election conversation reached record-highs, it was critical that we took swift enforcement action on misleading content that could contribute to offline harm," the company said.

From Oct. 27 to Nov. 11, Twitter labeled some 300,000 tweets as disputed or potentially misleading and saw an estimated 29% decrease in quote tweets.

"We continue to research, question, and alter features that could incentivize or encourage behaviors on Twitter that negatively affect the health of the conversation online or could lead to offline harm," the company said.

Twitter'smost significant intervention waspermanently banningTrump in the final days of his presidency after the Jan. 6Capitol attack, a move that raisedthorny questions of free speech and censorship on social media.

At the time, Trumphad 88.7 million followers who retweeted him at an astonishing rate, giving him near unprecedented power to shape the national conversation.

After his followers stormed the Capitol building to block Congress from certifying Joe Bidens presidential win, all three of the nations top social media platforms Facebook, Googles YouTube and Twitter banned Trump over concerns he would incite more violence.

YouTube said it would lift the suspension after the "risk of violence" decreases. In June, Facebook said the earliest Trump would regain access to his accounts would be 2023. Even if Trump runs for president and wins in 2024, Twitter said it will not reinstate him.

Trump attacked social media companies forlabeling, restrictingorremoving his poststhat spread falsehoods about the outcome of the presidential election.

In July, Trump filed suit against Facebook, Google and Twitter and their CEOs, claiming the companies violated his First Amendment rights.

In a backlash from conservatives, dozens of states are considering legislation that targets how social media platforms regulate speech. One bill passed in Florida but was temporarily blocked by a federal judge.

Another in Texas had the votes it needed in a special session of the Republican-controlled legislature but has beenin limbo after Democrats left the state for Washington to protest a GOP effort to overhaul the state election system.

NYU researchers say they focused on Trump's tweets because of evidence that he acted as a central vector for spreading election-relation misinformation.

They examined tweets from Nov. 1, 2020, through Jan. 8, 2021, that were flagged by Twitter.

Blocking engagement with Trumps tweets limited their spread on Twitter but not elsewhere, researchersfound. The tweets were posted more often and were more popular on other social media platforms.

When Twitter slapped a warning label on Trumps tweets, they were more popular than his tweets that had no label, researchers said.

The finding does not necessarily mean that warning labels were ineffective or had the Streisand effect, when an attempt to hide or remove information draws even more attention to it,Sanderson said.It may be that the types of tweets that Twitter labeled were also the type that would be more likely to spread.

In the future, especially with respect to the ongoing pandemic and the 2022 midterms coming up, it will be really important for the platforms to coordinate in some way, if they can, to halt the spread of misinformation, Brown said.

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Twitter blocked and labeled Donald Trump's tweets on election fraud. They spread anyway. - USA TODAY

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Craig says he wants ‘to be defined as James Craig, not Donald Trump’ – The Detroit News

Posted: at 10:31 am

Birmingham Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who is exploring a Republican campaign for Michigan governor, says he would accept Donald Trump's endorsement if offered but he wants to be defined as himself, not the former president.

Craig, who is expected to pursue the GOP nomination for governor, made his first extended remarks on Trump Monday during a press conference in Birmingham that focused on law enforcement policy.

If the president gives me his endorsement, Ill accept it," Craig told reporters. "But I want to be defined as James Craig, not Donald Trump. I am looking ahead to 2022.

Craig is one of nine Michigan Republicans who have formed fundraising committees to run for governor next year. The winner of the August 2022 primary will take on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her reelection bid.

Trump, who remains popular within the Michigan GOP, is expected to be a potentially influential figure in the battleground state's primary race. The former president has maintained that he lost his 2020 campaign to Democrat Joe Biden because of election fraud, claims that remain unproven.

Asked if he believed the election was stolen from Trump, Craig said he didn't have information on whether there was evidence to back up the assertions.

