This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Atlanta Shooting:
One person is dead and four are injured after a shooter opened fire in an Atlanta medical facility shortly after noon today. According to police, the shooter entered Northside Hospital Medical Midtown wearing a gray hoodie and gloves and carrying a bag. It is believed that the suspect is a male and used a handgun. Police are conducting a manhunt for the suspect who is still at large. No motives have been suggested thus far. 
Russia Accuses Ukraine Of Assassination Attempt:
Russia <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/russia-accuses-ukraine-of-sending-drones-to-assassinate-putin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Ukraine of attempting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Video on social media appears to show a drone exploding above the Kremlin on Wednesday. 
The Kremlin said in a statement that two drones were intercepted and shot down by Russian security forces and that the impacts didn’t hurt any people or property. Putin was apparently away from the Kremlin at the time. A spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Russia’s allegations.
 However, right after news of the drone attack broke, Zelensky’s chief of staff posted a string of fire emojis to his Telegram channel. He deleted the post shortly after. The attack, if it was Ukraine, would be a significant escalation in Ukraine’s attacks on Russian territory. The drone strike follows a string of attacks on Russian freight lines, military depots, and other targets, most of which have gone unaddressed by Ukraine’s government.
New York Bans Gas Stoves In Most New Buildings
New York has <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/05/03/ny-first-state-to-pass-gas-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">officially become the first state</a> in the nation to ban natural gas and other fossil fuel hookups in most new buildings. 
On Tuesday evening, the New York Senate and Assembly voted to approve the $229 billion dollar state budget which contained the provision. There are exceptions, such as some commercial and industrial buildings including hospitals, laundromats, restaurants, and more. Governor Hochul called the move necessary, comparing the transition to the move away from coal as a primary energy source. Meanwhile, Republican State Senator Thomas O&#8217;Mara criticized the move, saying the electrical grid isn’t equipped for the transition.
Olympian Dead:
American <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-olympic-champion-sprinter-tori-bowie-dies-at-32" target="_blank" rel="noopener">track and field star Tori Bowie</a>, a three-time Olympic medalist and a two-time world champion in track and field, has died. She was 32 years old.  No cause of death has been given.
Texas Authorities Arrested Accused Illegal Alien Killer&#8217;s Wife:
Authorities have now arrested the wife of the illegal immigrant accused of killing five people, including a 9-year-old, last week in Cleveland, Texas. Police say the shooting suspect is a Mexican national illegally in the country after having been deported several times. Tim Kean, chief deputy with the San Jacinto County Sheriff&#8217;s Office <a href="https://abc7ny.com/francisco-oropesa-arrested-cleveland-texas-mass-shooting-divimara-lamar-nava-shooter/13207789/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters, &#8220;Anybody that helped this maniac definitely has some kind of issues as far as I&#8217;m concerned.&#8221;
Brazilian Police Seach Home Of Former President:
Brazil’s Federal Police <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/brazilian-police-search-home-of-ex-president-bolsonaro-in-vaccine-probe-42bc4e1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">searched</a> the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro and seized his phone as part of an investigation into alleged counterfeit COVID-19 vaccine cards. According to a police statement, the investigation focused on whether cards held by Bolsonaro and his family members were altered in order to comply with U.S. vaccine mandates for travelers coming from outside the country. 
Fed Hikes Rates:
The federal reserve <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-reserve-unveils-quarter-point-target-interest-rate-hike-as-banking-system-reels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> Wednesday that it raised interest rates for the 10th time in a little more than 12 months. The quarter-point hike brings the Fed’s interest rate to between 5 and 5.25 percent. 
To listen to the audio version of this podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

Wednesday

Wednesday Afternoon Update: Atlanta Shooting, Russia Accuses Ukraine Of Assassination Attempt, Olympian Dead At 32

