Working Class Hurt by Lockdowns But Elites Unscathed

Working Class Hurt by Lockdowns But Elites Unscathed

By Brad Palumbo |

Founding father and the second president of the United States John Adams once said that “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” What he meant was that objective, raw numbers don’t lie—and this remains true hundreds of years later.

We just got yet another example. A new data analysis from Harvard University, Brown University, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation calculates how different employment levels have been impacted during the pandemic to date. The findings reveal that government lockdown orders devastated workers at the bottom of the financial food chain but left the upper-tier actually better off.

The analysis examined employment levels in January 2020, before the coronavirus spread widely and before lockdown orders and other restrictions on the economy were implemented. It compared them to employment figures from March 31, 2021.

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Phoenix Children’s Hospital Appears to Have Fired Doctor Who Called for End to Israel, Accused Jews of Cannibalism, Racism

Phoenix Children’s Hospital Appears to Have Fired Doctor Who Called for End to Israel, Accused Jews of Cannibalism, Racism

By Corinne Murdock |

Phoenix Children’s Hospital appears to have let go one of their pediatric radiologists, Dr. Fidaa Wishah, after she posted a promise that Israel’s end would come soon.

“We will not be #censored anymore ! Bomb our media buildings and we have the phones[.] Bribe the mainstream media and we have our small #socialmedia platforms[.] From our windows.. from our streets .. next the rubble we will expose you to the world[.] We will expose the #massacre and #genocide you #zionists are proud of[.] We will uncover your thirst to kill our Palestinian children[.] Through our small platforms we undress your ugly souls and watch your barbaric desperate comments[.] We sense your fear .. The fear of your collapse[.] A state based on atrocity, inhumanity, racism and cannibalism never lasts long ! Hey #israel … your end is coming sooner than you think[.]” (emphasis added)

As of Tuesday, Wishah’s profile on the Phoenix Children’s Hospital website was still up. By Wednesday, it was gone. Her LinkedIn profile still identified her current occupation as a radiologist with the hospital, as of Wednesday night.

In the picture accompanying her post, Wishah is wearing pink scrubs with her name on them.

AZ Free News inquired with Phoenix Children’s Hospital whether they agreed with Wishah’s statements. Phoenix Children’s Hospital didn’t respond by press time.

In other reports, the hospital stated that it was investigating the matter.

This wasn’t the first time Wishah posted a political statement in scrubs. Last year, Wishah posted a picture about COVID-19 that went viral after it was reposted by a meme page.

“STAY HOME UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE INTUBATED BY A RADIOLOGIST,” read the piece of paper.

It is unclear whether Wishah posted the picture from inside a workplace – and whether she printed the statement using work supplies.

Wishah also appeared to be the Creighton University Phoenix campus associate professor. Her profile is no longer available on Creighton University’s website. Wishah was appointed as an associate professor with that university last January.

According to Wishah’s doctor profile on Phoenix Children’s Hospital Care Team page, Wishah received her medical degree from the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan. After that, she came to Dearborn, Michigan to finish her residency and fellowship at Wayne State University. Dearborn is predominately Muslim – like Irbid.

Wishah first joined Phoenix Children’s Hospital in 2019. Prior to her apparent release, Wishah specialized in fetal ultrasound and MRI imaging, vascular malformation, and musculoskeletal radiology.

Corinne Murdock is a contributing reporter for AZ Free News. In her free time, she works on her books and podcasts. Follow her on Twitter, @CorinneMurdock or email tips to corinnejournalist@gmail.com.

Senate Votes To Claw Back Governor’s Emergency Powers But Still Needs House Support

Senate Votes To Claw Back Governor’s Emergency Powers But Still Needs House Support

By Terri Jo Neff |

In what could be a major rebalancing of powers between the executive and legislative branches, the State Senate passed legislation earlier this week to rein in a governor’s state of emergency powers.

Lawmakers have tried since January to pass legislation to ensure a governor confers with the legislature in certain instances once a public health emergency has been declared. The intent was to ensure a governor cannot issue unending emergency executive orders which impact business offerings, public health decisions, school functions, and whether families can see loved ones in nursing homes.

Many Arizonans do not realize the state remains under a declared emergency even though Gov. Doug Ducey has lifted many of his COVID-19 executive orders. Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita introduced a bill, SB1084, in an attempt to reassert the legislature’s power. Her bill was heard in the House and Senate but stalled in April due to concerns by some within the Republican caucus which holds a majority in both chambers.

