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New Republican group promises to have 'Trump shaking in his boots' over his future
February 28, 2021
Appearing on MSNBC early Sunday morning, a former member of Donald Trump's administration teased the announcement of a newly formed group of Republicans and ex-Republicans whose goal is to make sure that the ex-president will never be a viable candidate for office again.
Speaking with hosts Kendis Gibson and Lindsey Reiser, former Homeland Security official Miles Taylor noted the current CPAC conference in Florida where the president is expected to get hero's welcome from the far-right attendees and said it is important that traditional Republicans push back on Trump's re-entry into the public square after losing re-election in November.
"I want to give you a number: 50 percent," Taylor began. "Donald Trump can't get to 50 percent. We just saw this in the most recent election, he cannot win elections. We've got to be able to, in the Republican Party, have someone who is a standard-bearer that can get us over 50 percent to win elections. He can't, he lost in spectacular fashion in this election and that's why I think it's entirely inappropriate for us to continue to put him forward as the leader of this party. it's a mistake that's going the cause the GOP to lose elections in the future and it's time to move on from Donald Trump."
Pressed on his future plans to oppose Trump, Taylor first said, "There are a lot of people in the party ready to move beyond Donald Trump. In fact, most of us realize he is much better at golfing than governing which is really saying a lot if you know anything about Donald Trump's golf game," before adding, "Donald Trump lost, not because more Democrats came out. Donald Trump lost because his own voters defected from him."
"I'm happy to share with you today a little bit of a tease," he added. " I can't give you all the information, but we're about to make an announcement in the very near future that's going to make Donald Trump have the worst heartburn he's had in the post-presidency. We're going to be channeling this movement to challenge him to create an insurgency within and without the GOP to drive forward towards a better center-right political movement than Donald Trump can put together. It's something he's going to have to contend with."
Pressed for more details he added, "You're aware of the fact that we've been having conversations with very prominent people in the GOP and ex-Republicans about where we go beyond Trump, how do we move beyond Trump. You're going to hear from us in the month of March about what's coming next."
"What's coming next is going to make Donald Trump fear for his ability to continue to be a standard-bearer of this party," he continued. "We are going to channel this movement, rally people together in the center, bring the Republican Party back from crazy to rational as best we can, and Trump should be shaking in his boots."
Watch below:
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'Their blood has the death shot in it!': Anti-vaxxers freaking out over blood donations from the vaccinated
February 28, 2021
According to a report from the Daily Beast, the anti-vaxxer movement is now having a meltdown over the fact that blood banks are accepting blood from people who have had their COVID-19 vaccination shots and they are spreading unfounded rumors that receiving the blood could be dangerous.
As with many conspiracy rumors, the latest wave of attacks on vaccines is coming from a far-right Facebook page where the anti-vax crowd is whipping up the hysteria that the vaccines may be more dangerous than the coronavirus that is still sweeping the country.
Among the comments reported by the Beast's Daniel Modlin, was one person wrote, "There are people donating blood after being shot up with the covid crap. This terrifies me."
Another added, "Are people that stupid to donate blood after getting a shot?"
In an interview with the Beast, one member of the group who wrote, "In the future ONLY the vaccinated will be able to give blood. Think I am joking? Just watch," and then said is meant to be tongue in cheek, said their worries are that COVID-19 isn't that dangerous while the newly-developed vaccines represent a great unknown.
"We know the health risk of COVID pretty well now," Nick Savoy of Houston said. "We don't know those from the vaccine. It might be minimal. However, unknowns rank higher in my risk ranking."
As the Beast's Modlin wrote, "While there are typically deferral periods for donating blood after receiving a vaccination for diseases like rubella, measles, and chicken pox, in most cases there is no such period for people who received the COVID-19 vaccine as long as they are feeling well. As a precaution when donating, potential donors must provide their vaccine manufacturer's name. If they cannot, they are instructed to wait two weeks before donating," before adding, "Regardless, anti-vaxxers believe without evidence that the lack of a deferral period—and in some more extreme cases, allowing the vaccinated to donate blood at all—is a backdoor to genetic modification."
According to Dr. Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the University of Pennsylvania, the anti-vaxxers are letting fears of getting shots override the science.
"Vaccinations and transfusions are frightening to people who don't understand them or don't trust the science behind them," she explained.
Dr. Brittany Kmush, an assistant professor of public health at Syracuse University agreed.
"The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not live vaccines," she noted. "The reason we have deferral periods for donating blood after receiving a live, attenuated vaccine is because… in immunocompromised people, even a weakened virus could potentially be dangerous. And since people who are receiving transfusions are typically immunocompromised, there's a two-week window for added safety."
Dr. Alyssa Ziman, the chief of transfusion medicine for UCLA Health added that, as Modlin reported, "There is no evidence that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted via blood transfusion."
You can read more here (subscription required.)
'Like the evil clown that preys on children': Marjorie Taylor Greene destroyed on SNL's Weekend Update
February 28, 2021
QAnon congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was taken to task last night by show regulars Cecily Strong and Colin Jost during Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update segment.
Jost began the segment by recounting that Greene "caused more controversy this week after she put up a sign outside the office of a congresswoman with a transgender daughter that said, 'There are two genders, male and female. Trust the science.'"
<p>Playing Greene, regular Cecily Strong continued, "You see, science teaches us there are two genders because our bodies are made by God a certain way. For women it's 'milk, milk, lemonade, around the corner fudge is made.' And for boys it's 'big hairy chest like King Kong, crack in the butt, two balls, ding-dong.'"</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
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</p><p>She also explained that a "demon" got in her body as a child. </p><p>Greene told Jost, "I can't help it, I'm a fighter. I have a boombastic personality. I fight the Democrats, I fight the socialists, I fight traumatized teenagers walking on the street alone. I fight my own hair every morning with a hair iron and bottle of Aqua Net. I mean, hell, I fight my own party. Those Republicans in Congress scissored me."</p>
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