I am a cop. … If there was evidence, if there was a proper investigation that the election was stolen … I dont have that information," the former police chief said.

But what I do certainly support is election integrity," he continued.

Craig said he supports a requirement that people show identification in order to vote. Currently, under Michigan law, in-person voters can sign an affidavit saying they don't have their ID with them and still cast a ballot.

He made the comments Monday afternoon after a meeting with law enforcement officials and GOP lawmakers in downtown Birmingham. The group had a policy discussion in private for about an hour inside a room with glass walls.

Reporters sat outside the meeting room and could watch but weren't able to hear the discussion. The Michigan Democratic Party said in a statement that Craig had shown a "brazen disregard forlocal press."

Asked about the closed-off talks, Craig said he's for transparency.

"There's no secrets in that room," he said.

After the meeting, Craig addressed the media and took questions for about 25 minutes, his first formal question-and-answer session with a group of reporters since retiring as Detroit police chief on June 1 to pursue his potential campaign.

Participants in Craig's law enforcement meeting Monday included House Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Farwell, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and state Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte.

Craig said the group talked about the idea that defendants are being treated more like victims now. The voice of "real victims" is not being heard, the former chief said.

Former House Speaker Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt, who many expect to run for attorney general in 2022, and former U.S. House candidate Lena Epstein, who has been floated as a potential GOP secretary of state nominee, were also present at the event.

"Today is about standing with our law enforcement, standing with Chief Craig and this task force," Leonard said when asked about his potential campaign.

Leonard lost to Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel in 2018 by 3 percentage points.

cmauger@detroitnews.com

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Trumps border wall reportedly in severe disrepair in Arizona – The Guardian

Posted: at 10:31 am

When Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015 by saying Nobody builds walls better than me, it was to say the least a questionable claim.

Trump insisted the great wall he planned for the southern US border, to keep out unwanted migrants, would be impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful.

Like other pronouncements by the former president, who made his name in construction, the assertion did not hold water.

Neither, it seems, did the wall.

Photographs published by the website Gizmodo appear to show sections of the partially constructed wall in southern Arizona in severe disrepair, torn apart by summer monsoon rains that the site said literally blew floodgates off their hinges.

At least six gates were washed out in a single location near Douglas, according to a quote on the website from Jos Manuel Prez Cant, director of an environmental nonprofit, Cuenca de Los Ojos.

Other sections of the wall were also hit by last weeks powerful monsoon, according to the Tucson Sentinel, which said a US Customs and Immigration Services official confirmed damage had been done.

Experts estimated the storm surge at one section of the wall, at Silver Creek, at up to 7.6m, or 25ft.

In 2020, when Trump was still in power, experts warned that floodgates in some places along the 701-mile, $21bn wall would need to be left open during heavy rains and flooding, to avoid collapse amid surges of tons of water carrying rocks, sediment, tree limbs and other debris.

Because of their remote locations, many of the gates would have to be manually opened and left unattended for months at a time, the Washington Post reported potentially allowing for the easy entry into the US of smugglers and migrants.

It appears the gates were open during last weeks storms, but the wall was still no match for historic flooding after months of drought. According to climate experts at the University of Arizona, the Douglas area has this year received almost twice its average annual amount of monsoon rainfall.

Gizmodo blamed the failure at least partly on rushed construction and an alleged bypassing of environmental regulations.

Who could have predicted this? Ah yes, just about everyone, author Brian Kahn wrote, linking to an article highlighting environmental threats the wall would encounter.

In January, Joe Biden froze construction on the border wall and ordered a review of costs. In April, the Department of Defense announced it was canceling contracts paid for from military funds appropriated by the Trump administration.

Trump always insisted that Mexico would pay for the wall a claim proven false.

Construction began in 2017 but the wall was beset by problems, including lawsuits and cost overruns.

Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that sections costing $27m a mile could be easily scaled using a $5 ladder.

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Trumps border wall reportedly in severe disrepair in Arizona - The Guardian

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