Mask mandates return for health care facilities in deep blue state
Mask mandates are returning for a limited time during cold and flu season in the heart of deep-blue California’s San Francisco Bay Area. With winter fast approaching, several Bay Area counties have recently issued health orders requiring that face makes be worn in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and other health care settings beginning on Nov. 1 and extending through either March 31 or April 30, 2025, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The new mandates were put into effect to prevent the spread of the flu, COVID and other seasonal illnesses. The requirements only apply to health care workers except in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, which also require visitors to put on masks. Santa Clara is also requiring that patients mask up, according to the outlet. TOP REPUBLICAN DEMANDS ANSWERS AS BILLIONS IN FEMA RELIEF ARE STILL GOING TO COVID: ‘LEGITIMATE CONCERN’ Localities that have issued health orders include Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Napa counties. Health care facilities that must abide by the orders include hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, dialysis centers and infusion centers. HEART ATTACK AND STROKE MAY RISE AFTER COVID INFECTION, STUDY FINDS Santa Clara County will exempt children under age 2 and people with medical conditions for whom wearing a mask could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove a mask without assistance. Though far less restrictive than pandemic-era COVID mandates, the masking requirements still invited opposition from critics. FORMER NIH OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF MAKING EMAILS ‘DISAPPEAR’ PLEADS FIFTH TO COVID SUBCOMMITTEE “Mask mandates are making a comeback in California,” said Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., who faces a challenge from Democrat Jessica Morse. “My opponent, a Newsom staffer, supports toddler masking. America’s leading masker of 2-year-olds, Xavier Becerra, is plotting a run for governor. We must elect the right people to assure history doesn’t repeat itself.” The masking orders are similar to health orders issued during last year’s cold and flu season. In January, several New York City public hospitals joined health care facilities in states across the country in reinstating mask mandates in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases and influenza infections. The mandates were lifted once flu season ended.
New York gun control regime handed defeat in court
Second Amendment activists scored another win against New York State’s expansive gun control regime on Thursday. A federal judge said a newly enacted state law that bans licensed firearms owners from carrying concealed weapons on all private property, unless the owners permit weapons with a sign or by express consent, violates the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. “At least as to private property open to the public (the subject of this motion), New York’s restriction is unconstitutional,” wrote U.S. District Court John Sinatra, Jr., a Trump appointee. “Regulation in this area is permissible only if the government demonstrates that the new enactment is consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of sufficiently analogous regulations,” the judge wrote, citing recent Supreme Court precedent. “New York fails that test here.” GOP LAWMAKER UNVEILS EFFORT TO BAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM USING IDS TO BUY GUNS The judge also denied a motion from New York for a two-week stay in the ruling while the state Attorney General’s office filed an appeal, reasoning that the state is unlikely to succeed on the merits. Sinatra said that property owners have a right to exclude legal gun owners from carrying firearms on their property. “But the state may not unilaterally exercise that right and, thereby, interfere with the long-established Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens who seek to carry for self-defense on private property open to the public.” The Concealed Carry Improvement Act, signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in July 2022, was passed in response to a Supreme Court ruling that declared the state’s previous concealed carry permitting requirements unconstitutional. Last December, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit blocked several provisions of the law from taking effect, though it upheld a controversial requirement that concealed carry permit applicants demonstrate good moral character and disclose household and family members on a permit application. The appellate court also let stand a ban on concealed carry in so-called “sensitive places,” including theaters, bars, public parks and other spaces. TRUMP TO HEADLINE NRA EVENT IN PIVOTAL SWING STATE TWO WEEKS BEFORE ELECTION DAY Gun rights activists praised Sinatra’s decision. “This is yet another important victory for Second Amendment rights and another major loss for New York, authoritarian governments, and radical anti-rights organizations like Everytown and Giffords,” said Brandon Combs, president of the Firearms Policy Coalition. “We will continue to fight forward as we work to restore the full scope of the right to keep and bear arms throughout the United States. Hopefully Kathy Hochul is ready to write another check for legal fees,” he added. The New York Attorney General’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this week, Hochul celebrated her administration’s gun control policies, announcing that gun violence in New York State has declined 47 percent since she took office in 2021. GUN RIGHTS GROUP APPLAUDS AFTER FEDERAL APPEALS COURT DEALS BLOW TO NY CONCEALED CARRY LAW “And you all know what happened when the Supreme Court overturned the laws against concealed carry weapons, stripping away the power of the governor of this state to make her citizens safe. When the Supreme Court did that, we didn’t throw up our hands and surrender. We fought back,” Hochul said. “We doubled down. We came up with legislation. And we have a prohibition on concealed carry weapons in sensitive places. I personally think every place is sensitive, don’t you? Alright, well, we drew the lines, okay? We decided what was sensitive, and so far we are good.” However, gun rights groups argue that Sinatra’s decision shows Hochul is wrong. “As we’ve said all along, the ‘sensitive place’ carry restrictions imposed by New York post-Bruen are unconstitutional. Hard stop,” said Bill Sack, director of Legal Operations for the Second Amendment Foundation. “We are thrilled that once again, the courts have agreed, and sent this amoral and unlawful ban packing.”