Atlanta

Brazil

Federal Reserve

Gas stoves

Illegal Immigration

Jair Bolsonaro

Kathy Hochul

New York

Olympics

Russia

Remember a few months ago when <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-in-december-banning-gas-stoves-entirely-its-a-real-possibility-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Legacy Media and their Democrat allies</a> called conservatives a bunch of crazy conspiracy theorists for warning that the Left wanted to ban gas stoves? That Democrat-Media Complex episode occurred despite numerous bureaucrats and liberal politicians advocating the ban of fossil fuel power appliances and more.
Well, now, New York is one step closer to banning gas stoves in new buildings. On Thursday, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced that a budget deal had been reached that would prohibit gas hookups in new buildings. Existing buildings and gas stoves not be affected under this deal, it should be noted. According to Hohcul&#8217;s office, this would be an airtight ban as well.
Katy Zielinski, a spokeswoman for the governor’s office, said on Friday that no such measure was included in the deal.
“The new law will not have any loopholes that will undermine the intent of this measure,” Hochul&#8217;s spokeswoman Katy Zielinski <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/nyregion/gas-stove-ban-ny.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The New York Times. “There will not be any option for municipalities to opt out.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Democrats enthusiastically pummeling New York into the ground are about to pass a statewide ban of gas hookups on new construction. Such a terrible idea! Kathy Hochul and her cohorts are fast tracking the downward spiral of a once greatest state.
&mdash; Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) <a href="https://twitter.com/leezeldin/status/1651571103649726464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This would obviously make future construction costs more expensive, as pointed out by New York Republican politician Lee Zeldin.
&#8220;The Democrats enthusiastically pummeling New York into the ground are about to pass a statewide ban of gas hookups on new construction,&#8221; he tweeted. &#8220;Such a terrible idea! Kathy Hochul and her cohorts are fast tracking the downward spiral of a once greatest state.&#8221;
Hochul isn&#8217;t alone. At the federal level, the Biden administration is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nearly-50-of-gas-stoves-could-be-removed-from-market-under-potential-new-energy-standard-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considering</a> a proposed energy efficiency rule from the Department of Energy (DOE) that could remove up to 50% of current gas stoves from the U.S. market if it is enacted. That means if you have a gas hookup in your building, buying a new stove down the road could be significantly more expensive.
<a class="c-link" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9125">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
What&#8217;s driving all this?
The Democrats claim that it&#8217;s concerned about climate change. Of course, there is big money to be made in the government-mandated electrification of everything. Groups that push these <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dark-money-group-pushing-gas-stove-crackdown-significant-financial-stake-green-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mandates often</a> stand to financially gain from gas stove bans, and in turn haul in taxpayer money thanks to Democrat-enacted schemes, according to Fox News.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 03: Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton hold up their hands at the conclusion of a New York Women “Get Out The Vote” rally at Barnard College on November 03, 2022 in New York City. Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James as they campaigned at a New York Women GOTV rally with the midterm elections under a week away. Hochul holds a slim lead in the polls against Republican candidate Rep. Lee Zeldin. AG James is favored to beat Republican candidate for Attorney General Michael Henry.

Shocker: New York Would Ban Gas Stoves In New Buildings Under Potential Budget Deal

Energy

Natural gas

Politics

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul&#8217;s Department of Health commissioned a survey distributed to state and county leaders exploring a ban on all tobacco products, despite lawmakers&#8217; declining support to prohibit menthol cigarettes and other flavored products.
According to an April 13 memo from Jennifer Lee, director of the Health Department&#8217;s Bureau of Tobacco Control, obtained by <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/04/22/kathy-hochul-test-marketing-ban-on-all-ny-tobacco-sales/">The New York Post</a>, researchers from RTI International organization disseminated the survey to &#8220;community leaders&#8221; statewide, including &#8220;county legislators and county directors of public health.&#8221;
&#8220;What is your opinion about a policy that would end the sale of all tobacco products in New York within 10 years?&#8221; was among the questions asked last week in the &#8220;New York Local Opinion Leaders Survey,&#8221; examined by the Post.
Other questions asked officials about limiting the number of retailers who can sell &#8220;products in a community,&#8221; prohibiting its sales near schools, and banning the sale of all tobacco products to those born after a specific date.
&#8220;For example, those born after the year 2010 or later would never be sold tobacco,&#8221; the survey read.
According to the outlet, the move from Hochul&#8217;s administration signals the governor&#8217;s intention to remove tobacco sales in New York. One insider told The Post they &#8220;have never seen anything like this where [the state] uses this kind of focus grouping, alliance building, momentum building.&#8221;
&#8220;An outright ban being considered … is all new territory,&#8221; the insider said.
Health Department spokesman Cort Ruddy told The Post the questions asked in the survey &#8220;do not indicate whether the department supports or opposes the policies they highlight,&#8221; adding that the department has been conducting similar surveys on &#8220;tobacco, youth vaping, and other important topics for more than a decade.&#8221;
Soliciting the opinion of local leaders &#8220;is crucial for effective public health,&#8221; Ruddy said.
New York State lawmakers rejected Hochul&#8217;s proposal to ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products last month after she first announced it in February as part of the Governor&#8217;s 2023-2024 fiscal year budget, which the Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/02/nys-gov-kathy-hochul-proposes-ban-on-flavored-tobacco-and-hookah-bars/">reported</a> would cost the state $133 million in lost tax revenues in the fiscal year that began on April 1 – and $255 million more in 2025.
According to the state&#8217;s Health Department, the tobacco industry spends $9.1 billion annually on marketing and promoting its products in the U.S. That&#8217;s about $1 million per hour.
State officials estimated $177.3 million is spent in the Empire State each year, accusing industry leaders of specifically targeting black communities with menthol tobacco products.
&#8220;In New York State, menthol cigarettes are used by over half of all adult smokers (52%), while 86% of black and 72% of Hispanic smokers exclusively smoke menthol cigarettes,&#8221; the department <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2023/2023-02-09_flavored_tobacco_products.htm">said</a> in a February news release.
New York lawmakers have passed policies centralizing more control over tobacco products in the past few years. In 2019, state officials raised the minimum legal age to purchase tobacco to 21. The following year, lawmakers ended the sale of all tobacco products in pharmacies, restricted the sale of flavored e-liquids and online sales of all vaping products, using coupons and other discounts that lower the cost of tobacco products, and implemented a tax on vapor products.
However, tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in New York and the rest of the nation.
&#8220;Approximately 1.7 million New Yorkers continue to smoke cigarettes,&#8221; the health department said. &#8220;Every year in New York, smoking kills 28,000 adults and a projected 280,000 children now under the age of 18 and alive in New York State will die prematurely from smoking.&#8221;
Still, convenience store owners argue implementing a ban would not stop people from smoking tobacco and likely put many stores out of business, citing smokers would purchase products online, in the black market, or across state lines to get their preferred pack of smokes.
&#8220;I think it would be bizarre for the state to create another category of illegal product that could lead to more conflict between law enforcement and the community,&#8221; Kent Sopris, president of the New York Association of Convenience Store Owners, told The Post.
Sopris further slammed Hochul after the governor launched a public awareness campaign last week that encouraged New Yorkers to buy marijuana products sold legally at cannabis dispensaries after lawmakers legalized it in 2021.
&#8220;If you are out there advocating for the expanded sale of retail cannabis that sells candied flavored options, how can you tell regulated legal convenience stores they can&#8217;t sell menthol cigarettes to adults?&#8221; Sopris said.
Earlier this year, Sopris suggested to <a href="https://www.rochesterfirst.com/new-york-state/ny-legislature-rejects-flavor-tobacco-ban-keeps-1-tax-increase-on-cigarettes/#:~:text=(WROC)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20New%20York,2023%2D2024%20fiscal%20year%20budget.">local media</a> that lawmakers should use a tax system to lower the smoking rate instead of increasing taxes or banning categories.

