UPDATE: IT'S ALL RELATIVE, OR IS IT?

 

MOTHER JONES DAILY: What the hell were followers of Steve Bannon and a bankrupt Chinese mogul doing in Poland? Steve Bannon, an Exiled Mogul, and the Ukraine Rescue Effort That (Mostly) Wasn’t, The company offering free healthcare to East Palestine? It's a right-w ing, anti-vax project, A Florida school board member speaks out about being targeted by DeSantis, Super-emitting "methane bombs" are a dire threat to humanity, Biden proposes raising taxes on people making over $400,000 a year to fund Medicare, In Colorado, "net-zero" housing that's actually affordable 7MAR23

 

March 7, 2023 Hi. I'm Dan Friedman, a senior reporter based in the DC bureau. Last week, a group called the New Federal State of China got attention by showing up at CPAC. The organization, launched in 2020 by Steve Bannon and exiled Chinese mogul Guo Wengui, reportedly spent $75,000 on a sponsorship and booths it used to promote its message that the Chinese Communist Party exerts extensive influence in the United States. If this sounds familiar, it's because you may have already read about this group at Mother Jones. As I reported a year ago, Guo and Bannon have long used the NFSC and a slew of private and nonprofit organizations to push false information about the 2020 election and Covid. A key takeaway from that investigation was that Guo had monetized misinformation and his supposed opposition to China’s rulers to successfully solicit investments and contributions from supporters in the international Chinese diaspora. It turns out that the NFSC relied on a similar recipe in Poland. The group made false and exaggerated claims about efforts to help Ukrainian refugees. And that gambit helped Guo's organization raise money and gain attention.  My latest—a collaboration with Delaney Nolan, who provided excellent on-the-ground reporting from Poland—found that experienced aid groups in the region grew incredibly frustrated with NFSC members, who despite claiming that they were on the "front lines" of rescue missions, spent an inordinate amount of time livestreaming, managing a $6500 coffee machine, making empty promises, and overstating their actual contributions. At one point, Guo, who last year declared bankruptcy, even suggested that the prime minister of Belgium had given the NFSC "tacit…diplomatic recognition" in connection with its refugee work. We checked. Didn’t happen. So what's the deal?  According to the financial records we obtained, Guo’s phony claims coincided with increases in donations from backers eager to support the Ukraine mission. In other words, a far-right group tied to Steve Bannon and his exiled patron used lies about helping refugees to raise money. This all fits into the broader narrative of right-wing groups parachuting into humanitarian crises for reasons that aren't exactly pure. You'll see in my colleague Kiera Butler's newest report that something similar is happening in East Palestine, Ohio, where an outfit called The Wellness Company received a bunch of praise after offering free healthcare to residents in the wake of Norfolk Southern train derailment. But as Kiera reports, the company turns out to be a far-right, anti-vax project. Its senior advisor is a former Trump official who participated in the anti-vaccine trucker convoys and called for officials who promoted the Covid vaccines to be imprisoned.  This is the bread of butter of our reporting: uncovering the hidden interests and motives that seem to impact every aspect of society. I hope you take some time to read about Bannon and the Ukraine effort that largely wasn't. —Dan Friedman

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Steve Bannon, an Exiled Mogul, and the Ukraine Rescue Effort That (Mostly) Wasn’t How a far-right group raised money and sowed confusion in the middle of a massive refugee crisis. BY DELANEY NOLAN AND DAN FRIEDMAN

MOJO MUST-READS BY MARK FOLLMAN Pulitzer Prize–winning author Lawrence Wright “If there’s any way of stopping the plague of mass shootings in America, it will be due to the imaginative efforts of the professionals Follman profiles in this valuable book. Filled with investigative insights, Trigger Points is a gripping narrative of major tragedies and others prevented.” Get Trigger Points here.

