Video: Drag queens perform during Milwaukee Bucks 'Pride Night' halftime show. But not everyone is gleeful about it.



Drag queens performed for the crowd at halftime during "Pride Night" at the Milwaukee Bucks' home game Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets, Fox News reported.

What are the details?

Here are a couple of clips:

\u201cAt @Bucks PRIDE Night!\n#ShowYourPride\n#WeAreYourFamily\n#WeSeeYou\u201d
— Julie Marie Totsch \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2 (@Julie Marie Totsch \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2) 1674701432
\u201chttps://t.co/t2CpaKY7aN\u201d
— - (@-) 1674769746

As you might imagine, not everybody was happy about the drag queens doing their thing:

  • "As a bisexual woman I'm disgusted by the extremists in our community along w/the sports orgs & businesses who promote Drag Shows at family events," one Twitter user commented. "Since when has it become acceptable to sexually victimize children?! This is not the time or place for adult entertainment."
  • "Are there any gay persons out there insulted that your community is being conflated with drag queens and trans grooming?" another commenter wondered. "Is that the public image you want to cling to? Is that really all you have to be 'proud' of? Is that the best you can do? Sure seems like it."
  • "Damn they really gotta shove gay in everyones' faces like that, seems a bit much," another user observed.
  • "NBA grooming kids and being used as a tool to desensitize kids," another commenter said. "This is why I don’t watch sports anymore."

Doug Russell, sports director for iHeart Radio Milwaukee and Madison, was peeved at the "pearl-clutchers" concerned about kids being in attendance during the drag show. But St. Louis-based conservative radio talk show host Mark Reardon challenged Russell's argument:

\u201c@DougRussell @Bucks My question is WHY are they necessary at a @Bucks game? Rhetorical question. I loved @KinkyBootsBway \u2026one of the best. I recommend for everyone! But I\u2019m also cool with drag shows having a place\u2026like where people have a choice. \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d
— Doug Russell (@Doug Russell) 1674699299

But wait, there's more!

If you assumed the drag queen show was the only thing happening in relation to the Bucks' "Pride Night," have we got a surprise for you! For starters, the first 10,000 fans through the door were to receive a Bucks pride beanie:

\u201cThe perfect giveaway for a \u2603\ufe0f @Bucks Pride Night! \n\nThe first 10k fans will receive this beanie tonight courtesy of @Froedtert & MCW! \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udfc0\ud83e\udd8c\u201d
— Fiserv Forum (@Fiserv Forum) 1674684385

The arena was duly adorned with rainbow lights:

\u201cHappy @Bucks Pride Night! \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83e\udd8c\u201d
— Fiserv Forum (@Fiserv Forum) 1674694792

If you were in the mood to hit the Bucks' pro shop, you could snag yourself one of the shirts depicted in the tweet below, the back of which read: "LGBTQIA: Activist, Lesbian, Mentor, Advocate, Gay, Confidant, Bisexual, Pride, Teacher, Transgender, Two-Spirit, Counselor, Queer, Family, Intersex, Pansexual, Ally, Partner, Asexual, Friend."

\u201cHappy Pride Night Bucks fans! Celebrate Pride with us tonight and snag yourself one of these tees! \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\u2728\n\nA portion of the sales will benefit @PathfindersMKE \n\nShirt: https://t.co/hHGScgDcZz\u201d
— Bucks Pro Shop (@Bucks Pro Shop) 1674687600

Bucks players advocated for the LGBTQ community in a prepared video for "Pride Night":

\u201cThe power of sport can bring everybody together.\u201d
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Milwaukee Bucks) 1674662557

"The power of sport can bring everyone together, right?" guard Pat Connaughton said. "It doesn’t matter your gender. It doesn’t matter your ethnicity. It doesn’t matter [your] political views, and it definitely doesn’t matter your sexual identity."

Forward Joe Ingles added that it's "very important for fans and athletes and everyone in this world to make sporting events and any event for the LGBTQ community more accessible and more welcoming."

