CNN host tries to bait poll expert into bashing Trump on immigration — but the facts get in the way: 'No sign of a backlash'



After insisting for months that his hands were tied, President Joe Biden this week finally took executive action on the border crisis.

Whether his action will make a difference remains to be seen. Critics say it will be business as usual at the border because the action doesn't make substantive changes to discourage migrants from illegally entering the U.S. But CNN data expert Harry Enten showed Tuesday why Biden chose this moment — five months away from Election Day — to finally do something.

'It is not just that immigration is more at the top of voters' minds than it was four years ago, it is that who they trust on the issue has changed tremendously.'

First, Enten showed that voters believe immigration is the second most important issue of the election.

That's an important fact to establish, he explained, because the same issue was ranked as the 15th-most important issue of the 2020 election.

"We've gone from 15th to second," Enten said. "So to me, it is not a huge surprise that President Biden is doing what he is doing because the fact is: Immigration is at the top of the mind for the American voter."

Second, Americans trust Donald Trump to handle immigration much, much more than they trust Biden, Enten explained.

In fact, Enten pulled out data showing that, in the run-up to the 2020 election, voters actually trusted Biden to handle immigration more than they did Trump. But there has since been a whopping 30-point swing the other direction.

"Back in June 2020, Biden was actually trusted more on the question of border security and immigration by a single point," Enten said. "Look at where we are in May of 2024. My goodness gracious. Look at this huge jump that Donald Trump has gotten. He is now ahead on this issue by 27 percentage points."

"So it is not just that immigration is more at the top of voters' minds than it was four years ago, it is that who they trust on the issue has changed tremendously," he explained.

'My Goodness': CNN Data Guru Reacts To Massive Shift To Trump On Immigration Polling pic.twitter.com/OOo6MX2VPR
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 4, 2024

At that point, CNN host Kate Bolduan tried to bait Enten into criticizing Trump by calling Trump's immigration rhetoric "most extreme and most harsh" and asking Enten to predict "backlash" against Trump.

But Enten quickly ended that narrative.

"I think a lot of Democrats are saying, 'Oh, look at Donald Trump, look at what we call anti-immigration rhetoric. There is going to be some backlash.' I am not quite sure that is exactly right," he responded.

To prove his response, Enten cited survey data showing that voters born outside the U.S. prefer Trump to Biden for president.

"This is a change from where we were in 2020 because those voters were born outside the United States preferred Joe Biden," he explained. "But in this case, no sign of a backlash."

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Male teacher posing as female suspended after threatening to shoot students



A male teacher who poses as female has now been removed from a Florida middle school after he threatened to shoot students several weeks ago.

On March 24, Alexander Renczkowski, a math teacher at Fox Chapel Middle School in Hernando County, Florida, reportedly told a school administrator that he had been experiencing suicidal thoughts. He also advised the administrator that he "wanted to shoot some students due to them not performing to their ability," according to a report written by a school resource officer and posted to Facebook by Moms for Liberty.

During his conversation with the administrator that day, Renczkowski admitted that he had recently suffered bouts of depression and that he had been taking anti-depressants. He also identifies as a woman, takes female hormones, "and is planning on having surgery over the summer," the report stated. In 2021, he abandoned the name Alexander and began using the first name Ashlee.

Due to the disturbing nature of his comments, deputies later removed three firearms from the home he shares with his wife, Fawn Renczkowski, who also teaches at Fox Chapel.

The teacher's reported partner, Fawn Renczkowski, is named as a relation in the police incident report, and is also a teacher at the school. According to a now-deleted private Instagram page and multiple parent statements, Fawn identifies as a mermaid. @DailyCaller https://t.co/TSK39h3VAm pic.twitter.com/RlyjO48hvp
— Sarah Weaver (@SarahHopeWeaver) April 13, 2023

However, after an investigation into Renczkowski's situation, school and local mental health professionals, as well as some members of law enforcement, determined that he did not pose a threat to students, and Renczkowski returned to school the next day. Parents were not even informed about Renczkowski's threatening comments until weeks later, when local reporter Tom Lemons broke the story.

Fox Chapel Principal Carmine Rufa then disseminated a recorded statement to parents on Monday, 17 days after Renczkowski made the remark about shooting students.

"While the teacher in question did make a comment to colleagues that was concerning," Rufa reportedly said in the message, "staff and law enforcement determined the comment was not an imminent threat to the campus, but was instead an expression of frustration at student behavior."