Rear View Of Man Holding Cigarette Against Brooklyn Bridge

New York Health Dept. Explores Banning All Tobacco Products Despite Lawmakers Declining Other Related Prohibitions: Report

New York Department of Health

Tobacco

U.S.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter pressuring pharmacies to keep selling abortion pills.
In the <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/03.09.23_mife_letter.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a>, addressed to the CEOs of Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS, Hochul and James told the companies not to give in to pressure from Republican states to stop selling the abortifacient drug mifepristone. But in doing so, the two officials put pressure on the three companies to keep selling the drug in their state.
&#8220;Recent national events have spotlighted the critical role that pharmacies play in providing access to essential health care, including reproductive health care,&#8221; Hochul and James wrote. &#8220;That is why we write to you today to ask that you commit to making medication abortion available in your retail and mail-order pharmacies across New York State.&#8221;
The two officials then blasted a campaign by multiple states&#8217; Attorneys General to stop pharmacies from selling abortion pills. The campaign began in January, when <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/22-attorneys-general-urge-fda-to-reverse-abortion-pill-decision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">22 Republican Attorneys General</a> sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf asking the agency to reverse a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/health/abortion-pills-fda.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">December 2022</a> decision that would permanently allow pharmacies to dispense mifepristone by mail. The move clashes with laws in at least 18 states which require that abortifacient drugs can only be dispensed in the presence of a licensed physician, which effectively bans telemedicine for prescribing a medication abortion.
Then in February, 20 Attorneys General sent a letter to Walgreens and other pharmacy chains including CVS, Walmart, and Costco, warning them that they could be in violation of their respective state laws if they dispense abortion drugs. In response, Walgreens said it <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walgreens-wont-distribute-abortion-pill-in-21-states-spokesperson-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would not dispense abortion pills</a> either by mail or at locations in 21 states, including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, and Montana, where abortion drugs are still legal.
Hochul and James derided the pressure campaign, claiming it was &#8220;based on a restrictive interpretation of the law and misrepresentation of the facts. We urge you not to allow these tactics to intimidate you, and to commit to making this critical medication available as widely as possible, based on a fair and unbiased interpretation of state and federal law,&#8221; they wrote.
Pointing out that abortion is legal in New York, including medication abortions using mifepristone, Hochul and James then asked the companies two questions:
<ul>
<li>&#8220;Will you commit to dispense mifepristone to patients with a doctor’s prescription at all FDA certified pharmacy locations in the State of New York? If not, what is the legal basis for this decision?&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Will you commit to dispense mifepristone via mail with a doctor’s prescription to patients in the State of New York? If not, what is the legal basis for this decision?&#8221;</li>
</ul>
&#8220;New Yorkers urgently need clarity on these questions, as reproductive rights are curtailed and undermined across the nation,&#8221; the two officials concluded.
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The pressure from Hochul and James in New York comes after California Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-says-california-done-with-walgreens-over-abortion-pills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom</a> said his state would stop doing business with Walgreens in response to its decision to stop selling abortion pills. “California won’t be doing business with [Walgreens] — or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk,” Newsom <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1632811406344192000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> on Tuesday. “We’re done.”
A spokesperson for Newsom further noted that “all relationships” between Walgreens and California are under review, according to Reuters.

