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Nov. 14, 2021 - Epoch Times
23:36
New Bill Bans All Unvaccinated Americans From Flying, Advancing Through Congress | Facts Matter
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Good evening.
Two days ago, the Georgia State Election Board voted in favor of opening up a bipartisan investigation into Fulton County, specifically the way in which they manage their elections.
Meanwhile, over in Texas, after a standoff that lasted for 38 days, House Democrats have now officially returned to Texas.
And this, by the way, came just a single day after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that they can actually be arrested if they refused to return.
Meanwhile, you might have heard about the vaccine mandates right here in New York City.
Well, a lawmaker from New York's 15th Congressional District, he is working to expand these mandates nationally.
He just introduced a new bill which would make being vaccinated a prerequisite for flying in an airplane.
And lastly, as the southern border situation worsens, we had the chance to sit down with Yvette Harrell, who is a congresswoman representing the area of New Mexico where, and you might have actually seen this video, where smugglers were throwing children over the wall.
Let's go through it all together.
This is your daily Facts Matter update, and I'm your host, Roman, from the Epoch Times.
And now let's begin today's discussion over in Georgia.
Two days ago, the Georgia State Election Board has voted in favor of opening up a bipartisan probe into Fulton County, which includes, by the way, 90% of the city of Atlanta.
Specifically, the Georgia State Election Board voted to appoint a bipartisan panel to review the management of elections over in Fulton County.
Now, by the way, this inquiry is the first of its kind under the new election law that Georgia Republicans passed after the 2020 election.
That new law, by the way, authorizes the state's election board to audit the management of elections in any county in Georgia at the request of local state lawmakers.
And Fulton County was a fairly ripe target for the first use of this law.
That's because even before the 2020 election, Fulton County has a long history of election problems, including long lines, inefficiency in reporting the election results, and problems with registration and so on.
There's quite a lot of problems, actually.
In fact, here's what Sarah Gazelle, who is the only Democrat on this election panel that will be actually investigating this Fulton County probe, here's what she said.
The fact remains that Fulton County voters have reported numerous problems for far longer than November 2020, particularly surrounding registration and absentee ballots.
She then went on to urge Fulton County to view this as an opportunity to have fresh eyes on their systems and procedures and identify areas of improvement.
Now Brian Kemp, who is currently the governor of Georgia, he applauded this move.
In fact, here is what he wrote on Twitter after this bipartisan panel was established.
Fulton County has a long history of mismanagement, incompetence, and a lack of transparency when it comes to running elections, including during 2020.
I fully support this review.
On the flip side, however, Democrats have largely been criticizing this decision.
For instance, Rob Pitts, who is a Democrat, as well as the chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, he not only criticized the election law back when it was being passed a few months ago, but he also criticized this new decision to probe Fulton County's election management system.
Here's what he said two days ago.
Although it's not exactly clear how evaluating the management of the election process constitutes an attack on democracy itself.
He did not clarify that stance.
Regardless, as we mentioned earlier, Fulton County has had a fairly long history of problems with their elections.
And those issues became so acute during last year's primary that the state election board actually had to appoint an independent monitor.
And again, that was back in 2020.
And after spending about 270 hours observing Fulton County's election processes between the months of October and January, he said that he saw sloppy practices as well as poor management.
Which is partly what has now led to the election board opening up this bipartisan probe.
Now, depending on what this panel actually finds, it could lead to a replacement of the county's election board.
Specifically, the way that this new law works is that the state board could suspend the county board under two circumstances.
Either if they find evidence that the county officials violated state election laws three times since the year 2018 and those violations have not been fixed, or if they find that during at least two elections, over two years, the county board has shown nonfiance, malfiance, or gross negligence.
And so, we'll just have to wait and see what ultimately comes from this Fulton County investigation.
If you'd like to read about what we know thus far, I'll throw those links into the description box below this video for you to check out.
However, while we're on the topic of election, let's move on over to Texas.
But before we do, let's move on over quickly to that like button that I hope you take a quick moment to smash, because again, videos like this are routinely censored by Big Tech.
However, when you smash that like button, it forces the algorithm to share these videos out to potentially thousands of more people, letting the truth be known far and wide.
And now let's really move on over to Texas.
After a standoff that lasted 38 days, House Democrats have now officially returned to Texas.
And this, by the way, came just a single day after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that they can be arrested if they fail to return to the state capitol.
This now paves the way for the Texas House to vote on the election overhaul bills which have been languishing in the legislature ever since the Democrats fled the state.
Now, it's also worth mentioning that while the Republicans have in the state argued that these new election bills are necessary to safeguard future elections as well as to restore public confidence in the election system as a whole, Democrats, on the other hand, argue that these election reform bills would place unfair restrictions on minority groups when they go to the polls to cast their ballots.
Although it's worth noting that unlike the New York City vaccine mandates, which have essentially blocked 62% of black people from entering restaurants, this new Texas election bill does not include a vaccine requirement.
Regardless, even though, as of today, only three out of the 52 House Democrats have returned to Texas, that is actually enough to form a quorum and begin the legislative session.