On Tuesday, parents filed into a school board meeting and expressed their outrage both that Renczkowski still had a job and that they hadn't been informed about his threats of violence. At the meeting, Superintendent John Stratton held his ground and repeatedly insisted that Renczkowski had been thoroughly vetted and that the experts had determined that he did not pose a threat to himself or students.

"I can't share all the facts with you," Stratton told parents, "but I can tell you I respect the sheriff's department and his team. And I respect my team. And both of those groups, who do this all the time, I'll remind you, determined there was not an imminent threat."

Stratton also silenced parents by telling them that a school board meeting was not "a back-and-forth" and asked them to trust his judgment and the judgment of local law enforcement.

Within 24 hours, Stratton appeared to change his tune. The Florida Department of Education reached out to Stratton on Wednesday evening, and Renczkowski was removed from the school effective the following morning.

Stratton claimed he reversed course and removed Renczkowski after "details, not previously known by the school district," came to light.

"In light of this additional information, the school district will continue to investigate the incident," a statement from Stratton said. "... As part of our investigation, we will take a hard look at all the actions that were taken on that day, and in the days following the incident, and determine if any steps were missed.

"As is our longstanding practice, while the matter is under investigation, the teacher will be removed from all student contact and, pending the outcome of the district’s review, no date has been determined for a return to duty," the statement continued.

Though parents are relieved that Renczkowski is out of the classroom, at least for now, some are incensed that Stratton and other district administrators removed him only after receiving significant pressure from parents and the state department of education.

"I find it both scary and comical that the school board is now magically finding more information," said former school board candidate Monty Floyd. "It seems that the only thing has changed is that the public is aware and the district is scrambling to seem relevant after they engaged in a massive gaslighting campaign to bury this incident and mislead parents."

The following is a video, narrated by Principal Rufa, that has been shared on the school's website. At the close of the video, Rufa claims, "We believe our mission at Fox Chapel is to create a safe, enjoyable, and rewarding middle school experience for all our students." No one matching Renczkowski's description appears in the video.

FCMS - A New Decade youtu.be

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Pete Buttigieg has bizarre question for reporter who directly confronts him about East Palestine disaster



Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg showed his displeasure on Tuesday with a reporter who directly confronted him about the East Palestine train derailment.

"What do you have to say to the folks in Ohio— East Palestine, who are suffering right now?" asked Dally Caller News Foundation reporter Jennie Taer.

Buttigieg dodged the question and tried to dismiss the reporter, but Taer was undeterred.

"Well, I'd refer you to about a dozen interviews I've given today, and if you'd like to arrange a conversation you should reach out to our press office," he said. "I'm not gonna have that conversation with you just walking down the street."

"You don't have a message for them?" Taer followed up.

Buttigieg claimed he does have a message, but told Taer she would need to speak with the Department of Transportation's press shop for that message. When she asked Buttigieg if he would share it directly, he declined.

"Right now, I'm taking some personal time, and I'm walking down the street," he responded.

What happened next was extremely odd. Taer asked Buttigieg if he planned to visit East Palestine. He said that he did and then he pulled out his cellphone and asked Taer if he could take a photo of — not with — her. Taer agreed to the photo.

\u201cI asked Secretary Buttigieg about the crisis in East Palestine and I guess he didn\u2019t like that so he took a pic of me. Im just doing my job, sir. @DailyCaller\u201d
— Jennie Taer (@Jennie Taer) 1677025793

Buttigieg became the target of bipartisan criticism over what many believed was a slow public response to the train derailment, which happened nearly three weeks ago and resulted in a burn of highly toxic, cancer-causing chemicals.

The secretary admitted on Tuesday that he "could have spoken sooner" and offered an excuse for why he did not.

"I was focused on just making sure that our folks on the ground were all set, but could have spoken sooner about how strongly I felt about this incident, and that's a lesson learned for me," he said on CBS News.

Buttigieg will travel to East Palestine on Thursday, one day after former President Donald Trump.

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Top European bureaucrat makes chilling prediction about free speech laws coming to US: 'Illegal hate speech'



A leading European Union bureaucrat predicted on Tuesday that "hate speech" laws are coming to the United States.

Speaking with on a panel moderated by former CNN host Brian Stelter at the World Economic Forum, Věra Jourová, a vice president of the European Commission, boasted that laws against "illegal hate speech" will soon be codified in America.

