One Democrat senator admitted to being &#8220;blinded&#8221; by his own political assumptions during the COVID-19 pandemic as Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly pleaded the Fifth Amendment during a Senate Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman confessed he regrets allowing political partisanship to influence his rejection of the &#8220;Right-wing theory&#8221; that COVID came from the Wuhan lab in China during the early days of the pandemic. Fetterman said the so-called lab leak theory, which was branded as a conspiracy by the legacy media, had “seemed to make sense,” but added that it “became a very partisan thing.” 
“Early on, there was the theory that the virus could have emerged from the lab, and early on that became like a ‘Right-wing&#8217; kind of theory and I thought it seemed to make sense,” said Fetterman. “Now there was a really advanced lab that was close by, and then you have this unknown virus out. But that became a very partisan thing, and now it seems now it&#8217;s a more and more emerging theory that it would have come from the lab.” 
Fetterman, who was uncharacteristically dressed in a suit at the hearing, said he hopes the next time America faces a crisis, it is not “blinded by the partisan idea that maybe the truth might come from a side that&#8217;s different that you are,&#8221; as he “might have been” blinded.  
&#8220;Americans should be willing to pursue truth no matter where that may have emerged,” said Fetterman.   
Fetterman was the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania throughout the COVID pandemic and worked alongside Democratic Governor Tom Wolf and trans-identifying Secretary of Health Rachel Levine to implement some of the most draconian mitigation policies in the nation, including extended school closures and forcing senior citizens to die alone in nursing homes. 
Fetterman adamantly supported Wolf and Levine’s policies, including a <a href="https://lvb.com/dr-rachel-levine-issues-expanded-mask-wearing-order/">universal masking mandate</a> that required children as young as 2 years old to be masked whenever leaving home. He also <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/fetterman-on-rising-coronavirus-cases-in-pa/">begged</a> Pennsylvanians to “just wear a mask” in a November 2020 video. Wolf implemented a <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/12/no-more-indoor-dining-casinos-and-theaters-will-close-and-new-limits-on-retailers-pa-gov-tom-wolf.html">second lockdown</a> in Pennsylvania in December 2020 that extended to January 2021 and further devastated local businesses during the holiday season.   
Fetterman noted during the hearing that members of his family had died from COVID and also said he grieves for people who lost their businesses due to pandemic decisions and will “never be the same.”  
&#8220;During the pandemic I was lieutenant governor so we were in the middle of all of that maelstrom, trying to find the right balance between protect life and protect the economics of all of it,&#8221; said Fetterman. “I&#8217;m not sure if we got it all right or wrong, but without a doubt I continue to question myself.” 
Fetterman is an outspoken supporter of transgenderism and supports the inclusion of men in women’s sports. In a March 2025 post on <a href="https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1896728606812028954?s=46&amp;t=ZAoIkqhiKpZyQayFV_2XbQ">X,</a> Fetterman wrote, “The small handful of trans athletes in PA in a political maelstrom deserve an ally, and I am one.”

John Fetterman

Fetterman Admits He Was ‘Blinded’ By Partisanship During COVID

Anthony Fauci

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

Face Masks

Lockdowns

Pennsylvania

Rand Paul

Senate

The Trump administration is suing the sanctuary state of New Jersey over its recent law banning federal agents from wearing masks.
Democratic New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the “Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act&#8221; last month, barring federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, from wearing masks on the job. At the time, the sanctuary governor declared: &#8220;We’re not going to tolerate masked roving militias pretending, pretending to be well-trained law enforcement agents.&#8221;
Now, the Justice Department is taking legal action against the state, arguing that its unmasking law violates the federal government&#8217;s power granted by the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday. Additionally, the Trump administration asserted that the mask ban would put agents at risk at a time of heightened threats.
&#8220;The law creates a Hobson’s Choice for all federal officers: either put themselves at risk by unmasking and providing individual identification, at the cost of officer safety, the safety of their families, and operational effectiveness or face legal consequences by Defendants,&#8221; the lawsuit stated.
&#8220;Federal law enforcement officers have faced a significant increase in doxxing, harassment, and assaults, with antagonists and criminals filming and tracking officers using  individual identifiers such as their faces and badges. This conduct has led to violence and undermined law enforcement operations,&#8221; it added.
After Sherrill signed the unmasking law, masked ICE agents arrested a twice-deported illegal immigrant who faced domestic violence charges in 2024, <a href="https://www.app.com/story/news/local/2026/04/09/ice-mask-ban-ignored-during-jackon-nj-arrest/89532168007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Asbury Park Press.
At the time, ICE openly admitted that the agents were masked, making &#8220;crystal clear&#8221; that &#8220;we will not abide by this unconstitutional ban.&#8221;
“Sanctuary politicians attempting to ban our federal law enforcement from wearing masks is despicable and a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers,” an ICE spokesperson said.
Sherrill&#8217;s office responded, saying she was &#8220;prepared to take any necessary measures if ICE continues to violate the law,&#8221; &#8220;including taking the Trump Administration back to court.”
The Justice Department then sent the governor a letter &#8220;seeking assurances that the law was not enforceable against federal officers and no officials would  attempt to enforce it,&#8221; according to the lawsuit. Days later, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport responded in an email &#8220;declaring that the law was constitutional and that federal officers were obligated to comply but refusing to opine on any enforcement actions.&#8221;
The Justice Department said they were &#8220;unsatisfied&#8221; and &#8220;sought clarity on whether New Jersey would enforce the law given the recent alleged violation,&#8221; according to the lawsuit. They also sent another court&#8217;s decision that struck down a similar law in California.
&#8220;To be clear, the Federal Government will not comply with this blatantly unconstitutional law. But the threat of enforcement by Defendants chills individual officers from protecting themselves and performing their duties. The consequences for public safety are severe,&#8221; the Department of Justice wrote in the lawsuit.

