The eldest daughter of now-divorced actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner demanded mask mandates in Los Angeles County and complained that people without masks &#8220;exacerbate homelessness&#8221; and harm &#8220;communities of color, disabled people, elderly people, trans people&#8221; and &#8220;women.&#8221;
Violet Affleck, now 18, made the remarks to the LA County Board of Supervisors during public comment. The one-minute speech has since gone viral online, racking up millions of views.
&#8220;I demand mask availability, air filtration, and Far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical faculties,&#8221; the teenager <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13618525/Ben-Affleck-Jennifer-Garners-daughter-Violet-advocates-mask-mandates-hospitals.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&#8220;You must expand the availability of high-quality free tests and treatment, and most importantly the county must oppose mask bans for any reason,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;They do not keep us safer.&#8221;
&#8220;It stands to exacerbate our homelessness crisis, as well as the suffering of many people in our city,&#8221; Violet said of &#8220;mask bans.&#8221; &#8220;It hits communities of color, disabled people, elderly people, trans people, women and anyone in a public-facing essential job the hardest.&#8221;
Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass recently <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-25/masks-restriction-protests-after-violent-protest-los-angeles-synagogue">floated the idea</a> of creating restrictions for protesters wearing masks at public demonstrations.
Violet, who is often photographed wearing a mask outdoors, opened her comments by saying that she &#8220;contracted a post-viral condition in 2019.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m okay now, but I saw first-hand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
You can’t make this stuff up. Daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner demanding mask mandates. What are they putting in the water of LA? <a href="https://t.co/KhgOUQglvL">pic.twitter.com/KhgOUQglvL</a>
— Gusano (@mistergusano) <a href="https://twitter.com/mistergusano/status/1811025766093836766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2024</a></blockquote>
Though Americans were urged and even mandated to wear face masks during the height of the COVID panic, studies now suggest they make little to no difference and significantly harm children.
One study published by the Cochrane Library reviewed the findings of 78 randomized controlled trials to determine the effectiveness of “physical interventions.&#8221; The review found that, when comparing the use of medical or surgical masks to wearing no masks, “wearing a mask may make little to no difference in how many people caught a flu-like illness/COVID-like illness (nine studies; 276,917 people); and probably makes little or no difference in how many people have flu/COVID confirmed by a laboratory test (six studies; 13,919 people),&#8221; the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/14/face-masks-made-little-to-no-difference-in-preventing-covid-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>.
Folks online commented on Violet&#8217;s demand, often criticizing her parents, Affleck and Garner. The famous exes also recently caught flack when they endorsed the gender &#8220;transition&#8221; of another one of their daughters, Seraphina Rose. The 15-year-old <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13322883/Ben-Affleck-daughter-Fin-celebrities-children-trans-non-binary.html">introduced herself</a> as &#8220;Fin&#8221; during Garner&#8217;s father&#8217;s funeral service and reportedly uses the &#8220;they&#8221; pronoun.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-cant-name-one-study-to-support-child-masking-before-pandemic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fauci Can’t Name One Study To Support Child Masking Before Pandemic</a>

Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles – May 11, 2024

Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner’s Daughter Demands Mask Mandates In Viral Speech

Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner’s Daughter Demands Mask Mandates In Speech 

Ben Affleck

California

Celebrities

Jennifer Garner

Los Angeles County

Mask Mandate

masks

U.S.

