COVID-19 Pandemic Archives

More Evidence Reveals CDC Colluded with Social Media Giants to Silence COVID ‘Misinformation’

December 13, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

America First Legal (AFL) released a fourth set of documents obtained from litigation against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that reveals more evidence of alleged collusion between the nation’s public health agency and social media companies to censor free speech and silence Americans under the government’s label of “misinformation.”

Last week, AFL’s 600-page document release uncovered evidence that Twitter operated a “Partner Support Portal” for government employees and other selective “stakeholders” that would allow them to delete or flag posts viewed as “misinformation,” noted AFL, which is led by former President Donald Trump’s immigration advisor Stephen Miller.

Remote School Districts Saw Larger Enrollment Declines, Report Finds

November 30, 2022November 29, 2022 Ohio Star Staff

School districts that stayed remote as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic saw larger drops in their enrollment compared to in-person school districts, according to a Monday report by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

During the 2021-2022 school year, remote learning school districts lost at least half a million more students than school districts that returned to in-person learning, according to a report by AEI. Remote school districts’ enrollment dropped 1.3% more than school districts that were in-person 90% of the year.

Fauci and Wife’s Net Worth Skyrocketed During Pandemic, Analysis Finds

October 1, 2022September 30, 2022 Ohio Star Staff

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci and his wife saw a net worth increase of $5 million during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis by a government watchdog group.

Between Jan. 1, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2021, the Faucis expanded their net worth from $7.6 million to more than $12.6 million, according to OpenTheBooks’ Wednesday analysis of the 81-year-old retiring NIAID director’s financial disclosures. The director was the highest paid federal employee in both 2021 and 2022, earning $456,000 per year and $480,000 per year, respectively, the analysis noted.

IRS Sent over $1 Billion in Child Tax Credit Payments to the Wrong People

September 29, 2022September 28, 2022 Ohio Star Staff

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent over $1.1 billion in child tax credit payments to incorrect recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an audit by the Department of the Treasury’s Inspector General (IG) for Tax Administration on Tuesday.

The IRS sent the payments to 1.5 million people between July and November of 2021 during the pandemic, according to the audit’s report. Additionally, the IG noted that 4.1 million taxpayers did not receive payments they should have, amounting to $3.7 billion withheld.

Sen. Roger Marshall Leads Republican Call to End Biden’s COVID National Emergency

September 24, 2022September 23, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced a resolution Thursday to end the COVID-19 national emergency declaration that is still in effect under the National Emergencies Act (NEA) despite Joe Biden’s comments that the pandemic is “over” in the United States.

“Since President Biden used his appearance on 60 Minutes to declare COVID is over, he must immediately terminate the COVID-19 national emergency declaration and wind down other emergency authorities that his Administration continues to force us to live under,” Marshall said in a statement released by his office.

Federal Government Gives Wuhan-Linked Organization $1 Million to ‘Prevent Future Pandemics’

September 6, 2022September 5, 2022 Admin

The federal government has awarded a controversial nonprofit a $1 million grant for research to help prevent future viral pandemics, an award that comes after more than two years of suspicions that the nonprofit in question may have been bankrolling certain types of highly dangerous coronavirus experiments in the city where the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Poll: Majority of Latinos Support Key Trump-Era Border Policy

July 3, 2022July 2, 2022 Ohio Star Staff

A majority of Latinos agree with Title 42, a Trump-era policy used to quickly expel migrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a poll released Thursday by Axios-Ipsos Latino in partnership with Noticias Telemundo.

Of the Latinos polled, 51% strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with Title 42 remaining, while 44% are opposed to keeping it, according to Axios.

Commentary: America’s Labor Force Problem Goes Beyond Economics

May 31, 2022May 30, 2022 RealClearWire

One legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic could be the devastation it brought to the American worker by disconnecting millions from the workforce.

New research estimates that 3 million workers plan to remain permanently sidelined over concerns of physical illness or physical impairment due to COVID-19.

U.S. Birth Rate Increases for the First Time in Seven Years

May 29, 2022May 28, 2022 Ohio Star Staff

The U.S. birthrate in 2021 increased for the first time since 2014, with COVID-19 pandemic restrictions potentially causing the jump.

