Pharmacist charged in attempt to ruin COVID-19 vaccine

In this booking photo provided by the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 in Port Washington, Wis. Steven Brandenburg is shown. The Wisconsin pharmacist, accused of intentionally spoiling hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine, convinced the world was "crashing down" told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he felt the shots would mutate people's DNA, according to court documents released Monday. (Ozaukee County Sheriff via AP)

 MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to defrost and spoil dozens of vials of COVID-19 vaccine was charged Tuesday with attempted misdemeanor property damage, and prosecutors warned more serious charges could follow if tests show the doses were ruined.

Police arrested 46-year-old Steven Brandenburg on Dec. 31 as part of an investigation into how 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine were left for hours outside a refrigerator at Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton, a Milwaukee suburb. The vials contained enough vaccine to inoculate more than 500 people.

Detectives wrote in court documents that Brandenburg is an admitted conspiracy theorist who believed the vaccine would mutate recipients' DNA. Experts have said there's no truth to the claims that COVID-19 vaccines can genetically modify humans.

According to a criminal complaint, Brandenburg told a detective that he removed the vials from the refrigerator for three hours on Dec. 24 then replaced them. The next day he took the vials out of the refrigerator again. This time he left them out for nine hours, thinking the vaccine would be rendered ineffective if it wasn't refrigerated for 12 hours. But he said a pharmacy technician found the vials and put them back in the refrigerator.

A Moderna doctor told investigators that the vaccine could remain viable at room temperature for 24 hours, the complaint said. Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said during Brandenburg's initial court appearance Tuesday that he is having the doses tested to determine their efficacy and more serious charges could be coming if Brandenburg's actions made the vaccine doses ineffective.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/pharmacist-accused-destroying-vaccine-charged-204855409.html

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Mitch will suck any dick that belongs to a president.

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Here's how Milwaukee County residents ages 65 and older can sign up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments

From JSOnline:

Sophie Carson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

 

Widespread confusion followed Wisconsin's announcement Tuesday that people 65 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday.

Here's how Milwaukee County residents 65 and older can get the vaccine.

►Go to HealthyMKE.com, the county's website to connect people who need a vaccine with entities that provide it.

►A red banner at the top of the page provides a message about what people 65 and older should do. Click the white button on the right side of the banner that reads, "Click here to sign up."

►The website will bring you to another page with more information about the sign-up process. Click the white button with the same wording: "Click here to sign up."

►Shortcut: Go directly to healthymke.com/phase-alerts.

►A blue page will appear. Click the yellow button that says "Click here to register" and fill in your contact information. Click the yellow "submit" button.

►You will receive an email or text message alert when you can register for a vaccination appointment.

►The website will match you to a vaccine provider or "vaccinator," which could be the City of Milwaukee's vaccination site at the Wisconsin Center, another municipality's health department, a pharmacy, a doctor's office or another entity.

►You will not be scheduled for a vaccine appointment after entering your contact info to receive the above alerts. It is the first step. You will be contacted when slots become available.

►City of Milwaukee residents will be able to start registering as early as this Thursday for slots next week at the Wisconsin Center, said Marlaina Jackson, interim Milwaukee Health Department commissioner.

►Milwaukee County's vaccine hotline is not set up yet. The county is working on ways to make sure those who do not have internet access can sign up for a vaccine, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said.

Read more about the HealthyMKE.com website here.

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2021/01/19/covid-19-vaccine-milwaukee-county-register-online-these-steps/4223105001/

Racine will never be this organized in dispensing the vaccine: too many pigs pushing to the head of the line.  Oink, oink, Butterball!

"We Want Revenge": Antifa Anarchists Activate After Biden Inaugurated

From ZeroHedge:

BY TYLER DURDEN

WEDNESDAY, JAN 20, 2021 - 20:05

Update (2031ET): Someone on Twitter points out that Antifa.com is being redirected to whitehouse.gov. Watch below: 

* * *

Update (2021ET): While the mainstream media and the federal government drummed up imminent threats of right-wing violence during the presidential inauguration at state capitol buildings, nothing happened that was significant in reporting. 

