Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) provides links and brief excerpts from news reports in the national media.

12 Countries Roll Back COVID Restrictions, Israel Scraps ‘Green Pass’ –Sweden and Switzerland joined Denmark, Norway, Finland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Italy, Lithuania, France and the UK in announcing they will lift COVID restrictions and open up their countries. | 3 Feb 2022 | Europe is accelerating steps to roll back COVID restrictions as efforts to control the spread of the virus have failed and countries downgrade the threat posed by SARS-CoV-2. Sweden and Switzerland joined Denmark, Norway, Finland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Italy, Lithuania, France and the UK in announcing they will lift COVID restrictions and open up their countries. Top Israeli officials also announced this week they are abolishing the country’s “Green Pass” COVID vaccine passport for restaurants, hotels, gyms and theaters.

Canada province vows to end Covid restrictions ‘very soon’ | 4 Feb 2022 | Canada’s Saskatchewan province will soon lift all of its Covid-19 measures, the regional government said, arguing that residents are tired of intrusions into their lives and a perpetual state of panic triggered by the pandemic. “Covid is not ending, but government restrictions on your rights and freedoms – those will be ending, and ending very soon,” Moe said in a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday night. “What’s necessary is your freedom. What’s necessary is getting your life back to normal, and it’s time.” The public health order which created Saskatchewan’s Covid rules is set to expire later this month, but currently requires masking at indoor public spaces, proof of vaccination or a negative test result for government employees, as well as mandatory self-isolation for anyone who screens positive for the virus.

COVID lockdowns had ‘little to no effect’ on mortality rate, study says | 2 Feb 2022 | Lockdowns had “little to no effect” on saving lives during the pandemic — and “should be rejected out of hand as a pandemic policy,” according to economists in a new meta-analysis of dozens of studies. A group led by the head of Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics analyzed studies from the first surge of the pandemic to investigate widely pushed claims that stringent restrictions would limit deaths. Instead, the meta-analysis concluded that lockdowns across the US and Europe had only “reduced COVID-19 mortality by 0.2% on average.” Worse, some of the studies even suggested that limiting gatherings in safe outdoor spots may have been “counterproductive and increased” the death rate, the authors noted. “While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted,” the professors wrote in the journal Studies in Applied Economics.

Army to ‘immediately’ start kicking out soldiers who refuse COVID shot | 2 Feb 2022 | The US Army said Wednesday it will “immediately” begin booting soldiers who refuse to comply with the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.​ The so-called “involuntary separation” directive, announced by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, ​would apply to the regular Army, the Army National Guard, and members of the US Army Reserve serving on active duty for more than 30 days. The order also applies to cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point and the Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. It does not apply to soldiers who have approved exemptions on medical, administrative or religious grounds — nor does it apply to those whose exemption claims are under review.

Hershey Fires Unvaccinated Employees | 1 Feb 2022 | The Hershey Co. has begun firing office workers who have declined to be vaccinated against COVID-19. On the way out the door, the candy manufacturer is asking the fired employees to sign a nine-page confidentiality and release agreement that would remove their rights to sue the company or talk about their experience. While their signature comes with a “special separation payment,” many haven’t signed the agreement and won’t get the money. By most accounts, working at Hershey was a great job. Employees at the company’s headquarters in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and at offices in other states report higher than average wages and bowls of candy placed around the offices for snacking… But it stopped being fun after months of human resources department meetings that employees say included education about the vaccines, asking if the employee had changed their mind about getting the shots, as well as uncomfortably invasive questions.

Washington Orders Restaurant That Defied Mask, Vaccine Mandates to Close | 2 Feb 2022 | Washington health authorities on Tuesday ordered a restaurant that openly defied the city’s mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates to close. A notice from the D.C. Health Department’s Division of Food was posted on a window at The Big Board, citing violations of District of Columbia food code regulations. The closure is in effect “until further notice.” A report from an inspection done on Jan. 19 says multiple violations were found, including a lack of soap and towels at a hand-washing sink in the kitchen and mold in a refrigerator under a counter… The District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board said the restaurant’s refusal to adhere to orders from Mayor Muriel Bowser to make sure all customers over 5 have received a COVID-19 vaccine and that customers wear masks in certain situations led to the suspension.

