(FREE) PAINE IN THE MORNING: 11 things you need to know this Wednesday – January 19, 2022

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Billionaires having ‘terrific pandemic,’ but not so great for 99% of humanity – Did you ever wonder how the rich made out during madness of the coronavirus pandemic, with all of its economic misery and mandated lockdowns?

A new report released Monday by Oxfam says the billionaires of this world are having “a terrific pandemic.” – READ MORE

California Could Double Its Taxes To Start Massive New Social Program – A new constitutional amendment in California would cause taxes to soar in order to establish a universal, single-payer healthcare system.

According to an analysis from the Tax Foundation, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 11 (ACA 11) — which requires two-thirds of both houses of the state legislature for approval — would introduce “surtaxes atop the current individual income tax structure beginning at $149,509 in income,” a “graduated-rate payroll tax system with the top rate kicking in for employees with more than $49,990 in annual income” and a “gross receipts tax of 2.3 percent, excluding the first $2 million of business income.” ACA 11 would go to the voters for final approval if passed by two-thirds of the Legislature. – READ MORE

‘We’ll Still Have Inflation’ For The Next Two Years, Harvard Economist Warns – One Harvard University economist is warning that high inflation will remain through 2023.

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in December consumer prices rose by 7% over the previous year — the highest rate in roughly 40 years. Likewise, “real average hourly earnings” — which consider the effect of inflation — decreased by 2.4% from December 2020 to December 2021, slashing the purchasing power of American consumers. – READ MORE

Make Preparations! Canadian Cross Border Trucking Vaxx Mandate Now In Effect, Domestic Trucking Mandate Starts Next Week – The cross border vaccine mandate for truckers in/out of Canada is now in effect. The U.S. vaccine mandate takes effect on January 22nd.

It will take a few days to see the consequences, but there will be consequences. – READ MORE

Omicron ‘probably’ won’t be prevented by fourth vaccine jab, Israeli researcher says –Israeli researchers on Monday said preliminary data show a second booster shot of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines will “probably” not create enough antibodies to prevent infection from the omicron variant.

Gili Regev-Yochay, an infectious disease expert at Sheba Medical Center, said the fourth jab increases antibodies “even a little bit higher than what we had after the third dose,” but the increase is likely not enough to prevent omicron, which is considered more transmissible than earlier variants, Reuters reported. – READ MORE

Supreme Court Rejects Request to Block Federal Mask Mandate on Planes – The Supreme Court on Tuesday formally rejected a request to block the federal mask mandate for air travel.

A father of an autistic child, Michael Seklecki, filed the emergency application, asserting that he and his child are not able to wear a mask. Lucas Wall also joined the lawsuit, claiming that he has been unable to fly because he is medically unable to wear a mask as well. The request, filed to Justice Neil Gorsuch, was denied by the justices with no further comment. – READ MORE

Hawaii weighs requiring booster for travelers to be considered ‘fully vaccinated’ – Hawaii may soon change its definition of fully vaccinated when it comes to domestic travel, requiring visitors to have received a COVID-19 booster shot to meet the threshold.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige indicated during an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that his administration is weighing making the move, but he noted the policy would not immediately go into effect so that people would have time to adjust their plans. – READ MORE

Greece requires people 60 and over to either get vaccinated or pay monthly fines: ‘Mandatory vaccination is a means of individual and collective protection’ – Greece is requiring individuals aged 60 and older to either get vaccinated against COVID-19 or else face financial punishment.

The Associated Press reported that those who forego vaccination will get slapped with a 50 euro ($57) fine this month and then with a 100euro ($114) monthly fine going forward. – READ MORE

Masks allegedly harming children’s speech development – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say putting a face mask on your child is a critical tool in slowing the spread of COVID-19, however, some in the health community are now sounding an alarm.

Therapists say they are seeing children with speech delays. Gregg Santos brings his son, Diego, to speech therapy twice a week. – READ MORE

Report: Sonia Sotomayor Still Working Remotely Because Neil Gorsuch Won’t Wear Mask in Court – Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will continue to work remotely instead of appearing in person at the U.S. Supreme Court because fellow Justice Neil Gorsuch refuses to wear a mask in court, according to a report by National Public Radio. – READ MORE

Scientists actually forced to say blotting out the sun to stop global warming is a bad idea – Dozens of policy experts and scientists issued an open letter Monday urging governments and the United Nations to restrict solar geoengineering.

The letter called upon world leaders to commit to an international non-use agreement on solar geoengineering, or the hypothetical practice of partially blocking the sun’s rays to lower the Earth’s temperature and prevent global warming. A non-use agreement would prohibit governments from funding or granting patent rights related to the technology’s development and include a ban on all outdoor experiments using the technology. – READ MORE