Untitled design – 2026-04-30T085656.219

Sanctuary State Tries To Place ICE Agents In Danger. Trump DOJ Says No Way.

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

New Jersey

Sanctuary Cities

U.S.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli responded to a law passed in California that seeks to ban federal law enforcement agents — specifically Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents — from wearing masks that cover their faces while they are working in California.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), earlier in the week, touted his &#8220;first in the nation&#8221; law that he said would force ICE agents to &#8220;unmask&#8221; despite the exponential increase in threats and attacks on ICE agents in recent months.
&#8220;Enough! ICE, unmask! What are you afraid of?&#8221; Newsom asked at a press conference. &#8220;What are you afraid of?&#8221;
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The Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security begged to differ, saying in a statement on Monday that ICE agents would not be complying with Newsom&#8217;s law and citing the increased risks of threats against them and their families.
&#8220;To be clear: We will NOT comply with Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional mask ban. At a time that ICE law enforcement faces a 1,000% increase in assaults and their family members are being doxxed and targeted, the sitting Governor of California signed unconstitutional legislation that strips law enforcement of protections in a disgusting, diabolical fundraising and PR stunt,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
To be clear: We will NOT comply with Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional mask ban.
At a time that ICE law enforcement faces a 1,000% increase in assaults and their family members are being doxxed and targeted, the sitting Governor of California signed unconstitutional legislation… <a href="https://t.co/8Me4OOP8t8">pic.twitter.com/8Me4OOP8t8</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1970183948899696693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Essayli followed on Friday with a letter — addressed to federal law enforcement heads in the Central District of California — in which he stated that Newsom, as governor of California, did not have the authority to direct the actions of federal law enforcement agents, even if they were operating within his state.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Governor Newsom is confused about his role under the U.S. Constitution. He oversees California, not federal agencies. He should review the Supremacy Clause.
California&#8217;s law to &#8220;unmask&#8221; federal agents is unconstitutional, as the state lacks jurisdiction to interfere with federal… <a href="https://t.co/9ZWlFRxHMi">pic.twitter.com/9ZWlFRxHMi</a>
— Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyEssayli/status/1971625330722119843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Governor Newsom is confused about his role under the U.S. Constitution. He oversees California, not federal agencies. He should review the Supremacy Clause. California&#8217;s law to &#8216;unmask&#8217; federal agents is unconstitutional, as the state lacks jurisdiction to interfere with federal law enforcement. I have directed federal agencies to disregard this state law and adhere to federal law and agency policies,&#8221; Essayli said.

California Governor Newsom Announces New Funding For Los Angeles Communities Affected By Wildfires

U.S. Attorney Sends Gavin Newsom A Strongly-Worded Reality Check Over Plan To ‘Unmask’ ICE

U.S. Attorney Sends Gavin Newsom A Strongly-Worded Reality Check Over Plan To 'Unmask' ICE

California

Gavin Newsom

Politics

Border czar Tom Homan pulled no punches in a recent conversation with POLITICO&#8217;s Dasha Burns, providing her with statistics and evidence when she suggested that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were inviting criticism for wearing masks while conducting raids.
Homan pointed to the backlash against ICE agents — which has led not only to them being targeted in the streets but to them being targeted at their homes, along with their spouses and their children — and argued, just as acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has, that they should be allowed some measure of protection.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: Tom Homan *STEAMROLLS* Politico&#8217;s Dasha Burns when she casts doubt on need for ICE to wear masks🚨
BURNS: &#8220;I think one of the things that&#8217;s had a lot of folks up in arms is that ICE agents — unlike other law enforcement — have been masked to protect their identities.… <a href="https://t.co/41lSuEhbEu">pic.twitter.com/41lSuEhbEu</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1944396575498805676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I think one of the things that&#8217;s had a lot of folks up in arms is that ICE agents — unlike other law enforcement — have been masked to protect their identities,&#8221; Burns began. &#8220;That&#8217;s not something that we&#8217;ve really had on this scale in this country. Do you—&#8221;
&#8220;Well, we never had the scale of attacks on ICE we have now — up 700% attacks on ICE, doxing against ICE agents,&#8221; Homan interrupted.
&#8220;Well, you&#8217;ve had increased attacks on police officers as well in the wake of the defund the police movement, too. But they haven&#8217;t put masks on,&#8221; Burns protested.
&#8220;Name a police agency that has a 700% increase in assaults,&#8221; Homan challenged. &#8220;Name one. You can&#8217;t.&#8221;
Burns conceded: &#8220;I haven&#8217;t looked at that data, yeah.&#8221;
Homan went on to point out that it wasn&#8217;t just the agents themselves who were being targeted — although that would be serious enough — but activists and extremists were also doxxing their families.
&#8220;You won&#8217;t find one. The attacks on ICE is unprecedented, 700% increased. And we&#8217;re not even talking about the doxing of agents, their spouses, and their children,&#8221; Homan explained. &#8220;So they&#8217;re wearing masks to help give them some sort of protection &#8230; The same people that are complaining about ICE wearing masks, have they ever said anything about BLM protesters wearing masks?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, I mean, that leads me to the question that like: do you have concerns that it—?&#8221;
&#8220;Let me answer though. Let me answer,&#8221; Homan pushed back. &#8220;Did they ever say anything about the masked protesters that became criminals on college campuses that threatened Jewish students and took over buildings, destroyed property? They were all wearing masks. Did anybody pass legislation saying they can&#8217;t wear a mask during a protest? No.&#8221;
&#8220;I support ICE wearing masks &#8230; there needs to be some level of protection because the attacks is unprecedented,&#8221; Homan concluded. &#8220;They&#8217;re trying to make this country safe again — and they&#8217;re being vilified for it and attacked for it &#8230; We&#8217;re not going to tolerate it. Zero tolerance on this.&#8221;

