The CDC’s Abrupt Change to Mask Guidelines Puts People at Risk

On April 27, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) eased its guidelines on wearing masks outside, saying fully vaccinated people did not need masks outdoors unless they were in a crowd of strangers. Public health experts largely supported the new guidance. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is mostly transmitted through the air in the form of droplets or aerosols and fresh air disperses these. While outdoor transmission can occur, especially during contact-sports, studies suggest indoor transmission is around 19 times more common than outdoor transmission. The CDC was signaling where we ought to be focusing our efforts at preventative measures: indoor settings, especially poorly ventilated spaces with lots of unmasked, unvaccinated people.

Yet, just 16 days later, on May 13, the CDC made a sudden about-turn. Without giving any warning, it abruptly changed its guidance on indoor masking, released mere days before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency that oversees workplace safety, was to meet to review COVID-19 guidance for workplaces. CDC’s latest guidance seems to have given OSHA the ammunition it needed to ignore the science pointing to the risk of indoor aerosol transmission, as its website encourages employers to follow the CDC’s mask guidance. Employees in particular are now going to be in prolonged indoor contact with unmasked people, and in some areas of the country as many as 60% of people remain unvaccinated—and there’s no way to know for sure that all of those going maskless have, in fact, gotten their shots.

When an indoor mask mandate was in place, employers were forced to protect their employees and customers. That protection has now gone. The CDC’s baffling, whiplash-inducing decision has caused immense frustration among those on the frontline working on U.S. pandemic control.

In theory, the CDC’s new guidance was aimed only at those who are fully vaccinated, who are highly unlikely to catch or transmit the virus. While it makes scientific sense for vaccinated people to stop masking indoors, the guidance gave states the green light to drop indoor mask mandates for everyone. That’s the wrong approach at this stage.

Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Michigan immediately ended their indoor mask mandates in the wake of the new CDC guidance, as did major chain stores like Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Costco. These states and companies are ceding their power to implement population- and business-wide policies that protect the health of all, and instead are just hoping for the best: that the unvaccinated will still wear masks indoors to protect themselves and others from illness, long COVID, and death. But hope is a weak public health strategy.

The Biden Administration and the CDC have adopted a new rhetoric of personal responsibility that does not match the reality of the pandemic today. The government is abandoning its responsibility to keep the population healthy. It has eliminated guidance meant to protect the public’s health and placed the onus on individuals to protect themselves. Vaccination is being promoted as the only nationwide approach to prevent COVID-19. Instead of adopting a population-based strategy, in which we as a community would work together in solidarity to drive down transmission by universal masking indoors, Biden and the CDC are telling individuals that it is up to them to lower their risk. The CDC director now says “your health is in your hands” and President Biden says “The choice is yours.”

It is hard to understand the CDC’s sudden, unexpected shift towards an individualized, vaccination-only stance. The implication is that vaccines are now available to all and its up to people to get them, but the reality of the U.S. vaccination efforts is that just one third of Americans are fully vaccinated. Coming only four weeks since eligibility for vaccination was extended to all aged 16 years and older, it makes one wonder if the CDC has forgotten that it takes two to six weeks (depending on which vaccine is used) for a person to become fully vaccinated.

Read More: Anthony Fauci Is Finally Getting to Do His Job

It is simply not the case that anyone who wants the vaccine can easily get their shots. For example, a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Latinx adults in the U.S. are around twice as likely as white adults to say they want to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Yet a high proportion of Latinx adults face an array of access barriers, including fear of jeopardizing their jobs by taking time off to get vaccinated, concerns they may be challenged over their immigration status, or worries that they will have to pay for the doses because they’re not sure if it’s free for everyone (it is) or not. Fewer resources have been targeted towards offering vaccination to the most vulnerable counties, those characterized by “high poverty rates, crowded housing and poor access to transportation, among other factors,” according to Amy Harmon and Josh Holder at the New York Times. As a result, there is a widening gap in the vaccination rate between the most and least vulnerable counties.

What is particularly frustrating is that some states had established sensible roadmaps that tied the future easing of masking and social-distancing rules with specific indicators of progress in curbing the pandemic. And some of those have abandoned these careful plans given the new CDC advice. For example, North Carolina’s governor, Roy Cooper, and the state’s director of Health and Human Services, Mandy Cohen, had assured North Carolinians that the indoor mask mandate would remain in place until two thirds of residents had received at least one dose. But on May 14 Governor Cooper tore up this roadmap and ended the mandate (only 40% of people in the state have had at least one shot).

In addition, there has been almost no time for the childhood vaccination campaign to get going. On May 12, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents aged 12-15 years old. It is difficult to understand why just one day later the CDC changed its mask guidance.

Given that most of the U.S. population still remains at risk, why was the CDC in such a rush to change its stance on masks? It is confusing and contradictory for the CDC to simultaneously acknowledge aerosol spread (which it belatedly and finally did on May 7) while also loosening protections against such spread.

The new guidance is also confusing when it states that fully vaccinated people must still wear masks in homeless shelters, prisons, airports and bus stations. If the agency believes that fully vaccinated people are now safe around others indoors, why do they still need masks in these settings but not inside offices, workplaces, gyms, churches, stores or other indoor settings?