"We need the people who understand the language and the case law in the country because what qualifies as hate speech — illegal hate speech, which you will have soon also in the U.S," she said.

"I think that we have a strong reason why we have this in the criminal law," she added.

\u201cEuropean Commission VP V\u011bra Jourov\u00e1 at the WEF: \n\n"Illegal hate speech, which you will have soon also in the U.S. I think that we have a strong reason why we have this in the criminal law."\u201d
— Washington Free Beacon (@Washington Free Beacon) 1673970852

Jourová was speaking on a forum about "The Clear and Present Danger of Disinformation." Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, chairman of the New York Times Company, were also on the panel. Specifically, Jourová was speaking about, in her estimation, the importance of social media platforms working with governments to enforce speech codes against "hate speech."

There is no indication that hate speech laws are coming to the U.S.

Indeed, the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting free speech. The Supreme Court has ruled that speech can be narrowly regulated — including against "true threats," incitement," and harassment, among other narrow exceptions — but "hate speech" is not a category of speech that can be outlawed.

Anything else?

While speaking on the panel, Moulton repeated a common misconception about free speech laws in America.

"This concept of preserving public safety, even under the banner of free speech, is actually something we’ve accepted for a long time. You get taught in grade school the concept of, yes, you're allowed free speech but not crying 'fire' in a crowded theater," he asserted.

\u201cIn a Davos panel on "disinformation," @RepMoulton says that Americans learn in grade school that "yelling fire in a crowded theater" is not protected free speech. While Americans may learn it, this is not true. @DailyCaller \nhttps://t.co/gx0YkoWjU3\u201d
— Ailan Evans (@Ailan Evans) 1673973025

But this is not true, according to lawyer Greg Lukianoff.

"Anyone who says 'you can’t shout fire! in a crowded theatre' is showing that they don't know much about the principles of free speech, or free speech law — or history," Lukianoff explained. "This old canard, a favorite reference of censorship apologists, needs to be retired. It's repeatedly and inappropriately used to justify speech limitations.

"The phrase is a misquotation of an analogy made in a 1919 Supreme Court opinion that upheld the imprisonment of three people — a newspaper editor, a pamphlet publisher, and a public speaker — who argued that military conscription was wrong," Lukianoff explained. "The Court said that anti-war speech in wartime is like 'falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic,' and it justified the ban with a dubious analogy to the long-standing principle that the First Amendment doesn’t protect speech that incites people to physical violence. But the Supreme Court abandoned the logic of that case more than 50 years ago."

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Jen Psaki triggers swift mockery after reporter grills her about Biden's border visit: 'I thought this was satire'



White House press secretary Jen Psaki was widely mocked Friday over her response to questions about President Joe Biden's glaring absence from the southern United States border.

What happened?

During a CNN town hall on Thursday, Biden was asked why he has not visited the U.S. border, the site of an ongoing migrant crisis, as president. Biden said he has "been there before" and nonchalantly admitted, "I guess I should go down." However, Biden blamed a busy schedule for not having made the trip nearly one year into his presidency.

At the White House press briefing, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy questioned Psaki about Biden's comments. In response, Psaki explained that Biden briefly drove by the border while on the campaign trail — in 2008.

"Why did President Biden say he has been to the border?" Doocy asked.

"As you may have seen, there's been reporting that he did drive through the border when he was on the campaign trail in 2008. And he is certainly familiar with the fact — and it stuck with him — with the fact that in El Paso, the border goes right through the center of town," Psaki responded.

Psaki added that Biden "does not need a visit to the border to know what a mess was left by the last administration."

DOOCY: "Why did President Biden say he has been to the border?"Psaki: "There's been reporting that he did drive t… https://t.co/Ez9YUOa8ty

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) 1634927597.0

What was the reaction?

Psaki was promptly blasted for her response, which came after Customs and Border Protection revealed there were more than 1.7 million immigrant encounters at the southern border in fiscal year 2021, the highest recorded figure in U.S. history.