White House Border Czar Tom Homan Speaks To Media At White House

Tom Homan Sticks It To Politico Reporter In Spat Over ICE Agents Wearing Masks

Media

Politico

Tom Homan

As Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents face increasing threats of violence, a Massachusetts lawmaker wants to make them more easily identifiable.
Massachusetts State Representative James Hawkins on Monday introduced a <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/HD4886" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> that would require ICE agents to remove face coverings while performing their public duties — making him the latest Democrat pushing to expose immigration officials. On Tuesday, Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2025/07/09/dems-push-mask-bills-amid-ice-attacks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> a bill that would prohibit federal agents from concealing their identities with masks while also requiring them to &#8220;display their name or badge number and the agency they represent.&#8221;
In New York City, lawmakers — including Comptroller Brad Lander, who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-democrat-nyc-mayoral-candidate-arrested-by-ice-at-immigration-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> by ICE for interfering with a deportation — <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook-pm/2025/07/09/unmasking-ice-agents-state-bill-ny-brad-lander-tony-simone-00445241" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> a similar bill, with Lander saying ICE agents wear masks &#8220;for the purpose of striking fear into asylum seekers and immigrants in the hope that they will be terrorized by masked gangs who seek to grab and abduct them.&#8221;
But according to White House Border Czar Tom Homan, ICE agents are simply masking up to protect themselves.
&#8220;Some of you here say, &#8216;Why are they wearing masks?'&#8221; Homan <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1928093476228317221" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during a May press conference. &#8220;They&#8217;re trying to protect themselves and their families! &#8230; They&#8217;re being doxxed! … Assaults are up, and it won&#8217;t be tolerated!&#8221;
There has been a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ice-officials-slam-cnn-for-promoting-app-that-helps-illegals-dodge-federal-agents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">500% increase</a> in assaults on ICE agents in recent months, according to the Department of Homeland Security. As The Daily Wire reported, an app called ICEBlock allows users to alert one another to the presence of ICE agents, something the White House says puts agents in imminent danger. Just yesterday, Border Patrol agents <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/far-left-activists-in-l-a-arrested-for-targeting-immigration-enforcement-vehicles-with-tire-spikes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> four people in Los Angeles who are suspected of planting tire spikes in front of vehicles used by federal immigration enforcement agents.
President Donald Trump also underscored why border patrol and ICE agents may need to wear masks.
&#8220;They&#8217;re great patriots,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-seethes-dems-floating-bill-requiring-unmasking-ice-cbp-agents-must-hate-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;If you expose them because of, you know, statements like have been made by Democrats and others on the left, usually mostly, I think, probably exclusively, you put them in great danger, tremendous danger.&#8221;
Still, Democrats insist that ICE agents need to be unmasked. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ice-agents-wear-masks-after-threats-to-their-families-but-top-dem-promises-to-id-all-of-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pledged</a>  that &#8220;every single&#8221; ICE agent would &#8220;be identified,&#8221; &#8220;no matter what it takes.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to Hawkins&#8217;s office but did not receive an immediate response.

ICE Detains Immigrants Inside New York City Courthouses

Massachusetts Bill Would Expose ICE Agents Amid Rise In Violent Threats

Hakeem Jeffries

Massachusetts

&#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/yellowstone">Yellowstone&#8221;</a> star Forrie J. Smith said he was kicked off an airplane over the weekend because he refused to sit beside a masked passenger.
In a video posted Sunday on his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C44RF2Nq3eh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=7b70c4f6-b2e3-493f-8d29-9389a8bf2b4b">Instagram</a> account, the 65-year-old actor said he was stranded at the airport in Houston, Texas, because he spoke up about another passenger wearing a face covering.
&#8220;I just got kicked off a plane in &#8212; where the hell am I at? &#8212; Houston, Texas, because I told them I didn&#8217;t feel comfortable sitting next to somebody with a mask on,&#8221; Smith told his fans. 
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been sitting in the airport for three hours, yeah, I&#8217;m drinking,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But I ain&#8217;t drunk. But they throwed me off the plane because I&#8217;m drunk because you people won&#8217;t stand up and tell everybody what bulls**t this is.&#8221;
&#8220;I just told them I didn&#8217;t feel comfortable about sitting next to somebody that had to wear a mask,&#8221; Smith continued. &#8220;And I&#8217;m off the plane.&#8221;
At the time of this publication, it is unclear where he was traveling to, what exactly happened on the plane, or which airline allegedly kicked him off the flight.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Yellowstone&#8221; star Forrie J. Smith took to Instagram to say he was &#8220;kicked off&#8221; a flight and left stranded in Houston after refusing to sit next to another passenger wearing a mask. <a href="https://t.co/UnPSmIpAKR">https://t.co/UnPSmIpAKR</a>
— NBC News (@NBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1772281130609221930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
The star of the Paramount series has been vocal in the past about COVID vaccinations and previously didn&#8217;t appear at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2022 over vaccine requirements, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/yellowstone-star-forrie-j-smith-says-was-kicked-flight-refusing-sit-ma-rcna144887">NBC News</a> noted.
&#8220;I’m not vaccinated, I will not get vaccinated,&#8221; Smith said in a since-deleted Instagram post. &#8220;I believe they compromise your immunities … It’s no offense to anyone.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s just my beliefs,&#8221; he added .&#8221;I just don&#8217;t believe in that stuff.&#8221; 
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The popular Taylor Sheridan-created western drama is coming to an end this year following scheduling conflicts with Kevin Costner. Fans are awaiting the second half of Season 5 when it hits the network in November.  Last year, rumors surfaced that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reese-witherspoon-has-something-to-say-about-those-kevin-costner-dating-rumors">Costner</a> was leaving the show at the height of its popularity. He recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kevin-costner-talks-leaving-yellowstone-hints-at-possible-court-battle">opened</a> up about what caused his departure from the popular series over a scheduling conflict.
Costner said Paramount &#8220;walked away&#8221; from negotiations. &#8220;We did negotiate. There were issues about creative. I tried to break the log jam. They walked away.&#8221;
&#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yellowstone-receives-zero-emmy-nominations-while-woke-shows-get-multiple-nods">Yellowstone&#8221;</a> has been nominated for a handful of awards since the show debuted in 2018, with Costner scoring a Golden Globe in 2023, the first <a href="https://www.tvinsider.com/1076577/golden-globes-2023-kevin-costner-winner-best-actor-drama-yellowstone/">major win</a> for the show.