NY Gov Hochul, AG James Demand That Pharmacy Chains Keep Selling Abortion Drugs

Abortion

Drugs

Letitia James

Social Issues

Fox News host <a href="http://www.dailywire.com.topic/jesse-watters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jesse Watters</a> said on Wednesday that New York might be in better shape if the state were to dump current Democratic Governor <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/hochul-wont-hire-back-unvaxxed-health-care-workers-despite-overturned-mandate-worker-shortage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kathy Hochul</a> and bring back disgraced former Governor Eliot Spitzer, who was also a Democrat.
Spitzer earned a reputation for holding financial services professionals accountable and rooting out corruption while serving as attorney general of New York — becoming known as the &#8220;Sheriff of Wall Street&#8221; before he became governor in 2007. He <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/nyregion/08york.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won in a landslide</a>, earning 69% of the vote — but <a href="https://www.npr.org/2008/03/12/88134976/spitzer-resigns-after-sex-scandal-pressure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resigned</a> after serving less than two years following reports that he had patronized a prostitution ring.
Watters referenced Spitzer during Wednesday&#8217;s broadcast of the network&#8217;s popular afternoon panel show &#8220;The Five,&#8221; during a conversation about Hochul&#8217;s refusal to reinstate medical professionals who were fired for failing to comply with vaccine mandates even though the state has since dropped the mandates.
Judge Jeanine Pirro quoted Hochul, who explained her decision by claiming that healthcare professionals who did not have the COVID vaccine were putting patients at risk of developing COVID while they were receiving care.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul says she won&#39;t hire unvaccinated healthcare workers despite the mandate being overturned:
&quot;I don’t think the answer is to have someone who comes in who is sick be exposed to someone who can give them COVID-19.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/qy6UICxGd4">pic.twitter.com/qy6UICxGd4</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1617925432111951873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After airing a clip of Hochul&#8217;s comments, Pirro and her co-hosts discussed the fact that the vaccines have been proven to not stop transmission of the virus.
&#8220;She doesn’t know that vaxxed and unvaxxed can still transmit the virus? She doesn’t know that, and she’s the governor?&#8221; Watters asked. &#8220;I mean, what an idiot. Let’s say I go into the ER with a gunshot wound, and I’m bleeding out, you think I care if the nurse is unvaxxed? I think bullets are more dangerous than the ‘rona virus.&#8221;
Watters went on to tie in bail reform and the state&#8217;s still-rampant crime problem, saying, &#8220;We’re [more] afraid of people getting shot than we’re afraid of COVID at this point.&#8221;
That was when he suggested New Yorkers might fare better under the leadership of former Governor Spitzer, saying, &#8220;I don’t care if he sleeps with escorts. He was smart.&#8221;

Squawk Box – Season 20

Fox Host Says NY Should Dump Hochul And Bring Spitzer Back: ‘I Don’t Care If He Sleeps With Escorts, He Was Smart’

Fox Host Jesse Watters Says NY Should Dump Kathy Hochul And Bring Disgraced Governor Eliot Spitzer Back

Jesse Watters

Media

Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kathy-hochul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kathy Hochul</a> (D-NY) indicated Monday that she won&#8217;t permit the hiring of health care workers who&#8217;ve declined to get the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID</a> vaccine, despite her vaccine mandate being overturned in the courts and a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ny-healthcare-upended-over-vax-mandate-hospital-stops-delivering-babies-er-closes-wait-times-explode" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serious healthcare worker shortage</a>.
A state Supreme Court judge in Syracuse last week <a href="https://www.syracuse.com/health/2023/01/syracuse-judge-strikes-down-ny-vaccine-mandate-for-health-workers-state-overstepped-authority.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struck down</a> the statewide vaccine mandate for medical staffers. The mandate was first implemented by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) in 2021, and then Hochul supported the edict when she became governor.
&#8220;Our healthcare systems are in desperate need of staff right now, we’ve had ambulances waiting five hours at our local emergency rooms to unload patients,&#8221; Rochester-based reporter <a href="https://twitter.com/WHEC_JLewke/status/1617630135431368710?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jennifer Lewke</a> <a href="https://www.whec.com/top-news/hochul-is-speaking-in-rochester-at-145-p-m-about-housing-and-lead-exposure-proposals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Hochul. &#8220;The hospitals and nursing homes say they’re waiting for DOH [New York State Department of Health] guidance on whether they can hire any of those workers back. What’s the latest on that?&#8221;
Hochul said she&#8217;s considering legal options to challenge the decision that overturned the mandate and highlighted recruitment efforts for more vaccinated healthcare workers.
The Democrat also acknowledged that the shortage is &#8220;a problem,&#8221; while claiming the answer is not to hire ousted unvaccinated workers. &#8220;I don’t think the answer is to have someone who comes in who is sick, be exposed to someone who can give them coronavirus, give them COVID-19,&#8221; the governor told Lewke. &#8220;I don’t know that that’s the right answer. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s not.&#8221;
&#8220;I think everybody who goes into a healthcare facility or nursing home should have the assurance, and their family members should know, that we have taken all steps to protect the public health and that includes making sure that those who come in contact with them at their time of most vulnerability, when they are sick or elderly, will not pass on the virus,&#8221; Hochul added.
Lewke again pressed the governor, &#8220;Couldn’t there be other safety precautions, masking? Or other mechanisms in order to allow some of them back in? I mean we’re at crisis level here in our hospitals and nursing homes.&#8221;
Hochul said she understood &#8220;the balance&#8221; but asserted that she &#8220;cannot put people into harm’s way, because when you’re going to a health care facility, you expect that you’re not going to come out sicker than you went in, I think that’s something every New Yorker would expect.&#8221;
Hochul is suggesting only unvaccinated people can pass along the virus, but <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness/why-measure-effectiveness/breakthrough-cases.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it&#8217;s &#8220;likely that vaccinated people with breakthrough infection or people infected without symptoms can spread the virus to others.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul says she won&#39;t hire unvaccinated healthcare workers despite the mandate being overturned:
&quot;I don’t think the answer is to have someone who comes in who is sick be exposed to someone who can give them COVID-19.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/qy6UICxGd4">pic.twitter.com/qy6UICxGd4</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1617925432111951873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ny-healthcare-upended-over-vax-mandate-hospital-stops-delivering-babies-er-closes-wait-times-explode" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NY Health Care Upended Over Vax Mandate: Hospital Stops Delivering Babies, ER Closes, Wait-Times Explode</a>