After the game, you could "keep the Bucks Pride Night Celebrations going" at a postgame party featuring "DJ Boyfrrriend":

\u201cCheering on the @Bucks at @FiservForum tonight? \ud83c\udfc0 Keep the Bucks Pride Night Celebrations going at The MECCA! \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 The Postgame Party, presented by @Froedtert & MCW, tips off following the game. Enjoy live music from DJ Boyfrrriend, drink specials & more. \ud83c\udfb6\u201d
— The MECCA Sports Bar and Grill (@The MECCA Sports Bar and Grill) 1674686254

Anything else?

Just last week, Philadelphia Flyers player Ivan Provorov was raked over the woke coals for refusing to take part in the hockey team's pre-game warm-up featuring players with rainbow colors on their uniforms and sticks. Provorov cited his religion — Russian Orthodoxy — as his reason for opting out of the warm-up.

The author of ESPN's story about the controversy — Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer for the sports network — blasted Provorov on Twitter for his refusal to take part in the warm-up. E.J. Hradek — senior reporter for the NHL Network — suggested that Provorov return to Russia and even fight Ukraine if he didn't want to "assimilate into his group of teammates and in the community and here in this country."

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Arizona is 'taking action,' defying Biden administration and refusing to take down improvised border wall



On October 14, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation demanded that Arizona remove the double-stacked, razor-wire-wreathed shipping containers that Arizona installed along gaps in the U.S.-Mexico border wall near Yuma as a means to help stem the flow of criminal noncitizens in the country. On Tuesday, Arizona refused.

The BOR, a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, noted that the Department of Homeland Security as well as Customs and Border Protection had awarded contracts to fill in the gaps of the border area located on BOR lands near Morelos Dam. It indicated additional contracts would soon be awarded.

Jacklynn Gould, the regional director of the BOR, expressed concern about a potential conflict between Arizona, which already got the job done, and prospective contract awardees. She also demanded that the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs "cease further placement of shipping containers on federal or Indian trust lands."

Gould stated that the "unauthorized placement of those containers constitutes a violation of federal law and is a trespass against the United States."

The Ducey administration placed the containers in order to address the trespass of 2,150,639 illegals into the U.S. so far this year.

The BOR director suggested that the encroachment by DEMA's shipping containers constitutes a "trespass" that is "harming federal lands and resources and impeding Reclamation's ability to perform its mission."

In a letter sent to the BOR on October 18, DEMA director Allen Clark stated, "Arizona has not seen any action by the federal government ... The containers will remain in place until specific details regarding construction are provided."

Clark wrote, "The myriad of federal agencies that claim jurisdiction on the southern border but do nothing to prevent the public nuisance caused by illegal immigration and criminal activity that exploits the open border is quite frustrating to those that live, work and recreate on that border and in our state."

"States like Arizona ... cannot rely on the federal government to ensure its security," said Clark.

The letter also contended that the regulation cited by the BOR didn't actually prohibit Arizona's actions and that the state had a guaranteed right, under Article IV, section 4 of the Constitution, to protect and defend itself.

Ducey’s communications director, C.J. Karamargin, indicated that the BOR's demand is a "nonstarter."

"We've been hearing for months now that (the Biden administration) was planning to do something and they've done nothing," said Karamargin. "So while they're talking about it and writing letters, we're actually taking action."

Karamargin also reiterated that the Ducey administration believes "it's well within Arizona's rights to take this action."

Ducey tweeted, "The Border Barrier Mission is working. Arizona is protecting its citizens. Why the federal government won’t is beyond belief."

\u201cThe Border Barrier Mission is working. Arizona is protecting its citizens. Why the federal government won\u2019t is beyond belief. @abc15 @fayfredricks\u201d
— Doug Ducey (@Doug Ducey) 1666288345

Ducey signed a bill into law on June 30 that would finance the construction of a wall along the Arizona border with Mexico.

$335 million in state funds was directed to "construct and maintain a border fence, purchase or install border security technologies, and to pay associated administrative costs." An additional $209 million was allocated to fund "border-related enforcement."

President Joe Biden halted construction of the southern border wall when he took office. Only after Arizona took the initiative this summer to buttress American sovereignty did the Biden administration announce that it would complete the border wall near the Yuma sector.

In the meantime, the Republican-led state got to work on shoring up border security.

On August 12, Ducey declared, "Arizona has had enough. We can't wait any longer. The Biden administration's lack of urgency on border security is a dereliction of duty."

