Transgender female Navy veteran christens ship named after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk



A U.S. Navy ship named after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk was christened by a transgender female Navy veteran this weekend.

What are the details?

Milk — who served with the Navy in the Korean War — became the first openly gay elected official in California, winning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated a year later by former city supervisor Dan White.

Paula Neira — a Navy veteran and the clinical program director at the Center for Transgender Health at Johns Hopkins University — christened the ship Saturday in San Diego, National Public Radio reported.

The Navy ordered Neira's name corrected on discharge paperwork — a first for a transgender Navy veteran, according to the Baltimore Sun.

NEW - U.S. Navy names military ship after gay rights leader Harvey Milk and it's christened by a transgender veteran.pic.twitter.com/nVa1fFxadd

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) 1636309794

"I christen thee Harvey Milk," Neira said before smashing the traditional bottle of champagne. "May God bless the ship and all who sail in her."

Neira and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) sponsored the ship, NPR said.

More from the outlet:

Naming the ship after an icon of the LGBTQ rights movement represents a symbolic milestone for the military following a long history in which gay service members were unable to serve openly. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said it helps right the wrongs of the past and shows a commitment to current and future LGBTQ service members. It's estimated that 100,000 veterans have been discharged from military service because of their sexual orientation.

"Leaders like Harvey Milk taught us that diversity of backgrounds and experiences help contribute to the strength and resolve of our nation," Del Toro said, according to NPR. "There is no doubt that the future Sailors aboard this ship will be inspired by Milk's life and legacy."

Stuart Milk — Milk's nephew and cofounder of the Harvey Milk Foundation — told the outlet that the Navy gave documents to the Milk family outlining Harvey Milk's discharge and that it was "less than honorable." While Stuart Milk added to NPR that the Navy asked him about posthumously reversing his uncle's dishonorable discharge, he said he nixed the idea as a reminder that not everyone was treated with honor.

Anything else?

White committed suicide in October 1985 — apparently it was carbon monoxide poisoning — a year after he was paroled for his voluntary manslaughter sentence in connection with the deaths of White and Moscone.

Here's a look back:

Harvey Milk, George Moscone assassinated in SF: November 27, 1978youtu.be

Big Bird promotes COVID-19 vaccine for children on CNN, Ted Cruz says 'Sesame Street' engaging in 'propaganda' targeting kids



"Sesame Street" has entered the culture wars. There was swift kickback after "Sesame Street" launched a campaign to push for children as young as five to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which included a CNN town hall with the puppets. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) labeled the initiative to promote the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine as "government propaganda."

"Sesame Street" characters launched a coordinated campaign to promote the COVID-19 vaccine to kids last week. The initiative began days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 through 11.

"Sesame Street" characters appeared on a CNN town hall on Saturday morning titled "The ABCs of COVID Vaccines." The town hall was hosted by CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta and CNN anchor Erica Hill, who answered questions about the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine from the hand puppets.

Don't miss our next family town hall, "The ABCs of COVID Vaccines", airing tomorrow at 8:30am ET on @CNN. Join all your friends from the neighborhood as we hear expert answers to questions from real families!pic.twitter.com/RiIrWEwQYq

— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) 1636135775

NEW - Sesame Street with American TV network CNN telling kids to get the #COVID19 vaccines.pic.twitter.com/wtePXAxrgy

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) 1636202738

CNN teamed up this morning with Sesame Street for a COVID vaccine \u201ctown hall\u201d to convince 5-to-11-year-olds and their parents to get the young children vaccinated.\n\nBig Bird, portrayed as a 6-year-old, is urged to get vaccinated, and he does at the end of the special. A taste:pic.twitter.com/hlSY04w6om

— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) 1636222432

Beloved characters such as Big Bird, Elmo, Grover, and Oscar the Grouch advocated for children to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The official accounts posted messages on Twitter. Coincidentally, the social media platform requires people using the service to be 13 years of age or older.

I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.\n\nMs. @EricaRHill even said I\u2019ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!

— Big Bird (@BigBird) 1636204140

Super Grover may have many special superpowers, but he also knows when to ask a friend for help! Thank you @KizzyPhD for teaching us aaaaall about COVID-19 vaccines at the town hall today!

