national – The Philadelphia Observer

Biden issues slew of pandemic initiatives to improve vaccine distribution

Juan Ignacio — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 13:21:11 +0000

January 21, 2021 Edit Edit with WPBakery Page Builder

(CNN)President Joe Biden’s first full day in office Thursday will focus on getting the Covid-19 pandemic under control, rolling out his national strategy that includes several executive actions related to vaccinations and testing in hopes of moving the federal response in a different direction.The day after being sworn-in, Biden plans to sign at least 10 executive orders, memorandums and directives focused on tackling the pandemic, which, as of Thursday morning, has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 Americans and infected over 24 million in the US. And he is set to present some of his initiatives to the public at 2 p.m. ET and his press secretary and Dr. Anthony Fauci will answer questions at 4 p.m. ET.Biden will sign an order ramping up supplies for vaccination, testing and personal protective equipment and another boosting development of therapeutics to treat Covid-19.Following through on his campaign proposals, Biden will sign two executive orders creating a National Pandemic Testing Board to improve US coronavirus testing capacity and a Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force to ensure an “equitable” pandemic response and recovery.Rodgers, Allen, Mahomes, Brady Play for the Super Bowl Another executive order will enhance the nation’s collection, production, sharing and analysis of data about the virus.He will direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to offer full reimbursement to states for the cost of National Guard personnel and emergency supplies such as PPE for schools.Biden will direct the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services to provide guidance for safe reopening and operating of schools, childcare providers, and institutions of higher education.He will issue an executive order calling on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to release clear guidance on Covid-19, decide whether to establish emergency temporary standards, and directs OSHA to enforce worker health and safety requirements.Building on the order he signed Wednesday making masks mandatory on federal property, Biden will also take action to require facial coverings in airports and on certain modes of transportation, including many trains, planes, maritime vessels and intercity buses. Thursday’s executive order will also require international travelers to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test prior to traveling to the US.Biden also plans to issue a presidential directive to restore America’s leadership, support the international pandemic response effort, promote resilience for future threats, and advance global health security and the Global Health Security Agenda.Newly-installed White House Covid coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters Wednesday that Biden’s pandemic strategy will be “a fundamentally different approach from the Trump administration,” and will be “driven by science, data, and public health” — not politics.

Source: Biden issues slew of pandemic initiatives to improve vaccine distribution

National Police Training Group Distributes Document Referring To Black Lives Matter As A ‘Terrorist Group’

Juan Ignacio — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 01:14:44 +0000

A national police training association is facing backlash after distributing a research-style paper to its members that referred to Black Lives Matter as a “terrorist group,” and depicted protesters as wanting to “overthrow the U.S. government,” according to the Associated Press.

A member of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association gave the troubling document to the news outlet, noting that the 176-page paper was full of lies and misleading statements about Black people who protest.

The association, which goes by ILEETA, said it is “committed to the reduction of law enforcement risk through the enhancement of training for criminal justicepractitioners.” It holds an annual conference that the Associated Press said was the largest gathering of law enforcement trainers in the world, and also distributes guides as well as research papers among its thousands of members.

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But in October, members were sent an email with a paper called “Understanding Antifa and Urban Guerrilla Warfare.” The Associated Press gave the paper to experts for review, including Sherice Nelson, assistant professor of political science at Southern University and A&M College, and Yale racial bias professor Phillip Atiba Goff.

“This document is below the belt because of how much misinformation there is, how many conspiracy theories there are, how much violence it promotes and how many reasons it gives to justify dehumanizing people,” Nelson said.

Goff told the news outlet that he and other police executives were horrified by the claims made in the paper and believe it should not have been sent out.

Both Nelson and Goff said the paper was dangerous, because it falsely conflated Black Lives Matter protesters and others with terrorist groups, while also making unfounded claims that the movements are funded by China and Russia.

The paper states that there are Black Lives Matter members working as “trained, dedicated snipers” in certain cities, and bashes the FBI as well as the media for focusing on white supremacist terrorism.

According to the ILEETA paper, protests over police shootings are simply cover for “hard-core, terrorist trained troops.”

Source: National Police Training Group Distributes Document Referring To Black Lives Matter As A ‘Terrorist Group’