Ducey indicated that he would fortify gaps in the state's border, using 60 double-stacked 8,800-pound shipping containers, all reinforced with concertina wire at the top. DEMA did just that, successfully plugging the gaps in the border barrier with nearly 130 containers, all double-stacked, linked together, and welded shut, filling 3,820 feet of gaps.

The containers cost the state only $6 million.

\u201c\ud83d\udd3911 days\n\ud83d\udd395 gaps\n\ud83d\udd39130 shipping containers\n\ud83d\udd393,820 linear feet\n\ud83d\udd3948 workers\n\nWe did it. Yuma is safer today.\u201d
— Doug Ducey (@Doug Ducey) 1661378098

In September, Ducey said, "It's our responsibility to protect our citizens and law enforcement from this unprecedented crisis. With the resources and manpower in the right places, our Border Patrol and law enforcement will be better equipped to do their jobs well and prevent cartels from exploiting our communities. That’s exactly what our barrier mission will do."

Whoops! VP Harris makes major gaffe, mistakenly suggesting the US has an alliance with 'North Korea' while visiting the DMZ



Vice President Kamala Harris committed a major gaffe while delivering remarks at the Korean peninsula's Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), mistakenly saying that the U.S. and the "Republic of North Korea" have an alliance which "is strong and enduring."

While the nation of South Korea is a U.S. ally, the country of North Korea is not. The vice president's comment was an obvious mistake, and she went on to correctly refer to the Republic of Korea, which is the nation of South Korea.

"The commitment of the United States to the defense of the Republic of Korea, I will report, is ironclad," Harris said. She noted that both countries share the aim of achieving "complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."

"The United States and the world seek a stable and peaceful Korean peninsula where the DPRK is no longer a threat," Harris said, referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which is the nation of North Korea.

The Republican National Committee's RNC Research Twitter account shared the clip of Harris' North Korea gaffe.

In response to the tweet, former GOP congressman Doug Collins remarked, "Seriously? How do you make this mistake?"

\u201cSeriously? How do you make this mistake?\u201d
— Doug Collins (@Doug Collins) 1664463978

"Who thought this trip was a good idea?" Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted.

"People do make mistakes. But this kind, from the VP, is confounding," Hudson Institute senior fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs tweeted.

Conservative radio host Dana Loesch referred to Harris as a clown, posting the word "Absolute," along with a clown emoji.

"A lot of people are correctly comparing this massive gaffe to those of Dan Quayle, but if Sarah Palin had said something remotely this dangerous while RUNNING for Vice-president, the news media would have had a collective stroke…" John Ziegler tweeted.

\u201cA lot of people are correctly comparing this massive gaffe to those of Dan Quayle, but if Sarah Palin had said something remotely this dangerous while RUNNING for Vice-president, the news media would have had a collective stroke\u2026\u201d
— John Ziegler (@John Ziegler) 1664480106

Despite 2 million illegal immigrants stealing into US under her watch, Vice President Kamala Harris claims, 'We have a secure border'



In an NBC "Meet the Press" segment filmed in Texas, which aired on September 11, Vice President Kamala Harris discussed border security with host Chuck Todd. Citing the record-breaking number of illegal aliens who have stolen across the southern border into the U.S. over the past year, Todd asked Harris, "Would you call the border secure?"

Harris first responded by suggesting what needs to be done is "pass a bill to create a pathway to citizenship." She then answered Todd's question with a caveat: "The border is secure, but we also have a broken immigration system."

\u201cWATCH: The U.S. will have 2 million people cross its border for the first time. #MTP\n\n@VP: \u201cWe have a secure border in that that is a priority. \u2026 But there are still a lot of problems that we are trying to fix given the deterioration that happened over the last four years.\u201d\u201d
— Meet the Press (@Meet the Press) 1662933125

So far in 2022, there have been over 1,946,780 encounters with illegal aliens at the southern border, surpassing last year's totals, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection had 1,734,686 such encounters. Over 69% of these illegal aliens are single adults. As a point of comparison, in former President Trump's final year in office, there were 458,088 encounters at the southern border.

Todd pressed Harris on whether she was indeed confident in the border's security.