— Grover (@Grover) 1636206540


Well this stinks. Apparently, the COVID-19 vaccines won\u2019t make you feel grouchy at all! That's what @KizzyPhD said at today's town hall, anyway. You might get a sore arm and feel tired, so at least there\u2019s that.

— Oscar the Grouch (@OscarTheGrouch) 1636207560

"My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy. Ms. @EricaRHill even said I've been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!" the official Twitter account for Big Bird wrote.

Cruz reacted by writing, "Government propaganda...for your 5 year old!"

Government propaganda\u2026for your 5 year old!https://twitter.com/bigbird/status/1456971880666046465\u00a0\u2026

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) 1636236713

Other conservative commenters were concerned that the children's TV show was promoting the newly-approved COVID-19 vaccine for kids.

Newsmax host Steve Cortes: "This kind of propaganda is actually evil. Your children are not statistically at risk, and should not be pressured into a brand new treatment. Do Not Comply!"

Author Brigitte Gabriel: "Sesame Street is now indoctrinating toddlers. What a disgrace."

Political commentator Lauren Chen: "Who is the target of the Sesame Street vaccine outreach? Parents who trust Elmo & Big Bird with their children's medical decisions? Toddlers who are on Twitter and tune in to CNN? It makes no sense."

Podcast host Liz Wheeler: "I love how the same people who don't want us to listen to Joe Rogan & Aaron Rodgers about the covid vaccine, want us to listen to Big Bird & Elmo."

Radio host Larry O'Connor: "'Mommy, Daddy... Big Bird says I should get the shot to keep the Muppets safe! Why won't you let me get it?'"

Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe: "Brainwashing children who are not at risk from COVID. Twisted."

Previously, Joe Rogan questioned Gupta about the statistical risks of children being infected with COVID-19, which the neurosurgeon didn't offer many answers.

.@joerogan challenges TV doctor @drsanjaygupta on forcing children to get vaccinated.\n\nIt's as if it's the first time he's left his pro-mandate bubble & he's forced to consider a coherent argument against vaccine mandates. Watch...pic.twitter.com/4sv1VAS532

— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) 1634160600

In U.S. children ages 5-11, there have been 94 COVID-19 deaths (1.7% of all deaths among U.S. children ages 5–11) between Jan. 1, 2020, and Oct. 18, 2021, according to the CDC.

Last week, Pfizer released a commercial that characterized young children who participated in the COVID-19 vaccine trial as "superheroes." The controversial commercial from the multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation was also described as "propaganda" aimed at children.

VIDEO: Migrant caravan bulldoze Mexican National Guard; organizer says Biden admin's policies pulling illegal immigrants to US 'like cattle'



Several thousand migrants from Haiti, South America, and Central America are making their way north to the southern border of the United States. Mexican law enforcement attempted to utilize a roadblock to stop the massive migrant caravan in southern Mexico, but the migrants easily steamrolled their way past the large group of officers.

Approximately 3,000 migrants marched in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula – about 10 miles from the Guatemala border. There are reports that members of the caravan were carrying signs with President Joe Biden's name on them, including one that read: "Joe Biden Is For All."

#BREAKING Thousands of migrants marching from Tapachula and are using a rope to stay together so “no one falls behi… https://t.co/bts36zdQAJ

— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) 1634995646.0

BREAKING: A large Migrant Caravan has departed Tapachula, Mexico carrying signs w ⁦@POTUS⁩ name on it ⁦@FoxNews⁩… https://t.co/cxW51HPUbA

— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) 1634993170.0


NOW - Large migrant caravan has left Tapachula, Mexico for the US.https://t.co/EprRkn62iv

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) 1635001054.0

The Mexican National Guard established a roadblock – fortified by some 400 law enforcement officers. Video shows the migrant caravan overwhelming the Mexican force and bulldozing the officers who were equipped with shields and anti-riot gear.

BREAKING: Migrant Caravan in Mexico encounters Mexico’s @INAMI_mx forces… #BorderCrisis https://t.co/8RnFir1j7x

— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) 1635003178.0

En localidad de #VivaMéxico cerca de #Tapachula #Chiapas rompe el cerco de elementos de @INAMI_mx y @GN_MEXICO_ la… https://t.co/iFKP2kqQ99

— Gabriela Coutiño (@GabyCoutino) 1635007381.0

Caravan organizer Irineo Mujica said the Biden administration's immigration policies are pulling migrants to the U.S. "like cattle."