Hochul Won’t Hire Back Unvaxxed Health Care Workers Despite Overturned Mandate, Worker Shortage

Gov. Kathy Hochul Won't Hire Unvaxxed Health Care Workers Despite Overturned Mandate, Shortage Crisis

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

Health

Former House Speakeri <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/nancy-pelosi-permits-massive-raises-for-house-staffers-that-will-allow-them-to-make-more-than-lawmakers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nancy Pelosi</a> is blaming Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) for the Democratic Party&#8217;s failure to retain control of the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections.
Although Democrats fared better than they were expected to in the midterms — and Republicans only squeaked by with a slim majority — Pelosi claimed that Democrats could have kept the majority if Hochul had realized sooner that crime was a key issue with voters in her state.
Pelosi made the case in an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/21/opinion/nancy-pelosi-maureen-dowd-interview.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Maureen Dowd for The New York Times, arguing that down-ticket Republicans fared better in New York because Hochul had not had longer coattails.
&#8220;She said that she believed the Democrats could have held onto the House in November if top New York pols had realized that the key issue in that state was crime,&#8221; Dowd explained.
&#8220;The governor didn’t realize soon enough where the trouble was,&#8221; Pelosi said of Hochul, adding that the issue should have been addressed much sooner.
Hochul took a lot of heat from Republicans — not the least of which was her opponent in the 2022 gubernatorial race, Lee Zeldin (R-NY). In addition to calling Hochul out repeatedly for not addressing the issue, Zeldin found himself at the center of a couple of crime stories that he then used to great effect to bolster his point.
During one campaign stop, Zeldin himself was <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/breaking-republican-congressman-and-ny-gubernatorial-candidate-lee-zeldin-attacked-at-campaign-event/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">physically assaulted</a> — however, he and several others were able to subdue his attacker and hold him until police arrived to take him into custody. Zeldin, who was unharmed, resumed his speech on bail reform after the man was taken away — but his attacker&#8217;s quick release from jail only served to back up Zeldin&#8217;s claims that New York was not doing enough to put violent criminals behind bars and keep them there.
Later in the campaign, a <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/twin-daughters-of-ny-gov-hopeful-lee-zeldin-hide-as-shooting-unfolds-outside-home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting took place</a> just outside Zeldin&#8217;s Long Island home — while his teenaged daughters were in the house doing school work.
&#8220;After my daughters heard the gunshots and the screaming, they ran upstairs, locked themselves in the bathroom and immediately called 911,&#8221; Zeldin explained. &#8220;They acted very swiftly and smartly every step of the way and Diana and I are extremely proud of them.&#8221;
The shooting was reportedly unrelated to Zeldin personally.

Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles – January 20, 2023

Nancy Pelosi Blames NY Governor Kathy Hochul For Democrats Losing The House

Elections

Nancy Pelosi

U.S. House of Representatives

Approximately 7,000 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nurse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nurses</a> at two <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/new-york-city" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York City</a> hospitals began a strike on Monday morning over contract disputes.
<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/labor-unions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Union</a> officials failed to reach tentative agreements on Sunday with hospital administrators at Montefiore Medical Center and Mount Sinai Hospital, according to a <a href="https://www.nysna.org/press/2023/advisory-nysna-nurses-mount-sinai-hospital-and-montefiore-bronx-strike#.Y7wpAnbMKUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the New York State Nurses Association, which boasts more than 42,000 members. Negotiators <a href="https://www.nysna.org/press/2023/nysna-nurses-mount-sinai-morningside-and-west-reach-tentative-agreement#.Y7wo7HbMKUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reached</a> tentative agreements at seven other hospitals that will grant nurses pay raises over the next three years, lower costs for healthcare coverage, and improve staffing standards.
“The entire New York City Labor Movement stands with our nurses, who are courageously taking action against dangerous understaffing that threatens the safety of their patients,” AFL-CIO New York City Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez remarked. “The decision to go on strike is never an easy one, particularly for workers who care so deeply about the patients and communities they serve. But hospital executives created this crisis by failing to hire, train, and retain nurses while at the same time treating themselves to extravagant compensation packages. Now it’s time for them to fix what they’ve broken.”
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), as well as several members of the State Senate and State Assembly, voiced support for the strike.
“Nurses have been through hell and back for their patients,” Bowman commented. “They already fought unimaginable fights to keep us healthy and alive, and they shouldn’t have to keep fighting. Safe staffing ratios and healthy conditions common in every hospital.”
Roughly 12% of healthcare practitioners in the United States were members of unions as of 2021, according to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. New York had the second-highest overall union membership rate in the nation, with 22.2% of workers belonging to a labor union.
New York State Nurses Association officials encouraged residents to continue seeking healthcare services despite the strikes. Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) called for binding arbitration at Montefiore and Mount Sinai, affirming that the New York State Department of Health will enforce “staffing requirements under the law” at the hospitals.
&#8220;No one puts more on the line to care for New Yorkers than our nurses, which is why my team has been pushing for a fair labor agreement for these dedicated professionals and to ensure they have safe working conditions. For weeks now, we have been working tirelessly with our partners in New York City to broker negotiations between the nurses and affected hospitals and our efforts have achieved significant progress,” she said in a <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-kathy-hochul-negotiations-between-new-york-city-hospitals-and-nurses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “We will continue to work with partners and all parties so that New York City hospitals and nurses can continue to play their critical role in caring for New Yorkers.&#8221;
Some 71% of Americans currently express approval of labor unions, marking the highest degree of support for the organizations in nearly six decades, according to <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/398303/approval-labor-unions-highest-point-1965.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from Gallup. Roughly one in six American households include a resident union member.
The negotiations in New York City occur after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-legislation-to-avoid-a-nationwide-rail-strike-bernie-sanders-intends-to-block-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nationwide rail strike</a> nearly crippled supply chains ahead of the holiday season. Members of Congress exercised their authority over interstate commerce to intervene in the negotiations under the Railway Labor Act of 1926, preventing the strike through a resolution <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/12/02/remarks-by-president-biden-at-signing-of-h-j-res-100-providing-a-resolution-to-avert-a-nationwide-rail-shutdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> last month by President Joe Biden.

Thousands Of New York City Nurses Go On Strike At Two Hospitals

Thousands Of Nurses At Two New York City Hospitals Go On Strike

Nurses At Two Hospitals Go On Strike

General

Jamaal Bowman

Labor Unions

New York City

Nursing

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a> became the sixth state to legalize the practice of composting human remains, a practice that has raised alarm bells among religious groups.
Legislation signed over the weekend by Governor <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/kathy-hochul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kathy Hochul</a> (D-NY) would add “natural organic reduction” alongside cremation and entombment as an acceptable burial method. The new <a href="https://legislation.nysenate.gov/pdf/bills/2021/A382">law</a> defines the practice as the “contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil” in a “structure, room, or other space” in which decomposition can occur.
New York joins Washington, Colorado, California, Oregon, and Vermont in allowing the novel burial method. Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-legalizes-human-composting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> the process last year as “more environmentally friendly” than practices such as cremation, adding that “with climate change and sea-level rise as very real threats to our environment, this is an alternative method of final disposition that won’t contribute emissions into our atmosphere.”
Recompose, a funeral home in Seattle that has encouraged passage of “human composting” legislation across the country, says their <a href="https://recompose.life/our-model/#the-process" target="_blank" rel="noopener">version</a> of the practice requires one-eighth of the energy needed in cremation or conventional burial. Staff members lay the deceased body in a “vessel surrounded by wood chips, alfalfa, and straw” for one month as bacteria catalyze “change on the molecular level, resulting in the formation of a nutrient-dense soil.” Loved ones can then use the material to “enrich conservation land, forests, or gardens.”
Religious groups have been among the most outspoken against the practice, contending that human composting subverts the dignity of the deceased. Josh Buice, the pastor of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and the president of G3 Ministries, remarked to The Daily Wire that human composting is “in complete contradiction to the view historically held by Christians and Jews.”
“Pantheists have argued that everything can be reduced to matter, God is everything and everything is God, and that every existing entity is only one Being. Under this view, there is no difference between wood chips, alfalfa, and a human body,” he said. “From the earliest of times, the human body has been considered sacred. The rationale is based on what is known as the imago Dei, which affirms the fact that God created every person equally in his own image.”
The notion of the image of God in man serves as the ethic undergirding all other assertions regarding the infinite value of humans in the Christian worldview, according to Buice. “The whole of humanity has inestimable value and dignity before God and deserves honor, respect, and protection,” he continued. “Therefore, the sanctity of human life is not determined by sex, ethnicity, age, religion, condition, or socioeconomic status. This is the foundation from which the Christian community advocates for the protection of the preborn and opposes abortion or any form of mutilation of the human body including euthanasia and sex change surgery.”
Buice predicted that human composting will continue to be promoted by lawmakers out of a professed concern for climate change. He nevertheless contended that such practices contrast with historic Christian burial practices which, beyond honoring the deceased, serve to reflect the hope of the resurrection.
“Pagan traditions have practiced cremation and in some cases the burning of the body as a form of sacrifice to their idol,” he said. “However, Christians have buried their loved ones with the final resurrection of the dead in view when Christ returns, the world is renewed, and death is forever banished.”