Fast forward to the Senate’s marathon consideration of the 11-bill budget package on Tuesday and Wednesday. Ugenti-Rita proposed the text of her bill as a floor amendment to a budget reconciliation bill, SB1819. Her amendment passed on a 16 to 14 party line vote, as did SB1819 itself.

It is now up to House Speaker Rusty Bowers to secure 31 votes in his chamber to get the legislation to Ducey’s desk.

Current state law allows lawmakers to void a public health state of emergency based on a general majority vote in both chambers. However, if the legislature is not in session then two-thirds of lawmakers would have to authorize a special session, or the governor would have to call a special session.

According to the amendment language, a governor’s initial state of emergency

proclamation with respect to a public health emergency will be capped at 30 days beginning Jan. 2, 2023. It allows a governor to extend the public health state of emergency up to 120 days, but any single extension could not be for more than 30 days.

Once the 120 day period is up, the state of emergency will terminate unless extended in whole or in part by a concurrent resolution of the legislature. Lawmakers could vote to extend the state of emergency as many times as necessary in periods of not more than 30 days at a time.

Another key provision of the legislation prohibits a governor from proclaiming a new state of emergency upon termination of a state of emergency based on the same conditions unless there is passage of a concurrent resolution of the legislature consenting to the new state of emergency.

Another amendment which passed with SB1819 makes it clear what emergency powers cities, towns, and counties will have -and won’t have- in the future. It includes a ban on curfews, business closures, and other public health declarations such as mask mandates which run counter to a governor’s orders.

ADHS Announces Voluntary Recall Of Certain Marijuana Products Due To Possible Contamination

ADHS Announces Voluntary Recall Of Certain Marijuana Products Due To Possible Contamination

On Wednesday, the Arizona Department of Health Services announced that some Arizona marijuana establishments and dispensaries are initiating a voluntary recall of specific marijuana products due to possible contamination with Salmonella or Aspergillus.

Brand Name Product Name Batch Number Product Type Implicated Contaminant
Harvest Platinum 14g Pre Pack Indica Flower (Glazed Apricot Gelato) CVGH210406HB Plant, Trim Salmonella
Harvest Platinum 14g Pre Pack Sativa Flower (Tiger Haze) CVGH210406HM (L) Plant, Trim Aspergillus
Modern Flower 3.5g Pre Pack Indica Flower (Orange Acai) CVGH2104210HI Plant, Flower – Cured, Greenhouse Aspergillus sp.
Sol Flower Dispensaries and Establishments Tahiti Lime 0121TILM.33.WT Plant, Flower – Cured Aspergillus sp.
EHF (Elephant Head Farms) HAT Trick #17 Flower 030821F1H12 Plant, Flower – Cured Salmonella
Mohave Cannabis Preroll LAB #454 PR Plant, Preroll, Indoor Salmonella
Tru Infusion Flower Caked Up Cherries 0326R12CUC Plant, Flower – Cured indoor Aspergillus sp.
The Pharm Chemistry #1 (HD 3/24/21) Chemistry #1  1 B15B.R1-10 Plant, Flower – Cured, Greenhouse Aspergillus sp.

The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) is advising purchasers to dispose of the products described in the table above, which were found in laboratory tests to be positive for Salmonella or Aspergillus.

To date, no illnesses have been reported. This announcement is being made out of an abundance of caution. Patients who have purchased potentially contaminated products should not ingest, inhale, or otherwise consume them and should dispose of them. If you have already consumed any of the products and have any of the symptoms described below, please contact your healthcare provider or seek emergency care in the event of an emergency.

The ADHS laboratory auditors determined during routine inspection of an independent third-party laboratory that marijuana samples that tested positive for Salmonella were reported to dispensaries and marijuana establishments as free of contaminants. In addition, marijuana samples that tested positive for Aspergillus were reported to dispensaries and marijuana establishments as free of contaminants.

Once ADHS discovered the positive test results, the establishments involved were notified and took immediate action to work with all distribution and retail partners to remove any potentially impacted products.

Salmonella: Symptoms from ingesting salmonella usually start within 6 hours–6 days after infection and last 4–7 days. Ingestion can happen inadvertently after handling Salmonella-contaminated products. Symptoms include:

  • Diarrhea (that can be bloody)
  • Fever
  • Stomach cramps
  • Some people may also have nausea, vomiting, or a headache.

https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/salmonella-symptoms.html

Aspergillus: Aspergillus can cause allergic reactions or infection, usually in people already sick with something else. Symptoms range from asthma or cold like symptoms to fever and chest pain among many others.  A full list of symptoms can be found on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website: https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/aspergillosis/symptoms.html