Mujica said the migrants should be given an opportunity to work in Mexico "because a lot of them don't want to be brought to the U.S. but the Biden administration, with this administration, it's like pulling them like cattle, first they come to this jail and then they go to the northern border."

BREAKING: The Leader of the Migrant Caravan Irineo Mujica marching and calling out @POTUS @VP @SecMayorkas… https://t.co/rkYFZMkZJQ

— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) 1635000573.0

Mujica then said President Biden "doesn't seem to have a clue what to do with immigration."

"They're just in denial of their own fault. They haven't been able to handle immigration," Mujica said of the Biden administration. "If I tell you the truth, I believe at least with Donald Trump we knew what we had. With Biden, we don't know. He doesn't seem to have a clue what to do with immigration because he says one thing and does another."

Mujica proclaimed that Biden hasn't kept his promises to take care of illegal immigrants.

Immigration activist, Irineo Mujica says the current administration is in denial when it comes to the crisis at the… https://t.co/MuWs7rbws3

— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) 1634963063.0

The migrant caravan could be racing to the U.S. southern border before the Biden administration is forced to restart Trump's "remain in Mexico" policy – which is expected to resume next month. The "remain in Mexico" policy – also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols – will be reinstated because a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from terminating the immigration policy. The Biden administration appealed its case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but they ruled that the current administration must make a "good faith effort" to restart the program.

Under the Migrant Protection Protocols, migrant asylum seekers must wait in Mexico for their U.S. court hearings.

Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection made a record number of illegal immigrant arrests along the U.S.-Mexico border. A report found that more than 1.7 million border arrests were made in the 2021 fiscal year, beating the previous record set in 1986.

DeSantis says 'we have to protect the jobs,' vows to sue Biden over vaccine mandate: 'You are trying to plunge people into destitution'



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hammered President Joe Biden this week over the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The Republican governor of Florida vowed to sue the Biden administration over the vaccine mandate, and proclaimed that it is "fundamentally wrong to be taking people's jobs away," especially after they worked during the deadly pandemic.

"Let's not have Biden come in and effectively take away — threaten to take away — the jobs of people who have been working hard throughout this entire pandemic," DeSantis said during a Thursday press conference on monoclonal antibody treatments in Fort Myers, Florida. "I am offended that a police officer could potentially lose their job."

DeSantis maintained, "We have a responsibility at the state level to do whatever we need to do to protect Floridians from mandates that could result in them losing their jobs. We have to protect the jobs of Floridians."

DeSantis highlighted the health care workers who worked on the frontlines during the pandemic — the same workers that Biden previously called "heroes" — who would lose their jobs because of Biden's vaccine mandate.

"I just think its fundamentally wrong to be taking people's jobs away particularly given the situation that we see ourselves facing with the economy where you need people in a lot of these key areas," DeSantis remarked. "What's going to happen with these hospitals if these mandates are allowed to go in, where they already need more nurses?"

At another news conference on Friday, DeSantis continued to skewer Biden's vaccine mandate. DeSantis picked apart Biden's comments from this week, where the president said the vaccine mandates shouldn't "divide us."

Biden said on Thursday, "Let's be clear: Vaccination requirements should not be another issue that divides us. That's why we continue to battle the misinformation that's out there and companies and communities are stepping up as well to combat this misinformation."

DeSantis postured that taking away people's livelihood ignites divisiveness.

The Florida governor asserted, "Just think of Biden, he says, 'Don't make the vaccines divisive.' Don't make the vaccines divisive? You are trying to take peoples' jobs away over this issue. You are trying to plunge people into destitution."

"You are taking away their livelihoods. Nobody else is doing that. You are the one that's being divisive about this," he stated.

NOW - Florida's Gov. DeSantis accuses Biden to divide the country through vaccine mandates.https://t.co/C6U7ur3LoS

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) 1634318694.0

"No one should lose their job over these shots," DeSantis stated. "I think we want to protect people's jobs. These are folks that have been working throughout this whole time. They were put in situations where they were exposing themselves to risks knowingly to help others, and they did that, and we considered them heroes just a year ago. Now you're going to let them go by the wayside?"