Harris responded: "We have a secure border in that that is a priority for any nation, including ours and our administration."

She reiterated her earlier claim that it is a priority of the Biden administration to "put into place a law and a plan for a pathway to citizenship for the millions of people who are here and are prepared to do what is legally required to gain citizenship."

The amnesty push

Democrats have long sought to confer amnesty and ultimately citizenship on millions of illegal aliens.

Then-candidate Joe Biden indicated during his 2020 campaign that he would seek to work with Congress on "providing a road map for citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants."

Upon taking power, the Biden administration introduced the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which would have set illegal aliens up for citizenship and provided green cards to others present in the U.S. illegally. Since Republicans would not support such a measure, the bill died.

Democrat lawmakers tried to get amnesty provisions into the Build Back Better Act, which would have provided amnesty to at least 7 million illegal aliens and work authorizations to many more. The bill passed the House but was not taken up by the Senate.

Is the border really "secure"?

In response to Harris' remarks on "Meet the Press," Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that Harris "has done nothing for us in South Texas to secure the borders. She's useless."

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) tweeted on Sunday that "VP Harris and President Biden are clueless when it comes to border security. Let's call this for what it is: an Open Border Policy."

\u201cShe can\u2019t be serious. VP Harris and President Biden are clueless when it comes to border security. Let\u2019s call this for what it is: an Open Border Policy.\u201d
— Doug Ducey (@Doug Ducey) 1662932901

In another tweet, Ducey wrote: "Border security is clearly NOT a priority for the Biden Administration. They have NO IDEA what's happening at their nation's southern border."

Referencing the recent revelation that over 66 suspects on a U.S. terror watch list had been caught illegally crossing the border, Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) wrote: "How many got away undetected? Border security is national security. Under the Biden administration, we have neither."

\u201cThere have been 66 known terrorists apprehended at our southern border in FY22, more than double in the previous 5 years COMBINED.\n\nHow many got away undetected?\n\nBorder security is national security. Under the Biden administration, we have neither.\u201d
— Congressman Michael Cloud (@Congressman Michael Cloud) 1662567910

In August, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) suggested that "The Biden Regime has facilitated an invasion of our sovereign borders of more than 4.2 million illegal aliens since January 2021."

\u201cFor the seventeenth straight month, more than 150,000 illegal aliens crossed the southern border including 200,000 illegal aliens in July 2022. The Biden Regime has facilitated an invasion of our sovereign borders of more than 4.2 million illegal aliens since January 2021.\u201d
— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS) 1660753064

According to Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, the perception that illegal aliens are permitted into the U.S. under the Biden administration's policies has spurred more criminal traffic across the border. "In my experience, we have seen increases [in illegal immigration] when there are no consequences."

Harris' past remarks regarding border security

Harris stated on ABC's "The View" in 2019 that illegal aliens should not be treated as criminals. "It should be a civil enforcement issue, but not a criminal one," she said. "We can't treat people like criminals when they are crossing the border."

In her 2019 book "The Truths We Hold," Harris noted that "a wall on the border with Mexico was a total waste of taxpayer money."

She explained to NPR that she "would not enforce a law that would reject people and turn them away without giving them a fair and due process to determine if we should give them asylum and refuge."

When Trump suggested he would send the U.S. military to secure the southern border until the border wall was completed, Harris claimed that doing so was about "vilifying people" and that there were more pressing issues such as "climate change, because guess what, guy, it's real and it's a crisis."

'Arizona did the job the federal government failed to do': Gov. Ducey's Yuma border wall completed



Over 1.9 million illegal aliens have stolen across the southern U.S. border in 2022 — more than ever before in recorded history. Yuma, Arizona, is a particularly high-traffic sector, which has seen a 250% increase in migrant encounters this year, with over 259,895 illegal aliens encountered between October 2021 and July 2022.

Citing "the worst border crisis in over 20 years," Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill into law on June 30 that would finance the construction of a wall along his state's border with Mexico. Accordingly, $335 million in state funds were directed to "construct and maintain a border fence, purchase or install border security technologies, and to pay associated administrative costs." An additional $209 million was allocated to fund "border-related enforcement."