The company offering free healthcare to East Palestine? It's a right-wing, anti-vax project BY KIERA BUTLER A Florida school board member speaks out about being targeted by DeSantis BY ISABELA DIAS Super-emitting "methane bombs" are a dire threat to humanity BY DAMIAN CARRINGTON Biden proposes raising taxes on people making over $400,000 a year to fund Medicare BY ARIANNA COGHILL In Colorado, "net-zero" housing that's actually affordable A nonprofit is building units whose monthly energy bill is expected to average $14. BY SAMUEL SHAW Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. Donate

Much of Central Virginia now ranks as medium, updated CDC COVID Community Levels map shows 12MAI22

THE coronavirus -covid19 pandemic is still with us and we are approaching 1,000,000 deaths in America from covid-19.  Consideration for those most vulnerable should help guide our actions when we are out in public and caution is warranted for our own health and safety. Do not let the voluntary ignorance of the anti-vaxxer and anti-masker thugs pressure you to not take the precautions you feel are necessary for you. Here is the latest on the pandemic in Virginia. Be strong, be safe..... 

Much of Central Virginia now ranks as medium, updated CDC COVID Community Levels map shows

By: WTVR CBS 6 Web Staff

Posted at 9:54 PM, May 12, 2022

 

and last updated 7:36 PM, May 14, 2022

RICHMOND, Va. — The localities in Virginia ranked as medium have nearly doubled since last week and now include many cities and counties in Central Virginia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The update comes as new cases in Virginia increased 25% this week and 73.5% of Virginians are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Virginia Department of Health. COVID cases in the U.S. increased 30% from the prior week, and 82.5% of the country's total population (people 5+) has received at least one vaccine dose, the CDC reported in its weekly update.

The agency released an updated map Thursday, May 12 with county-by-county color designations to indicate whether residents should wear masks or not.

"There are three levels (low, medium, high), which are determined by looking at hospital beds being used by patients with COVID-19, new hospital admissions among people with COVID-19, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in your area," CDC officials wrote.

IN-DEPTH: New COVID cases in Virginia jumped 25% this week; 73.5% of Virginians now fully vaccinated

CDC

COVID-19 Community Levels calculated on May 12, 2022.

Parts of Metro Richmond ranked as medium now include Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell, Petersburg, Powhatan and Prince George. Of those localities, only Prince George ranked as medium last week. This is the first time some of these localities have ranked as medium since the CDC launched the new measures, which focus less on positive test results and more on what's happening at hospitals, in late February.

People in areas ranked as low, medium do not need to wear masks, according to the CDC. But those at high risk for severe illness are urged to talk to their healthcare provider about whether to wear a mask and take other precautions.

There are no localities in Virginia ranked as as high where masking indoors is recommended by the CDC.

These CDC measures focus less on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.

Scroll down for a complete alphabetized list city/county-by-county breakdown of localities in Virginia

CDC

COVID-19 Community Levels calculated on May 12, 2022.

High Community Level

• Wear a mask indoors in public
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms
• Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness
• No Virginia localities; no change from last week

Medium Community Level

• If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms
• 30 Virginia localities this week; up from 16 localities last week

Albemarle (ranked low last week)
Alexandria (no change from last week)
Arlington (no change from last week)
Augusta (ranked low last week)
Bedford (ranked low last week)
Charles City (ranked low last week)
Charlottesville (no change from last week)
Chesterfield (ranked low last week)
Covington (no change from last week)
Dinwiddie (ranked low last week)
Fairfax County (no change from last week)
Falls Church (no change from last week)
Fredericksburg (ranked low last week)
Greene (ranked low last week)
Halifax (ranked low last week)
Hanover (ranked low last week)
Henrico (ranked low last week)
Highland (no change from last week)
Hopewell (ranked low last week)
James City (no change from last week)
Loudoun (ranked low last week)
Montgomery (ranked low last week)
Nottoway (ranked low last week)
Petersburg (ranked low last week)
Powhatan (ranked low last week)
Prince George (no change from last week)
Stafford (ranked low last week)
Staunton (ranked low last week)
Surry (ranked low last week)
Sussex (ranked low last week)

Low Community Level

• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms
• 103 Virginia localities this week; down from 117 localities last week