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on opposing Biden's mandate: "No one should lose their job over these shots. I think we w… https://t.co/z5P2skviqU

— The Hill (@thehill) 1634396460.0

DeSantis pledged to sue the Biden administration over a forthcoming rule requiring private businesses with 100 workers or more to force their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration-enforced rule would reportedly affect more than 130,000 U.S. businesses and apply to roughly two-thirds of the private sector workforce.

"We are going to contest that immediately. We think the state of Florida has standing to do it and we also know businesses that we're going to work with to contest it," DeSantis said. "I think the mandate is going lose in court."

DeSantis said that Florida-based lawsuits against federal vaccine mandates will be filed in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Monday that prohibits mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations in the Lone Star State.

"The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced," Abbott said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the White House stressed that the Biden administration would push for a nationwide vaccine mandate despite Texas and Florida opposing them.

"These requirements are promulgated by federal law, so when the president announced his vaccine mandates for businesses — that, of course, we're waiting on OSHA regulations for as a next step — that was pursuant to federal law," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

"Our intention is to implement and continue to work to implement these requirements across the country, including in the states where there are attempts to oppose them," she added.

"Governor Abbott's executive order banning mandates and, I would also note, the announcement by Gov. DeSantis this morning essentially banning the implementation of mandates, fit a familiar pattern that we've seen of putting politics ahead of public health," Psaki claimed.

Psaki on TX Gov. @GregAbbott_TX and FL Gov. @RonDeSantisFL banning vaccine mandates:"Our intention is to implemen… https://t.co/YaDh6tnaB1

— Benny (@bennyjohnson) 1634063064.0

COVID-19 quarantine camp facility being constructed in Australia



A regional COVID-19 quarantine facility is being constructed in Queensland, Australia. The Queensland government is building the coronavirus quarantine camp in Toowoomba, about 80 miles from the city of Brisbane.

The new COVID-19 quarantine facility is expected to have 500 beds available by the end of the year and a total of 1,000 beds by the end of the first quarter of 2022. Construction has already started at the site near the Wellcamp Airport. The COVID-19 quarantine facility will be built by property development firm Wagner Corporation, which owns the land. Queensland government will operate the regional facility once it is operational.

JUST IN - Australia builds the first "quarantine facility" to "keep the community safe," Premier of Queensland anno… https://t.co/8SWhSqSAHx

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) 1629969999.0

"As Australia contends with the dangerous Delta variant, Queensland must have alternatives to hotel quarantine that offer enhanced public safety," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a statement. "That's why we're getting on with building the Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre, a 1000-bed, dedicated facility near Wellcamp airport that will greatly reduce reliance on hotel quarantine."

Australia requires travelers to the country to provide a "negative COVID-19 PCR or RT-PCR test to your airline when checking in for your flight at the departure point." Once travelers arrive in Australia, they must quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility in the port of arrival.

Previously, visitors to Queensland were forced to quarantine if they have been in a COVID-19 hot spot in the previous 14 days.

However, on Friday the Queensland government announced, "Queensland residents and those intending to relocate to Queensland who have been in a hotspot in the last 14 days or since the identified start date (whichever is shorter) will not be allowed to enter Queensland, without an exemption. Exemptions will only be granted in extreme exceptional circumstances."

The order is in effect until Sept. 8.

Costs for the facility were not immediately released, but Deputy Premier Steven Miles defended the construction of the building, saying, "When you consider that the last lockdown alone cost more than a billion dollars in economic impact, and compensation, you can see just what fantastic value it will be."

The Australian federal government previously declared that it would not help pay for Queensland's quarantine camp.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison argued that the new facility "did not seek to meet the national guidelines."

"But the Queensland Government was always in a position to go ahead with that facility, if that's what they wish to do and to have people quarantine there rather than in hotel facilities," Morrison added. "That is entirely a matter for the Queensland Government. And they've made that decision. And they could have done that months ago if that's what they wished to do. But good for them. And I wish them every success."

Morrison previously proposed an alternative 1,000-bed quarantine facility at the Damascus Barracks at Pinkenba, which the federal government would pay for and allow the Queensland government to operate.

According to the Queensland health department, there are currently two new COVID-19 cases in Queensland, which has a population of over 5.2 million. Since the pandemic began, Queensland has had a total of 1,972 coronavirus cases, and 1,908 have recovered. There have been a total of seven COVID-19 deaths in the state in northeastern Australia.