Meanwhile, after the Biden inauguration, leftist groups, such as Antifa, are causing chaos in multiple cities. 

* * *

Update (2034ET): Antifa is marching in multiple cities. The latest is Seattle, according to AntifaWatch. 

"Some property damage, likely ENDD, they are headed Northbound," AntifaWatch said, quoting a police scanner.

Chaos appears to be unfolding. 

Antifa is burning an American flag. 

Antifa is on the move in Seattle's downtown district. 

"An Amazon Go store is graffitied and window smashed in downtown Seattle," tweeted Brendan Gutenschwager. 

Seattle Police confirm multiple businesses were vandalized by Antifa. 

* * *

Update (2018ET): Portland's KATU News says Portland Police are arresting protesters at the "J-20 march."

* * *

A group of violent demonstrators gathered in Southeast Portland on Wednesday afternoon, hours after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in at the US Capitol. The leftist anti-government group appeared displeased with the new administration as they attacked the building of the Democratic Party of Oregon.

Local news KGW reports the group of at least 100 people, dressed in all black, marched through Portland. 

KGW's Mike Benner posted a series of tweets showing the chaos unfolding in Portland as there was "significant damage at the Democratic Party of Oregon bldg at 9th & Everett." 

Videos Benners posted shows group members, dressed in all black, are likely radical leftist, Antifa. 

Despite President Biden pleading for national unity in his Inaugural Address today, demonstrators in Portland held up signs that read:

"We are ungovernable" and "A new world from the ashes." 

Conservative journalist Andy Ngo tweeted "shocking footage of Antifa" smashing the Democratic Party of Oregon building. So much for unity... 

Another local news station, KATU, said the protest in Portland this afternoon is called the "J20 protest."

"We Don't Want Biden - We Want Revenge!" another banner read. 

Already, there have been reports that some of the demonstrators have attacked police officers. 

"The group of roughly 100 people started marching north shortly after 3 p.m. and reached the Democratic Party of Oregon's Portland headquarters shortly before 4 p.m.," said KATU.

"Members of this group have been observed damaging the building. Anyone involved in criminal behavior, including vandalism and graffittiing is subject to arrest or citation," Portland Police Bureau tweeted.

More demonstrations are planned for this evening, according to police. 

Besides Portland, so-called Antifa mobs were seen burning American flags outside Colorado's Capitol building. The Sun describes the group as a "militant left-wing-group." 

Reports keep pouring in as Antifa groups assemble in other cities. Twitter user Jason Whitman said an Antifa march was spotted at the Ohio Capitol building this afternoon. 

With reports of leftist anti-government groups, or possibly Antifa as some claim, are on a path of destruction in multiple cities following the Biden inauguration. There are reports Antifa is planning to attack Trump supporters this week. 

The militant leftist group seeks to dismantle the federal government; it comes at the president calls for national unity.

From: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/we-want-revenge-antifa-anarchists-activate-after-biden-inaugurated

Open Blog - Thursday

Whatever that means.

Navalny, From Jail, Issues Report Describing an Opulent Putin ‘Palace’

From The Nrw York Times.com:

As part of a dramatic battle with the Russian president playing out before an online audience of millions, the opposition leader and his team detailed a lavish compound costing more than $1 billion.

Supporters of the opposition leader Alexei A. Navalny outside a Moscow police station  on Monday.Credit...Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

By Anton Troianovski

• Jan. 19, 2021

MOSCOW — A team led by the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny published a sprawling investigation on Tuesday describing a secret palace built for President Vladimir V. Putin on the Black Sea, with the report’s release coming less than 24 hours after Mr. Navalny had been ordered jailed.

The report was the latest swipe in Mr. Navalny’s dramatic battle with Mr. Putin that is playing out before an online audience of millions, and it arrived as the opposition leader’s supporters seek to energize street protests planned for this weekend.

The investigation — complete with floor plans, financial details and interior photographs of a compound Mr. Navalny says cost more than $1 billion — appeared to offer the most comprehensive accounting yet of a huge residence the president is said to have built for himself on southern Russia’s verdant seashore.