Yellowstone

‘Yellowstone’ Star Says He ‘Got Kicked Off’ Plane For Refusing To Sit By Masked Passenger: Report

‘Yellowstone’ Star Says He 'Got Kicked Off' Plane For Refusing To Sit By Masked Passenger: Report

Airplane

Celebrities

Entertainment

Houston

Texas

vaccine

Following the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas, college campuses and streets of major US cities have been filled with rioters chanting anti-Israel slogans and often explicitly demonstrating their fealty to Hamas. As is clear from numerous photographs, most of these protestors conceal their faces.
This is true even of less violent protests. One example is the 100-plus congressional staffers who <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4300664-congressional-staffers-hold-vigil-ceasefire-capitol/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">staged a walkout</a> on Capitol Hill, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Photos show that nearly all the staffers were wearing medical face masks. Presumably, when defying the will of your boss, and the people who elected him or her, it’s best to remain anonymous. And the cowardice extends beyond Capitol Hill.
<a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/10/20/daily-signal-reporters-capture-stark-differences-between-pro-israel-pro-palestine-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According</a> to coverage from the Daily Signal, many participants at a George Washington University Vigil for the Martyrs of Palestine” covered their faces. Daily Signal Reporter Mary Margaret Olohan was given a <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/tag/masks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">face mask</a> and told to wear one by the pro-Palestine participants so “they” wouldn’t identify her later in pictures.” It’s unclear who “they” is and even more unclear what the result would be of being identified, but the fact remains that pro-Palestine protesters hide behind masks.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This gathering took place less than 1 mile from the White House. Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaryMargOlohan</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/christianlasval?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@christianlasval</a> for documenting for the world to see. <a href="https://t.co/JRmrWjFXTM">https://t.co/JRmrWjFXTM</a>
&mdash; Rob Bluey (@RobertBluey) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertBluey/status/1712178309608378450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But when looking at the history of mask bans, crime, and even France’s so-called “burqa ban,” it begins to make sense.
In response to the COVID-19 virus, many cities <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/these-are-the-states-with-mask-mandates">required</a> that individuals cover their faces when in a building or in close proximity to other people. People disagreed over the effectiveness of this strategy, but even if these measures were justified, most people are now delighted to go back to semi-normal, maskless life. That is, except, for those protesting in favor of Hamas, a US State Department <a href="https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/">designated terror group</a>. To understand, it helps to look at the history of masking and its connection to crime.
In 2019 the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) published “America&#8217;s Mask Bans in the Age of Face Recognition Surveillance” denouncing mask bans. Mask bans in the United States <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/us/mask-mandate-kkk-coronavirus-pandemic.html">date</a> back to New York in 1845 when they were enacted to quell violence between renters and landlords. Later, mask bans were <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1999/unmasking-klan">enacted</a> in states Florida, Alabama, West Virginia, and some other southern states in an attempt to stymie the Ku Klux Klan and make it easier for police and civilians to identify Klan members and their supporters.  Most of these mask mandates, <a href="https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/anti-mask-laws/">according</a> to Middle Tennessee State University’s Free Speech Center, “…use neutral language, typically banning mask wearing that intimidates others.” The key is that these bans were enacted to deter criminal activity and stop giving criminals the legal right to hide their identity when terrorizing blacks and Catholics.
The ACLU report, however, asserts that the actual reason for mask bans was that political leaders “felt that violent racist terrorism was making them look bad.” The report goes on to say that mask bans are an invasion of privacy, especially in our modern era of facial-recognition software and smartphones. In other words, in 2019, before the COVID lockdowns and mask mandates, the ACLU had an ax to grind against mask bans because mask bans help police catch criminals.
But anti-mask-ban rhetoric goes beyond the complaints that people might get caught committing crimes. Some alleged that mask bans, much like <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/modern-mathematics-confronts-its-white-patriarchal-past/">math</a> and <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/11/03/454316172/why-the-history-of-american-white-bread-is-anything-but-bland">sandwich bread</a>, are racist.