Although President Joe Biden halted construction of the southern border wall when he took office and ended former President Donald Trump's Remain in Mexico policy, his administration announced in July that it would complete the Trump-funded U.S.-Mexico border wall, specifically in the Yuma sector.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, part of the administration's reasoning for completing the project near Yuma was to protect illegal aliens from getting hurt near the Morelos Dam.

Ducey found the Biden administration's initiative dubious and issued a statement on August 12, asserting that "Arizona has had enough. We can't wait any longer. The Biden administration's lack of urgency on border security is a dereliction of duty." Ducey indicated that he would fortify gaps in the state's border, using 60 double-stacked 8,800-pound shipping containers, all reinforced with concertina wire at the top.

Despite an allegedly deliberate effort by persons unknown to topple portions of the new build last week, on August 24, Ducey announced that 3,820 feet of open border near Yuma had been filled. Now plugging the gaps in Yuma's border barrier: 130 containers (70 more containers than originally promised), all double-stacked, linked together, and welded shut.

\u201c\ud83d\udd3911 days\n\ud83d\udd395 gaps\n\ud83d\udd39130 shipping containers\n\ud83d\udd393,820 linear feet\n\ud83d\udd3948 workers\n\nWe did it. Yuma is safer today.\u201d
— Doug Ducey (@Doug Ducey) 1661378098

Concerning the barrier's completion, Ducey said, "In just 11 days, Arizona did the job the federal government has failed to do — and we showed them just how quickly and efficiently the border can be made more secure — if you want to."

Douglas Nicholls, the mayor of Yuma, said that the Morelos Dam, now covered with shipping containers, was where 50% of the illegal aliens crossing in the Yuma sector would come through.

Arizona Department of Homeland Security Director Tim Roemer suggested that the containers will force illegals to "go through Border Patrol" and minimize the number of future "gotaways on the southwest."

Arizona straddles 300 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Although Yuma is now more secure, Ducey cannot presently run shipping containers the entire length of the border or everywhere install border security technology, since a significant stretch of it is reservation land.

\u201cHundreds of migrants waiting to be processed by Border Patrol in Yuma, AZ today. This is on the edge of the Cocopah Indian Reservation. With many of the border wall gaps now filled, most migrants are crossing through reservation land because that\u2019s where the wall can\u2019t be built.\u201d
— Robert Sherman (@Robert Sherman) 1661338642

Sixty miles of the Tohono O'odham Nation's land, for instance, runs along the border. One tribal leader, Chairman Ned Norris Jr., likened the construction of a wall along the border near tribal land to the DHS "building a 30-foot wall along Arlington cemetery."

Gov. Ducey recognizes the border wall construction at Yuma as a "win for Arizona, our communities, our farmers and our law enforcement," but stated that "the effort to secure our border is far from complete. Washington must act. Border security is a federal responsibility. They need to fix the border they've broken."

EXCLUSIVE: Border wall built with shipping containers near Yuma complete; here’s what it looks like YouTube

New Orleans' Democratic mayor unveils giant hair pick to celebrate Juneteenth, promptly gets roasted: 'This is a joke'



A giant Afro hair pick with a clenched "black power" fist was unveiled in New Orleans on Friday in celebration of Juneteenth – the holiday paying tribute to the last American slaves being freed. However, the eyebrow-raising statue was widely panned online.

The 28-foot-tall hair pick weighing 7,000 pounds is titled "All Power to All People," and was created by artist Hank Willis Thomas.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell – a Democrat – touted the hair pick statue as "breathtaking" on Twitter.

"As Juneteenth approaches, we celebrated with an unveiling in Lafayette Sq," Cantrell tweeted. "This sculpture is very fitting for this time & place as we celebrate the freedoms that we have gained We know that it doesn’t come without struggles, fights, and protests for 200+ years."

Cantrell said the city is spending $7.2 million to recognize "local black and brown artists," and their artwork would be displayed around public buildings in New Orleans.