290 Fully Vaccinated Massachusetts Residents Died of COVID-19 Over One Week | 2 Feb 2022 | Nearly 300 fully vaccinated residents in Massachusetts died of breakthrough COVID-19 over the past week even as case numbers have dropped statewide. Between Jan. 22 and 29, Massachusetts health officials reported 290 additional breakthrough COVID-19 deaths, bringing the state’s total death toll among the fully vaccinated to 1,789. The figure represents 0.03% of the state’s inoculated population. During the same period, health officials also recorded 27,530 new breakthrough infections and 555 additional hospitalizations. The state has now reported a total of 422,132 cases and 6,440 admissions among the fully vaccinated. The numbers represent 8.1% and 0.12% of the state’s inoculated population, respectively, according to the latest COVID-19 Vaccine Data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Center for COVID Control Faked COVID-19 Test Results – Lawsuit | 2 Feb 2022 | A COVID-19 testing company faked test results and didn’t have licenses to operate testing sites, according to a new lawsuit. The Center for COVID Control claimed to provide free COVID-19 tests throughout Washington state and promised to provide results within 48 hours. But in reality, the company gathered patient insurance information and provided “invalid COVID-19 test results or no results at all,” according to the 14-page suit, filed in King County Superior Court by state Attorney General Robert Ferguson. Former employees told prosecutors that the company, which lacked licenses to operate in much of the state, wasn’t able to process all of the tests it received; the owners are accused of refusing to hire more workers. Instead, the company allegedly stored tests in garbage bags for more than a week rather than refrigerating them, and backdated collection dates so the samples could still be processed.

Pentagon Confirms Women and Children Dead in U.S. Special Forces Syria Raid | 3 Feb 2022 | (Warning: graphic content in article) U.S. Special Forces operators were involved in an action that resulted in the deaths of 13 people, including women and children, during an airborne counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria across the early hours of Thursday morning. Update: As noted in this subsequent Breitbart article, Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi detonated a suicide bomb as U.S. troops approached, killing himself and several family members. This has since been confirmed by the Pentagon… U.S. troops were also forced to blow up one of their own helicopters in a controlled explosion during the operation after it experienced a mechanical failure. This would have been to prevent it falling into terrorist hands, as happened when U.S. forces left up to 167 aircraft, including 33 Black Hawk helicopters for the Taliban to commandeer after Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal in August 2021.

Israel simulates attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities – media –The exercise over the Mediterranean reportedly simulated a strike on the Islamic Republic | 2 Feb 2022 | An American military official was present for an Israeli drill preparing for an attack on Iranian nuclear sites using “dozens” of warplanes, according to a report by Tel Aviv’s Kan broadcaster. Held in mid-January, the classified exercise envisioned a “massive” strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities and played out multiple scenarios, including mid-air refueling, responding to anti-aircraft munitions and performing long-range attacks, Kan reported on Tuesday. An unnamed US Air Force officer allegedly attended the drill as an observer, the outlet added, noting that the official’s presence was unusual for such an exercise.

Russia reacts to new US troop buildup in Europe –America’s decision to deploy 3,000 soldiers shows it is pumping up tension in Europe, Moscow claimed | 3 Feb 2022 | America’s decision to deploy approximately 3,000 soldiers to Romania, Poland, and Germany is proof that Moscow is right to be concerned about Russia’s security, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. Speaking to CNN, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson was reacting to an earlier announcement by US Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby, who announced that Joe Biden had approved a decision to send thousands of American troops to Europe in response to “Russia’s continuing build-up of forces on its western border with Ukraine and in Belarus.” “US de facto is continuing to pump up tension in Europe,” Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov added that the deployments are “the best proof that we, as Russia, have an obvious reason to be worried.”