Dr. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/anthony-fauci" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Fauci</a> appeared on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View&#8221; on Thursday, where he joined the ladies at the table in attacking former President Donald Trump — and had a few choice words for his own detractors as well.
Fauci, who previously served as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), gained household-name status when he became the face of the White House&#8217;s fight to contain the COVID-19 pandemic — first under Trump and then under President Joe Biden — before he retired from government service.
He joined the hosts of &#8220;The View&#8221; to talk about a new book, and revealed a phrase he had learned while studying Latin that stuck with him when people where attacking him — a phrase he translated with a laugh as, &#8220;don&#8217;t let the bastards wear you down.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dr. Anthony Fauci calls the people who oppose him &#8220;bastards.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/aIZPqkCw2b">pic.twitter.com/aIZPqkCw2b</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1803811823013028108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
The conversation then turned to Trump and Fauci&#8217;s tenure in the White House, beginning with Sunny Hostin saying that she blamed Trump for the fact that her in-laws died of COVID.
&#8220;We remember those pandemic briefings,&#8221; Hostin said. &#8220;I remember the injection of bleach perhaps, hydroxychloroquin, dangerous recommendations. You were particularly disturbed, I read, by his refusal to wear a mask.&#8221;
Fauci claimed that a number of Trump&#8217;s allies had believed he was only disagreeing with Trump on COVID policies because he had some &#8220;antipathy&#8221; toward the president — which he denied.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712932862202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0plT8RRdMy9XUpIhocnjQS">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The View didn&#8217;t press Fauci on how the policies he pushed harmed a generation of kids and denied people the freedom of chose to not put things in their bodies; among other things. 
Instead, they tee him up to claim the real problem was the people who didn&#8217;t obey. <a href="https://t.co/kl0eir8bBh">pic.twitter.com/kl0eir8bBh</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1803817134125981871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
The show concluded with all of the hosts thanking Fauci for his service as he complained that people had failed to listen to his recommendations because they were too busy fighting over politics.

Dr. Fauci Testifies In House On COVID Origins

Fauci On ‘The View’: Joins The Ladies Bashing Trump, Calls Detractors ‘Bastards’

Fauci On 'The View': Joins The Ladies Bashing Trump, Calls Detractors 'Bastards'

Anthony Fauci

COVID-19

Donald Trump

Media

Pandemic

Politics

The View

Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical advisor to the president, could not recall a scientific study supporting the masking of children prior to the widespread masking of children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci is the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and was influential in the U.S. response to COVID-19, first advising former president Donald Trump, then President Joe Biden. Republicans have grown increasingly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/marco-rubio-accuses-dr-fauci-of-lying-about-masks-distorting-herd-immunity-estimates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">critical</a> of Fauci for misleading the American people over the risks of COVID-19 and other issues.
The former top health official testified on the U.S. response to COVID-19 in a closed-door meeting with members of the select subcommittee on the COVID-19 pandemic in January. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability, which oversees the subcommittee’s work, <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/covid-select-subcommittee-releases-dr-faucis-transcript-highlights-key-takeaways-in-new-memo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> transcripts of Fauci’s testimony on Friday. Fauci is expected to return to Capitol Hill on Monday to testify publicly in front of Congress.
During the closed-door testimony in January, Republicans asked Fauci about the scientific support for masking children before masking policies were adopted widely during the pandemic. Fauci, though he hedged his answer, failed to provide a specific example of a study he viewed supporting child masking. He suggested that he may not have looked at any data at all.
“Do you recall reviewing any studies or data supporting masking for children?” GOP counsel asked, according to the <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Fauci-Part-2-Transcript.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transcript</a>.
Fauci responded, “You know, I might have, Mitch, but I don’t recall specifically that I did. I might have.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/1-the-trial-run">WATCH FREE EPISODE NOW: Fauci Unmasked: The Trial Run</a>
The counsel then pointed to studies and data from the pandemic that suggest masking harmed child development and education.
“There’s been a lot of studies that have come out since the pandemic started, but specifically on this there have been significant on, kind of like the learning loss and speech and development issues that have been associated with particularly young children wearing masks while they’re growing up. They can’t see their teacher talk and can’t learn how to form words. Have you followed any of those studies?” the counsel asked.
“No,” Fauci answered. He went on to say he believes the scientific data on child masking is still mixed.
“I believe that there are a lot of conflicting studies too, that there are those that say, yes, there is an impact, and there are those that say there’s not. I still think that’s up in the air,” he said. “I mean, I&#8217;m very sensitive to children. I have children and I have grandchildren. So, I don&#8217;t want to have anything that would do to harm them [sic]. But I think that there was a conflicting discussion about the negative impact on speech and formation of the bones of the face, and that I think was debunked pretty easily.”

