‘Large, high-quality clinical trials have resoundingly concluded that ivermectin is not effective against COVID-19. And there is no old or new scientific evidence to support a hypothesis that ivermectin can cure cancer—or justify any such federal expenditure. But, under anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who is otherwise well-known for claiming to have a parasitic worm in his brain—numerous members of the medical fringe are now in powerful federal positions or otherwise hold sway with the administration.…’ (via Ars Technica)
‘That was Rep. Dan Goldman’s advice to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons at a House Homeland Security hearing on Tuesday. Lyons had opened by objecting to people labeling his agents “the Gestapo” and “the secret police.” He blamed the language for stoking threats, HuffPost reports.
Goldman pointed out that ICE is regularly stopping “nonwhite people and those who look like immigrants to ask for their papers.” When pressed, Lyons admitted that Nazi and Soviet secret police did exactly that — but insisted the comparison to ICE was “wrong.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell brought up Lyons’ remark comparing ideal deportation to “Amazon Prime but with human beings.” He had follow-up questions.
“Mr. Lyons, how many times has Amazon Prime shot a mom three times in the face?” He meant Renee Good, shot dead by ICE in Minneapolis last month.
“None, sir.”
“How many times has Amazon Prime shot a nurse 10 times in the back?” He meant Alex Pretti, killed by Border Patrol in the same city.
‘We recently reported about Immigration and Customs Enforcement spending $70 million to buy a warehouse in Surprise, Arizona, that they plan to turn into a “detention center.” Following this and other warehouse purchases across the country, and subsequent community backlash, Courier Newsroom created a Google Map of all facilities ICE is seeking to purchase nationwide. The map, titled “Proposed ICE Warehouse Locations,” shows industrial warehouses targeted by the Department of Homeland Security for use as mass detention centers. You can click each location to learn about its status and local community responses.…’ (via Boing Boing)
‘The story I set out to write about was to figure out whether he is healthy or not, and it kind of ended up being a story about whether the government is healthy or not. There’s kind of an infection that has spread throughout Trump’s inner circle where everybody who talks about him talks about him in the craziest, most North Korean-type, dear-leader way.
Instead of just saying he’s healthy for an almost 80-year-old, that he’s slowing down a little bit, but he’s certainly healthy enough to be president, people talk about him in these terms that are just completely outrageous: superhuman, the healthiest man alive. He told me he was healthier than he was 40 years ago.
The guy doesn’t exercise; he doesn’t eat well. He drinks enough Diet Coke to fill a football stadium. And you just can’t quite trust the people around him. And I felt like the story I published said a lot about Trump’s America, not just Trump’s health.…’ ( Kelli Wessinger and Astead Herndon via Vox)