The Kremlin denied the findings in the report, which went online Tuesday as a 113-minute YouTube video and a lengthy, illustrated text version that also invited users to post pictures of Mr. Putin’s purported luxury to Facebook and Instagram. The video has been viewed more than four million times on YouTube.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/world/europe/navalny-putin.html

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Donald Trump grants clemency to 143 people, but not himself or family members, in one of final acts of his presidency

From JSOnline:

Kevin JohnsonDavid JacksonDennis Wagner

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly used his clemency authority as a political tool rather than an act of mercy, issued a final wave of pardons and commutations on his last night in office, delivering relief for a mix of beneficiaries that included former strategist Stephen Bannon, Republican Party and Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy, and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, found guilty in 2013 of corruption charges.

He granted pardons to 73 people and commuted the sentences of another 70 people, according to a news release from the White House.

Several high-profile figures received pardons, including:

• Former Republican House member Rick Renzi of Arizona, convicted in 2013 of extortion, bribery, insurance fraud, money laundering, and racketeering. Renzi left prison in 2017.
• Former Rep. Randall “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., who was released from prison in 2013 after serving eight years for charges of bribery, fraud, and tax evasion.
• Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., the rapper known as Lil Wayne, who pleaded guilty to possession for a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
• Broidy, who pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent and accepting money from Chinese and Malaysian interests to lobby the Trump administration.
• Bannon, who is awaiting trial in Manhattan on federal fraud charges tied to a border wall fundraising effort.

Trump and Bannon have had an up-and-down relationship since the flamboyant adviser left the White House in 2017. At one point, Trump banished Bannon from his inner circle, claiming that he was a source of a critical book about the president, but Bannon still worked as a prominent backer of Trump's 2020 reelection campaign.

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/19/donald-trump-pardons-steve-bannon-white-house/4209763001/

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Can you spot the BIG LIE the Chicago Tribune is pushing and why it does not allow comments?

 "It was a welcome reprieve from the crush of bag-toting tourists on the Magnificent Mile".

The only bag-toting tourists on Shitcago's Magnificant mile are Vibrant Youth acting as Looters, Arsonists, BLM, Antifa, Car Jackers and Muggers. The Magnificant Mile lies in ruins, stores are boarded up, closing down, and leaving Shitago for good. The Magnificant Mile is gone for good thanks to Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot!

https://news.yahoo.com/downtown-dogs-closing-more-26-202700261.html

Turkey Turns Table On Twitter: "We'll Never Allow Digital Fascism"

From ZeroHedge:

BY TYLER DURDEN

WEDNESDAY, JAN 20, 2021 - 2:45

Turkey's pugnacious president has never been shy about taking on foreign and domestic enemies, whether it be currency traders shorting the lira, his own central bank, or big tech companies. 

While Twitter and other social media companies have been praised by the MSM for shutting down conservative 'speech' in America, some tech giants are being suppressed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after passing new social media laws, according to RT News.  

Turning the tables on authoritarian big tech, Erdogan recently said companies who control data could establish "digital dictatorships by disregarding democracy, the law, rights, and freedoms." He pledged to defend his nation's "cyber homeland" by ensuring Turkey maintains control over its citizens' data.

Ankara slapped advertising bans on Pinterest, Twitter, and Periscope after they failed to assign local representatives in Turkey under the new law put forth by Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority, informed social media companies that do not immediately comply would be responsible for a series of fines and or penalties. 

"We are determined to do whatever is necessary to protect the data, privacy and rights of our nation," Deputy Transport Minister Omer Fatih Sayan tweeted. "We will never allow digital fascism and disregard of rules to prevail in Turkey."

The law gives Turkish authorities the ability to remove content from platforms rather than block access - as what was done before. Critics of Erdogan claim the new law provides Ankara with more power to censor social media platforms.  

About a month ago, YouTube said it would abide by the new law as Erdogan's government clamps down on foreign tech companies. 

Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter all face fines in the country for not complying with the new law. Companies that reject the new law will have their bandwidth slashed over the coming months.