The U.S. birthrate saw a 1% increase over the course of 2021 with 3.66 million babies being born throughout the year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics. All age groups of women over 25 contributed to the jump in birthrates, with some experts suggesting that a lengthening COVID-19 pandemic might have contributed to the bump, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Analysis: Famed Bangladesh Mask Study Excluded Crucial Data

April 13, 2022April 12, 2022 The Center Square

With one exception, every gold standard study of masks in community settings has failed to find that they slow the spread of contagious respiratory diseases. The outlier is a widely cited study run in Bangladesh during the Covid-19 pandemic, and some of its authors claim it proves that mask mandates “or strategies like handing out masks at churches and other public events—could save thousands of lives each day globally and hundreds each day in the United States.”

Report: Biden Expected to Extend Moratorium on Student Loan Payments

April 7, 2022April 6, 2022 Ohio Star Staff

President Joe Biden is expected to pause student loan payments through Aug. 31, once again extending the moratorium that has allowed Americans to postpone paying their debts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, The Hill first reported.

The Biden administration is expected to announce Wednesday another pause on federal student loan payments which will impact roughly 43 million Americans who owe a combined $1.6 trillion in student loan debt, The Hill reported, citing multiple sources. The initial moratorium was scheduled to expire on May 1.

Report Highlights ‘Compounding Effect’ of Pandemic on Student Performance

April 3, 2022April 2, 2022 The Center Square

A new national report highlights the “compounding effect” the pandemic and remote learning have had on student performance, especially for the youngest learners.

The report from Renaissance Learning Inc., a Minnesota-based education technology company, found students have made modest gains since returning to the classroom, but have yet to catch up all the way.

‘Fauci’ Earnings Mystery: No Info on Box Office Take for Gushing Documentary About COVID Czar

September 27, 2021 Admin

Documentaries often earn a fraction of what their fictional counterparts generate, at least those without the names “Moore” or “D’Souza” attached.

“Fauci,” a film detailing the scientific life of the nation’s preeminent infectious disease expert, appeared to be an exception.

Dr. Anthony Fauci has his detractors, particularly on the political right, but he’s still the biggest name in medical science thanks to his leadership on the COVID-19 pandemic and near-constant media presence.

The timing of the film’s Sept. 10 limited release, in cities including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, D.C. and New Orleans, seemed fortuitous given the aggressive Delta variant.

Except we’re still waiting on the box office tally.

Ohio Restaurant Association to Laud Husted for COVID Work at Virtual Awards Ceremony

July 13, 2021July 12, 2021 Brian Ball

The trade association representing Ohio’s restaurant industry will recognize Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted as its Outstanding Public Official in fashioning COVID-19 policy at the onslaught of the pandemic 16 months ago.

Ohio Restaurant Association President and CEO John Barker credited Husted for working with an industry group formed to create an effective response to the crisis with state health advisers and others that maximized the flow of food to the public in the initial weeks and formulating a policy allowing further opening two months later.

Cities in Red States Show Best Economic Recovery from the Pandemic

July 8, 2021July 7, 2021 The Center Square

As the country continues to climb back from more than a year of an economic downward spiral during the COVID-19 pandemic, cities in states with Republican-led governors that imposed fewer restrictions are experiencing a faster and more robust comeback.

A study by WalletHub ranked the top 180 cities in the country to determine where economic recovery is occurring.

Commentary: Combating Global Food Insecurity

June 13, 2021June 12, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

As COVID-19, violent conflicts, and natural disasters persist around the world, an increasing number of people face an additional crisis: food insecurity. Although food insecurity existed in many low- and middle-income countries prior to 2020, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has escalated this global challenge.

Today, according to the United Nations World Food Program Live Hunger Map, an estimated 870 million people live on insufficient food consumption. This figure has increased since 2019, when an estimated 821 million people did not get enough food to eat.

Within the 79 countries in which the World Food Program operates, the number of people suffering from acute malnutrition or worse has doubled to 270 million people since 2019.

Ohio Bill Would Prevent Gun Seizures During Emergencies

May 28, 2021May 27, 2021 Cooper Moran

Two Ohio state legislators have introduced a bill that would prevent state and local governments from attempting to seize guns or close gun stores or ranges during declared emergencies.

When introducing the proposal, State Senator Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) and State Representative Scott Wiggam (R-Wayne County) pointed to shutdowns of gun stores in Michigan throughout the coronavirus pandemic as the source of inspiration for the bill.

Commentary: Will the 2020 Madness Last?

May 28, 2021May 27, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

The COVID-19 pandemic is ending with mass vaccinations. So is the national quarantine. The riots, arson, and looting of the 2020 summer are sputtering out—leaving violent crime in their wake.

The acrimony over the 2020 election fades. Trump Derangement Syndrome became abstract when Donald Trump left office and was ostracized from social media.