  • "Gonna use this excuse next time my wife asks me if I went to the grocery store like she asked," Ben Shapiro quipped.
  • "Psaki is disturbingly comfortable mouthing nonsensical spin and gaslighting like this, I'll never understand how some are perfectly wired for the shamelessness that politics often requires of ppl," Seth Mandel, editor of the Washington Examiner magazine, said.
  • "Jen Psaki would like you to know that Joe Biden maybe went to the border 13 years ago for a photo op and never went back.(That's a thing of pride, apparently)," Bryan Dean Wright said.
  • "I drove by a hospital once in 2008…Now I know everything about it," congressional candidate Graham Allen mocked.
  • "Too busy lying about Border Patrol whipping people, huh?" Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said.
  • "Where did she get this talking point from - THE BABYLON BEE?!" Blaze host Sara Gonzales mocked.
  • "I thought this was satire lmao," another person mocked.

According to a fact check conducted by the Washington Post, the visit that Psaki referred to was "a brief drive-by." In fact, the Post described it as "almost like counting a refueling stop as a visit to a country."

CNN's Don Lemon completely loses it on 'weak' Democrats, Biden: 'It's not our job to sell your agenda for you!'



President Joe Biden's approval numbers have been in a freefall of late among quite literally every major voting demographic as Americans at-large become disenchanted with the president's failed leadership — and now it appears the president has earned yet another detractor in one prominent and usually loyal CNN anchor.

An utterly disgusted Don Lemon lashed out at the president and congressional Democratic leadership on Wednesday during his nightly hand-off with fellow CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, calling Democrats "weak" and scolding them to "get their butts in gear."

Lemon's polemic centered on the Democrats' failure to advance the Freedom to Vote Act in the Senate, one of their signature legislative efforts of the year. The legislation died in the chamber Wednesday after facing unanimous opposition from Republicans and consequently falling far short of the 60 votes needed to advance it.

"It will be the hill the Democratic Party dies on because that's what voters want," Lemon began by saying, according to Mediaite. "The voters who pushed this president into office. Black and brown voters, black and Latino voters, women. They want voting rights. They want access, equal access, not special access, equal access to the voting booth. And they are not getting that."

"Now, what they're getting is the complete opposite," he continued. "They're getting a party, which is the minority party in the country actually running the show holding back the vote on voting rights. So I think it will be the hill they die on."

Lemon then broadened his complaints to include Biden's lackluster messaging on his multitrillion-dollar Build Back Better spending plan, which seems destined to meet a similar fate in Congress.

.@donlemon issues a stunning rebuke of Democratic talking points: "It's not our job to sell your agenda for you." https://t.co/bcreFLGK8s

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) 1634836123.0

"If you stop holding events at 2 o'clock in the afternoon when people are at work or in traffic, and start holding them when people are actually at home and watching and paying attention, then maybe, you may be able to change the narrative," he charged.

Lemon blasted Biden for not communicating his agenda effectively to the American people but instead sitting back and expecting the news media to do that for him.

"It's not our job to sell the narrative," the CNN anchor lamented. "It's our job to discuss what you are doing and yes, part of what's in it. But it's not our job to sell your agenda for you!

"And the only reason that I am so enthusiastic about this is because our democracy is on the line and I don't want America to lose its democracy," he added. "I don't want America to be a country of minority rule and I don't want America to be a place where black and brown people like me, whose ancestors fought and died for the right to vote, are restricted from going to the voting booth. That is the most un-American thing to do.

"So, I have this platform that I have now, and I am speaking very passionately about it," he concluded. "Democrats, get your butts in gear and get passionate about saving this damn country. You're not doing it! You're weak! You are weak! You are weak!"

WH signals that Americans will be left behind in Afghanistan if Biden sticks to his Aug. 31 deadline



As evacuation efforts continue in Afghanistan, the White House is signaling Americans may be left behind in order to comply with the self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline and an agreement with the Taliban.

What are the details?

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked Tuesday how the Biden administration would respond to Americans stranded in Afghanistan beyond the Aug. 31 deadline.

"Would this trigger a diplomatic, military, all-hands-on-deck-type thing to get that person out, whatever the date?" a reporter asked.

"Our commitment continues to be to U.S. citizens: If they want to leave, we will help get them out," Psaki responded.

When asked if that means the administration will act beyond the Aug. 31 deadline, Psaki admitted the White House believes some Americans will be stranded.

"Again, we expect there could be some, but I don't — I'm not going to get into it further," she said.