The CDC clearly jumped the gun with its new guidance. It will leave vulnerable people—especially essential workers—unprotected and could increase their risk of infection.

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The 2020 Election Was a Breakthrough Moment For Young Voters

You probably don’t think of 2020 as a generational change election. It resulted in the presidency of Joe Biden, the oldest man ever to take the oath of office. The dramatic week of vote counting, and the subsequent attempts by a sitting President of the United States to subvert the outcome, mean that the election of 2020 will be remembered more as a test for American democracy than one that marked the rising power of a new wave of voters.

But 2020 was a breakthrough moment for the youngest American voters. Last year, I covered how the rise in Millennial political engagement would shape the country in my book, The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For, which is out in paperback this week. Voting data from the election shows that young voters are already reshaping the contours of American politics.

For starters, there are simply more of them. According to new data from the Democratic data firm Catalist, Millennials and members of Gen Z—which together make up the American adults born since 1981— now represent 31% of the electorate, up from 23% in 2016 and just 14% in 2008. Meanwhile, the voting blocs that have long maintained an iron grip on American political power are receding. In 2008, Baby Boomers and older generations (American adults born before 1964) made up 61% of the electorate; by 2020, they were only 44%. “That’s a permanent change,” says Yair Ghitza, chief scientist at Catalist. “And it’s only going to grow from there.”

Young voters also had record turnout: roughly 50%, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, a jump of 11 percentage points from 2016 and likely the highest youth voter turnout since the voting age was lowered to 18. According to Harvard’s annual Institute of Politics poll, 36% of young people now consider themselves politically active, up from just 24% in the year after Barack Obama was elected in what was supposed to be a watershed moment for young Americans.

Biden won roughly 60% of voters under 30, which helped power his wins in key states. According to CIRCLE, the net youth votes in Biden’s favor exceeded his margin of victory in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania, four battlegrounds he flipped.

In the same way that Millennials were shaped by their experiences at the dawn of the 21st century, from 9/11 to the election of Obama and the economic recession, it’s clear that the last five years have dramatically shaped how young voters see their role in American politics. Gen Z in particular is stepping into the political arena after being antagonized by Trump, radicalized by the reckoning over racial justice, and demoralized by a year of virtual schooling due to Covid-19.

“I think there’s an urgency, specifically to Gen Z,” says John Della Volpe, director of polling at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics. “Millennials are the tip of a spear: their values are significantly different than the values that preceded them in Gen X. Millennials have opened up important conversations around inequality, around climate, around BLM, but now Gen Z is seizing that opportunity, expanding it, and calling it their own.”

It’s not yet clear exactly how the events of the last several years will permanently shape this generation. It took a few years for Millennial political attitudes to come into focus, and much of Gen Z isn’t eligible to vote yet. But it’s clear that this is a generation that has been deeply affected by recent events, and one that understands how to bring those concerns into the political process.

“I have a hard time envisioning a Democratic House, a Democratic President and now a Democratic Senate without the generational shift that we’ve been witnessing and talking about now for a decade,” says Della Volpe.

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Alabama town magistrate stabbed in City Hall attack

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Tennessee Governor Signs Two New Anti-Trans ‘Bathroom Bills’ Into Law

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Tennessee will become the first state in the United States to require businesses and government facilities open to the public to post a sign if they let transgender people use multiperson bathrooms, locker rooms or changing rooms associated with their gender identity.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill Monday that represents a first-of-its-kind law, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group that decried the bill as discriminatory and said the required signs are “offensive and humiliating.” The law will go into effect July 1.

Lee, who is up for reelection next year, had previously been mum on whether he would sign the bill. Instead, he told reporters earlier this month that he always had “concerns about business mandates” but was still reviewing the bill.

Lee’s approval came just a few days after he signed legislation that puts public schools and their districts at risk of losing civil lawsuits if they let transgender students or employees use multiperson bathrooms or locker rooms that do not reflect their sex at birth. It was the first bill restricting bathroom use by transgender people signed in any state in about five years, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Lee also signed a different proposal this year that bars transgender athletes from playing girls public high school or middle school sports.

Republican statehouses have been awash in culture war legislation across the country this year, particularly focusing on the LGBT community. Tennessee has been the front lines on that fight, with civil rights advocates pointing out that only Texas has filed more anti-LGBT bills in the country.

Yet, to date, there has been no big, tangible repercussion where bills have passed targeting transgender people, unlike the swift backlash from the business community to North Carolina’s 2016 “bathroom bill.” In Tennessee, the bills are becoming law despite letters of opposition from prominent business interests.

Read more: Why Do We Have Men’s and Women’s Bathrooms Anyway?

According to the bill signed Monday, the required sign outside the public bathroom or other facility would say: “This facility maintains a policy of allowing the use of restrooms by either biological sex, regardless of the designation on the restroom.” However, questions remain about how the law will be enforced and what, if any, consequences will stem from ignoring it. The law doesn’t spell out fines, penalties or any other mechanism to ensure the signs are put up when required.