Gujarat wall collapse: 9 workers killed, 1 injured at construction site in Mehsana, rescue operation underway
Rescue teams have been working relentlessly since the collapse, with emergency personnel striving to recover the bodies and search for survivors.
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das Pays Tribute to Ratan Tata
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Delhi to launch ‘E-Detection’ system: Here’s how it will prevent polluting vehicles from entering
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Gujarat wall collapse: PM Modi offers condolences, announces ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs for deceased families
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Evan Singh Luthra Appointed Member of Congress in Liberland’s New Government under Prime Minister Justin Sun
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Dussehra 2024: India’s tallest Ravana effigy worth Rs 30 lakh unveiled in this city; check time taken to build
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White House releases medical report on VP Kamala Harris
The White House on Saturday released a report from Vice President Kamala Harris’ doctor declaring her to be in “excellent health.” The report, which was previewed by a senior Harris campaign aide, comes as the 59-year-old Democratic nominee seeks to contrast herself with former President Trump, 79, who has not made recent health disclosures. “Vice President Harris remains in excellent health,” wrote her Army physician, Dr. Joshua R. Simmons. “She possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief.” This is a developing story and will be updated.
‘Has done nothing’: GOP Senate hopeful rips Dem opponent for not holding Biden-Harris accountable on key issue
LAS VEGAS – GOP Sen. John Kennedy hit the campaign trail for Nevada Senate candidate Sam Brown where the two spoke to Fox News Digital about why they believe Biden administration policies have hurt voters in the crucial swing state. “The number one issue that folks have been worried about for the last couple of years has been the economy and how this Biden-Harris economy has put so much pressure on individuals, on families,” war veteran Capt. Sam Brown recently told Fox News Digital at an event with Sen. Kennedy in Las Vegas. “For instance, the average Nevada families paying $1,200 more a month now than they were four years ago. When you’ve got seniors who are having to leave the dignity of retirement to go pick up a job because they can’t make ends meet. They can’t pay their rent. When you’ve got moms and dads who are skipping meals so that their kids can eat, that’s not right. It’s not fair to Nevadans.” Brown explained that the number two issue that voters relay to him is immigration. WAR VETERAN’S CAMPAIGN UNLEASHES ON DEM OPPONENT AFTER TOP AIDE’S ‘DISGUSTING’ SMEAR OF HIS MILITARY BOOK “The number two issue is this border crisis,” Brown said. “Vice President Harris was the border czar, she allowed this crisis to happen, and Senator Rosen sits on the Homeland Security Committee. She should be providing accountability. Should be providing leadership and pushback against an administration that has allowed, we now know, over 400,000 convicted criminals into this country, and she has done nothing, in fact, only visited the border one time. And that’s unacceptable. As someone who comes out of the military. Leadership is about being in the front, representing your people, their concerns and accomplishing the mission.” Brown, a war veteran who sustained serious injuries from an IED explosion during a 2008 deployment in Afghanistan, is running against incumbent Dem. Sen. Jacky Rosen in a race that could play a key role in deciding which party controls the Senate. The Cook Political Report ranks the race as “Lean Democrat.” ‘RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH’: ROSEN PANNED FOR BIDEN-ALIGNED VOTES, HIGH HOUSING COSTS Kennedy told Fox News Digital that he felt it was important to travel to Nevada and support Brown because the combat veteran is a “rock star.” “He’s a beast. He’s what cool looks like. We need him in the United States Senate,” Kennedy said. “The people of Nevada need him and they deserve him. The people of Nevada deserve the right to go to the grocery store without having to first sell blood plasma so they can afford it and Sam’s going to help us fix that.” “The people of Nevada deserve to be able to pay their rent or pay their mortgage without first having to cash in on their retirement account and Sam’s going to help us fix that in Washington. The people of Nevada deserve to be able to retire before they’re 94, for God’s sakes. And when they retire, they ought to be able to live in dignity. They shouldn’t have to live in a tent behind Outback and eat cat food and that’s a direct result of that problem I just described as a direct result of inflation caused by the Democrats who’ve been in control the last four years.” Brown told Fox News Digital that the energy on the ground he has seen for his campaign has been “terrific.” “This is a battleground state in the presidential race, a battleground state for the Senate,” Brown said. “When we win this race, we’ll take the majority. When President Trump wins, he’ll be in the White House. Folks are fired up because they need change. They’re desperate for change and Jacky Rosen, as senator, she’s been running from the people while I’m running for them.” Kennedy told Fox News Digital he thinks the presidential race between Harris and Trump will be “close” in Nevada but that he is ceratin Brown will be a “great senator.” “I mean, the guy’s a war hero, West Point graduate, SMU business school graduate, he’s been a businessman, he’s a good dad, he’s a good husband, he’s whip smart,” Kennedy said. “You get between Sam Brown and what’s best for Nevada. He’ll devour you like a light snack, man.” “Back home in Louisiana we say he’s tough as a $3 steak and the people in Nevada need him and they deserve him. They’ve been through a lot. This bunch in Washington, D.C., their entire plan for the last four years, the Democrats, has been let’s do the worst thing possible that won’t work. They screwed this economy up so badly. The American people have been gutted like a fish because of this inflation and we’re going to fix it. And Sam Brown will help lead the charge.” Fox News Digital reached out to Rosen’s campaign for comment but did not receive a response.