Female gardener holding a sapling with soil

New York Is The Latest State To Legalize ‘Human Composting’

New York Sanctions 'Human Composting'

Christianity

Death

Religion

New York City Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/eric-adams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Adams</a> defended himself Wednesday after facing criticism last week for fleeing the city as the Big Apple braced for a severe winter storm during the Christmas holiday.
“Every mayor traveled away,” Adams told reporters. “I deserve private time — I’m a believer of that.”
Adams, a retired police captain who took office on January 1, 2022, reportedly took a couple of days off last week to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands while the city of about 8.8 million people braced for the winter blast.
Western New York suffered from a “once in a generation” winter storm that also swept across much of the country, producing dangerous conditions that knocked out power for more than a million customers, foiled holiday travel plans, and killed nearly 30 in the Buffalo area.
Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the Empire State on Thursday as the approaching winter storm threatened all sorts of hazards, including plummeting temperatures, slick roads, strong winds, and power outages.
However, New York City’s mayor felt he needed to escape the major metropolitan area ahead of the natural disaster.
“I deserve to walk out of the building without a reporter hiding behind a flowerpot — without someone following me,” Adams said. “I deserve a moment to really de-escalate, and there will be many days that my body and my mind is going to tell me, ‘Eric, you need to get away.’”
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/12/27/eric-adams-went-to-virgin-islands-as-bomb-cyclone-hit-nyc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Adams made the first deputy mayor responsible for the city in his absence, who held a press conference “giving a complete diagnosis of what’s happening.”
First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo offered a defense of her boss, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-skips-town-ahead-of-winter-blast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, “Let me just say this to you — he might as well be here because we’ve been speaking constantly throughout the day,” according to the New York Daily News.
Adams further explained the city charter does not state that a mayor has to report his whereabouts to the New York City Press.
“I’m not going to do that,” Adams said. “And I’m not going to apologize for having the mental and physical capacity that’s needed to do the second most difficult job in politics in America.”
Adams returned to the city on Saturday night, where the Post spotted him attending Christmas Eve midnight mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown Manhattan.
When a reported asked him where he went over the latter portion of the week, Adams said he was “getting some rest and hiding from the Post.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NYC Mayor Eric Adams defends Virgin Islands trip as city prepared for winter storm: 
&quot;I deserve private time. [&#8230;] Nowhere in the city charter does it state I have to report to the New York City press where my whereabouts are, and I&#39;m not going to do that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/S1fJKWtbjC">pic.twitter.com/S1fJKWtbjC</a>
&mdash; Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1608178881537744897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

Americans Head To The Polls To Vote In The 2022 Midterm Elections

‘I Deserve Private Time’: NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fleeing City Ahead Of Severe Winter Storm

 NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fleeing City Ahead Of Severe Winter Storm

Eric Adams

Severe Weather

A 22-year-old woman was found dead on Christmas Eve after being trapped inside her car for nearly a day during the historic blizzard in Buffalo, New York, last weekend.
Anndel Taylor of Charlotte, North Carolina, was driving home from work on Friday afternoon when her car became stranded in the snowstorm for at least 18 hours, according to local media. The young woman had moved back to Buffalo, where she was born, earlier this year to care for her father after living in Charlotte with her family for the last two decades.
Wanda Brown Steele, Taylor&#8217;s mother, told WSOC she believes her daughter died from carbon monoxide poisoning rather than hypothermia. However, the official cause of death is still unknown.
&#8220;The car was running, and the snow was still coming, so it blocked the pipes, the exhaust pipe,&#8221; Wanda Brown Steele, Taylor&#8217;s mother, told <a href="https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/charlotte-woman-dies-after-getting-stuck-new-york-snowstorm/N5HF2CR76RA4HPABI53KRWMYOY/">WSOC</a>. &#8220;Then, after the car cut off, that&#8217;s when she iced up.&#8221;
Steele told the outlet her daughter called 911 emergency services for assistance and planned to sleep during the blizzard and then walk home. But with more than 40 inches of snow pummeling western New York over the Christmas weekend, authorities could not reach Taylor in what Gov. Kathy Hochul called &#8220;the blizzard of the century.&#8221;
The mother alerted relatives in Buffalo to search for Taylor.
&#8220;That&#8217;s when they busted open the window and seen that she was in there,&#8221; Steele said, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/12/27/anndel-taylor-22-dies-after-getting-stuck-in-buffalo-snowstorm/">The New York Post</a>.
Shawnequa Brown, Taylor&#8217;s sister, told WCOS that she &#8220;was telling my sister that she was scared.&#8221;
While Taylor waited inside her vehicle, she sent her family two videos showing the gravity of her situation, showing her car windshields covered in snow and then slightly rolling down her window to show the treacherous weather conditions.
Taylor became one of at least 28 people killed in what some reports indicated the storm was the worst blizzard to hit Buffalo in 45 years, coming close to a blizzard that hit the city in 1977 and killed nearly 30 people.
Although the winter storm that struck the city ended on Christmas morning, officials fear the death toll will rise.
Sylvia Taylor, Taylor&#8217;s grandmother, told WSOC-TV: &#8220;It&#8217;s so easy to ask yourself, &#8216;Why, God? Why?&#8221;
&#8220;But it&#8217;s not always meant for us to know the answer to that,&#8221; she said.
Family members told The Post that Taylor&#8217;s 23rd birthday was coming soon.
She &#8220;still got presents under the tree&#8221; for Christmas,&#8221; Shawnequa Brown said.
Brown called her sister &#8220;the golden child … The funniest, the realist, the hoodest little sister ever!&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m so so so sorry, I would do anything to have been there with you,&#8221; she wrote, according to The Post.