Republican Rep. Tim Rudd, the bill’s sponsor, said no state department will oversee compliance with the law. Instead, Rudd said, local district attorneys could seek a court order to require a facility to post the sign. If an entity refused to comply, “it would open the door for whatever judicial remedies the court deems appropriate,” Rudd said.

Additionally, it’s possible that noncompliance could lead to civil liability, Rudd said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has said the legislation is “impermissible compelled speech, in violation of the First Amendment, and raises substantial due process and equal protection concerns.”

While the measure is likely to face constitutional challenges, no lawsuit had been filed as of Tuesday morning.

Additionally this year, Lee has signed legislation to require school districts to alert parents 30 days in advance before students are taught about sexual orientation or gender identity. Parents could also opt their student out of the lesson. The requirement would not apply when a teacher is responding to a student’s question or referring to a historic figure or group.

He has one more bill awaiting his action that LGBTQ advocates have opposed—a ban on gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender minors, including the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Arkansas approved a similar version earlier this year over a veto from Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

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Johnson & Johnson recalls Acuvue contact lenses sold by Walmart, Sam’s Club and others

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FBI investigating alleged massive scheme to illegally finance Susan Collins’ re-election bid

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13 Rocking Chairs That Aren’t Your Grandma’s Rocking Chair

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64% of millennials have regrets about buying home, poll says

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Man City player ratings: Foden good but Rodri and Cancelo poor vs Brighton - Manchester Evening News

1. Man City player ratings: Foden good but Rodri and Cancelo poor vs Brighton  Manchester Evening News
2. Pep smokes cigar singing Don't Look Back in Anger at City party  Optus Sport
3. "I Respect You Opinion But Why Is This A Top Side?" - What Pep Guardiola Has Said To BT Sport Ahead of Brighton vs Man City  Sports Illustrated
4. Pep Guardiola got the reality check he warned about in Man City defeat to Brighton  Manchester Evening News
5. 'He's a Tottenham player' - Guardiola refuses to be drawn in to Kane speculation amid Manchester City links  Goal.com
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Biden floors electric Ford F-150 in test drive: 'This sucker is quick'

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How George Washington Organized the First Large-Scale Immunization Campaign in American History

This post is in partnership with the History News Network, the website that puts the news into historical perspective. A version of the article below was originally published at HNN.

Health officials are welcoming celebrity endorsements of immunization, because approximately 30% of Americans are hesitant or opposed to getting the COVID vaccines. Stars from the world of entertainment are promoting the vaccination campaign, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dolly Parton, Patrick Mahomes and Oprah Winfrey. Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama are pitching vaccination as well. Yet it remains difficult to influence holdouts. Perhaps it would help the effort to persuade skeptics if officials cited an achievement of George Washington, a “celebrity” from history. During the American Revolution, General Washington required his troops to be immunized against smallpox. His example may impress vaccine skeptics.

George Washington knew the horrors of smallpox from personal experience. In 1751 he accompanied his brother on a trip to the Caribbean. Washington hoped the tropical airs would aid his sibling’s recovery from “consumption” (tuberculosis). George Washington contracted smallpox in Barbados. He survived but carried scars from the illness for the rest of his life.

When Washington was Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, he learned how the scourge could weaken a fighting force. A smallpox epidemic struck American troops that invaded Canada in 1775-1776. On the way to Quebec, about 30% of those soldiers dropped out of action because of sickness. Eventually, with about 50% of troops infected, the Americans retreated. Smallpox, as well as blizzards and British troops, wrecked the campaign to bring Canada into the revolution.

General Washington was disturbed by reports about the American army’s troubles in Canada and smallpox epidemics in Boston, Philadelphia and other cities. Soldiers under Washington’s command lived and trained in close quarters. If smallpox spread among them, wrote Washington, “we shall have more dread for it, than the Sword of the Enemy.”

Washington acted swiftly in 1777 to prevent infections among his soldiers. He required inoculation of all army recruits that had not developed immunity from previous bouts with smallpox.

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The procedure for inoculating individuals was risky. “Variolation” involved the lancing of pustules from a smallpox victim followed by insertion of the infected knife under the skin of a healthy person. In about two weeks, the patient typically became sick, but the illness was less severe than in a naturally acquired infection. Years later, in 1796, British scientist Edward Jenner created a true vaccine from cowpox that made immunization easier to administer and less dangerous.

When General Washington made his controversial decision, several political leaders in the colonies opposed variolation. They feared the process could spread infections rather than minimize them. Washington dismissed these concerns. He wisely endorsed medical intervention. After mass inoculation, all but about 50 soldiers in his army survived the epidemic.

This history carries a lesson for present-day holdouts against COVID-19 vaccines. America’s revered “Founding Father” applied the rudimentary medical science of the 1770s when confronting a dangerous outbreak. Washington’s leadership saved the Continental Army and quite possibly saved the fight for American independence as well.

The public now has much better access to medical information than Washington had when he required mass immunization. In the 20th century, new vaccines brought infectious diseases under control, including polio, measles and mumps. Now mRNA vaccines trigger immune responses that can protect millions of people from the coronavirus.

