(FREE) PAINE IN THE MORNING: 12 things you need to know this Wednesday – March 2, 2022

There is also a full, ad-free video podcast of this broadcast available to Paine.TV members HERE.

Learn more about joining our community HERE.

California, Washington, Oregon To Lift School Mask Mandates – The state of California is lifting all mask mandates in schools after March 11th, in conjunction with the states of Oregon and Washington.

According to Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom’s official website, “[a]fter 11:59 p.m. on March 11, California, Oregon and Washington will adopt new indoor mask policies and move from mask requirements to mask recommendations in schools.” – READ MORE

Mayor Adams Announces End Of NYC’s Controversial Vaccine Passport Rule – At long last, New Yorkers and tourists visiting the Big Apple will soon be able to enter stores, restaurants, bars and other venues without needing to show proof of vaccination status.

That’s right: Mayor Eric Adams is finally lifting his city’s requirement for patrons to be vaccinated, one of the most restrictive such laws in the country. It was first implemented by his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, last year. However, he clarified Monday that there are no plans to remove requirements that workers be vaccinated. – READ MORE

Court strikes down New Zealand vaccine mandate – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – one of the globalist World Economic Forum’s trained “young leaders,” along with Justin Trudeau and many others – has been given until Friday by her nation’s High Court to end her government’s requirement that federal law-enforcement officers be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The ruling Friday came in a lawsuit brought by more than 200 Police and Defence Force personnel who faced termination because they chose not to be vaccinated, reported the New Zealand independent news site Newsroom. – READ MORE

WHO reportedly to push for ‘trust framework’ to help nations confirm the legitimacy of people’s vaccine credentials – The World Health Organization will assemble member states and figures from COVID-19 immunization credential technology entities in order to create a “trust framework” to enable nations to check the legitimacy of people’s proof of vaccination credentials, MITRE chief digital health physician Brian Anderson said, according to Politico.

The undertaking would make it easier to share and verify an individual’s proof of vaccination during international travel, Anderson said, according to the outlet. – READ MORE

Poison Control Centers Warn About Toxic Chemical In At-Home COVID-19 Test Kits –Some at-home rapid COVID-19 tests contain a toxic chemical that may be harmful to both children and adults, according to health officials.

The Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center reported an uptick in accidental exposures to a possibly toxic substance in at-home COVID-19 test kits, according to a blog post. Meanwhile, the National Poison Control Center issued a warning about the chemical. – READ MORE

Nearly half of Biden’s 500M free COVID-19 tests unclaimed – Nearly half of the 500 million free COVID-19 tests the Biden administration recently made available to the public still have not been claimed as virus cases plummet and people feel less urgency to test.

Wild demand swings have been a subplot in the pandemic, from vaccines to hand sanitizer, along with tests. On the first day of the White House test giveaway in January, COVIDtests.gov received over 45 million orders. Now officials say fewer than 100,000 orders a day are coming in for the packages of four free rapid tests per household, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. – READ MORE

U.S. Oil Surpasses $106 Per Barrel For First Time In Over Seven Years – U.S. oil prices surged 10.8% Tuesday to surpass $106 per barrel for the first time in more than seven years following concerns over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil briefly passed the July 2014 high mark to $106.11 per barrel, according to CNBC. The increased prices are pressuring U.S. and world leaders to increase oil production or release emergency stockpiles of oil. – READ MORE

Buttigieg on Drilling to Lower Gas Prices: We’re Engaging in Diplomacy to Increase Global Production, We’re in Transformation Away from Oil – During an interview with CBS on Monday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded to a question on whether the administration believes the U.S. should drill for more oil to deal with high gas prices by stating that President Biden has taken steps like “diplomatic efforts to increase global oil production” and that while every option should be considered, “we are in the middle of a long-term transformation that is already fast underway” away from oil.

Co-host Tony Dokoupil asked, “Prices are up a dollar in the last year, 25% — 25 cents in the last month, and one of the ideas that has been brought up to fix the situation is to — and this is, granted, being pushed by the American Petroleum Institute, is to drill more, open up more U.S. land to drilling. What’s the administration’s response to that idea?” – READ MORE

Europe’s Depleted Gas Storage Might Not Get Refilled Ahead Of Next Winter – Europe may have trouble replenishing its natural gas storage facilities by next winter as storage levels are at decade lows.

Russia, which supplies one-third of Europe’s natgas needs, has said delivery of gas through vast networks of pipelines will continue. – READ MORE

“Breadbasket Of World” Choked Off By Russian Invasion As Wheat Prices Soar – Ukraine has earned the nickname “breadbasket of Europe” for its rich dark soil, vast wheat fields, and other farm goods. The Russian invasion has cut off the world from cheap and abundant wheat supplies.

Ukraine and Russia are vital to the global food supply, accounting for more than a quarter of global wheat trade, about a fifth of corn, and 12% of all calories traded globally, according to Bloomberg. – READ MORE

Adam Kinzinger Falls For Shoddy Photoshopped ‘Ghost Of Kyiv’ Hoax, Gets Mocked –Prominent anti-Trump Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL) fell for an infamous hoax last week, tweeting support for comedian Sam Hyde, whom Kinzinger apparently believed to be the so-called “Ghost of Kyiv” due to a poorly photoshopped tweet.

“The #ghostofkyiv has a name, and he has absolutely OWNED the Russian Airforce. Godspeed and more kills, Samuyil!” Kinzinger captioned in a now-deleted tweet. – READ MORE

Supreme Court case could severely limit the unchecked power and sway of federal bureaucracies, starting with the EPA – The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case Monday that could potentially rein in the broad authority currently enjoyed by the Environmental Protection Agency — and several other federal bureaucracies, as well.

West Virginia v. EPA specifically wrestles with the scope of the environmental agency’s authority to regulate air pollution by mandating sweeping greenhouse gas emissions benchmarks for the country’s power plant industry. – READ MORE