US-WEATHER-SNOW

Young Woman Trapped Inside Car During Buffalo Blizzard For 18 Hours Found Dead

Buffalo

Looters ransacked and damaged upstate New York businesses over the weekend as deadly extreme winter weather and low temperatures froze local authorities from performing regular patrols.
New York State Police reportedly responded to claims across social media that some businesses had their windows smashed and merchandise damaged and stolen in the City of Buffalo as at least 27 have been <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/26/weather/arctic-winter-storm-new-york-blizzard-monday/index.html">reported dead</a> in New York alone after a massive snowstorm.
Local media reported that such stores include all Wegmans and Tops locations in Erie County, which have been closed since Friday due to the &#8220;once in a generation&#8221; storm.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told reporters Monday the looters taking advantage of the unsupervised stores were &#8220;the lowest of the low.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know how these people can even live with themselves, how they can look at themselves in the mirror,&#8221; Mayor Brown said.
Brown added that the people who were out looting when others lost their lives in the harsh winter storm were &#8220;absolutely reprehensible.&#8221;
&#8220;And from some of the pictures that we&#8217;ve seen on social media of these looters, they&#8217;re not looting foods and medicines, they&#8217;re just looting items that they want,&#8221; the mayor said. &#8220;So these aren&#8217;t even people in distress — these are people who are taking advantage of a national disaster and the suffering of many in our community to take what they want.&#8221;
Two civilians spoke to a local <a href="https://www.wgrz.com/video/news/reports-of-looting-in-buffalo/71-871b4265-40ce-4b71-9bd0-271271e57cae">NBC affiliate</a> about the recent looting.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not about a need,&#8221; one source said. &#8220;It was a storm for one day — it&#8217;s not about a need.&#8221;
&#8220;Exactly,&#8221; the other source said. &#8220;They took TV sets.
New York State Police Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli told local media authorities were dispatched to two confirmed reports of looting incidents.
&#8220;Those are still under investigation as we speak,&#8221; Nigrelli said. &#8220;Those are isolated incidents, and it&#8217;s not reflective of the great community of Western New York, and I&#8217;m sure that they&#8217;ll be limited to those two incidents — or at least that&#8217;s our hope.&#8221;
Local media reported City Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said authorities had made a &#8220;few&#8221; arrests related to looting over the weekend.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve been able to — throughout the storm — transition our patrol officers to get back [to] their patrol efforts while we have our search and rescue recovery teams that are going out and doing the very difficult work of recovering bodies,&#8221; Gramaglia said, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/12/26/looters-ransack-snowbound-buffalo-as-cops-are-stuck-elsewhere/?utm_source=NYPTwitter&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=SocialFlow">The New York Post</a>.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement regarding price gouging, yet another side effect of the once-in-a-century winter storm, as reported by local media.
&#8220;Price gouging is illegal, &#8220;Hochul <a href="https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/buffalo/buffalo-mayor-looters-during-blizzard-are-lowest-of-the-low/">said</a>. &#8220;We have the attorney general&#8217;s office and our state is prepared to investigate any complaints of price gouging. Those who engage in this disgusting practice at a time when people in our community are hurting, when they&#8217;re trying so hard to get basic necessities, there&#8217;s a scarcity because stores have been closed since Friday, then shame on them. And they&#8217;re going to meet the law in a way they probably didn&#8217;t encounter. We&#8217;re going to be going after them.&#8221;
&#8220;The Department of Financial Services is engaging the insurance industry,&#8221; Hochul added, &#8220;making sure we have claims adjusters on the ground to help people who&#8217;ve had damage. Whether it&#8217;s the weight of snow on their roofs, whether it&#8217;s water damage &#8230; we want to make sure people know we&#8217;ll get help to them as soon as possible.&#8221;
New York officials implemented travel bans in Buffalo and surrounding areas, urging drivers to stay off the roads for emergency services to have a clear and passable route.
Hochul further noted that anyone whole violates the law &#8220;will be ticketed,&#8221; while members of the National Guard will be stopping drivers in areas where bans are in place.

Blizzard in Buffalo

Looters Ransack Upstate New York Businesses Amid Deadly Blizzard Conditions

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