Biden Admin Has Records on Nearly One Billion Gun Sales –ATF database on firearm sales sparks fears Biden admin tracking millions of gun owners | 31 Jan 2022 | The Biden administration is in possession of nearly one billion records detailing American citizens’ firearm purchases, far more than Congress and the public has been aware of, according to new information from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The ATF disclosed to lawmakers that it manages a database of 920,664,765 firearm purchase records, including both digital and hard copy versions of these transactions. When a licensed gun store goes out of business, its private records detailing gun transactions become ATF property and are stored at a federal site in West Virginia. The practice has contributed to the fears of gun advocacy groups and Second Amendment champions in Congress that the federal government is creating a national database of gun owners, which violates longstanding federal statutes.

Florida Poll: Joe Biden Trails Hillary Clinton in Primary Race | 1 Feb 2022 | Joe Biden has polled behind Hillary Clinton in a hypothetical Florida Democrat primary, along with trailing former President Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a Florida general election matchup, a Tuesday Suffolk University/USA Today poll revealed. The poll finds that if Hillary jumped into the 2024 presidential race, she leads Biden in the battleground state of Florida by three points (46-43 percent). If Hillary decides not to run in 2024 and Biden becomes the Democratic nominee, both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis polled greater than Biden in a head-to-head Florida matchup.

Zucker, Gollust’s cozy ties with Andrew Cuomo included coaching him on COVID briefings | 3 Feb 2022 | CNN boss Jeff Zucker and his paramour Allison Gollust had an inappropriately close friendship with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — personally calling him to do news segments with his brother Chris Cuomo and even coaching him on what to say during his infamous COVID briefings, The Post has learned. Gollust and Zucker — the latter of whom dramatically quit CNN Wednesday after their affair was exposed — also gave Andrew Cuomo endless positive coverage because of their relationship, sources said. “While those 11:30 a.m. daily briefings by Andrew were across every network, they boosted ratings in a poorly performing slot for CNN,” one source said. According to a source to Cuomo, “Zucker and Gollust even advised Andrew what to say — how to respond and particularly how to hit back at [President Donald] Trump to make it more compelling TV.”  

Rhode Island fire at respiratory center sends 24 to hospitals – reports –The cause of the blaze was not yet clear | 3 Feb 2022 | At least 24 patients were transported to nearby hospitals in Rhode Island on Thursday night after a fire broke out at a medical care facility in Coventry, according to reports. The blaze started around 9 p.m. ET on the third floor of Genesis Healthcare’s Respiratory and Rehabilitation Center, WPRI-TV of Providence reported. Nearly 40 residents of the center were displaced because of the blaze, WJAR-TV of Cranston, Rhode Island, reported… Earlier Wednesday, WPRI reported that Genesis was under fire after its former CEO George Hager Jr. received a 5 million bonus despite the company accepting more than 300 million in federal coronavirus relief money. A total of nearly 100 residents at Genesis facilities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts have died from the pandemic, WPRI reported.  

We Opened a Free Grocery Store for Seniors By Jasmine Crowe | 26 Jan 2022 | When we opened a free grocery store at the rapper Gunna’s old middle school in September 2021, we already had the goal of opening more. So we began thinking about who else could benefit and what other population has the greatest need. We knew from my work with seniors that a lot are experiencing food insecurity. I personally have been working with seniors for 10 years; providing food in senior homes and buying groceries for individuals myself. We reached out to our network in the fall and started talking about how we could get the funding and where we could open a free grocery store for seniors… The seniors can fill up their shopping basket with items each visit and return as many times as they want.

Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, declares 6 more weeks of winter | 2 Feb 2022 | Legendary weather prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow early Wednesday morning and saw his shadow, which means that there will be six more weeks of winter. Phil’s anticipated prediction drew thousands of onlookers to the small western Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney for the first time since 2020 after the event was held virtually in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a chilly morning in Punxsutawney when Phil emerged at 7:25 a.m., with temperatures around 30 F being reported at the time.