NJ Agrees to Pay Tens of Millions to Families of Covid-19 Victims in State's Veterans' Homes

Leah Barkoukis / Townhall Tipsheet

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park became the site of one of the deadliest outbreaks in the nation. While the facility initially underreported the death count, stating 62 died of Covid, it later acknowledged 39 additional resident deaths were due to Covid-19—making the total a staggering 101.

According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, Covid-19 positive residents were separated from dementia patients by a loosely hung piece of plastic. Moreover, employees at the facility were discouraged from using face masks in caring for patients, with one plan discussed to discipline employees over “mask insubordination.” Managers also delayed informing families of residents about the outbreak.

Now, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has agreed to pay $53 million to the families of 119 residents, most of whom died from Covid-19 at the state-run facilities at Menlo Park and the Paramus Veterans Memorial Homes. The payout settles claims that officials at these facilities acted with gross negligence in handling the outbreak, according to nursing home and infection control standards.

Health expert says COVID cases should no longer be 'major metric' of pandemic, urges shift to hospitalizations, deaths

Chris Enloe / Blaze Media / News

Health expert Dr. Ashish Jha said Sunday that public health officials should stop using COVID-19 case data as the central metric by which the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic is measured.

What did Jha say?

Jha — the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and a former health expert at Harvard University — explained on ABC News' "This Week" the Omicron variant changes the game.

According to Jha, using case data to determine the severity of the pandemic is no longer reliable because Omicron appears less virulent despite being highly contagious.

"We have to do a shift. Look, for two years infections always preceded hospitalizations, which preceded deaths. So you could look at infections and know what was coming. Even through the Delta wave that was true because it was largely unvaccinated people who were getting infected," Jha explained.

"Omicron changes that. This is the shift we've been waiting for in many ways where we're moving to a phase where if you're vaccinated and particularly if you're boosted, you might get an infection. It might be a couple of days of not feeling so great, but you're going to bounce back. That's very different than what we have seen in the past," he continued. "So, I no longer think infections generally should be the major metric."

Watchdog Releases Top Ethics Violators in Government of 2021

Spencer Brown / Townhall Tipsheet

 

There are many ways individuals running the U.S. government can run afoul of laws and guidelines intended to curb the abuse of power. From personal financial disclosures to Hatch Act violations to a misuse of government resources or using taxpayer funds for political purposes, there are a lot of rules that our elected and appointed leaders tend to flaunt for personal gain. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a nonpartisan ethics watchdog, released its list of 2021's "Top Ethics Violators" within American government who apparently decided the rules didn't apply to them.

According to FACT's Executive Director Kendra Arnold, "2021 saw numerous government officials abusing their office for financial and political gain in a range of ethics cases. In a disturbing trend this year, we saw many members of Congress fail to disclose their stock transactions as federal law requires, which can conceal both conflicts of interest and wrongfully profiting from non-public information," Arnold added.

Desmond Tutu, South African equality activist, dead at 90

Tutu worked tirelessly, though non-violently, for the downfall of apartheid 

ASSOCIATED PRESS / FOXNews 

 

JOHANNESBURG — Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice and LGBT rights and retired Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, has died, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Sunday. He was 90.

An uncompromising foe of apartheid — South Africa’s brutal regime of oppression against the Black majority — Tutu worked tirelessly, though non-violently, for its downfall.

The buoyant, blunt-spoken clergyman used his pulpit as the first Black bishop of Johannesburg and later Archbishop of Cape Town as well as frequent public demonstrations to galvanize public opinion against racial inequity both at home and globally.

Tutu's death on Sunday "is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa," Ramaphosa said in a statement. Read more and see tweets and video here.

 Wishing all my Patriot Factor blog readers of the Christian faith a very Merry and Peaceful Christmas.

State legislators, voters sue Maryland over allegedly gerrymandered congressional map helping Democrats

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan previously called on DOJ to sue state over redistricting plan

Tyler Olson | Fox News 

 

A group of Republican Maryland legislators and voters is suing the state over the allegedly partisan congressional redistricting plan Democrats in the state legislature passed following the 2020 Census. 

The lawsuit, backed by the outside group Fair Maps Maryland, was filed Thursday morning in state court. It argues that the congressional map passed by Democrats is gerrymandered in violation of the Maryland constitution. 

"The 2021 Plan violates the right of Maryland citizens to choose their congressional representatives by continuing to ‘crack’ Republican voters, including Plaintiffs, into congressional districts in a way that ensures the election of Democratic representatives to Congress.," the lawsuit alleges. 

The term "cracking" used in redistricting means splitting up a certain bloc of similar voters to water down their electoral power and prevent that political group from being able to elect a representative.

Florida Set to Join Coveted Second Amendment Club

Matt Vespa / Townhall Tipsheet

Florida is an oasis of freedom. It's why everyone is sprinting down there. It's also a state the liberal media hates. They hate it because Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis owns them. At every turn and every corner, they've tried to attack him to no avail. He's just too good. How many haymakers has DeSantis blocked? The Left sees him as a threat. He is—DeSantis unites the Trump and Trump-skeptic wings. So, while Ron DeSantis is blamed for the COVID pandemic, he's moving along making the state the best it can be. It wasn't too long ago that the Sunshine State was known for its utterly bizarre stories. It spawned a now-defunct account on Twitter—"Florida man." Now, it's a beacon of Republican governance. On civil rights, the state seems primed to become a constitutional carry state. If it occurs, it would be the 22nd state to join this club (via Breitbart): 

A report by the South Florida Sun Sentinel suggests Florida is on track to become the 22nd constitutional carry state.

Constitutional carry is a “priority” for the Republican-led Florida legislature, the Sentinel reported. Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R) has already introduced legislation to do away with the concealed carry permit requirement for Floridians. Open carry without a permit would also be legalized by Sabatini’s bill.

Read more and see tweets and video here.