VIDEO: Desperate Afghani mothers throw their babies over barbed wire to allied troops in order to protect their children from Taliban



Afghani mothers desperate to free their children from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan were seen throwing their babies over barbed wire in order to pass them off to British and U.S. troops at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, according to various reports.

What are the details?

Video footage has emerged showing Afghani parents throwing babies to British troops and begging them to save their children from the Taliban, the New York Post reported.

An unnamed Parachute Regiment officer told the Independent, "The mothers were desperate, they were getting beaten by the Taliban. They shouted 'Save my baby!' and threw the babies at us. Some of the babies fell on the barbed wire."

He added, "It was awful what happened. By the end of the night, there wasn't one man among us who was not crying."

According to the Post, a White House official on Wednesday said that about 1,800 people were evacuated from Afghanistan over the preceding 24 hours — a sum that fell short from the 5,000 to 9,000 people the Pentagon said could possibly be evacuated in a 24-hour period.

What else?

Another unnamed officer told Sky News' Stuart Ramsay that paratroopers had no choice but to block off the road with military vehicles and barbed wire fences.

"It was terrible," the officer recalled, echoing his fellow soldier's remarks. "Women were throwing their babies over the razor wire, asking the soldiers to take them. Some got caught in the wire. I'm worried for my men, I'm counseling some, everyone cried last night."

People are so desperate to escape the #Taliban that they're passing babies and kids forward to the gate at #Kabul a… https://t.co/Z6iymLHlnf
— Matt Zeller (@mattczeller) 1629295971.0

Ramsay, reporting from Afghanistan, wrote that the streets echo with the sounds of shouting — "the noise of desperation" — as British soldiers try to aid in a humanitarian mission that feels more like a war zone.

"Day and night families — often with tiny children — have risked their lives, ducking past gunfire at the gates of the civilian side of the airport, passing aggressive Taliban fighters who occasionally beat and harass them," Ramsay recalled of the previous week.

He concluded his reporting, "I've reported on the Afghan war since it started. I've been on countless embeds with British and American soldiers, I've met with the Taliban, and I've seen pain and grief in Afghanistan for two decades. The Taliban has won. Watching on as soldiers carried babies towards the gates of the compound, I can't help but think what a waste this has been. And once again a small contingent of soldiers are dealing with the mess."

NEW - Toddler pulled over wall by U.S. soldiers as desperate crowds gather outside #Kabul airport.https://t.co/NUDYAViOcb
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) 1629396341.0

Leaked audio: DHS secretary Mayorkas says border crisis is 'unsustainable,' 'we're going to lose'



Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas privately told Border Patrol agents recently that the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is "unsustainable" and that "we're going to lose" if the influx continues and the "borders are the first line of defense."

The secretary's desperate message to immigration enforcement officials was reportedly recorded in secret by a Border Patrol agent and obtained by Fox News this week.

"A couple of days ago I was down in Mexico, and I said look, you know, if, if our borders are the first line of defense, we're going to lose and this is unsustainable," Mayorkas said. "We can't continue like this, our people in the field can't continue and our system isn't built for it."

Mayorkas reportedly told the agents that the current situation at the border "cannot continue" and added that the federal government's system was not designed to handle such an influx of migrants.

Agents encountered migrants at the border a whopping 210,000 times in the month of July, the highest monthly number reported in over two decades. The number of unaccompanied migrant children stopped by agents hit an all-time high.

The secretary reportedly expressed empathy for the agents and said he was "very well" aware that the sector recently came close to "breaking."

JUST IN - Situation on the U.S. southern border is worse than publicly acknowledged. DHS Secretary Mayorkas says th… https://t.co/xnvhnCe2ak

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) 1628865664.0

"It's our responsibility to make sure that that never happens again," he said while adding, "The extent of the challenge should not be understated, but nor should our ability to meet it."

Mayorkas reportedly assured agents that his department was working on solutions to the crisis, such as preventing NTRs (notice to return) no-shows at Immigration Court and increasing expulsion flights to the interior of Mexico.

He added that the Biden administration is working to retain Title 42 — a Trump-era rule instituted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 that allows DHS to expel many single adults and families without offering the chance to seek asylum.

But for many the assurances undoubtedly rang hollow. Since the start of Biden's term, unprecedented numbers of migrants have surged the border in anticipation of lenient treatment from officials and easy access into the country — and they have received it.