Fauci Can’t Name One Study To Support Child Masking Before Pandemic

Washington D.C.

It may be 2023, more than three years after the pandemic began, but COVID restrictions remain a mandatory part of life for many.
Some schools, employers, and government entities are forcing students, workers, and the public to comply with COVID measures in a familiar echo of last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.
The city of San Francisco is still <a href="https://sf.gov/information/know-when-masks-are-needed#:~:text=There%20are%20no%20longer%20masking,or%20people%20living%20in%20jails." target="_blank" rel="noopener">requiring</a> people who work in health care or at jails to wear a face mask.
Even in deep-red Alabama, three court buildings in Dallas County have <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/mask-mandate-update-alabama-dallas-county-restrictions-1825563" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resurrected</a> their mask mandate for the public after several cases of the virus cropped up in the buildings.
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis (R) <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-vaccines-ladapo-florida-d40276077f5fb6de98c2087172b423dc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> the idea of going back to COVID restrictions and promised Florida will not do so.
Vermont is pushing back as well. The state will no longer allow school nurses to test students for COVID, according to the Vermont Department of Health, <a href="https://vtdigger.org/2023/09/06/absent-in-vermont-schools-this-fall-student-covid-19-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signaling</a> that they are viewing the virus as more like a seasonal flu.
The return of COVID restrictions comes amid an uptick of virus cases and hospitalizations as we head into the colder months, but the outbreaks appear to be concentrated in hotspots and are well below the peaks we saw at the height of the pandemic.
With the school year kicking off and students returning to classrooms and campuses, several schools are giving students deja vu with their own mandatory — and strict — pandemic rules.
This week, a Maryland elementary school reinstated its face mask mandate after several students tested positive for COVID.
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 “three or more” third graders tested positive for the virus.
The young students must wear masks “except when eating or drinking,” and the school is providing KN95 masks to students and staff in the “identified classes or activities.” Parents will also be sent at-home rapid COVID tests, and Rosemary Hills 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.
In Alabama, Kinterbish Junior High <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/mask-mandate-update-full-list-schools-restrictions-1825285" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> an indefinite mask mandate last month, and students appeared to still be wearing masks last week based on Facebook photos.
In Georgia, Morris Brown College, a private, historically black liberal arts school in Atlanta <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maryland-elementary-school-forces-kids-to-mask-up-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> 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.
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.
Dillard University, another private, historically black university in New Orleans announced a two-week mask mandate last month, citing a jump in virus cases.
Meanwhile, two California high schools canceled their upcoming football games over COVID cases among students.
Esparto High School west of Sacramento canceled its game after six players contracted the virus and seven more players were out due to injuries. Likewise, Santa Paula High School north of Los Angeles canceled its football game due to 20 positive COVID cases within the football and cheerleading teams.
Some parents were frustrated that their kids will miss out after months of lockdowns.
“She couldn’t go to the movies. Couldn’t do nothing; locked down with a Chromebook,” a Santa Paula parent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/covid-cancellations-return-two-california-high-schools-cancel-football-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> a local outlet. “It was horrible. Totally affected her life.”
A major Hollywood movie studio brought back its mask mandate last month as well. Lionsgate, reinstated its mask mandate for most of its Santa Monica office employees after several employees tested positive for COVID. Lionsgate said it would also do contact tracing and give out free COVID test kits, and the studio 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.
Hospitals are bringing back their mask mandates as well. In California, Kaiser Permanente <a href="https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/kaiser-permanente-reinstates-covid-19-mask-mandate-amid-spike-in-cases-but/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imposed</a> a mask mandate at its hospitals and medical offices in Santa Rosa for not only doctors and patients but also visitors.
In New York, a group of hospitals have brought back mask mandates as well, <a class="color-link" title="https://www.fox4news.com/news/citing-rising-covid-cases-these-us-hospital-systems-have-now-reinstated-mask-mandates" href="https://www.fox4news.com/news/citing-rising-covid-cases-these-us-hospital-systems-have-now-reinstated-mask-mandates" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.fox4news.com/news/citing-rising-covid-cases-these-us-hospital-systems-have-now-reinstated-mask-mandates" aria-label="including">including</a> United Health Services, Auburn Community Hospital, and University Hospital in Syracuse.
Most of the new mask mandates do not specify whether certain kinds of face masks are unacceptable. As long ago as 2021, CNN’s medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/cloth-masks-useless-omicron-expert-b1980394.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> cloth face masks were &#8220;little more than facial decorations,&#8221; and urged people to wear &#8220;at least a three-ply surgical mask.&#8221;
The current COVID variant, which is descended from Omicron, has been spreading for months, and experts have said it is not any more dangerous than previous variants.
Even so, the White House is putting out warnings about COVID as fall approaches.
Biden has not tried to get Americans to return to face mask mandates broadly, but his administration is still strongly pushing the COVID vaccine.
The Biden 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.
Former president Donald Trump slammed the return of COVID restrictions late last month.
The 2024 Republican frontrunner <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-blasts-mask-mandates-covid-1823697" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promised</a> that if re-elected, he would &#8220;use every available authority to cut federal funding to any school, college, airline or public transportation system that imposes a mask mandate or a vaccine mandate.&#8221;
Even during the height of the pandemic, policies like mask mandates, lockdowns, and vaccine mandates faced spirited opposition.
Now that the pandemic is three years old, it&#8217;s doubtful Americans have any appetite left for more restrictions.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>