Here's what Dade Fallon, who is the Texas House Speaker, here's what he said in a statement.
It's been a very long summer.
Been through a lot.
I appreciate you all being here.
It's time to get back to the business of the people of Texas.
Now, the three Democrat lawmakers who returned to Texas are Garnett Coleman, Anna Hernandez, as well as Amanda Wall.
And they released a joint statement saying this in part.
We are proud of the heroic work and commitment we and our fellow Democrat caucus members have shown in breaking quorum in May and again over the summer.
We took the fight for voting rights to Washington, D.C. and brought national attention to the partisan push in our state to weaken ballot access.
Our efforts were successful and served as the primary catalyst to push Congress to take action on voter protection legislation.
Now we continue the fight on the House floor.
Now what they refer to there is the For the People Act, which is now being pushed through Congress at the federal level.
And again, I just want to mention, these Democrat lawmakers hopped on a private plane and flew away 38 days ago.
However, their return came just a single day after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that House Democrats can in fact be arrested if they refuse to return to the state capitol.
Regardless, with the return of these three Democrats and with the quorum now reached, Texas Republicans are now back on track to pass these new election laws Now, if you would like to go deeper into this election bill over in Texas, I'll throw the link to that into the description box below this video for you to check out.
And also, this whole case of Democrats hopping onto a private airplane and flying over to Washington, D.C., We discussed that in much greater detail in an earlier episode.
If you want to check that out, I'll throw the link to it right there in the upper right-hand corner.
However, while we're discussing airplanes, let's talk about a new bill which was just introduced into Congress, which would make it illegal for unvaccinated people to fly either domestically or internationally.
Sorry, what's this?
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Now, while we're on the topic of airplanes, let's discuss a new proposal.
You likely already know what's happening here in New York City.
As of three days ago, you need to show proof of vaccination in order to go to a restaurant, a gym, or a performance.
However, there is a New York representative who is trying to export this type of mandate to the rest of the country.
That's right, Richard Torres, who is a congresswoman representing New York's 15th congressional district, he's a Democrat, he has just unveiled a legislative effort First of all, he sent this letter here to both the Department of Homeland Security as well as the TSA making his point.
Here's specifically what he wrote in this letter.
Quote, Now,
in addition to this letter here, he submitted a complimentary bill to the House, to the House at the federal level, which says this in part, quote, Meaning that if you are not vaccinated, you will not be allowed on an airplane, essentially.
And again, this bill, if it passes, would be national legislation affecting all of America.
And since he introduced it, the bill has already been referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, where Congressman Torres actually serves as a vice chair.
And what's interesting to note is that this bill, actually this whole campaign with the letter and the bill, began just a few days after a former Obama official wrote a fairly controversial op-ed in the Atlantic, which called for a no-fly list for Americans who are unvaccinated.
Here's what part of that article said: "The White House has rejected a nationwide vaccine mandate, which was a sweeping suggestion that the Biden administration could not easily enact if it wanted to.
But a no-fly list for unvaccinated adults is an obvious step that the federal government should take." And if this new bill actually becomes law, that might be what actually happens.
Now, Congressman Torres actually had an interview with the New York Daily News, wherein he explained his reasoning for taking these actions.
Here's what he said.
The TSA never allows people to enter planes or airports with a weapon.
And the Delta variant is a weapon.
It is a threat to everyone in an airport and everyone on a plane.
And so, we'll just have to wait and see whether this bill actually makes its way through the House, and then it'll have to make its way through the Senate.
If you'd like to follow the developments surrounding this bill, you can do so by finding it.
It's called House Resolution 4980.
I'll throw a link into the full text of this bill, as well as this letter that was sent to TSA, into the description box below this video for you to check out, and all I ask in return is that you take a quick moment to smash that like button.
However, let's now circle back and talk about the mandates over in New York City.
One of our reporters here at the Epoch Times actually went around and spoke with the local restaurant owners in order to get their opinion about these vaccine mandates.
For instance, Stratus Morfigan, who is the director of operations for the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, he told us that he thinks that the city did not plan properly for this mandate.
Here's what he told us.
The government, city especially, and the state has not given us the proper tools to cross-check to see if this piece of paper written in pen is validated.
It reminds me of my learner's permit from 1983.
Which is ironic, by the way, since a lot of people online have been comparing these mandates to 1984.
Furthermore, Stratus questioned why small businesses have to bear this burden while big shops don't.
Here's what he said.
My question is, why aren't they doing this at Home Depot?
Why aren't they doing this at CVS?
Why aren't they doing this at Stop and Shop?
Why are they picking on the only place that people can congregate and have the lowest infection rates?
And lastly, he questioned whether it's his place at all to do this job.
Here's what he said on that front.
I can't tell people to put something into their body.
I can advise them on what food and drink they can have and protect the safety of my product, but I can't tell a pregnant woman, you can't come into my restaurant tonight because you're not vaccinated.
Or I can't tell someone that has a religious belief who doesn't want to take the vaccine for religious standards.
It's not my job to do that.
And that seems to be a common sentiment.