\u201cBreathtaking\ud83d\udca5\u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\udc9a\ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udda4\u201d
— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@Mayor LaToya Cantrell) 1655494988
\u201cFurthermore, in recognition of our local black and brown artists, we have dedicated $7.2 MILLION in bond funding to public art\ud83d\udca5\n\n\u27a1\ufe0fIn addition, we have already purchased over 60 pieces of artwork created by local Black artists to be displayed in our public buildings\ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udcaf\u201d
— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@Mayor LaToya Cantrell) 1655484412


\u201cSearch for the story on https://t.co/ePBMG6NNcM: Two-story Black power hair pick, symbol of African identity, erected near Gallier Hall\nNew Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell calls temporary addition to city\u2019s streetscape \u201cBreathtaking.\u201d Sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas.\u201d
— Doug MacCash (@Doug MacCash) 1655592996

However, not everyone saw the gigantic hair pick as "breathtaking" in reactions on Twitter – including many black Americans.

"Fearless" host Jason Whitlock: "Imagine being mayor of a major city, spending money on a monument that depicts the accomplishments of black people, and deciding on a hair pick. They would recall a white mayor for demeaning us. Instead, we'll shout 'Yaass Queen' and pretend nothing is wrong."

Author Darrell B. Harrison: "Because we all know how important it was for my ancestors to keep their afros lookin’ tight during those 'struggles, fights, and protests.'"

The Hodge Twins: "The best their artists could come up with is a Black Power hair pick sculpture. You can’t fix stupid."

Former congressional candidate Barrington Martin II@_BarringtonII: "Embarrassing. This is sick."

Singer Vinnie James: "These Democrats posed in front of a giant AFRO PICK? An AFRO PICK? This is how they celebrate the freedoms black people have gained? I'm in hell. Right?"

Writer Rod Dreher: "The City of New Orleans just unveiled a giant sculpture of an Afro pick. This is a joke, but it’s not supposed to be. How humiliating for a city that has given humanity so much great culture."

Writer Ellen Carmichael: "As New Orleans’ infrastructure crumbles and innocent people are being gunned down daily, Mayor LaToya Cantrell unveils a giant 'black power' hair pick in historic Lafayette Square. Her awful leadership is absolutely devastating for those with a history and love for this city."

Many online commentators noticed that the statue resembled the large Afro hair pick in the comedy movie "Spaceballs."

\u201c@mayorcantrell Major Spaceball\u2019s vibes here.\u201d
— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@Mayor LaToya Cantrell) 1655494988

Last week, Cantrell unveiled a "Peace Poll" that was sponsored in part by the Tupac Amur Shakur Foundation – an organization associated with the former rapper.

\u201cThis afternoon, the City through the Department of Parks & Parkways in collaboration with the Tupac Amur Shakur Foundation, Tulane University, & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra hosted a ribbon cutting of the newly installed Peace Pole to help foster peace in our communities\ud83d\udc9b\u269c\ufe0f\u201d
— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@Mayor LaToya Cantrell) 1655323676

Canadian officials forced to backtrack on extreme COVID restrictions after police refuse to enforce them



Authorities in Ontario, the most populated Canadian province, recently enacted pandemic-related restrictions that are so strict that not even law enforcement agencies are willing to enforce them.

Now, they're already being rolled back.

What happened?

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced new extreme public health restrictions that tightened existing restrictions and enacted new, even stricter COVID rules.

The restrictions ban residents from gathering with people outside of their household and prohibit most outdoor activities, even limiting outdoor gatherings among people from the same household. Playgrounds were made off-limits for Ontario children. Restaurants and gyms remain closed, and schoolchildren will continue to receive their education via distance learning. Of course, social distancing and face masks are still required.

"We have implemented the strictest measures in all of North America," Ford said at a press conference. "But we have never shied away from doing what's necessary."

🔥Ontario, Canada is now officially a police state🔥 https://t.co/cBP8kCTG16
— 🍁🇨🇦CanAditude🇨🇦🍁 (@🍁🇨🇦CanAditude🇨🇦🍁)1618606857.0

The new health order also significantly empowers police to enforce the restrictions, essentially allowing police to stop people without cause or reason.

"We have made the deliberate decision to temporarily enhance police officer's authority for the duration of the stay-at-home order. Moving forward, police will have the authority to require any individual who is not in a place of residence to, first, provide their purpose for not being at home and provide their home address. Police will also have the authority to stop a vehicle to inquire about an individual's reason for leaving their residence," Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones explained.