News broke last month that catch-and-release is alive and well under the Biden administration, as at least 50,000 migrants have been released directly into the U.S. without being given court dates. Furthermore, out of the ones who are given dates, only 13% have actually shown up in court. Meanwhile, scores of migrants are reportedly continuing to be bused and released to various locations within the U.S.

"For those of us who have been around here long enough ... we don't need to reinvent the wheel," one agent reportedly told Mayorkas. "We've had this happen before. We know exactly how to shut it down. We need to make illegal entry illegal."

Internet reactions to photos of Obama's supposed 'scaled back' birthday bash boasting massive tents for celebrities: 'Do you feel like a peasant yet?'



Former President Barack Obama is throwing a huge birthday party for himself at his opulent $12 million waterfront mansion on Martha's Vineyard on Saturday. The birthday bash was originally supposed to include nearly 500 guests and more than 200 staff, but the celebration was "significantly scaled back" to include "only family and close friends" due to criticism over holding a social gathering of that size during a surge in COVID-19 infections.

However, photos emerged of massive tents constructed specifically for the birthday party on Obama's 29-acre estate. There were also images of celebrities arriving at Martha's Vineyard to attend the festivities. The internet was quick to point out that the preparations for the party looked anything other than "scaled back."

Several celebrities were reportedly invited and then uninvited, including late-night talk show hosts David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actor Larry David, and David Axelrod, chief strategist for Obama's presidential campaigns, according to the New York Times.

The celebrities who did make the cut include Beyonce, Jay-Z, Eddie Vedder, Tom Hanks, and musician Questlove, who reportedly coordinated a meat-free menu for the party. "Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay had pulled out of the party earlier because of concerns over the Delta variant," the Times reported. Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen, and George Clooney were reportedly on the original guest list, according to the New York Post. There were no reports of Obama's "bro" and former vice president Joe Biden attending the birthday party.

The New York Times added that the attendees of the party would be a "mostly vaccinated crowd," but "all of whom had to submit negative tests to gain entry to the property."

The party had been planned for months, and "the former president had baseball caps made for the occasion that read '44 at 60.'"

The Daily Mail released photos of massive tents on the Obamas' grandiose grounds. The outlet also published photos of celebrities arriving at the wealthy Massachusetts enclave for Obama's 60th birthday party, including Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Dwayne Wade, Gabriel Union, Don Cheadle, and Stephen Colbert. Biden's climate czar, John Kerry, was seen in photos taking a private jet to Martha's Vineyard.

EXCLUSIVE: Obama's 60th birthday bash looks anything but intimate as huge tents are erected on his $12M Martha's Vi… https://t.co/JfLmqD7Wzh

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) 1628297308.0


JUST IN - Massive tents are erected ahead of Obama's 60th "scaled back" birthday bash on Martha's Vineyard.… https://t.co/DqlIoG3qBQ

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) 1628339097.0


“Scaled Back” https://t.co/wvSLvGM1We

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) 1628298626.0

The internet reactions to Obama's swanky and seemingly over-the-top birthday party complete with circus-like tents were delivered fast and furious.

  • "Do what we say, not what we do."
  • "The hypocrisy is the point."
  • "These are the people calling you selfish if you don't want to close your small business."
  • "Do you feel like a peasant yet?"
  • "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others."
  • "The virus so deadly the elites risk their lives for a birthday party!"
  • "Look, news outlets raised cane when @POTUS45 held events at his compound in Florida during the pandemic. Now. @BarackObama celebrating his 60th with a tent larger than a lot of homes. It's just the news cycle. Stay healthy."

This is the tent for Obama’s “scaled back” birthday party where only close friends & family were said to attend. In… https://t.co/hUlhc3ePdB

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) 1628349304.0

Gov. Ron DeSantis savages Biden over COVID-19 finger-wagging: 'I don't wanna hear a blip about COVID from you' till you secure the borders, stop 'importing' coronavirus from around the world



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Fla.) hit back at President Joe Biden's administration after White House press secretary Jen Psaki criticized his response to the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic in the Florida Republican's state.

What are the details?

During a Wednesday news conference, DeSantis demanded Biden do his job and secure the U.S. southern border before admonishing the Florida governor about the state's rising coronavirus cases.

