Author: Freedom Watch

By Spencer Ackerman the Guardian August 1, 2021 A former senior FBI official implicated in surveillance abuses is poised to become a federal judge in one of the US’s most important courts for terrorism cases. Valerie Caproni, the FBI’s top lawyer from 2003 to 2011, is scheduled to receive a vote on Monday in the Senate for a seat on the southern district court of New York. Caproni has come under bipartisan criticism over the years for enabling widespread surveillance later found to be inappropriate or illegal. During her tenure as the FBI’s general counsel, she clashed with Congress…

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Fauci backs new masks guidance as Florida reports highest one-day Covid case total By Richard Luscombe the Guardian August 1, 2021 Florida’s ban on mask mandates came under increasing scrutiny from public health officials on Sunday as the surging Delta variant pushed new daily cases of Covid-19 in the state to a record high. The 21,683 new cases reported on Saturday was Florida’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic. It came a day after Ron DeSantis signed an executive order prohibiting school districts from requiring staff and students to wear masks. On Sunday, the state…

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Bacon may disappear in California as pig rules take effect Yahoo News July 31, 2021 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Thanks to a reworked menu and long hours, Jeannie Kim managed to keep her San Francisco restaurant alive during the coronavirus pandemic. That makes it all the more frustrating that she fears her breakfast-focused diner could be ruined within months by new rules that could make one of her top menu items — bacon — hard to get in California. “Our number one seller is bacon, eggs and hash browns,” said Kim, who for 15 years has run…

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‘We can’t take another blow’: Some restaurants may not survive renewed mask mandates By Laura Reiley Washington Post July 31, 2021 A growing number of restaurants, some of which barely survived the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, are raising alarms that the delta variant could finish them off, as state and local governments move to reimpose mask mandates and many workplaces appear poised to halt reopening plans. “We only get so many months of summer,” said Nya Marshall, owner of Ivy Kitchen and Cocktails in Detroit. “If we experience additional restrictions, social distancing and occupancy restrictions — a person…

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Capitol Police asked to arrest the maskless By Mike Lillis TheHill July 29, 2021 Congressional aides and visitors to the House side of the Capitol will face arrest if they’re not wearing masks, the head of the U.S. Capitol Police announced this week. In a Wednesday letter to his officer corps, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger ordered that they enforce the new mask guidelines across the Capitol complex. Those new rules, installed by the Capitol physician earlier in the week, include a mask mandate on the House side of the Capitol and all House office buildings. The new…

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Chief DC federal judge questions misdemeanor deals for US Capitol rioters By Hannah Rabinowitz CNN July 29, 2021 (CNN)The chief judge in DC’s federal court questioned the Justice Department’s decision to offer misdemeanor plea deals to nonviolent US Capitol rioters, saying at a hearing Thursday that the relatively light punishment might not be enough to deter similar attacks in the future. “Does the government have any concern ������� of the defendant joining a mob, breaking into the Capitol building” in the future, and “terrorizing members of Congress, the vice president, who had to be evacuated,” Chief Judge Beryl…

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