US-HEALTH-VIRUS

It’s 2023, But COVID Restrictions Are Not A Thing Of The Past

It's 2023, But COVID Restrictions Are Not A Thing Of The Past

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

Readers Pass

Vaccine Mandate

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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#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;
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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

Face Masks

Fauci

Health

Masking

Rand Paul

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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#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.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
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

Public Schools

Johns Hopkins University health policy expert and surgeon Dr. Marty Makary said on Sunday that &#8220;highly partisan&#8221; experts changed the culture of medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic after recent remarks from Dr. Anthony Fauci responding to a study that said masks didn&#8217;t work.
&#8220;There&#8217;s been a lot of groupthink — there has been an attempt to silence anyone against the consensus and medicine change the culture of medicine changed during COVID,&#8221; Makary <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1698465910804169033" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News anchor Jon Scott on FOX Report.
&#8220;We now have an era where experts who are highly partisan are citing data with conclusions that they like even if those studies are flawed, and they ignore studies that have conclusions that they don&#8217;t want to hear, even if those studies have impeccable standards,&#8221; he added.
Makary&#8217;s comments were in response to a recent CNN appearance from former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was asked to respond to an analysis released in January by The Cochrane Institute that raised doubts about face masks being able to curb the spread of COVID.
The Cochrane study made the rounds earlier this year, leading to headlines saying that face masks made &#8220;little to no difference&#8221; in preventing the spread of COVID after a wave of mask guidelines and mandates during the pandemic.
&#8220;And Dr. Fauci, rather than criticize it or tried to point out a flaw in that study, acknowledges that it was &#8216;less strong than other data,'&#8221; Makary said.
During his CNN interviews, Fauci stressed that other reviews focus on the individual level.
&#8220;When you&#8217;re talking about the effect on the epidemic or the pandemic as a whole, the data are less strong,&#8221; Fauci <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-confronted-with-study-that-raised-doubts-about-masks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;But when you talk about as an individual basis of someone protecting themselves or protecting themselves from spreading it to others, there&#8217;s no doubt that there&#8217;s many studies that show that there is an advantage.&#8221;
He added that the Cochrane study&#8217;s population level showed the data as less firm regarding the effect on the overall pandemic.
&#8220;But we&#8217;re not talking about that — we&#8217;re talking about an individual&#8217;s effect on their own safety,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s a bit different than the broad population level.&#8221;
Makary further criticized the medical community for believing other pandemic-related recommendations from Dr. Fauci and how a similar &#8220;political allegiance&#8221; is emerging as some colleges require students to mask up again and take another COVID vaccine after a recent <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;We have ignored the data on the largest public health intervention in human history,&#8221; Makary <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1698472473141116950" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Instead, everybody is rewriting their own story.&#8221;
&#8220;I wish we could have seen less sort of blind political allegiance to one or two public health experts and instead talk about things like obesity and the mental health crisis,&#8221; he added. &#8220;There&#8217;s a group of doctors that believe 100% of what Dr. Fauci has said from ignoring natural immunity to the data on myocarditis pushing boosters in young people, masking toddlers closing schools, and now you&#8217;re seeing the same sort of political allegiance with the mask issue and the Cochrane Review.&#8221;
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