Of course, Erdogan's attempt to keep big tech in line is completely the opposite in the US where the federal government has allowed big tech to ban or limit the president, his supporters, and right-wing groups from social media channels. 

From: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/turkey-turns-table-twitter-well-never-allow-digital-fascism

Open Blog - Wednesday

 My fingers work out on the keyboard.

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Wisconsinites 65 and older to get COVID vaccines starting Jan. 25

From JSOnline:

Molly Beck

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - Wisconsin health officials are making COVID-19 vaccine shots available to anyone age 65 and older later this month — the state's first move to inoculate the general public from a virus that has killed more than 5,000 people in the state in less than a year.

But the effort will take time, Wisconsin Department of Health Services officials warned. The agency announced the expansion of the state's vaccine rollout to Wisconsin's elderly as the state continues to receive fewer doses of vaccine from the federal government than needed to quickly provide shots to state residents. 

About 700,000 people in Wisconsin are 65 or older but the state received about 70,000 first-dose vaccines each week, according to the agency. 

“Older adults have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and prioritizing this population will help save lives,” Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm said in a statement. "Wisconsin systems and operations are ready to vaccinate more people. The amount of vaccine we get from the federal government will determine how quickly we can get these groups vaccinated."

Eligible residents may schedule appointments through their health care provider, pharmacies and local health departments.

Hospitals and other vaccinating entities that have vaccine doses available may provide vaccine shots to people age 65 and older before Jan. 25 if officials there have completed vaccinations for frontline workers and others in the first wave of the state's rollout.

The move to adopt federal recommendations to begin vaccinating everyone 65 and older comes after a state committee overseeing the state's vaccine rollout recommended vaccinating people 70 and older in the second phase of the rollout.

DHS decided to lower the age by five years last week after the Centers for Disease Control released new guidance. 

For Kathy Braier, it means she may be able to visit her family and close friends with little risk before she dies. 

Braier, a 67-year-old retired teacher and social worker who has Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, recently wrote to members of the state vaccine committee urging them to include adults 65 and older with medical conditions in the next release of vaccine doses. 

"I'm very happy about this," Braier, of Wauwatosa, said. "I would be able to spend the time I have left to see my children — my three sons — and my granddaughter."

She said she's weighing the negative reaction she will likely have to the vaccine shot and the possibility of reducing her risk around her family. 

Braier said friends of similar ages living in other states have been frustrated by the process to get a vaccine appointment. The vaccine rollout across the country has prompted massive confusion over how to get an appointment. 

In Wisconsin, health officials say they are planning to create an online registration website in February to manage the logistics of connecting arms with shots. 

"I'm hoping our state does a little bit better job learning from the chaos that is occurring in other states," Braier said. 

Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/19/wisconsinites-65-and-older-get-covid-19-vaccines-starting-jan-25/4211468001/

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Stadium View Bar comes under fire for hosting large Packers watch party during pandemic

From JSOnline:

Duke Behnke

Green Bay Press-Gazette

SHWAUBENON - Stadium View Bar & Grill was heavily criticized as irresponsible on social media after videos and photos from inside the business showed a crowd of maskless Packers fans celebrating the team's playoff victory Saturday over the Los Angeles Rams.

The videos, on TikTok and other social media, show fans who are cheering, dancing, giving high fives, eating and drinking, without any semblance of the social distancing recommended by authorities as a precaution to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

It's the exact scenario the Packers and local health officials cautioned against leading up to the game and comes as a more-contagious variant of the virus has been detected in Wisconsin.

A Packers playoffs-related surge in cases could lead to more deaths and more stress on health care providers.

The reaction on TikTok was swift and pointed.

"And we wonder why Green Bay is a hot spot," one commenter said.

"And these morons now will go out among others at work, home, grocery stores etc. and spread what they pick up. It's selfish and stupid," another said.

One predicted the score "Packers 31.....Covid 200."

The response on Twitter was similar.

"Welp there goes my theory that we'd seen the peak of infection rates now that the holidays are over...," read one tweet.

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2021/01/18/stadium-view-bar-criticized-hosting-crowded-packers-party/4205496001/