Whitmer lifts COVID-19 restriction she was busted violating over the weekend



Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has lifted her own restrictions on social distancing at restaurants after she was caught over the weekend violating the rule that had limited restaurant seating to parties of six or less.

What are the details?

On Saturday, Breitbart released a photo showing Whitmer and her chief operations officer sitting with a dozen or so people at an East Lansing bar in clear violation of the restrictions the governor set in place for all Michiganders.

As TheBlaze previously reported, Whitmer had just updated her own COVID guidance a week prior to violating the order, prohibiting intermingling by groups of people and dictating that no more than six individuals may sit at the same table in restaurants.

After the photo of Whitmer went viral, the governor issued an apology for ignoring her own rules, saying in a statement released Sunday:

"Throughout the pandemic, I've been committed to following public health protocols. Yesterday, I went with friends to a local restaurant. As more people arrived, the tables were pushed together. Because we were all vaccinated, we didn't stop to think about it. In retrospect, I should have thought about it. I am human. I made a mistake, and I apologize."

Then, on Monday, the governor lifted the rule, but suggested she had already been considering getting rid of it prior to the bad press.

WWMT-TV reporter Rachel Louise Just tweeted:

"Today, Whitmer rescinded the rules that limited the number of people at a table to 6, a rule she was seen breaking over the weekend. I asked about how long she's been considering that rule change - she said it's been in the works long before last weekend."

Today, Whitmer rescinded the rules that limited the number of people at a table to 6, a rule she was seen breaking… https://t.co/MSgyuG4Ulm

— Rachel Louise Just (@RLJnews) 1621875644.0

Anything else?

Since the emergence of the coronavirus in the U.S., Whitmer earned a reputation for being among the most heavy-handed governors in the nation when it came to imposing restrictions on citizens and businesses.

But even before the bar photo the Democrat had been accused multiple times of hypocrisy in flouting her own COVID-19 guidance.

Just last month, it emerged that the governor took a private jet to Florida on a personal trip to see her ailing father — despite blaming travel to Florida for high rates of infection in Michigan at the time.

She also broke her own executive order when she violated social distancing rules while attending a George Floyd march.

In May of 2020, Whitmer's husband allegedly tried to use her position as governor to gain preferential treatment to get his boat in the water at their vacation home, after the governor warned folks not to travel to the area due to the pandemic.

Baltimore's Dem mayor keeps mask mandates in his city — GOP governor calls out his hypocrisy



Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) announced Monday that despite last week's CDC guidance stating vaccinated individuals can ditch masks pretty much everywhere, his city will be an exception.

The city is keeping mandates in place indoors and at outdoor venues. But Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) told reporters he was surprised by Scott's actions since he saw the mayor in public without a mask twice just last week.

What are the details?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared last week that fully vaccinated Americans can return to life without masks both outdoors and indoors with a few exceptions like medical facilities, businesses that require them, or on airliners. But some Democratic politicians are not following the science in accordance with CDC guidance, opting to keep their mask mandates in place.

On Monday, Mayor Scott and Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa held a news conference to inform residents that the city's mask mandates would remain in place until further notice, WBAL-TV reported.

Scott said that the mandate would stay until 65% of adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The city is currently is at 42%.

"In order for us to get to that 65% quicker, folks need to get vaccinated," Scott reiterated before coaxing residents. "So if you want that mask mandate to go away, get vaccinated."

When asked by WBFF-TV about Scott's decision, Gov. Hogan shrugged and said, "Just doesn't make any sense to me, but you know I think the mayor might have that authority to do that."

Then the governor said of Scott, "You know, I saw him at the Preakness and at an event on Thursday night — both indoors — neither time with a mask. So, if he's not going to do it, then he shouldn't tell other people to do it."

WATCH 🔊Here's the video of @GovLarryHogan answering my question about @MayorBMScott keeping the indoor mask requi… https://t.co/LDWrtuZrQT
— Mikenzie Frost (@MikenzieFrost) 1621290621.0

Hogan lifted Maryland's statewide mask mandate on Saturday in light of the CDC's guidance.

