(FREE) PAINE IN THE MORNING: 9 things you need to know this Tuesday – February 15, 2022

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‘Serious Cause For Alarm’: U.S. Economy Plunges Under Biden To All Time Low In Heritage ‘Index Of Economic Freedom’ – Under President Biden’s policies, the U.S. economy has plunged to an all-time low, based on ratings laid out in the Heritage Foundation’s 2022 Index of Economic Freedom.

“The United States’ economic freedom score is 72.1, making its economy the 25th freest in the 2022 Index. The United States is ranked 3rd among 32 countries in the Americas region, and its overall score is above the regional and world averages,” Heritage reported. The score of 72.1 is a record-low for the U.S., which fell from the 20th spot in last year’s rating. – READ MORE

Next COVID Variant Could Be More Dangerous Than Omicron, Scientists Say – Scientists are warning that the next SARS-CoV-2 variant could well be more dangerous than the latest strain to emerge, Omicron.

Professor Mark Woolhouse of Edinburgh University said it is unknown where the next variant will come from but noted that Omicron did not emerge from the previous variant, Delta. – READ MORE

Ontario to End Vaccine Passport Requirements on March 1 – Ontario will end its vaccine passport requirements on March 1, 2022, the province announced Monday in a press release.

Claiming “key public health and health system indicators” are “continuing to improve,” the province announced it will ease the next set of restrictions this week, on February 17, increasing social gathering limits at a variety of places. Indoor social gathering spaces will see a capacity increase to 50, and indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required will have capacity limits removed completely. – READ MORE

Trudeau To Unleash Never-Before-Used ‘Emergency Powers Act’ To Counter Protests As US-Canada Bridge Reopens – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has learned that Prime Minister Trudeau “will inform the provinces he will invoke the Emergencies Act to give the government extra powers to deal with the protests across the country. But in a meeting with the Liberal caucus, the PM said there were no plans to deploy the military.” – READ MORE

Bowser lifting DC mask mandate for bars, gyms, concerts, but not schools – Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that the city will lift its mask requirements for many public venues, including bars, restaurants and schools – but it will still mandate masks for schoolchildren.

The city’s vaccine mandate for indoor venues will also expire starting Tuesday.

“Because of that diligence that we have seen since the height of omicron wave entered the district in December, cases have dropped more than 90% and there has been a 95% reduction in hospitalizations,” Bowser said. “We are in a much better place now.” – READ MORE

NIH Spent a Shockingly Small Part of its Budget on COVID Research in 2020 – Despite the ubiquitous presence of Dr. Anthony Fauci on television to pontificate about COVID-19, it appears the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent very little of its expansive budget on COVID research. In an analysis in preprint, researchers found only 2% of the NIH budget was allocated to COVID studies early in the pandemic. The investigation found that 2% of grants and 5.3% of the NIH budget got allocated to COVID research in 2020 overall. It also found that the average time to award a grant was 151 days. – READ MORE

Well, Well, Well … Look Who’s Back on Spotify – It seems like only yesterday that Neil Young shook his shriveled Canadian fist at Spotify, via a now-deleted open letter to his manager and record label, and demanded they remove his work from their platform. “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” explained Young. He directed his people to “Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule.”

“I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,” fumed Young. “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.” – READ MORE

Thirteen Police Officers Shot Across the Country During 24-Hour Time Frame – Thirteen police officers in different parts of the country were shot during a 24-hour time frame last Friday.

FOX News points out nine officers were shot in Phoenix, Arizona, Friday morning.

Initial reports on the Phoenix shootings indicated five officers were shot. The first of the five was shot after responding to a home where gunfire was reported. The next four officers were shot trying to rescue a baby who placed outside after the initial shooting. – READ MORE

The ATF Suggests You Call SWAT Raids on Your Exes for Valentine’s Day – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is inviting you to celebrate Valentine’s Day by getting your ex thrown in federal prison. How thoughtful

“Got an ex who buys or sells guns illegally?” the agency tweeted. “We would love to treat them to a Valentine’s Day surprise!” Underneath it includes a hotline, an email address, and website for revenge-minded former lovers who want to give the gift of government-sanctioned violence. – READ MORE