Dr. Marty Makary

Dr. Marty Makary Criticizes ‘Highly Partisan’ Experts For Changing Medical Community During Pandemic

Dr. Marty Makary Criticizes 'Highly Partisan' Experts For Changing Medical Community During Pandemic

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo slammed mask mandates as “terrible policies” Thursday and urged people not to comply as entities across the country return to forced masking. 
Schools, hospitals, and businesses across the country are <a href="https://www.fox5ny.com/news/as-covid-numbers-increase-mask-mandates-return-in-some-places" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enforcing</a> mask mandates again as some scientists warn of a rise in COVID cases. Earlier this week, Morris Brown College in Atlanta announced it will bring back a mask mandate despite having zero reported cases of COVID on campus and Lionsgate film studio in California said it was also reinstating mask mandates for some of its Santa Monica offices. Lionsgate later <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/08/lionsgate-mask-mandate-lifted-covid-outbreak-1235528599/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lifted</a> the mandate, saying it had contained the COVID spread.  
“What do you call re-imposing mask policies that have been proven ineffective or restarting lockdowns that are known to cause harm? You don&#8217;t call it sanity,” Ladapo <a href="https://twitter.com/FLSurgeonGen/status/1694770935293780290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694770935293780290%7Ctwgr%5E8a29c90fdb7be8fda0c1efea24b075e5cbf2dcfe%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffloridianpress.com%2F2023%2F08%2Fflorida-surgeon-general-do-not-cooperate-with-mask-mandates%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> to X. “These terrible policies only work with your cooperation. How about refusing to participate…” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
What do you call re-imposing mask policies that have been proven ineffective or restarting lockdowns that are known to cause harm? 
You don&#39;t call it sanity. 
These terrible policies only work with your cooperation. How about refusing to participate…
&mdash; Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD (@FLSurgeonGen) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLSurgeonGen/status/1694770935293780290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A return to mask mandates has also been pushed by legacy media outlets this week. CNN published an <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/23/health/masks-covid-surge-wellness/index.html?utm_content=2023-08-23T12%3A00%3A06&amp;utm_term=link&amp;utm_source=twCNN&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> on Wednesday titled, “It may be time to break out the masks against Covid, some experts say.” A <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-masking-coming-back-covid-variants-experts-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News</a> medical contributor argued Friday that &#8220;People 65-plus and people who are immunocompromised should strongly consider masking during flu, RSV, COVID season while in indoor public spaces. And for everyone else — it all depends on what their risk tolerance is.&#8221;
The Florida surgeon general has long opposed mask mandates, saying in March 2022 that the argument used to push mask mandates is “a lie,” adding, “It needs to stop and people need to un-believe it.”
Ladapo has also opposed vaccine mandates and worked with Governor Ron DeSantis to make Florida the first state to recommend against COVID vaccines for healthy children after releasing a study suggesting the vaccine poses a higher health risk to young men. DeSantis <a href="https://floridianpress.com/2023/05/desantis-signs-permanent-protections-against-vaccine-mandates-forced-masking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> legislation in May banning forced masking and vaccine mandates in Florida. The law makes any mask mandate in any school from kindergarten through college illegal.    
&#8220;First, the bill really goes back to the idea of prescribing freedom and it really does a lot of things. It makes all these protections permanent that we have done over the last two years,&#8221; DeSantis said after signing the bill. 
<div class="css-j7qwjs">
<div id="post-body-text">
<div class="e1nzmkc90 css-15jw47d">
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“How can they force you to take it? Whether it is a business or government?
That is wrong and it won’t be allowed in the State of Florida.”
Governor DeSantis signs law to make all the 2021 Medical Freedom protections permanent, banning forced masking and Covid jab mandates. <a href="https://t.co/Y1WyUPPsAC">pic.twitter.com/Y1WyUPPsAC</a>
&mdash; Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReOpenChris/status/1656780353292435460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Joseph Ladapo