Despite impressive scientific advances, public opinion surveys show many Americans are reluctant to get COVID-19 shots. Polls indicate more than 40% of Republicans are hesitant. Resistance is especially strong in rural areas and in the southern states. Distrust of the vaccines is widespread geographically, however, and not confined to a few specific groups, notes Tara Kirk Sell, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. People who distrust vaccines come from many different backgrounds and have diverse reasons for rejecting vaccination.

Leaders in President Joe Biden’s administration recognize that many Americans are suspicious of claims about safety made by government officials, medical experts, former presidents, and celebrities. To overcome distrust, White House strategists are encouraging doctors and pharmacists to answer questions, provide confidence-building information and administer shots. The Biden team hopes vaccine skepticism can be reduced by the involvement of medical professionals that are respected and trusted in their communities.

Efforts to deal with vaccine hesitancy might be advanced, too, if promoters of vaccination note the achievement of an admired leader of the American Revolution. George Washington protected his troops from a deadly epidemic by organizing the first large-scale immunization campaign in American history. Washington’s bold action enabled the patriots to continue fighting and eventually create an independent nation.

General Washington applied the best medical science of his times when confronting a major health crisis. Today’s vaccine skeptics should apply the best medical science of their times to protect themselves and people in their community.

Robert Brent Toplin was professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and Denison University and taught courses after retirement at the University of Virginia. He has published several books about history, politics and film. Toplin’s website is www.presentandpast.com.

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McConnell expresses 'surprising' openness to Jan. 6 commission

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Google and Samsung join forces to make Wear OS great again - GSMArena.com news - GSMArena.com

Google and Samsung join forces to make Wear OS great again - GSMArena.com news  GSMArena.comView Full coverage on Google News

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Could local lockdown return in Bolton as Covid cases rise? - The Guardian

1. Could local lockdown return in Bolton as Covid cases rise?  The Guardian
2. What the New Coronavirus Variant Cases in England Mean for Restaurants  Eater London
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Charles Grodin, star of Midnight Run and Beethoven, dies at 86 - The Guardian

1. Charles Grodin, star of Midnight Run and Beethoven, dies at 86  The Guardian
2. Charles Grodin dead: Midnight Run and Rosemary's Baby star, 86, dies after cancer battle  Mirror Online
3. Midnight Run actor Charles Grodin dies at age 86 at his home in Connecticut of bone marrow cancer  Daily Mail
4. Charles Grodin dead: Beethoven and The Heartbreak Kid actor dies at 86 after cancer battle  Daily Star
5. Actor Charles Grodin Dies, Aged 86  Empire
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs executive order banning state entities, including schools, from requiring face masks

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Rudy Giuliani’s son Andrew announces run for New York governor - The Guardian

1. Rudy Giuliani’s son Andrew announces run for New York governor  The Guardian
2. Internet reacts to Andrew Giuliani launching run for New York governor  The Independent
3. Rudy Giuliani’s son launches campaign for New York governor  Financial Times
4. Rudy Giuliani's son Andrew officially announces his run for New York Governor against Cuomo  Daily Mail
5. Rudy Giuliani complains he’s being treated like drug cartel head amid reports Trump has abandoned him  The Independent
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Google AI tool can help patients identify skin conditions

The tech giant says its "dermatology assist" tool can recognise 288 different skin ailments.

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Superyacht sales surge as wealthy seek Covid escape

The charity Oxfam says the millions spent on superyachts could instead vaccinate entire countries.

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Don’t travel abroad this year because its dangerous, says health minister Lord Bethell - Evening Standard

1. Don’t travel abroad this year because its dangerous, says health minister Lord Bethell  Evening Standard
2. Public told to abandon summer holidays abroad  Telegraph.co.uk
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Voter machine audit comes up with new totals in Windham

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Man cuts own throat, dies after verdict in federal courtroom

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EU is set to agree to allow in British tourists who can prove they've had Covid jabs - Daily Mail

1. EU is set to agree to allow in British tourists who can prove they've had Covid jabs  Daily Mail
2. Holidays to Europe with Covid vaccine passports get green light  Telegraph.co.uk
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Attorney speaks after Gaetz associate enters plea

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Teen arrested in connection with killing of child found in middle of Texas street

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Homeless man charged with attack woman after Astros game

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Ariana Grande marries Dalton Gomez in 'intimate' ceremony - BBC News

1. Ariana Grande marries Dalton Gomez in 'intimate' ceremony  BBC News
2. Ariana Grande MARRIES Dalton Gomez & Wedding Details Surface!  Clevver News
3. Ariana Grande confirms she has married fiancé Dalton Gomez  digitalspy.com
4. Ariana Grande marries boyfriend Dalton Gomez in ‘tiny and intimate’ ceremony  The Independent
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The Supreme Court Just Took Up a Case That Poses a Major Threat to Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court said on Monday it will hear a challenge to a Mississippi law barring almost all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, setting up a clear opportunity for the court’s new 6-3 conservative majority to reexamine Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established the constitutional right to abortion.

This case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, will be the first time the court considers a state restriction on abortion since Justice Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed last fall. It’s one in a wave of state laws limiting abortion passed in recent years that are designed to challenge the decades-old ruling.