A June 2023 article in The Trace <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/newsletter/ski-mask-ban-racism-policing-fashion/">states</a>, “Philadelphia is considering a ban on ski masks to reduce gun violence. It’s reminiscent of other policies that criminalize Black fashion.” Given that a <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/01/17/black-people-rarely-hit-the-ski-slopes-but-those-who-love-winter-sports-are-working-to-change-that#:~:text=It's%20true%20that%20Black%20skiers,changed%20over%20the%20past%20decade.">mere 1.5%</a> of those hitting the slopes in 2021-2022 were Black, this is a strange way to characterize the ski mask. The article ignores the fact that the original purpose of mask bans was to ensure that Klan members could not hide from the law.
To be clear, not all criminals wear masks, and not all masked people are criminals. But the point stands that wearing a mask while protesting in support of vile ideas or while committing a crime serves no purpose other than hiding one’s identity to avoid accountability.
In 2020, mask mandates were au courant, and rioters at “<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/513902-cnn-ridiculed-for-fiery-but-mostly-peaceful-caption-with-video-of-burning/">Fiery But Mostly Peaceful</a>” protests <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/after-months-of-pleading-for-coronavirus-social-distancing-health-officials-supportive-of-protests-black-lives-matter-calls-them-too-dangerous/">hid</a> their faces as they rioted, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/06/why-people-loot/612577/">looted</a>, and <a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/05/27/one-year-later-few-charges-for-the-arson-and-destruction/">burned</a> down buildings. And the cowardice continues today with protestors in Western cities <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/10/13/israel-palestinian-colleges-hamas-rallies/">screaming</a> “from the river to the sea” (a chant meaning that from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, Israel should not exist) and physically assaulting Jews. Thanks to COVID-19 popularizing face masks, protesters today hide their faces, thereby making it difficult to identify and prosecute them, as they scream antisemitic slurs that would make a Grand Wizard blush (if you could see his face). And that is the point: pro-Hamas protestors wear masks to avoid accountability.
Not only is hiding one’s face bad for identifying criminals, it is also bad for civil society. Lawmakers in my home, France, agree.
<a href="https://www.iwf.org/2010/09/15/french-burqa-ban-passes-upper-house/">Since 2010</a> France has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66634890">banned</a> wearing full face veils, including the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/24118241">niqab and burqa</a>, in public—a measure misleadingly referred to as the “burqa ban.” The law applies equally to people of all religions, ethnicities, and nationalities who wish to cover their face in a public or government building, and it remains perfectly legal to wear a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/24118241">hijab or shayla</a> in public, as many Muslim women in France do. France banned face-coverings because lawmakers believed that they impeded “vivre ensemble,” or citizens’ ability to peacefully coexist and participate fully in French society. And the notion that face covering impedes a healthy society is grounded in solid research.
Researchers at UC Berkeley and Google <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/are_facial_expressions_the_same_around_the_world">compared</a> facial expressions across 144 countries and discovered that “people around the world tended to gaze in awe during fireworks displays, show contentment at weddings, furrow their brows in concentration when performing martial arts, show doubt at protests, pain when lifting weights, and triumph at rock concerts and competitive sporting events.” The data are clear—human beings from a tender age communicate with our faces just as much as our words. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3997585/">According</a> to a National Institute of Health (NIH) study, “Even newborns show clear evidence of organized facial expressions defining distinct communicative states that respond to maternal care.”  Facial coverings stymie communication and interpreting emotions—two things that drive human interaction.
Emmanuel Levinas, a French philosopher, once <a href="https://wisela.org/daily-kavanah-wednesday-june-10/">wrote</a>, “The face speaks to me and thereby invites me to a relation; … the face opens the primordial discourse whose first word is obligation.” To put this in context, much of Levinas’s philosophy is rooted in what it means to encounter, or relate to other people. Seeing another person’s face calls upon us to be responsible to one another as human beings. It stands to reason that hiding one’s face is an attempt to abdicate one’s responsibility to others and to society.
The Klan used masks to terrorize innocent people in the 1920s, as pro-Palestinian and BLM activists do today. Of course, people should be allowed to demonstrate in favor of unpopular or even contemptible ideas without fear of reprisal. But they shouldn’t be allowed to engage in criminal behavior—or to mask themselves to get away with it. It shouldn’t be too much to ask that they have the courage to stand up, unmasked for what they believe in. And like everyone else, they must face responsibility for their actions.
* * *
<div>Ellie Krasne-Cohen is a visiting fellow at Independent Women’s Forum and founder of Krasne Strategies. She is a member of the National Association of Scholars.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.</div>