Florida Surgeon General Slams Return Of Mask Mandates Across Country, Urges People To Refuse ‘To Participate’

Florida Surgeon General Slams Return Of Mask Mandates Across Country, Urges People To Refuse 'To Participate'

Florida

Ron DeSantis

One Georgia college is taking no chances with reports of a new variant of COVID, opting to bring back a campus-wide mask mandate despite having no reported cases at the school.
According to a report from WSBTV, Morris Brown College — located in Atlanta — has advised students, faculty, and staff that facemasks must be worn on campus for at least the next 14 days.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The mask mandate is a precautionary move for the next 14 days. <a href="https://t.co/dX1ERq61HG">https://t.co/dX1ERq61HG</a>
&mdash; WSB-TV (@wsbtv) <a href="https://twitter.com/wsbtv/status/1693691978276360308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The school&#8217;s Instagram account also shared the contents of an email that was sent out detailing the mask requirement as well as a number of other mitigation efforts the school was going to implement as the school year began.
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwLcj0qAeWZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
&nbsp;
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div>
&nbsp;
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwLcj0qAeWZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Morris Brown College (@morrisbrownatl)</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
In addition to recommending frequent hand-washing and sanitizing, the school also called on students and staffers to engage in &#8220;social distancing&#8221; whenever possible and placed a blanket ban on all large gatherings and parties on campus for the next two weeks.
All students and employees, upon arrival at the college campus, are expected to submit to temperature checks and monitor symptoms — and, if necessary, refer to CDC guidelines regarding quarantine and isolation if they test positive. Following any positive tests, the school plans to initiate contact tracing as well.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Staffers, according to the memo, are permitted to unmask only when they are in their offices alone.
As reported by several outlets, no cases have been recorded at Morris Brown College yet this semester — the mitigation efforts were implemented as a precautionary response to several positive cases reported at the Atlanta University Center.
Morris Brown College is not the only institution <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lionsgate-film-studio-reinstates-mask-mandates-effective-immediately-until-further-notice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bringing back mask mandates</a>, however. Lionsgate film studio in Santa Monica, California, made a similar announcement this week — but the mandate did not come with a two-week expiration date. The policy, which begins &#8220;effective immediately&#8221; and continues &#8220;until further notice,&#8221; also comes with daily health-screening checks and contact tracing.

Atlanta Cityscapes And City Views

Georgia College Has Zero Cases Of COVID — They’re Bringing The Mask Mandate Back Anyway

Georgia College Has Zero Cases Of COVID-19 — They're Bringing The Mask Mandate Back Anyway

