(FREE) PAINE IN THE MORNING: 10 things you need to know this Wednesday – February 23, 2022

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DC National Guard ‘Scrambling’ To Secure Tow Trucks As Freedom Convoy Descends –The Washington DC National Guard is ratcheting up preparations “for forthcoming Trucker protest” set to begin on Tuesday, as a new group of roughly 1,000 truckers dubbed “The People’s Convoy” makes its way to the nation’s capital in protest of Covid-19 mandates.

According to a notice obtained by Breitbart News, the DC National Guard Land Component Command will be “encamped” starting today – which, according to on source, is synonymous with to “occupy an area.” – READ MORE

Canadian truckers protest organizer denied bail, judge cites ‘safety of the public’ – A Canadian judge denied bail for a key organizer of the trucking Freedom Convoy, citing that her detention was “necessary for the protection and safety of the public.”

“I cannot be reassured that if I release you into the community that you will not reoffend,” Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois said Tuesday morning when denying organizer Tamara Lich bail, according to CTV News. – READ MORE

Ottawa Mayor Floats Selling Assets Seized From Freedom Convoy To ‘Recoup Some Of The Costs’ – Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson proposed confiscating and selling vehicles and other assets taken from Freedom Convoy protesters to cover the cost of policing and expelling the protest.

Watson argued Monday that the assets of protesters should be seized to “recoup some of the costs” of the Freedom Convoy, which took over parts of downtown Ottawa in late January in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions. – READ MORE

Canadian MP claims ‘honk honk’ is code for ‘heil Hitler’ – Canadian Liberal MP Ya’ara Saks stated Monday that the onomatopoeia “honk honk” was a coded message meaning “heil Hitler.”

Saks gave her testimony before Parliament on Monday, where she lamented perceived government inaction regarding the truckers. – READ MORE

‘Time for the protesters to hear our jackboots on the ground’: Royal Canadian Mounted Police in group chat allegedly celebrate violence against protesters – Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a group chat allegedly celebrated violence against Ottawa protesters, with officers making declarations such as “time for the protesters to hear our jackboots on the ground.”

The RCMP issued a statement on the matter Sunday saying it’s “aware of the material circulating on social media pertaining to a chat group that includes some of its members, and we can confirm that we are looking into the matter. This material is not representative of those who have committed themselves to serving Canadians with integrity and professionalism. – READ MORE

Hawaii the Last State with Mask Mandate – Hawaii stands as the final state with a mask mandate, over two years after the start of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

Every other state in the country has announced plans ending their respective mask mandates months ahead of the midterm election — suspicious timing, according to key conservative figures who have long fought against such restrictions. Even Gov. John Carney (D) of President Biden’s Delaware announced the end of the statewide mask mandate as others made similar announcements — including California and New York — and others went beyond, lifting statewide mask mandates in schools as well. – READ MORE

Enrollment at NYC Public Schools Dives 9 Percent – Enrollment at New York City public schools is down nine percent, which has resulted in massive budget cuts.

“Elementary school enrollment in Manhattan’s District 2, which encompasses affluent areas like Greenwich Village and Soho, is down 10 percent this year and 17 percent over two years,” reports the New York Post. – READ MORE

Sliders Courtesy of ‘Flippy:’ White Castle to Install 100 Burger Flipping Robots – Fast-food chain White Castle is addressing its problems in hiring restaurant workers by outsourcing some of its jobs to robots, planning on installing “Flippy 2” robotic burger flippers in 100 locations to serve its iconic sliders.

Today reports that the popular midwestern fast-food chain White Castle is planning on filling some of its jobs with robots. The company will reportedly be installing Miso Robotics’ “Flippy 2” robot hamburger flippers in 100 locations. Flippy began replacing restaurant workers in 2017. – READ MORE

Russia Warns Of “Brave New World” Of Higher Gas Prices After Germany Halts Nord Stream 2 – Europe’s energy crisis deepened Tuesday as Germany halted the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. Putin’s right hand man, Dmitry Medvedev responded to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s comments about the certification of the controversial Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline that ‘can’t happen right now’ by tweeting:

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has issued an order to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Well. Welcome to the brave new world where Europeans are very soon going to pay €2.000 for 1.000 cubic meters of natural gas!

Based on Medvedev’s tweet, translating MWh to cubic meters, it appears gas prices for Europe could be headed back to crisis levels not seen since late 2021. – READ MORE

CDC: Pediatric ER visits skyrocket for injuries and eating disorders during the pandemic – The COVID pandemic may have been hardest on the youngest among us, despite the fact that children are statistically the least likely to get and transmit the virus. Although overall pediatric emergency rooms (ER) visits declined during the pandemic, the number of visits increased significantly for firearm injuries, self-harm, and drug poisoning compared to pre-pandemic levels, including doubling for eating disorder visits among adolescents, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.

“Children and adolescents’ loss of parents or other caregivers, increases in other adversities and disruptions in daily routine because of the COVID-19 pandemic might also increase [their] behavioral health concerns and unhealthy coping behaviors,” the CDC researchers wrote. – READ MORE