Jones also suggested that neighbors should "snitch" on one another if they don't abide by the new restrictions.

How did police respond?

The majority of police agencies in Ontario said they would not enforce the restrictions by conducting random stops of individuals.

"New emergency orders announced yesterday to help limit the spread of COVID-19 are now in effect. The Toronto Police Service will continue to engage, educate and enforce, but we will not be doing random stops of people or cars," police in Toronto, the largest city in Ontario, tweeted.

New emergency orders announced yesterday to help limit the spread of Covid-19 are now in effect. The Toronto Police… https://t.co/YdM4U4XEaF
— Toronto Police (@Toronto Police)1618663576.0

In fact, 39 out of the 45 police agencies throughout Ontario said they would not enforce the restrictions by conducting random stops, the Post Millennial reported.

How did officials respond to opposition?

After triggering widespread criticism and opposition, Ontario officials backtracked on some of the extreme restrictions and enforcement measures.

Ford announced Saturday the playground restrictions would be rolled back.

"Ontario's enhanced restrictions were always intended to stop large gatherings where spread can happen. Our regulations will be amended to allow playgrounds but gatherings outside will still be enforced," Ford said. "Play outside safely. Parents keep your distance & wear masks if you can't."

Ontario’s enhanced restrictions were always intended to stop large gatherings where spread can happen. Our regula… https://t.co/5WSdx26eZD
— Doug Ford (@Doug Ford)1618686839.0

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the solicitor general, Stephen Warner, said enforcement measures have been "refocused."

"We have refocused O.Reg 8/21 Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures: If a police officer or other provincial offences officer has reason to suspect that you are participating in an organized public event or social gathering, they may require you to provide information to ensure you are complying with restrictions. Every individual who is required to provide a police officer or other provincial offences officer with information shall promptly comply," Warner said.

Small business org SLAMS Doug Ford over job-killing lockdown

Premier Doug Ford's controversial new lockdown seems to have targeted the wrong industry, after he hinted that more retail businesses may be closed.

Arizona governor slams VP Kamala Harris as 'worst possible choice' for handling border crisis



President Joe Biden tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to head the administration's efforts to resolve the current border crisis. Biden said of Harris on Tuesday, "I can think of nobody who is better qualified to do this."

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey vehemently disagrees that Harris is the right person to handle the immigration crisis and went so far as to declare the vice president to be the "worst possible choice" for remedying the massive migrant surge at the U.S. southern border.

During a news conference Wednesday, Ducey weighed in on Harris being assigned to tackle the border crisis.

"She's about the worst possible choice that one could make," Ducey told reporters. "In no point in her career has she given any indication that she considers the border a problem or a serious threat."

"If President Biden's intent was to show that he's taking this issue seriously, he's really done the exact opposite," the Republican governor stated, adding that President Biden had "completely trivialized the issue by putting someone in charge who flat out just doesn't care."

If President Biden's intent was to show he's taking the crisis at our border seriously, he's actually done the comp… https://t.co/gVKSCWmXS8
— Doug Ducey (@Doug Ducey)1616625111.0

Harris admitted Wednesday that the border situation is a "huge problem."

"I'm not going to pretend it's not. It's a huge problem," Harris told CBS News. "Are we looking at overcrowding at the border in particular of these kids? Yes."

Harris received condemnation earlier this week for appearing to laugh off a question about whether she will be visiting the border. "Not today," Harris joked before laughing. "But I have before, and I'm sure I will again."

While on the campaign trail running for president in July 2019, Harris stated, "You look at the fact that this is a president who has pushed policies that's been about putting babies in cages at the border in the name of security when in fact what it is, is a human rights abuse being committed by the United States government,"

"As president, I will immediately put in place a meaningful process to review asylum cases," she wrote on Twitter in July 2019. "I will release children from cages. I will get rid of the private detention centers. It's time we had a president whose actions reflected the values of our country."

The Biden administration has been criticized for reopening migrant facilities that were closed during the Trump administration.

As president, I will immediately put in place a meaningful process to review asylum cases. I will release children… https://t.co/pbN1Vle2tV
— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris)1562343540.0

Last week, Ducey was touring the border along with Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R), who also said Biden was responsible for the "humanitarian crisis along the Southern border."