PSAKI: "We expect there could be some" Americans left in Afghanistan after August 31 https://t.co/IBQEFk4lA4

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) 1629837146.0

The possibility of Americans being stranded in Afghanistan after President Joe Biden removes all U.S. forces from Kabul next week was bolstered Tuesday after Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) briefly traveled to Afghanistan to witness the evacuation process.

Although the congressmen are being criticized for the trip — which they said was taken to provide congressional "oversight" — Moulton said afterward the evacuation process will take much longer than Biden has said.

"We came into this visit wanting, like most veterans, to push the president to extend the August 31st deadline. After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11," Moulton explained. "Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban."

Moulton's observation directly contradicts Biden, who claims the U.S. will be able to complete its evacuation by Aug. 31.

Also, U.S. Embassy Kabul published an alert to Americans in Afghanistan on Tuesday telling them they would be responsible for their own departure if they did not respond to a "final message."

"THIS IS THE FINAL MESSAGE FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO WISH TO DEPART KABUL. American citizens who choose to remain in Afghanistan should be prepared to arrange their own departure without assistance from the U.S. government," the alert read.

US embassy in Afghanistan today sent out a “final message” for Americans wanting to leave Kabul with government hel… https://t.co/Cmq3vGFSGB

— Catie Edmondson (@CatieEdmondson) 1629834129.0

The State Department withdrew the message about a half hour later after it circulated on social media, NBC correspondent Richard Engel noted.

US embassy issues last alert for US citizens to leave afghanistan or they’re on their own, then recalls it 30 mins later.

— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) 1629833041.0

One wonders, however, why that message was sent if the Biden administration intends on evacuating every American from the Taliban-controlled country.

How many Americans are left?

The Pentagon said Wednesday that more than 4,000 Americans have been evacuated since Aug. 14; that number accounts for only about 5% of all people evacuated from Afghanistan since the crisis began, which the Pentagon said was more than 80,000.

What is not clear, however, is how many Americans remain in Afghanistan. Before the crisis began, some estimates indicated there were as many as 15,000 Americans in the country.

An official who spoke with the Daily Caller said the actual number of Americans in Afghanistan was probably around 12,000. That means if only several hundred Americans are being evacuated per day, as indicated by the Pentagon's daily numbers, then thousands of Americans would be left behind in Afghanistan if Biden sticks to his Aug. 31 deadline, which he has promised to do.

The Taliban have rejected the possibility of agreeing to a deadline extension.

Jen Psaki crumples when Fox News reporter grills her about face masks for vaccinated people



White House press secretary Jen Psaki crumpled under questioning Tuesday over new mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, resorting to justifying the new guidance as a "determination" from "public health officials" without pointing to data or evidence.

What is the background?

The CDC released updated guidance Tuesday that fully vaccinated Americans living in regions with high transmission of COVID-19 should mask up.

Previously, CDC guidance stated that fully vaccinated individuals should "resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic ... without wearing a mask or physically distancing."

What was Psaki asked?

During Tuesday's press briefing at the White House, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Psaki why the Biden administration is recommending some fully vaccinated Americans wear face masks if the COVID-19 vaccines are effective.

The implication, of course, is that by re-enacting face mask guidelines, administration officials may be sowing distrust in the vaccines.

"If it's a pandemic of the unvaccinated, still, then why do vaccinated people need to put the masks back on?" Doocy asked.

In response, Psaki affirmed Doocy's thesis — that unvaccinated people are driving up COVID-19 cases, which makes the mask guidance for fully vaccinated individuals confusing — but did not address his question.

"Well, Peter, first of all, I would say again— just to go back to this chart, which I will handily point to again: If you are vaccinated, if you are vaccinated, your life— it can save your life. And I think the clear data shows that this pandemic is killing, is hospitalizing, is making people very sick who are not vaccinated. That still continues to be the case, regardless of what the mask guidance looks like," Psaki said.

Doocy asked again, "But if the vaccines work, which this sign says that they do, then why do people who had the vaccine need to now wear masks — the same as people who have not had it?"

This time Psaki essentially deflected to "because we said so."

"Because the public health leaders in our administration have made the determination, based on data, that that is a way to make sure they're protected, their loved ones are protected," she told Doocy. "And that's an extra step, given the transmissibility of the virus, that people — that they're advising people to take."

DOOCY: "If vaccines work -- then why do people who have the vaccine now need to wear masks?"@PressSec: "Because t… https://t.co/KV2JJVbcss

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) 1627406755.0

Is there a better answer?