"Why don't you do your job?" DeSantis demanded. "Why don't you get this border secure? And until you do that, I don't wanna hear a blip about COVID from you, thank you."

DeSantis continued, "This is a guy who ran for office saying he's going to shut down the virus. And what has he done? He's imported more virus from around the world by having a wide open southern border."

Earlier this week, Psaki slammed DeSantis for what she and the Biden administration said was a failure in responding to the public health crisis in the predominantly Republican state.

DeSantis has been rather outspoken in his opposition to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest updated guidelines recommending universal masking in both schools and across high-transmission areas.

During Tuesday's press briefing, Psaki said of the rising cases in Florida and other areas of the southeast, "[I]f you aren't going to help, if you aren't going to abide by public health guidance, then get out of the way and let people do the right thing to lead in their communities, whether they are teachers, university leaders, or private sector leaders or others who are trying to save lives."

She added, "Leaders are going to have to choose whether they're going to follow public health guidelines or they're going to follow politics."

How did DeSantis respond?

In a statement on Psaki's remarks, the DeSantis administration told Fox News:

She might want to brush up on the Constitution and learn more about the role of a state governor. As it turns out, freedom matters. Every day, nearly a thousand Americans relocate to Florida — mostly fleeing from the ever-changing, contradictory COVID restrictions pushed by federal bureaucrats on lockdown states. By contrast, Governor DeSantis keeps up with the latest research and makes data-driven decisions. If he had 'gotten out of the way' as Psaki suggested, and let the CDC run our state, many of those lives might have been lost — as we saw with the tragic situation in New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, where the age-adjusted death rates are significantly higher than in Florida.

NOW - Florida's Gov. DeSantis to Biden: “Why don’t you do your job? Why don't you get this border secure? And until… https://t.co/cr8NRsdWwA

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) 1628100426.0

VIDEO: Cubans wave American flag, chant 'Liberty!' in mass protests against communist dictatorship



In what some are calling the largest mass demonstration in 50 years, thousands of Cubans flooded the streets on Sunday in protest of the country's oppressive communist regime.

What happened?

Protesters in dozens of cities — from San Antonio de los Baños to Palma Soriano to the nation's capital, Havana — reportedly chanted "Liberty!" and "Freedom!" while they marched against the country's failed communist dictatorship.

"The people are dying of hunger!" one woman reportedly shouted during a demonstration in Artemisa. "Our children are dying of hunger!" Still others reportedly chanted, "We are not afraid!"

In at least one widely circulated video on social media, protesters can be seen carrying and waving the American flag as they shouted for freedom.

#Soscuba #Cuba Protestas en La Habana contra el régimen castrista, EL PUEBLO PIDE LIBERTAD! #Americateve… https://t.co/Nq1HqHKMOA

— Americateve (@Americateve) 1626036848.0

Reflecting on the video, conservative media strategist and former writer for TheBlaze Giancarlo Sopo wrote, "This is deeply moving. Watch as Cubans wave the American flag while marching against the island's 62-year-old communist dictatorship on the streets of Havana."

"Never forget what America represents to millions across the world," he added.

Several other commentators on social media also noted how the Cuban people — who have experienced firsthand the persecution that communism brings — still view the American flag as a symbol of hope and freedom.

Yet sadly in America and largely within the Democratic Party, there are many who view the flag much differently. They have some to see it as a representation of oppression and white supremacy.

JUST IN - Mass protests erupt in several cities in #Cuba over the poor state of the socialized medical system. Prot… https://t.co/huKMMmWFs7

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) 1626034090.0

What else?

The spontaneous mass protests were considered shocking to many since the communist regime in Cuba is known for forcefully cracking down on dissent.

But based on photos and videos posted to social media, in many areas the sheer size of the crowds overwhelmed police. In one city, protesters appeared to overrun and take control of a local communist party office.

We have NEVER seen a day like today in #Cuba 62 years of misery, repression & lies boiling over into organic, gra… https://t.co/rP3RGMoVFE

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) 1626049065.0

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, warned that the communist regime will likely move to shut off internet and cell phone service in the country in response to the freedom rallies.

He also requested on Twitter that President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken call on members of the Cuban military not to fire on demonstrators.

In a statement obtained by the McClatchy news group, Biden reportedly expressed support for the Cuban people.

"We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba's authoritarian regime," the president said.