October 27, 2021 Briefing
Politics:
“A federal judge has dealt conservative figure James O’Keefe a legal blow, ruling that his group’s undercover operations against a Democratic consulting firm can fairly be described at an upcoming million-dollar trial as ‘political spying.’”
“The lawsuit, led by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, is joined by 11 other states. The states are seeking to restore the Trump administration rule so that medical clinics cannot obtain funding from Title X, a federal grant program, toward performing or referring abortions.”
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is streamlining its authorization process, while the National Institutes of Health will spend $70 million on a new program to accelerate test-makers through those regulatory hurdles. The funds will come from the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package President Joe Biden signed into law in March.”
“The caravan is made up of Central American migrants, as well as some Haitians, many of whom say they have been stuck in legal limbo, waiting for asylum applications to be processed for as long as a year. Under Mexican law, migrants who file a claim in Tapachula must stay there until their claims are processed.”
U.S. Government Still Working to Evacuate Afghans - Department of Defense
“Right now there are just over 3,000 Afghan evacuees in the U.S. Central Command region, Kirby said. In U.S. European Command that number is down to 463. At eight bases in the United States there are 53,157. ‘Thus far 6,689 of them have been released for resettlement, and they are on their way to their new lives,’ Kirby said.”
Business:
“The National Association of Business Economics (NABE) found that nearly half — 47% — of respondents to its Business Conditions Survey reported a shortage of skilled workers in the third quarter. That's up from 32% reporting shortages in the second quarter of the year, which already was too high for comfort. And nobody thinks the labor shortages will just disappear as 2021 turns to 2022.”
Business groups ask White House to delay Biden Covid vaccine mandate until after the holidays - CNBC
“Worried that President Joe Biden’s Covid vaccine mandate for private companies could cause a mass exodus of employees, business groups are pleading with the White House to delay the rule until after the holiday season.”
Missing Foreign Workers Add to Hiring Challenges - New York Times
“Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers have gone missing from the labor market as the global coronavirus pandemic drags on, leaving holes in white-collar professions like the one Ms. Mahajan works in and in more service-oriented jobs in beach towns and at ski resorts.”
Ohio school boards terminate membership with NSBA for labeling parents 'domestic terrorists' - Fox News
“‘OSBA believes strongly in the value of parental and community discussion at school board meetings, and we reject the labeling of parents as domestic terrorists,’ OSBA Chief Executive Rick Lewis and OSBA President Robert Heard Sr. said in a letter to the NSBA Tuesday.”
“Dennis Deslongchamp, the president of the Denver Concessionaires Association, told KMGH that organizers had hoped for about 5,000 people at the fair, which he called a ‘very lofty goal.’ Organizers had wanted to fill about 1,000 jobs at the airport, but only about 100 people came to the four-hour fair, Deslongchamp told the outlet.”
Culture:
“Lyons and 150 other residents in the Marina District have hired the services of patrol special officer Alan Byard, who provides a measure of added security by patrolling the streets amid a surge in car break-ins and home burglaries.”
'Rust' crew member who gave Baldwin firearm fired from past job after prop gun accident:LIVE UPDATES - Fox News
“‘I can confirm that Dave Halls was fired from the set of 'Freedom's Path' in 2019 after a crew member incurred a minor and temporary injury when a gun was unexpectedly discharged. Halls was removed from set immediately after the prop gun discharged. Production did not resume filming until Dave was off-site. An incident report was taken and filed at that time.’”
“The Ada County Coroner's Office identified the suspect as Jacob Bergquist, 27. He was injured during an exchange of gunfire with a police officer Monday, BPD said.”
Health:
Pro-life doctors push back on claim women don’t know they’re pregnant at six weeks - Washington Times
“‘Modern pregnancy tests can detect pregnancy just one week from fertilization, as any woman trying to become pregnant knows. Our patients deserve access to better information about their healthcare than the lies offered by abortion industry lawyers or partisan medical providers,’ the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement to The Washington Times.”
Biden Administration Mandates Covid Vaccines For Foreign Travelers And Testing For U.S. Residents - Forbes
“The Biden administration on Monday unveiled its new requirements for both domestic and foreign travelers entering the U.S. amid the pandemic, including a strict vaccine mandate for almost all international visitors and testing for residents regardless of their vaccination status.”
“‘I don’t think children should be vaccinated for COVID. I’m a huge fan of vaccinating children for measles, for mumps, for polio, for rotavirus, and many other diseases, that’s critical. But COVID is not a huge threat to children,’ he said on EpochTV’s ‘American Thought Leaders’ program. The full episode can be watched on EpochTV.”