Accomack
Alleghany
Amelia
Amherst
Appomattox
Bath
Bland
Botetourt
Bristol
Brunswick
Buchanan
Buckingham
Buena Vista
Campbell (ranked medium last week)
Caroline (ranked medium last week)
Carroll
Charlotte
Chesapeake
Clarke
Colonial Heights
Craig
Culpeper
Cumberland
Danville
Dickenson
Emporia
Essex
Fairfax City
Fauquier
Floyd
Fluvanna
Franklin City
Franklin County
Frederick
Galax
Giles
Gloucester
Goochland
Grayson
Greensville
Hampton (ranked medium last week)
Harrisonburg
Henry (ranked medium last week)
Isle of Wight
King and Queen
King George
King William
Lancaster
Lee
Lexington
Louisa
Lunenburg
Lynchburg
Madison
Manassas
Manassas Park
Martinsville (ranked medium last week)
Mathews (ranked medium last week)
Mecklenburg
Middlesex
Nelson
New Kent
Newport News
Norfolk
Northampton
Northumberland
Norton
Orange
Page
Patrick
Pittsylvania
Poquoson
Portsmouth
Prince Edward
Prince William
Pulaski
Radford
Rappahannock
Richmond City
Richmond County
Roanoke City
Roanoke County
Rockbridge
Rockingham
Russell
Salem
Scott (ranked medium last week)
Shenandoah
Smyth
Southampton
Spotsylvania
Suffolk
Tazewell
Virginia Beach
Warren
Washington
Waynesboro
Westmoreland
Williamsburg
Winchester
Wise
Wythe
York

WTVR

RELATED: County-by-county look at COVID-19 cases in Virginia; which areas saw most cases last week

Full Virginia City/County-by-County Breakdown

Accomack Low
Albemarle Medium
Alexandria Medium
Alleghany Low
Amelia Low
Amherst Low
Appomattox Low
Arlington Medium
Augusta Medium

Bath Low
Bedford Medium
Bland Low
Botetourt Low
Bristol Low
Brunswick Low
Buchanan Low
Buckingham Low
Buena Vista Low

Campbell Low
Caroline Low
Carroll Low
Charles City Medium
Charlotte Low
Charlottesville Medium
Chesapeake Low
Chesterfield Medium
Clarke Low
Colonial Heights Low
Covington Medium
Craig Low
Culpeper Low
Cumberland Low

Danville Low
Dickenson Low
Dinwiddie Medium

Emporia Low
Essex Low

Fairfax City Low
Fairfax County Medium
Falls Church Medium
Fauquier Low
Floyd Low
Fluvanna Low
Franklin City Low
Franklin County Low
Frederick Low
Fredericksburg Medium

Galax Low
Giles Low
Gloucester Low
Goochland Low
Grayson Low
Greene Medium
Greensville Low

Halifax Medium
Hampton Low
Hanover Medium
Harrisonburg Low
Henrico Medium
Henry Low
Highland Medium
Hopewell Medium

Isle of Wight Low
James City Medium

King and Queen Low
King George Low
King William Low

Lancaster Low
Lee Low
Lexington Low
Loudoun Medium
Louisa Low
Lunenburg Low
Lynchburg Low

Madison Low
Manassas Low
Manassas Park Low
Martinsville Low
Mathews Low
Mecklenburg Low
Middlesex Low
Montgomery Medium

Nelson Low
New Kent Low
Newport News Low
Norfolk Low
Northampton Low
Northumberland Low
Norton Low
Nottoway Medium

Orange Low

Page Low
Patrick Low
Petersburg Medium
Pittsylvania Low
Poquoson Low
Portsmouth Low
Powhatan Medium
Prince Edward Low
Prince George Medium
Prince William Low
Pulaski Low

Radford Low
Rappahannock Low
Richmond City Low
Richmond County Low
Roanoke City Low
Roanoke County Low
Rockbridge Low
Rockingham Low
Russell Low

Salem Low
Scott Low
Shenandoah Low
Smyth Low
Southampton Low
Spotsylvania Low
Stafford Medium
Staunton Medium
Suffolk Low
Surry Medium
Sussex Medium

Tazewell Low

Virginia Beach Low

Warren Low
Washington Low
Waynesboro Low
Westmoreland Low
Williamsburg Low
Winchester Low
Wise Low
Wythe Low

York Low

Virginians age 5+ are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine. Go to Vaccine Finder to search for specific vaccines available near you or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-275-8343).

Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for the most complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Have You Been Fully Vaccinated?

People are considered fully vaccinated:

• 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

Virginia Department of Health

What you can and should not do once you have been fully vaccinated.

How to Protect Yourself and Others When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

We’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions—like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces—in public places until we know more.

These recommendations can help you make decisions about daily activities after you are fully vaccinated. They are not intended for healthcare settings.

Click here for more information from the Virginia Department of Health.

Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WEAR A MASK WEAR A MASK 

PHYSICAL DISTANCING: SIX FEET APART IS BETTER THAN SIX FEET UNDER!

Coronavirus Updates

John Hopkins Univ Coronavirus Covid-19 Dashboard

THE PRC CORONAVIRUS FLAG IS A REMINDER OF THE PRC GOVERNMENT WHO UNLEASHED THIS PANDEMIC ON THE REST OF THE WORLD

Avi Schiffmann CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD

MOTHER JONES DAILY: The Jan. 6 Insurrectionists Begging for Pardons Sound an Awful Lot Like Confederate Soldiers It’s now or never for Democrats to protect voting rights, DiCaprio ylang-ylang tree among 2021's amazing new species, Trump adviser: Getting kicked off Twitter has actually helped Trump, Can lab-grown palm oil save the world’s tropical forests?, USDA Secretary Vilsack’s Son Now Works for a Controversial Ethanol Pipeline Project 10JAN22

 

 

January 10, 2022

I've been in denial about Omicron for weeks.

Maybe you can sympathize. After two pandemic years, I was sick of wearing a mask. Vaccinated and boosted, I couldn't understand why I should worry about a milder, albeit more contagious, variant that is highly unlikely to send a healthy twentysomething to the hospital. I was, as they say, "vaxxed and done."

It wasn't until I read Ed Yong's latest piece in the Atlantic that I understood that a small number of severe cases out of a large number of infected people is still a massive burden on the hospital system. On an individual level, this means that if I crash my bike and need to go to the emergency room, I'll likely have to wait hours to be treated. Societally, it means a shortage of hospital workers—because they've either gotten sick or left the profession—and the collapse of the health care system as a whole. "This is the cost of two years spent prematurely pushing for a return to normal," Yong writes. "The lack of a normal to return to."

I've been thinking a lot about what the return to "normal" looks like, especially this weekend. In October 2020, I moved from New York City to Denver, but my old roommate hung onto the apartment. On Saturday, he moved upstate. It took me a while to figure out why this positive development in his life made me so sad. And then I realized that that apartment embodied my pre-pandemic life. When I visited last spring—climbing those same carpeted steps, eating pizza on that same ratty brown couch—I could almost pretend that things were as they had always been.

Soon, a stranger will sign the lease and start sleeping in my old bedroom. Things will never go back to the way they were, and I was foolish, in those early pandemic days, to think they would. I guess Omicron isn't the only thing I've been in denial about. Nothing lasts forever. And that's just the way things go.

Onward.

—Abigail Weinberg

Advertisement

 

The Jan. 6 Insurrectionists Begging for Pardons Sound an Awful Lot Like Confederate Soldiers

The historical resonances are astounding.

BY ANTHONY CONWRIGHT

 

It’s now or never for Democrats to protect voting rights

BY ARI BERMAN

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BY DAMIAN CARRINGTON

Trump adviser: Getting kicked off Twitter has actually helped Trump

BY DAN SPINELLI

Can lab-grown palm oil save the world’s tropical forests?

BY JAMES DINEEN

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USDA Secretary Vilsack’s Son Now Works for a Controversial Ethanol Pipeline Project

The “Midwest Carbon Express” will rely heavily on policies that Vilsack has been pushing for his entire career.

BY TOM PHILPOTT

 

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