College

Georgia

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lionsgate</a> film studio announced it would reinstate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mask-mandate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mask mandates</a> in parts of its Santa Monica, California offices.
The response manager for Lionsgate/Starz, Sommer McElroy, said in a written statement that the masking policy would be &#8220;effective immediately&#8221; and will continue &#8220;until further notice.&#8221; Deadline <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/08/lionsgate-mask-mandate-santa-monica-covid-outbreak-1235524039/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that almost half of the company’s employees work at their flagship office at 2700 Colorado Avenue. The policy will be effective on the 3rd and 5th floors of the five-story building, according to an email cited by the outlet.
&#8220;Employees must wear a medical grade face covering (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/face-mask" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surgical mask</a>, KN95 or N95) when indoors except when alone in an office with the door closed, actively eating, actively drinking at their desk or workstation, or if they are the only individual present in a large open workspace,&#8221; McElroy said, per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/major-movie-studio-reinstates-mask-mandates-effective-immediately" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>.
Lionsgate will also have a &#8220;building entry policy&#8221; which requires employees “to perform a daily self-screening prior to coming to the office each day.&#8221; Workers must also notify the company of any &#8220;new or worsening symptoms&#8221; or if they &#8220;traveled internationally in the last 10 days.&#8221; 
The company will perform contact tracing and notify &#8220;all individuals who have been in close contact with employees who have tested positive for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19</a>,&#8221; the statement continued. She said these mandates come as several employees tested positive for COVID.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" 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-6523">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
McElroy also said surgical masks and KN95s would be available at the front desk. The studio will also provide N95 masks upon request.
The decision to reinstate mask mandates at Lionsgate comes as speculation that similar policies would be returning nationwide as variant EG.5 becomes more prevalent in the United States.
There have been conflicting studies and no conclusive evidence that mask mandates ever did much to curtail the spread of COVID. 
A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/study-finds-face-masks-didnt-slow-spread-of-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> from 2021 conducted by the University of Louisville using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that “80% of US states mandated masks during the COVID-19 pandemic,” but while “mandates induced greater mask compliance, [they] did not predict lower growth rates when community spread was low (minima) or high (maxima).”
Researchers concluded that based on the data, “mask mandates and use are not associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 spread among US states.”
“Our findings do not support the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates decrease with greater public mask use,” the study said.

Face mask

Lionsgate Film Studio Reinstates Mask Mandates ‘Effective Immediately,’ ‘Until Further Notice’

Lionsgate Film Studio Reinstates Mask Mandates 'Effective Immediately,' 'Until Further Notice'

Hollywood

Santa Monica

Three school district members were ousted from their positions on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington state</a> school board after they defied a statewide COVID mask mandate last year.
Board members Semi Bird, Kari Williams, and Audra Byrd <a href="https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/education/article278079582.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were recalled</a> from their positions on the Richland School District board in southern Washington with 54% of the vote against them in an August 1 election.
The recall effort was sparked by the school board&#8217;s February 2022 vote to make face masks optional for students in the Richland district in defiance of Democratic Governor Jay Inslee&#8217;s statewide mask mandate.
The three board members were accused of violating the state’s indoor mask mandate, Washington&#8217;s Open Public Meetings Act, and the school district&#8217;s policies.
Two of the three, Williams and Byrd, attended their final board meeting last week on Tuesday. Bird, who is now running for governor in Washington, skipped the meeting.
“I will continue to pray for our district and the students here, and I will do my best to serve in whatever ways I can on a smaller scale,” Byrd <a href="https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/education/article278079582.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in emotional farewell remarks at the meeting.
“I am a firm believer in the power of the election process and in the voice of the people. Although I will admit I was a little heartbroken for the election results, I love that we have a country where people have the power to vote and stand up for what they believe in,” she said.
Byrd exited to applause from a group who had showed up at the board meeting to support her.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Williams&#8217; seat is up for re-election this year, so she may be able to run again and win her seat back.
“I’m just grateful to this great community and this great district, and eager to return in November,” Williams said at the last meeting.
Meanwhile, Bird, who is running for governor in Washington as a Republican in 2024, said the recall was &#8220;never about just a mask mandate,&#8221; which he emphasized was &#8220;not a law.&#8221;
&#8220;It was a combination of change and accountability that we brought forward that the progressives within our district did not like,&#8221; Bird <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/conservatives-ousted-wa-school-board-facing-recall-mask-mandate-defiance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News on Sunday. &#8220;With the support of the teachers union and other progressive advocacy groups, they brought tens of thousands of dollars to a school board recall during an off-year primary where we had our supporters come out in numbers and support us, but the masses of conservatives who are our voter base did not turn out.&#8221;
Bird served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was the first black candidate ever elected to the Richland school district&#8217;s board.
&#8220;I will fight every day to get us back to human decency, because that&#8217;s what Dr. King fought for, the soul of America,&#8221; Bird said, adding that he prays Americans &#8220;come together and say, &#8216;stop it.&#8217; Let&#8217;s protect our kids.&#8221;
After the pandemic pitted parents and schools against each other over everything from pandemic restrictions to learning loss to gender identity, a wave of frustrated parents decided to run for school boards themselves.
Conservatives flipped at least nine school boards in at least six states — Michigan, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Florida — giving them conservative majorities, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-moms-and-dads-taking-over-school-boards-across-the-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to two parental rights groups who endorsed many of the victorious candidates.