Barrett is one of three Supreme Court justices appointed by former President Donald Trump and an open opponent of abortion rights. Before she joined the court, Trump’s two other appointees, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, dissented last June when the court struck down a Louisiana abortion law in June Medical Services v. Russo. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s liberals in that decision, but made clear it was only because the Louisiana law was nearly identical to a Texas one the court had ruled against in 2016 and he didn’t want to ignore the court’s own recent actions.

This time, the details of the case are different, and Barrett’s position means the other conservatives on the court don’t need Roberts’ vote to significantly diminish protections for reproductive rights. “It’s a huge deal,” says Mary Ziegler, a Florida State University law professor who studies abortion. “There’s no way that four of the conservatives would want to take this case unless they felt they had a fifth to uphold Mississippi’s law.”

The Mississippi law would prohibit all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy except in the cases of medical emergencies and severe fetal abnormalities. It has not gone into effect because a federal district judge and a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit both blocked the ban, saying the law went against decades of precedent that a woman has the right to an abortion before the fetus is viable, or before it can survive outside the womb.

“In an unbroken line dating to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s abortion cases have established (and affirmed, and reaffirmed) a woman’s right to choose an abortion before viability,” Judge Patrick Higginbotham wrote in the appeals court decision in 2019. “States may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not impose an undue burden on the woman’s right but they may not ban abortions.”

Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing the Jackson, Miss. abortion clinic at the center of the case, told reporters on Monday that she had expected the Supreme Court to decline to hear the case because of that longstanding precedent. The court had delayed taking action on Dobbs since last year, but now it will take up the case with a focus on exactly that question of “whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional.”

Even if the high court doesn’t overturn Roe, any decision in favor of the Mississippi law would have significant ramifications for abortion rights across the country. “The court cannot uphold this law without overturning the principle protections of Roe vs. Wade,” Northup said on Monday.

Part of advocates’ concern is that, without the viability standard, there would be no established alternative for when states must allow people to obtain abortions, according to Ziegler. “If viability isn’t the limit, then what is the limit? Is it when you can detect a heartbeat? Is it fertilization? So it’s not clear, if the court says you can ban abortions pre-viability, if there’s going to be any limit [on when they can ban abortions] at all,” she says.

That is exactly what many abortion opponents are hoping will happen. “This is a landmark opportunity for the Supreme Court to recognize the right of states to protect unborn children from the horrors of painful late-term abortions,” Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement on Monday.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said the Supreme Court’s move to take up the case was long overdue. “The sanctity of life. The future of our children. Mississippi is at the forefront of protecting both. And that is what is at stake in the case we have been praying the U.S. Supreme Court would decide to hear,” he said in a Facebook post.

The Biden Administration and abortion rights advocates support legislation that has been proposed in Congress that would effectively create a federal right to abortion, but it has not made much progress. Right now, Jackson Women’s Health Organization is the last remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi, so the outcome of the case could make it more difficult for people in that state and across the South to access abortion. Eleven states also have what are known as “trigger bans” that would prohibit abortion if Roe were overruled, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The case will be heard in the Supreme Court’s upcoming term, which starts in October, and a decision is likely to come next year.

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Champions League qualification bigger to Chelsea than FA Cup, Tuchel admits - The Guardian

1. Champions League qualification bigger to Chelsea than FA Cup, Tuchel admits  The Guardian
2. Chelsea: Three thoughts on another loss when it matters most  The Pride of London
3. Could Newcastle-linked Tammy Abraham push for Chelsea exit after FA Cup snub?  Geordie Boot Boys - Newcastle United F.C. News
4. FA Cup final and Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend  The Guardian
5. Watch Leicester fans celebrate in pub as VAR comes to rescue and disallows Ben Chilwell’s dramatic late e...  The Sun
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Leaked Navy video appears to show UFO off California

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Fred West: 'Structural anomalies' found at cafe linked to serial killer and missing girl Mary Bastholm - Sky News

1. Fred West: 'Structural anomalies' found at cafe linked to serial killer and missing girl Mary Bastholm  Sky News
2. Fred West: police find ‘possible evidence’ that body of girl is buried in Gloucester cafe  The Guardian
3. Fred West detectives 'find bones and material matching a coat' in Gloucester cafe basement dig  Daily Mail
4. Material unearthed at Clean Plate cafe could be linked to blue coat worn by Mary Bastholm  Gloucestershire Live
5. Police find 'possible evidence' of body in Fred West cafe where missing girl worked  Mirror Online
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Medina Spirit trainer Bob Baffert suspended from entering horses in Belmont Stakes

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Biden vows to send 20m doses of US-approved Covid vaccines overseas - The Guardian

1. Biden vows to send 20m doses of US-approved Covid vaccines overseas  The Guardian
2. Joe Biden sending Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson vaccines abroad  Metro.co.uk
3. Biden says unvaccinated ‘may end up paying the price’ as all 50 states report decline for first time  The Independent
4. Biden to send 20m doses of US-approved vaccines abroad – live  The Guardian
5. US to share at least 20m more Covid vaccines with other countries  Financial Times
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Texas is the biggest GOP-led state to end federal unemployment benefits, cutting off an estimated 1.3 million from $8.8 billion in aid