Pro-Palestinian Rally Held On Columbia University Campus

Wearing Masks At Protests Abdicates Responsibility. And That’s The Point

Wearing Masks At Protests Abdicates Responsibility. And That's The Point

Hamas

Israel

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Masking

Palestinians

Protesters

Readers Pass

An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/oregon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oregon</a> man may face up to 10 years for selling over $2.5 million in fake N95 masks to third-party companies that then sold them to health care providers during the pandemic.
Jiang Yu, 70, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/west-linn-man-pleads-guilty-federal-court-importing-and-selling-25-million-counterfeit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pled</a> guilty earlier this month to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, which <a href="https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-1999-title18-section2320&amp;num=0&amp;edition=1999" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carries</a> a maximum 10 year sentence, a $2 million fine, and three years of supervised release. The charge doesn’t carry a mandatory minimum sentence. The Oregon District Attorney’s Office charged Yu in October.
According to court filings, USA v. Yu, Yu imported and sold masks with counterfeit markings — such as “NIOSH” or “3M” — from May 2020 to about June 2021. Yu’s three co-conspirators were listed as “unknown.”
“Defendant and his co-conspirators sold at least $2,531,857.53 in counterfeit masks to various purchasers,” stated one court filing. “The majority of sales were to third-party companies, many of whom sold to healthcare providers.”
In order to conceal the counterfeiting, Yu and his unnamed co-conspirators reportedly created fake documents and certificates of authenticity. Yu’s plea agreement letter admitted to supplying the masks while his co-conspirators posted videos on social media advertising the masks for sale as authentic.
“[W]hen customers raised questions about the authenticity of the products, [Yu] worked with [the co-conspirators] to design and edit fake certificates of authenticity in an attempt to lull and trick purchasers about the nature of their counterfeit products,” stated the letter.
Yu is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21, 2024, before Judge Michael Mosman in the Oregon District Court. As part of his plea agreement, Yu must forfeit over 380,000 counterfeit 3M N95 masks, over 164,000 EA counterfeit 3M masks, over 51,000 EA Makrite counterfeit masks, a 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo, a 2012 Mercedes ML350, and over $25,900.
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Medical Pros, a medical supply company established in April 2020, claimed it purchased numerous counterfeit masks from Yu. They sued Yu’s company, Airfiltech, in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Per their lawsuit, the company claimed they suffered over $3.6 million in damages. Closure for their case awaits the outcome of the federal criminal case.
According to the Oregon secretary of state’s business registration database, Airfiltech was headquartered in Milwaukie, Oregon, and first registered back in 2013. Yu served as a manager for Airfiltech according to their annual reports.
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations led on the case against Yu.
Yu’s counterfeit mask business was one of several lucrative operations that capitalized on the severe demand for personal protective equipment early on in the pandemic.
In the first year of the pandemic, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-hsi-marks-anniversary-operation-stolen-promise-48m-covid-19-fraud-proceeds-212m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> seizing over 21.2 million counterfeit masks as part of Operation Stolen Promise, launched in April 2020. In late 2020 and early 2021, HSI agents <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/dhs-prevents-millions-counterfeit-n95-masks-reaching-hospital-workers-first" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seized</a> over 11 million counterfeit 3M masks routed for delivery to hospital workers and first responders.
Earlier this year, a Chandler, Arizona, man — Mark Forrest Cohn, 68 — was <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/phoenix-man-sentenced-importing-counterfeit-n95-masks-asia-following-hsi-phoenix" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced</a> to one year of probation and thousands in restitution for importing and selling counterfeit 3M N95 masks from China in 2020. Some of Cohn’s counterfeit masks were shipped to a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In 2021, HSI <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/millions-counterfeit-masks-seized-during-operation-maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seized</a> over two million counterfeit N95 masks purchased by the state of Maine from late 2020 to early 2021.

Oregon Man Charged For Selling Over $2.5 Million In Fake N95 Masks During Pandemic

Fraud

Oregon

People are being misled about studies examining the effectiveness of face masks against <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19">COVID,</a> according to Dr. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/anthony-fauci">Anthony Fauci</a>.
Jonathan Karl, a co-anchor of ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week,&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeYq5aF3SVk">pressed Fauci</a> on the efficacy of masking near the end of an interview on Sunday. &#8220;There’s a new study out that suggests that masks were actually not effective, at least in a global sense, in containing the pandemic,&#8221; Karl said. &#8220;What is your sense, looking back at all this? Did masks prove to be less effective than you anticipated?&#8221;
Fauci responded by insisting that &#8220;some of the studies are confusing&#8221; and then singled out an <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6/full">analysis</a> released in January by The Cochrane Institute, which raised the prospect that masks hardly made a difference in stopping the spread of respiratory viruses such as COVID.
The study prompted headlines saying that <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11702865/Masks-make-little-no-difference-Covid-infections-massive-cross-country-meta-analysis-finds.html">face masks made</a> <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/14/face-masks-made-little-to-no-difference-in-preventing-covid-study/">&#8220;little to no difference&#8221;</a> in preventing the spread of COVID after a wave of mask guidelines and mandates during the pandemic, but Karla Soares-Weiser, editor-in-chief of the Cochrane Library, <a href="https://www.cochrane.org/news/statement-physical-interventions-interrupt-or-reduce-spread-respiratory-viruses-review">responded with a statement</a> in March saying it was an &#8220;inaccurate and misleading interpretation&#8221; to claim that the study found that &#8220;masks don&#8217;t work.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Fauci JUST NOW: “There are a number of studies that show that masks actually do work.” <a href="https://t.co/hJeT6EZXyw">pic.twitter.com/hJeT6EZXyw</a>
&mdash; DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeSantisWarRoom/status/1700890098898792928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The study that recently has been now quoted a lot and causing a lot of confusion is this Cochrane study, which even the people who run the Cochrane study say that that study can be misleading because people have commented on that study saying, &#8216;Absolutely masks don’t work,&#8217; which is absolutely not the case because there are a number of studies that show that masks actually do work,&#8221; Fauci said.
&#8220;And there’s a lot of confusion where you take a broad series of studies, and you look at them in a meta-analysis,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Only a couple of those studies were specifically looking at COVID. So, I think we’d better be careful that that study that people keep talking about can be very, very misleading. There’s a lot of good data that masks work.&#8221;
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Fauci, now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-joins-georgetown-as-distinguished-university-professor">part of the faculty</a> at Georgetown University, was a longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden. Toward the end of his tenure in government, Fauci faced blowback for how he jumped from advising people not to wear face masks early in the COVID pandemic to advocating for masking against the virus, a change he attributed <a href="https://www.cnn.com/factsfirst/politics/factcheck_e58c20c6-8735-4022-a1f5-1580bc732c45">to the emergence of new data</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Fauci admits that masks don’t work for the public at large but still absurdly claims masks work on an individual basis.  More subterfuge. <a href="https://t.co/UcjOa8flkr">pic.twitter.com/UcjOa8flkr</a>
&mdash; Rand Paul (@RandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1698372490639327556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In an interview that aired on CNN last week, Fauci <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-confronted-with-study-that-raised-doubts-about-masks">insisted</a> that &#8220;many studies&#8221; show masking protects people on an &#8220;individual basis&#8221; rather than on a &#8220;broad population&#8221; level.
One of Fauci&#8217;s most vocal critics, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), shot back in a post to X. &#8220;Fauci admits that masks don’t work for the public at large, but still absurdly claims masks work on an individual basis. More subterfuge,&#8221; Paul said.