GERMANY-EDUCATION-SCHOOL-HEALTH-VIRUS

Three School Board Members In Washington Ousted After Defying Mask Mandate

Education

Washington

Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jerry-nadler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerry Nadler</a> (D-NY) said on the House floor Wednesday that it would have been “child abuse” for 2-year-olds to not be masked during the COVID pandemic. 
Nadler’s comments came during debate on the House floor on the REINS Act after Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chip-roy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chip Roy</a> (R-TX) moved to add an amendment to the bill that would <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nadler-toddlers-shouldve-required-mask-during-covid-parents-didnt-committed-child-abuse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">effectively give</a> Congress the power to vote on any vaccine mandate initiated via executive branch rule-making, such as President Joe Biden&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/13/supreme-court-ruling-biden-covid-vaccine-mandates.html">now-defunct</a> COVID vaccine mandate. 
&#8220;Two-year-olds should have been required to wear masks. It would be child abuse for parents not to do that because there was no vaccination available for 2-year-olds,&#8221; Nadler said. &#8220;And the only way to protect them against COVID was to have them wear masks, and these mandates are meant to protect the public’s health and safety.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Nadler: &quot;When we have a pandemic like covid, two-year-olds should have been required to wear masks. It would be child abuse for parents not to do that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/8dcF9MJhDC">pic.twitter.com/8dcF9MJhDC</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1669045672404762624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The comments from the New York Democrat came after Roy criticized Health and Human Services Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/xavier-becerra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xavier Becerra</a>’s appearance before Congress on Tuesday. 
“I want everybody in America to understand what they just heard from the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee in the United States House of Representatives,&#8221; Roy <a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/watch-house-dem-says-2-year-olds-should-have-been-required-to-wear-masks/?utm_source=actengage&amp;utm_campaign=FreedomMail&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in response to Nadler. &#8220;Your 2-year-old should be forced to be masked. That is what the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee just said here on the floor of the House of Representatives. That the power of the government, the full power of the federal government, should be a part of ensuring and enforcing your children, your 2-year-old child to be masked.&#8221;
Becerra had been asked on Tuesday if &#8220;forcing 2-year-olds to wear masks save lives” by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA). 
“Making sure people were masked when it was appropriate was essential to make sure that we were able to get out of this pandemic,&#8221; Becerra responded. 
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" 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-36700">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Roy&#8217;s amendment passed along with the REINS Act, a bill <a href="https://mcmorris.house.gov/posts/mcmorris-rodgers-helps-pass-the-reins-act-to-check-bidens-reckless-spending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">designed</a> to give Congress more oversight over presidential executive actions.
Young children were at very low risk of developing a serious health outcome from catching COVID, and recent studies have <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that masks are seemingly not that effective at reducing the spread of COVID. 
Although Biden officially <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-officially-ends-covid-19-national-emergency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ended the COVID national emergency declaration</a> in April, the White House came under fire again this month after an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-enforcing-mask-mandates-social-distancing-for-unvaccinated-visitors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">email showed</a> that it would be enforcing a mask mandate and social distancing guidelines for visitors who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.
Lawmakers invited to attend “College Athlete Day,” where athletes from championship collegiate teams get to visit the White House, were told to mask up for the event if they are not vaccinated
After backlash, the White House <a href="https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/masks-and-social-distancing-required-unvaccinated-college-athlete-day-white" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the email had been sent “inadvertently” and that it would be sending out updated guidelines to event attendees.

Attorney General Barr Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

Jerry Nadler: It Would Have Been ‘Child Abuse’ To Not Mask 2-Year-Olds During Pandemic

Chip Roy

Congress

Jerry Nadler

Xavier Becerra

Menu