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24 stranded and ‘disoriented’ Texas hikers rescued from New Mexico mountains, cops say

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Disingenuous and slippery, Matt Hancock deflects blame for spread of India variant - The Guardian

1. Disingenuous and slippery, Matt Hancock deflects blame for spread of India variant  The Guardian
2. BREAKING COVID-19: 'Vaccines working against Indian variant'  Sky News
3. Covid: Indian variant surge tackled as restrictions ease in parts of UK  BBC News
4. Count me out! Allowing people inside pubs is foolish – and Matt Hancock knows it  The Independent
5. If we loosen restrictions too early, there is a real risk of a third wave in the UK  The Guardian
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1. Gig economy couriers should be eligible for a pension, says UK regulator  The Guardian
2. Gig economy firms under pressure over workers' pensions  Telegraph.co.uk
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Elon Musk impersonators stole more than $2m in cryptocurrency scams - Financial Times

1. Elon Musk impersonators stole more than $2m in cryptocurrency scams  Financial Times
2. Bitcoin at February lows after Musk tweets; AT&T merging WarnerMedia with Discovery– as it happened  The Guardian
3. Elon Musk Is Now Blowing Up the Wall Street Case for Bitcoin  Bloomberg
4. I’ve reported on bitcoin since the beginning. Here’s the harsh truth about crypto  The Independent
5. Elon Musk Controls Bitcoin and Dogecoin Prices With Pure Magic  Bloomberg
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2. Nursery worker, 18, raped and abused eight children at a creche and was caught after toddler told mum,...  The Sun
3. Childcare apprentice accused of abusing children  BBC News
4. Jayden McCarthy, 18, denies sexually abusing children at Torbay nursery  Devon Live
5. Teenage nursery worker on trial in Exeter for sexual assault of children  The Guardian
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2. Chigwell rabbi attack: Two arrests after synagogue assault  BBC News
3. British rabbi treated in hospital after street attack by teenagers  CNN
4. Police arrest two men following attack on rabbi in Chigwell  Evening Standard
5. Men aged 25 and 18 are arrested over Essex attack on rabbi  Daily Mail
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2. Bobby Storey funeral: Watchdog report finds no police bias  BBC News
3. Northern Ireland police cleared of bias over Bobby Storey funeral  The Guardian
4. Police watchdog clears PSNI of bias in handling Storey funeral saying force prioritised public safety over Covid laws  Belfast Telegraph
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5 Reasons You Need Crypto in Your Retirement Portfolio

5 Reasons You Need Crypto in Your Retirement Portfolio

You may have heard of the “60/40” rule for retirement accounts.  In the past, conservative brokers have traditionally recommended putting 60% of your assets in stocks and 40% in bonds.

Just take a look at how that advice is playing out in today’s economic climate.  If you are continuing to follow the 60/40 rule, think again.

Bond yields have seen an alarming plunge and stocks are still near all-time highs, even with dips caused by the coronavirus panic.  Volatility levels have been rising and are showing no signs of slowing down as the world braces for an inevitable recession. Not exactly the time to have all your money in stocks and bonds, right?

Time for a little secret.  Let’s take a hypothetical trip back in time.  It’s 2013. There’s an asset out there that you could add to your portfolio.  It’s called cryptocurrency. You want to play it extra safe and only make it 1% of your total investments.

Guess what?  By 2020, your portfolio with a 1% crypto stake has outperformed the traditional 60/40 portfolio by 20 percent.  The most exciting part? This is just the beginning.

Last year, CNBC reported that the United States government’s Social Security program is set to be insolvent by 2035.  If you’re in your 50’s or younger, don’t count on much help, if any, from Uncle Sam in your golden years. Likewise, the era of company-sponsored pensions is long gone and 401(k) matches are getting worse or disappearing completely.

In fact, “According to some reports, many people under 40 believe they will never retire,” says Morgan Steckler, cryptocurrency retirement fund expert of iTrust Capital.  But for those that are smart enough to get into crypto now, “it could still lead to life-changing returns and give those people that option to retire if they so choose,” Steckler added.

A 2018 study by Ramsay Solutions exposed what could be considered a crisis in this country, revealing that roughly half of Americans are not saving for retirement.  Another study by Bankrate predicts that half of all working households will experience a decrease in their standard of living during their retirement. Is that really what you’ve been working towards and planning for your whole life?

All of these facts aren’t going unnoticed.  We’ve recently seen Fairfax County in Virginia take the groundbreaking step of investing millions of its pension funds into cryptocurrencies.  Even the IRS is on board, having approved crypto IRAs for the general public.

It’s never too late to start planning for your retirement, and it’s still not too early to start investing in cryptocurrency.  If you haven’t seriously considered adding crypto to your portfolio yet, now is the time. Don’t just take our word for it, though.  Let’s take a look at the top reasons why crypto should be a part of your retirement plans.

1.  Diversification

We’ve all heard the saying, it’s as old as the concept of investing itself:  “Never put all your eggs in one basket.” Diversification helps you minimize the risk associated with a single asset, yet still allows you to enjoy the growth of each.