"There's a crisis at the border and it's 100% President Biden's fault," Scott said, who is the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "Our brave border patrol and ICE officers are working around the clock to keep Americans safe, and today Governor Ducey and I got to see that work firsthand. Biden's open borders and amnesty policies are wreaking havoc and incentivizing illegal immigration and the endangerment of children whose parents are sending them here alone."

"There were over 100,000 detentions in February, compared to 37,000 in February 2020 — a 170% increase," Scott said. "It's unacceptable and dangerous, and it's a crisis that demands action. It's time for the Biden Administration to secure the border and send a clear message of law and order. And it's time for the President to get down here and see the crisis he's created."

Ducey slammed Biden for the border crisis, saying the president is "totally divorced from the reality on the ground."

"I've been governor under three presidents, and this is by far the worst situation we've seen," Ducey said during a visit to the border wall. "Washington has never been more out of touch, and it starts at the top."

"The system is broken," Ducey told reporters in Douglas, Arizona. "Joe Biden has broken our border."

In an interview with ABC News that aired Sunday, Ducey blamed Biden for the surge of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border. Ducey pointed out that when Biden reversed many of Trump's immigration policies that "disincentivized people from taking this dangerous trip," especially the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the "remain in Mexico" policy.

Last week, Mexican officials admitted that former President Donald Trump's policies helped curb the surge of migrants from Central and South America, according to a New York Times report.

"To have a 460% spike in illegal apprehensions, over 100,000 people in custody, 13,000 migrant children — this is a historic record for the agency," Ducey said.

Ducey was asked about Biden's recent plea to migrants, "Don't come over."

Ducey replied, "He certainly can communicate more often, more clearly and he should be talking to President [Andrés Manuel López] Obrador. He's got a big microphone. He needs to use it appropriately."

I've been governor under three presidents, and this is by far the worst situation we've seenWashington has never… https://t.co/gBh0cAlAcj
— Doug Ducey (@Doug Ducey)1616344322.0

Chris Riggs, the mayor of Gila Bend, Arizona, declared a state of emergency for his town this week in response to the flood of illegal immigrants.

Arizona governor orders schools to reopen for in-person learning



Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed an executive order on Wednesday mandating that state schools reopen with in-person learning after spring break.

In a news release, the governor's office said that 12 of Arizona's 15 counties have met metrics developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for safe reopening with teacher-led instruction.

The governor's order requires schools to return to in-person instruction by March 15, or the end of spring break. Middle schools and high schools in counties with "high" rates of COVID-19 transmission as defined by the CDC are exempt from the order. Currently, only Coconino, Yavapai, and Pinal counties have COVID-19 levels that meet that metric.

Parents are not mandated to send their children back to school and students may continue virtual instruction if that is what their parent or guardian wants for them.

I know not every parent feels comfortable sending their kids back to school. So virtual learning will continue to b… https://t.co/Zel7t402wZ
— Doug Ducey (@Doug Ducey)1614801842.0

"Arizona's students need to be back in the classroom. More than half of Arizona's schools are open and offering in-person options. More schools need to follow their lead, and pave the way for equitable education options for every Arizona student," said Gov. Ducey.

The governor's order won praise from Republicans in the Arizona Legislature.

"Arizona's kids and families have undergone a tremendous amount of stress throughout the pandemic," said state Sen. Paul Boyer (R-Glendale), chairman of the Arizona Senate Education Committee. "I'm glad to see more students going back to the classroom, and today's guidance from the Arizona Department of Health Services will help ensure families that are ready to send their kids back can do so."

"The data is clear — kids can go back to school," said state Rep. Michelle Udall (R-Mesa), chairwoman of the House Education Committee. "Many students have fallen behind, especially those in low income communities. The Governor's order will protect students' needs, while following CDC guidance."

The governor's news release cited studies and health experts that have said it is safe to reopen schools for students and faculty.

"The CDC and numerous health officials have said time and time again that schools are safe and kids can go back to the classroom," Ducey said. "We prioritized teachers in our vaccine distribution, and many have already received their second dose. The science is clear: It's time all kids have the option to return to school so they can get back on track and we can close the achievement gap."