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky provided a better explanation Tuesday as to why the CDC is — yet again — reversing course.

While she reaffirmed the overwhelming majority of COVID-19 cases are among the unvaccinated, she explained that studies show vaccinated people carry a significant viral load of COVID-19 variant in their nose and airway, enough to infect other people.

From the Associated Press:

Most new infections in the U.S. continue to be among unvaccinated people. So-called breakthrough infections, which generally cause milder illness, can occur in vaccinated people. When earlier strains of the virus predominated, infected vaccinated people were found to have low levels of virus and were deemed unlikely to spread the virus much, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.

But with the delta variant, a mutated and more transmissible version of the virus, the level of virus in infected vaccinated people is "indistinguishable" from the level of virus in the noses and throats of unvaccinated people, Walensky said.

The face masks are intended to stop that transmission, Walensky explained.

GOP lawmakers criticize new CDC mask guidance, Biden says federal employee vaccine mandate 'under consideration'



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that vaccinated people wear face masks when indoors in a public setting in portions of the nation that have substantial or high transmission.

"To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission," the agency's guidance for those who have been fully vaccinated states.

The CDC is also recommending indoor mask wearing for K-12 students, teachers, staff and visitors irrespective of whether those people have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

President Biden said on Tuesday that a vaccine mandate for federal employees is being weighed. When asked whether he will require all federal employees get vaccinated, President Biden on Tuesday said that the matter is "under consideration right now."

Biden is asked if the new CDC mask guidance will sow confusion:"We have a pandemic, because of the unvaccinated a… https://t.co/3qKwEnNM22
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) 1627417159.0

Multiple Republican lawmakers have criticized the CDC's latest mask guidance:

  • "The new CDC mask guidance is the final political nail into the credibility coffin of public health," Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas tweeted.
  • "The @CDCgov has yet again reversed its mask guidelines after telling us for months that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear a mask. When will this circus end?" Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee tweeted.
  • "The CDC's mask mandate for k-12 schoolchildren isn't based in science or reality. Disappointed but not surprised by the "follow the science" crew that also thinks men can be pregnant," tweeted Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

"Today's decision, sadly, was driven by politics, not science. Let me be clear: there should be no more COVID mandates, no mask mandates, no vaccine mandates, no vaccine passports, no lockdowns, and no school closures," Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said in a statement. "Enough is enough. The CDC has lost its credibility when it comes to what decisions Americans should make about COVID-19. It's long past time we got back to trusting the American people, not unelected federal bureaucrats."

So far there have been more than 34.5 million COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and more than 611,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

According to the CDC, 49.2 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated while 56.9 percent has received at least one dose.

The Moderna and Pfizer-BioN-Tech vaccines both involve taking two shots while Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine involves just one shot.

George Floyd's brother utters three forbidden words after sentencing of Derek Chauvin



Philonase Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, uttered a forbidden three-word phrase Friday after the sentencing of Derek Chauvin, the former officer who killed his brother.

Floyd was addressing the media after Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison. He listed many other names of victims touted by the "Black Lives Matter" movement before saying that "all lives matter."

"I just want to reiterate: not just black lives matter, all lives matter!" he exclaimed.

"We need to stand up and fight! Can't get comfortable, because when you get comfortable, people forget about you!" he added.

Video of the comment went viral on social media very soon afterward.

George Floyd's brother Philonise:"I just want to reiterate: not just black lives matter, all lives matter." https://t.co/BVZX1xchP6

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) 1624654614.0

"Your skin color should not define who you are. It should never be a weapon," Floyd said later in his speech.

The phrase "all lives matter" has been pronounced by the left as a forbidden utterance because it is seen as a rebuke to the "Black Lives Matter" movement. In April 2019, then-presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg apologized for using the phrase and vowed to never say it again. In January of the same year, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was similarly rebuked online for using the forbidden phrase.

A jury in April found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The death of George Floyd inspired protests and rioting across the country after video of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's back went viral online.

Philonase Floyd had previously spoken the phrase when he testified before members of the House Judiciary Committee earlier in June.

"Anyone with a heart, they know that that's wrong. You don't do that to a human being. You don't do that to an animal," Floyd said at the time.

"All lives matter," he added. "Black lives matter."

Here's the video of the full comments by Philonase:

George Floyd's brother reacts to Derek Chauvin's sentencewww.youtube.com