The same applies to your retirement account.  The old-fashioned strategy of only putting stocks and bonds in your tax-deferred retirement accounts is becoming obsolete.  The IRS is fully on board with precious metals, real estate, and cryptocurrencies as part of retirement IRAs.

Any financial advisor worth their salt will recommend diversifying 5-10% into precious metals, and many are now suggesting the same with cryptocurrency.  And why wouldn’t they? As an exciting new asset class that has seen consistent and explosive growth for a decade, it’d be irresponsible not to.

2.  Protection from the Government

Pick a cryptocurrency.  Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, etc.  It doesn’t matter which you choose, no government can control any of them.  It’s literally impossible for Uncle Sam to seize your Bitcoins from your wallet against your will.  They’d need your private key to access your funds. If you didn’t give it to them, then it would take the most powerful computer on earth BILLIONS of years just to crack it.

The government can’t print more digital currency either as they can with paper bills.  Bitcoin, for example, has a set amount of coins, period. All that will ever exist were created with the currency itself.  Outside forces are unable to manipulate it, unlike the Dollar, Euro, Yuan, etc.

With crypto, you’re protected from other nefarious third parties, as well.  Cryptocurrencies don’t use middlemen, so transactions are direct between two parties.  This means that it’s easier, faster, and safer overall.

3.  Long-Term Growth Potential

Despite the fact that we have already seen an enormous amount of growth in the crypto space, we are still in its relative infancy.  The other major asset classes out there such as precious metals, real estate, stocks, and bonds have all had a head start of hundreds or even thousands of years.

Bitcoin has now been around for roughly 10 years, which puts it in a uniquely advantageous position.  We’re currently in the sweet spot where it has a long enough track record to consider it an established and stable commodity, but it’s still in its relative infancy compared to other investment options.

The subsequent upside?  There’s still tremendous growth potential.  Many have been predicting six- and seven-figure values for a single Bitcoin in a few years.  Sound crazy? It’s most of the same people that predicted the rise from a few hundred dollars up to the $10,000 level that we’re hovering around today (and PS, most of them are now filthy rich).

4.  Crypto is Resilient

Back in 2013, the LA Times famously published an article where they smugly declared the death of Bitcoin.  How’d that work out for them? The article has aged quite poorly, to say the least.

Bitcoin has taken beatings both in the media and in the markets.  Detractors and naysayers have been around since the beginning, and they have continually been proven wrong.  Nowadays, if you’re blindly slamming crypto, then prepare to be considered out of touch.

One argument you’ll hear against Bitcoin is the volatility of the market.  Earlier this decade, Bitcoin actually lost 70% of its value practically overnight.  The naysayers won’t tell you how it quickly bounced back and shot up past its previous highs, though.  It’s the same thing that happens every time. Compare that to the stock, bond, or real estate markets, which can take years just to creep back up to previous levels.

5.  It’s Already Mainstream

As we just saw, there’s still a large crowd of crypto-doubters out there.  Another one of their arguments is that Bitcoin and other altcoins are still lacking in mainstream adoption.  When you look at the evidence and trends however, you’ll see that this point just isn’t true anymore in 2020.

Want to order something from Overstock.com?  Grab a bite from a restaurant? Purchase sports tickets?  A computer? Or a trans-Atlantic flight? Well, you’re in luck.  Some of the biggest companies and organizations in the world accept Bitcoin as payment, including Microsoft, Dell, Tesla, the NBA, and Virgin Galactic.  People are even buying houses with crypto these days.

It’s not even a question anymore.  Bitcoin has already taken a foothold in the mainstream.  Add to this the fact that on a global scale, more people have access to the internet than they have to banks or other currency systems.  This is especially the case in developing areas such as Africa, where hundreds of millions of people will gain internet access for the first time in the coming decades.  Given that the supply of Bitcoin is fixed, we’re going to see a massive increase in demand as third world nations develop.

Marcus Swanepoel, Chief Executive of Luno, explains how “Cryptocurrency is uniquely positioned at the apex of technology and finance. It has been lauded as a potential game-changer for society.”  Expect prices to rise accordingly.

It’s Not Too Late

The price of Bitcoin has seen incredible growth, but it’s not too late to get in at what is still a relatively low level.  By investing in cryptocurrencies, you’re not only protecting your portfolio from the volatility of the markets, but you’re setting it up for significant future growth, as well.  Plus, you can save big on taxes by using cryptocurrency to contribute to your retirement IRA. It’s the best of both worlds.

At Regal Assets, we believe in providing you with trusted and proven cryptocurrency investment options.  We take pride in the way we do business and have enjoyed helping our clients grow their portfolios for over a decade now.  Our expert team members work side-by-side with you every step of the way, so you can be sure that your wealth is safe and in a position to grow.

See for yourself what we offer with our FREE Investor’s Kit.  It explains Regal’s IRS-approved investment options and how they work.  We’ll help you choose the right strategy to achieve your goals.

Gold Prices Target $1,900 as Oil Continues to Plunge

Gold Prices Target $1,900 as Oil Continues to Plunge

Gold Prices

The start of the week saw gold prices reclaim the $1,700 level after hitting support levels late last week.  The precious metal was also aided by crashing crude oil prices and continuing concerns regarding coronavirus-induced damage to the economy.