Fauci Warns Of ‘Confusing’ Studies On Masking

Fauci Warns Of 'Confusing' Studies On Masking

COVID-19

Fauci

Health

Mask Mandate

masks

A Maryland elementary school has reinstated its face mask mandate after several students tested positive for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID</a>.
Rosemary Hills Elementary School just north of Washington, D.C., is <a href="https://www.wbal.com/article/616010/2/mask-mandate-returns-for-one-class-in-montgomery-county-elementary-school" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requiring</a> the third grade class and school staff to wear masks for 10 days after &#8220;three or more&#8221; third graders tested positive for COVID.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A DC area elementary school — Montgomery County, Maryland — is reinstating a mask mandate — N95’s — for third graders over a few kids testing positive for covid. Here’s the letter. They’re coming with masks for your kids again. Get ready. Read this insanity. <a href="https://t.co/LZs4N19XLL">pic.twitter.com/LZs4N19XLL</a>
&mdash; Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1699121666981298286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Masks will become optional again following the 10-day period,&#8221; Principal Rebecca Irwin Kennedy <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/montgomery-county-elementary-school-mask-up-multiple-students-test-positive-covid-19/65-e219307b-ca3a-490f-b1ee-b8d7d4b752b9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in a Tuesday letter to parents.
The ten-day period ends on September 11, <a href="https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2023/09/1-class-required-to-wear-masks-after-covid-outbreak-in-montgomery-co-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a school district spokesperson.
The school is located in Silver Spring and is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district.
Students at Rosemary Hills Elementary must wear masks “except when eating or drinking,” Kennedy said.
The school is providing KN95 masks to students and staff in the “identified classes or activities.”
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Parents will also be sent at-home rapid COVID tests, and the school is <a href="https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2023/09/1-class-required-to-wear-masks-after-covid-outbreak-in-montgomery-co-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asking</a> them to report any positive test results to the school attendance office.
&#8220;Thank you for supporting us in taking these steps to ensure staff and students remain healthy for in-person learning,&#8221; Kennedy wrote.
In a back to school message to families, the Montgomery County school district <a href="https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2023/09/1-class-required-to-wear-masks-after-covid-outbreak-in-montgomery-co-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> “masks are optional with some exceptions” and are “still required per CDC recommendations for individuals recovering from a COVID-19 infection returning after day 5, and may be recommended or required in outbreak situations.”
The school district also said that COVID vaccination is “strongly recommended” and that “staff and students will be notified about exposures to multiple cases in a possible outbreak situation.”
Rosemary Hills is not the only entity resurrecting mask mandates this fall.
Morris Brown College, a private, historically black liberal arts school in Atlanta, announced a two-week mask mandate last month. 
There were no active COVID cases on campus, but several students at the other three colleges in the Atlanta University Center system had tested positive after students returned to campus for the fall semester.
Morris Brown students were required to practice social distancing and were prohibited from having parties or large gatherings. They were also required to get their temperature checked when they arrived on campus, comply with contact tracing efforts, and isolate for at least five days if they tested positive.
A major Hollywood movie studio brought back its mask mandate last month as well. 
The movie studio, Lionsgate, reinstated its mask mandate for most of its Santa Monica office employees after several employees tested positive for COVID. The studio said it would have contact tracing efforts and give out free COVID test kits. Lionsgate also asked employees to self-screen for COVID before coming to work.
Late last month, though, Lionsgate <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/08/lionsgate-mask-mandate-lifted-covid-outbreak-1235528599/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it would lift its mask mandate again.
The White House has not recommended returning to mask mandates broadly, but the Biden administration has put out warnings about COVID as the colder months approach.
The administration recently <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/flu-covid-rsv-vaccines.html">recommended</a> that many people get not only a COVID booster shot, but also a flu shot and a shot for RSV, a respiratory virus that can be dangerous for infants and elderly adults.
One doctor who is an advisor to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/flu-covid-rsv-vaccines.html">compared</a> an annual COVID booster to “a seatbelt in a car,” saying it is good to keep using it.