Suspected 'serial killer' busted by SWAT team while allegedly trying to kill another victim



A California tree trimmer already behind bars for attempting to kill someone has been charged with multiple murder counts and dubbed a "serial killer."

Authorities say after the suspect was apprehended by a SWAT team last year who found him allegedly trying to kill a man, they were able to link him to the deaths of several people.

What are the details?

Ryan Scott Blinston, 37, has been charged with three murders, two attempted murders, and other charges after authorities linked him to a spate of victims spanning two counties whose throats had been slashed.

The Associated Press reported that Blinston worked for a tree trimming service in northern California in May and June of 2020. Authorities believe that during his stint at the company, Blinston returned to the homes of clients after work was completed and slashed their throats.

The Butte County District Attorney's office referred to Blinston as an "alleged serial killer," saying that a multi-agency investigation found that he was tied to multiple deaths during his tenure with the tree service.

The first victims were Loreen Severs, 88, and her husband Homer Severs, 91, whose throats were both slashed in their home on May 23 — days after hiring the tree service where Blinston worked. Loreen died in the attack, but Homer survived only to die months later of an illness.

Another client of the tree trimming service, Sandra George, 82, was found dead with her throat slashed after Blinson allegedly returned to her home on June 4 after the job was complete and the rest of the crew left.

The next victim was Vicky Cline, 57, an acquaintance of Blinston's who was last seen with him on June 6. That night, Cline's car was destroyed in an arson fire, and DNA evidence links Blinston to the vehicle. Cline's body was discovered in a river a few weeks later, with her throat slashed.

Then on June 14, the Butte County Sheriff's SWAT team showed up at the home of a 50-year-old man whose identity was not released.

The Butte County District Attorney's office described what the SWAT team witnessed:

As the team approached the motorhome, they heard the muffled screams of a man inside and loud banging on the outside of the motorhome. The banging turned out to be Blinston attempting to get into the motorhome with a hatchet. The motorhome resident later told officers he was asleep in his bed when Blinston suddenly attacked him and cut his throat. The resident was able to kick Blinston out of the motorhome and lock the door, but Blinston was attempting to get back in the motorhome when the SWAT team coincidently arrived.

The 50-year-old man was flown by helicopter to a hospital, and he survived the attack.

Fox News reported that Blinston was charged Thursday, and if found guilty, he faces life without parole.


Gavin Newsom responds after getting busted attending large dinner party against his own advice



Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has admitted it was probably not the best idea for him and his wife to join a large dinner party at one of the world's finest restaurants while he is discouraging the citizens of his state from gathering with folks outside their own households during the upcoming holiday season.

What are the details?

The San Francisco Chronicle first reported that Newsom and his wife, first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, attended a recent dinner with a dozen people, involving "more households than California advises," at the French Laundry — known as one of the most exclusive restaurants in the world.

Politico reported that the celebration was for "the 50th birthday of lobbyist Jason Kinney, a longtime friend."

The Hill pointed out that "California's current coronavirus guidelines prohibit gatherings that include more than three households," according to the Chronicle. "Gatherings must also be held outside and should last no longer than two hours."

But after the news broke, critics cried foul, claiming hypocrisy and pointing to Newsom warning against Californians getting together in large numbers. One of the governor's aides, Nathan Click, came to his defense, saying that Newsom and his wife "followed public health guidelines and the restaurant's protocols — all in line with the state's rules for restaurant operation."

Click added that restaurants in the state are only required to "limit the number of patrons at a single table to a household unit or patrons who have asked to be seated together."

Newsom himself also reached out to the Chronicle, conceding, "While our family followed the restaurant's health protocols and took safety precautions, we should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner."

Anything else?

Newsom was not the first California politician to get busted flouting his own coronavirus recommendations on Friday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took heat from across the political spectrum after defending her decision to allow the lower chamber to continue holding banquets for newly elected members while Americans are being discouraged from holding large family gatherings for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Meals were reportedly packed up for attendees to take home at the Democratic caucus' celebration following public outrage.

Pelosi was lambasted a few months ago after she was caught maskless visiting a shuttered San Francisco salon that the city had forced to close for months as part of the municipality's stringent COVID-19 regulations.