Biden Admin Considers Changing Trump’s Pandemic Border Closures to Allow ‘Vulnerable’ Migrants into US: Report

May 7, 2021May 6, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

The Biden administration is reportedly considering changes to a Trump-era public health order that allows for asylum-seeking migrants to be rapidly expelled to their country of origin, BuzzFeed News reported Wednesday.

The Biden administration’s unofficial plan could grant humanitarian exceptions to some migrants allowing them to enter the U.S. regardless of former President Donald Trump’s implementation of Title 42, a public health order issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic allowing officials to expel migrants at the southern border, BuzzFeed reported.

Emails Show Scientists Scrubbed Early Warning of Potential Lab Origin of COVID-19

March 17, 2021March 16, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

Emails obtained through an open records request show that several top scientists declined in an early statement about the origins of SARS-Cov-2 to acknowledge the possibility that the virus had escaped from a lab, a scenario that many disease experts still consider highly plausible.

In February of 2020, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy directed the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to “rapidly examine the information and data needed to help determine the origins of the novel coronavirus that is causing a global outbreak of respiratory illness.”

WHO Study Finds Remdesivir Didn’t Help COVID-19 Patients

October 17, 2020October 16, 2020 The Associated Press

A large study led by the World Health Organization suggests that the antiviral drug remdesivir did not help hospitalized COVID-19 patients, in contrast to an earlier study that made the medicine a standard of care in the United States and many other countries.

The results announced Friday do not negate the previous ones, and the WHO study was not as rigorous as the earlier one led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. But they add to concerns about how much value the pricey drug gives because none of the studies have found it can improve survival.

WHO Official Warns Against Coronavirus Lockdowns

October 14, 2020October 13, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

A World Health Organization (WHO) official urged world leaders this week to stop “using lockdowns as your primary control method” to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, The Daily Caller reports.

The statement has prompted questions about whether the WHO has backflipped on its advice, after they previously advised against lifting lockdown restrictions too quickly. Back in June, Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, explained, “We all want to avoid whole countries going back into total lockdown, that is not a desire anybody has,” continuing, “But there may be situations in which that is the only option.”

Commentary: Pelosi Holds Millions of Small Businesses Hostage While Working Families Struggle

September 30, 2020September 29, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a lot less was known about the virus and how to counter it, and while the nation was still ramping up production of testing and hospital resources including ventilators needed, 25 million jobs were lost across the country, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Since labor markets bottomed in April, 13.8 million jobs have been recovered, as states have begun steadily reopening in the months since.

Ohio Unemployment Tops 1.1 Million in Seven Weeks Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

May 8, 2020May 7, 2020 Samantha Witwer

The state of Ohio has more than 1.1 million people who have filed unemployment claims in the past seven weeks as Ohio’s stay-at-home led to widespread layoffs – which has more than the combined total for the last three years – the US Department of Labor reported Thursday.

State House Speaker Householder Expresses ‘Tremendous Frustration’ with Gov. DeWine’s ‘Restart Ohio’ Plan

April 29, 2020April 29, 2020 Samantha Witwer

Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) expressed sharp criticism on Monday for Governor Mike DeWine’s plans to reopen the economy during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic over what he called an “unwillingness to recognize” the needs of small business.

Ohio State Controlling Board Splits $90 Million in Federal Funds: 10 Percent to Ohio Department of Health and 90 Percent to ‘Rural Transportation’

April 23, 2020April 22, 2020 Samantha Witwer

The state Controlling Board voted to split $90 million of federal taxpayer money aimed to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic between the Ohio Health Department – which will receive $8.5 million – and rural transportation departments across the state, which will receive the balance of $81.5 million to “aid for rural transportation systems,” according to a statement released by Democrats Monday.

“We need to ensure health care workers and officials on the ground have the tools they need to detect, track and contain this virus before we begin to reopen our state. This funding is a step in the right direction to get us where we need to be, but we’re not there yet,” said Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron).

Steve Bannon: The Chinese Communist Party is the Enemy of the United States, the Chinese People, and All of Mankind

April 21, 2020April 20, 2020 Julie Carr

On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by War Room Pandemic host Steve Bannon to discuss the timeline of Communist China’s coverup of the coronavirus.

Commentary: Postcards from the Pandemic Show Good Faith Frays

April 19, 2020April 18, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

At the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the public was willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the appropriate medical, public health, and government authorities. The public trusted these pandemic policymakers would use solid scientific evidence as the basis to implement the reasonable measures needed to “flatten the curve” and protect the public health.