Schools Continue To Reopen As Lockdown Measures Ease

Maryland Elementary School Forces Kids To Mask Up Again

Maryland

Pandemic

Public Schools

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> cracked a joke on Wednesday about ignoring his own administration&#8217;s health guidance after his wife Jill <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jill-biden-tests-positive-for-covid-again">tested positive for COVID</a>.
Upon walking up to a podium in the State Dining Room of the White House to deliver remarks about the supply chain, Biden greeted people in attendance and quipped about not wearing a face mask.
&#8220;Let me explain to the press, I&#8217;ve been tested again today — I&#8217;m clear across the board,&#8221; Biden said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BIDEN: &quot;They keep telling me&#8230;I gotta keep wearing [a mask], but don&#39;t tell them I didn&#39;t have it on when I walked in&quot; <a href="https://t.co/MQt9H80OLT">pic.twitter.com/MQt9H80OLT</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1699489137710227930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“They keep telling me because it has to be 10 days or something, I gotta keep wearing it,&#8221; Biden added as he held up a mask. &#8220;But don’t tell them I didn’t have it on when I walked in.&#8221;
Less than two hours earlier, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden would continue to comply with the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19">COVID</a> recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including for masking.
&#8220;The president is doing all that he can,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1699474884655558703">she said</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: &quot;CDC guidelines recommend&#8230;a combination of masking, testing, and monitoring for symptoms. The president is doing all that he can.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/GgNdXWffGY">pic.twitter.com/GgNdXWffGY</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1699474884655558703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Jill Biden, 72, and President Biden, 80, both of whom received COVID <a href="https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2022/08/24/jill-biden-has--rebound--covid-19-case--president-negative">vaccines and booster shots</a>, had been doing some traveling together in recent days before the White House announced on Monday that the first lady had again tested positive and was experiencing mild symptoms.
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They both <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-joe-biden-has-covid-white-house-announces">tested</a> positive for COVID last year and each underwent &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-joe-biden-tests-positive-for-covid-again-will-return-to-isolation">rebound</a>&#8221; cases <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/24/politics/jill-biden-rebound-covid-19/index.html">in the weeks</a> that followed.
Jean-Pierre <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2023/09/05/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-6/">told reporters on Tuesday</a> that President Biden would be masking indoors and around people, but would remove his mask when &#8220;sufficiently distanced&#8221; from others inside and outside. On Wednesday, she insisted that Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/he-left-as-planned-press-sec-waves-off-bidens-abrupt-exit-from-medal-of-honor-ceremony">quickly departed a Medal of Honor ceremony</a> the day prior to minimize any possible exposure to people in attendance.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Biden abruptly walks out of the Medal of Honor ceremony, even before the closing benediction <a href="https://t.co/Ck0i8EIf8Q">pic.twitter.com/Ck0i8EIf8Q</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1699148808666366154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
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COVID cases in the United States are <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/us-sees-covid-19-cases-rise-ahead-labor-day-weekend/">reportedly</a> on the rise again as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/covid-variant.html">new variants</a> have started to establish themselves, leading some health experts to again push people to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/23/health/masks-covid-surge-wellness/index.html">break out their masks</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/msnbc-doctor-says-everyone-older-than-6-months-needs-covid-booster">get vaccinated</a>.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden&#8217;s former chief medical adviser, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-confronted-with-study-that-raised-doubts-about-masks">raised concerns</a> about people ignoring health guidelines during a CNN interview that aired over the weekend.
“I would hope that if in fact we get to the point that the volume of cases is such and organizations like the CDC &#8230; recommends that people wear masks, I would hope that they abide by the recommendation and take into account the risks to themselves and to their families.”

Joe Biden

Biden Jokes About Ignoring Masking Guidance

White House

Dr. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/anthony-fauci">Anthony Fauci</a> was asked to respond to a study that raised doubts about face masks being able to curb the spread of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19">COVID</a>.
The exchange happened during an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3AMslS6cKw">interview on CNN</a> over the weekend when host Michael Smerconish brought up an analysis released in January by The Cochrane Institute. He also pointed to an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/opinion/do-mask-mandates-work.html#:~:text=The%20conclusions%20were%20based%20on,against%20Covid%20than%20those%20without.">opinion piece</a> from Bret Stephens in The New York Times that quoted Oxford epidemiologist and lead author of the study, Tom Jefferson, <a href="https://maryannedemasi.substack.com/p/exclusive-lead-author-of-new-cochrane">telling journalist Maryanne Demasi</a> there was a lack of evidence underpinning the effectiveness of masks and saying mask mandates were based on &#8220;flawed&#8221; studies.
&#8220;Yeah but there are other studies,&#8221; Fauci replied, stressing that other reviews focus on the individual level.
“When you’re talking about the effect on the epidemic or the pandemic as a whole, the data are less strong,” Fauci said. “But when you talk about as an individual basis of someone protecting themselves or protecting themselves from spreading it to others, there’s no doubt that there’s many studies that show that there is an advantage.”
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&#8220;When you [look] at the broad population level like the Cochrane study, the data are less firm with regard to the effect on the overall pandemic,&#8221; Fauci added. &#8220;But we&#8217;re not talking about that, we&#8217;re talking about an individual&#8217;s effect on their own safety. That&#8217;s a bit different than the broad population level.&#8221;
The Cochrane study made the rounds earlier this year, leading to headlines saying that <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11702865/Masks-make-little-no-difference-Covid-infections-massive-cross-country-meta-analysis-finds.html">face masks made</a> <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/14/face-masks-made-little-to-no-difference-in-preventing-covid-study/">&#8220;little to no difference&#8221;</a> in preventing the spread of COVID after a wave of mask guidelines and mandates during the pandemic.
That led Karla Soares-Weiser, editor-in-chief of the Cochrane Library, <a href="https://www.cochrane.org/news/statement-physical-interventions-interrupt-or-reduce-spread-respiratory-viruses-review">to respond with a statement</a> in March saying it was an &#8220;inaccurate and misleading interpretation&#8221; to claim that the study found that &#8220;masks don&#8217;t work.&#8221;
Fauci, a longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, also said he was concerned that people would not adhere to health recommendations during an <a href="https://www.today.com/health/coronavirus/covid-summer-surge-2023-rcna100602">uptick in COVID cases</a> and the emergence of a new variant.
&#8220;I would hope that if in fact we get to the point that the volume of cases is such and organizations like the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] recommend — CDC does not mandate anything — recommends that people wear masks, I would hope that they abide by the recommendation and take into account the risks to themselves and to their families.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci

Fauci Confronted With Study That Raised Doubts About Masks

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