Gold hit its lowest point since April 9 at the end of last week due to reports of new treatments for COVID-19.  The price was back to approaching $1,700 by midday Monday though, hitting $1,692, with futures also climbing to $1,709.

That could just be the beginning of a continued upswing for precious metal investors however, with TD Securities issuing a target of $1,900 an ounce in a mere three months from now.  The reasons for the jump are primarily the anticipation of continued safe-haven demand amid market uncertainty and the continued stimulus efforts of central banks.

There is also the belief among analysts that the market is currently undervaluing gold, especially when taking into account the expected long-term inflation and the overall scale of global quantitative easing.

Bart Melek, TD Securities’ Head of Commodity Strategies, explained how “The Fed’s latest QE program is now the largest on record. Of course, there is a well-known relationship between QE and lower real rates, such that it ultimately suppresses real rates by lifting inflation expectations at a faster pace than nominal rates … The Fed and other central banks are likely to keep their uber-easy policies in place for far longer than anticipated, following a decade of below-target inflation and a newfound interest in asymmetric inflation targeting,”

Melek had good news for gold investors moving forward though, saying that “Gold has been very much subject to what has been happening in the broader market … There will be a positive view of the economy going forward as things open up and given all the massive amounts of monetary and fiscal stimulus, the market will turn to gold as a protector against inflation.”

He added that he sees the price of gold reaching $2,000 an ounce by the end of next year.  The key will be at the point when the U.S. begins to see some economic stability again, but while interest rates are still low.  That’s when inflation will come into play. The bigger the problem that inflation is, the higher gold prices will go. Melek sees gold climbing all the way to $2,100 if the inflation is severe enough.

The precious metal has also been helped by a fading dollar and a freefall of crude oil prices.  These factors indicate that investors’ appetite for risk is dwindling, and has helped overcome the optimism concerning a possible vaccine and the easing of global lockdowns, both of which have had a negative impact on the bullion markets recently.

Oil Prices

Oil prices, in particular, have had a tremendous positive impact on gold.  The crude oil market is continuing to experience astounding losses, with prices at their weakest levels on record.  In fact, experts are not ruling out negative prices. Global lockdowns have helped kill the demand for a commodity that was already hurting due to a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia.  OPEC+ recently cut a major deal to limit output and reduce oversupply problems, but that now seems to be a case of too little and too late. Seeing a leading commodity collapse has only driven up the safe-haven demand for gold among investors, amid a market that has already been plagued with anxiety.

In the very short term though, one can still expect the bullion market to still be somewhat sluggish as investors brace for quarterly earnings reports.  Roughly 20% of the S&P 500 will report earnings this week, and analysts are expecting the worst results year-over-year since 2009.

Wall Street stumbled out of the gate to start the week as well, even before the release of any earnings reports.  Energy shares in general were hit hard by the crash in oil prices, and the market in general saw a wave of pessimism wash over it as more and more economic data is expected that will detail the severity of the pandemic’s impacts.

The dollar had been gaining momentum in recent weeks thanks to bits of positive news regarding the coronavirus.  Gilead Science’s experimental drug remdesivir has seen some success in combating the virus, but it is far from being fully vetted and tested yet.  Similarly, Novartis said it is now conducting late-stage trials of hydroxychloroquine in patients with COVID-19. The start of roll-backs of quarantine restrictions in some European nations, including Germany, boosted the dollar as well, as did hopes that the global containment measures could soon start to be lifted.

That momentum was short-lived however, and the dollar’s gains started to fade by lunchtime on Monday.  Now, commodity experts are looking to the longer term, where the uncertainty around restarting frozen economies seems set to continue for at least a few more months.  Couple that with the ever-increasing belief that we have now entered a global recession, and one is left with strong support for gold in the medium to long term. Craig Erlam, Senior Market Analyst at Oanda, supports this line of thinking, saying how “the longer-term outlook for the yellow metal remains bright though given the current environment.”

Long story short, experts expect the price of gold to continue to stay strong as long as the coronavirus is dominating the headlines.  Fears of a global recession will persist along with it, as interest rates approach zero or lower. All of this is great news for gold, and the bullish signals show no signs of letting up.

More and more savvy investors are turning to gold as a safe haven, and it’s not too late to get in at what is still a relatively low level.  Even if the coronavirus is eradicated in a few months, which is now the best-case scenario, many of the world’s top economies are still in serious trouble and becoming more and more susceptible to inflation.  By investing in gold, you’re not only protecting your portfolio from the volatility of the markets, but you’re setting it up for significant future growth as the global economy inevitably rebounds post-pandemic.

At Regal Assets, we believe in providing you with trusted and proven precious metal investment options.  We take pride in the way we do business and have enjoyed helping our clients grow their portfolios for over a decade now.  Our expert team members work side-by-side with you every step of the way, so you can be sure that your wealth is safe and in a position to grow.

See for yourself what we offer with our FREE Investor’s Kit.  It explains Regal’s IRS-approved investment options and how they work.  We’ll help you choose the right strategy to achieve your goals.