We spoke with another man named T.J. Provenzano, who is the manager of Rosella, a restaurant here in Manhattan, and he said that he hopes that the mandates won't have an effect on his business.
Here's what he said.
We don't want to get shut down again, I'll tell you that much.
But I certainly don't want to be the enforcer of city and state law.
If there's a law made, and if that's the way they would like it to be, then let them figure out how to enforce it.
Why is it my responsibility?
However, he says that even though it's frustrating, he will still comply with the mandate, since getting shut down is not an option.
Here's what he said.
It's frustrating, but at the same time, we do not want to get shut down.
We'll do anything they say.
We've got to stay in business.
However, some restaurants are taking the matter into their own hands.
In fact, just three days ago, a group of restaurants as well as other small businesses, they filed a lawsuit against both New York City as well as Mayor Bill de Blasio for enacting these vaccine mandates.
According to their 18-page lawsuit, which was filed with the New York Supreme Court, they argue that Mayor Bill de Blasio's mandate is arbitrary, irrational, unscientific, and unlawful.
Here's what part of their lawsuit said.
It is against certain religious beliefs to inject a relatively unknown foreign substance into one's body.
By mandating such a thing, the mayor is essentially violating people's freedom of religion.
Also, by mandating all employees of certain establishments to be vaccinated, while knowing it is against certain groups' religious beliefs, an argument could be made that the mayor is, in essence, forcing employers to violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs argue that the mandate doesn't make sense, because it targets some businesses, like gyms and restaurants, but not others, which they claim is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause.
Now, we weren't able to get a comment from Bill de Blasio on this lawsuit.
However, two days ago, he told reporters that he had tremendous confidence that his mandate is legal.
Now, we here at the Epoch Times, we did reach out to the legal department of New York City for comment, but they emailed us back saying that they declined to comment.
Regardless, if you would like to read more about what's happening here in New York City, I'll throw the links to both the lawsuit as well as all those interviews we conducted into the description box below this video, which is again right below that like button.
I hope you take a moment to smash.
And now let's talk about the U.S. southern border.
As we already mentioned in our previous episode, the official July numbers from the Border Protection Agency came in, and they show that apprehensions at the U.S. southern border have reached a 21-year high.
More than 212,000 people were apprehended at the U.S. southern border in the month of July, which is not only a 13% increase from June, but is again a record number ever since these numbers began to be made public back in the year 2000.
However, these types of numbers, this data, and these statistics, They don't paint the full picture of the human experience down there at the border.
For instance, you might remember this video here.
It was captured about five months ago back at the end of March, and it shows smugglers dropping young children over the border wall in New Mexico.
Now, fortunately, those kids were picked up by Border Patrol, and they were nursed back to health.
But it just goes to show the kind of tragedy that's unfolding down there.
And so, while I was down south, I took the opportunity to sit down with Yvette Harrell.
She's a congresswoman from New Mexico, and that portion of the wall that we just saw, the one where the kids were thrown over, that's actually in her district.
And so her and I will discuss the situation as she sees it.
Take a look.
I find it fascinating that the Democrats are all about racial justice, equality, all these things, but yet they don't want to talk about the one in three women and children that are being raped on the way up here.
They don't want to talk about the sex trafficking.
They don't want to talk about the children that are literally, and I'm sure you've seen the videos, that are being either dropped over the fence.
That's in my district today.
It happens quite frequently.
Or the ones that are just being brought up to the edge of the Rio Grande, right where in New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico all intersect.
And leaving these kids in the dark of night, you know, three and four and five-year-olds, you know, they don't want to discuss that.
You know, they only want to talk about what they want to talk about in terms of driving the narrative.
And that's why I think it's so important.
I think I'm very thankful for this opportunity so people can understand there is a real problem.
I mean, these are children that are being dropped off at our borders.
The Democrats don't want to talk about it because it doesn't fit their narrative.
And with the mainstream media not talking about it in the way that it needs to very openly and very honestly, I mean, this entire process, it's cruel.
It's cruel for the families, the kids that are coming here illegally, because a lot of them don't even understand what they're doing.
It's costly to the American people, and it's very cowardice that our administration wouldn't take the upper hand, admit that they made a mistake by opening the border.
But here we are, with the numbers coming through every month, there is another increase.
We're at 20-year highs right now.
Our country cannot sustain this, and quite frankly, we cannot afford this.
And I've read reports of border towns that have a high percentage of the immigrants who are being housed there for, you know, as they're getting processed.
And sometimes I'm reading the COVID numbers that are coming out of those places, like the percentage wise.
And I almost have to like double check another source to make sure that's not a typo because I've seen them in like the high, high double digits.
Well, it's crazy because not only are these migrants coming in who may have or been exposed to COVID, a number of other infectious diseases.
And so we're putting our law enforcement, our border patrol, our communities, and it's not just those around the border anymore because, as you know, they're moving these people into the interior of the country As rapidly as they can.
So this is all coming to a neighborhood near you.
And it's not just the COVID. It's the illicit drugs.
It's the fentanyl.
I mean, these are criminals in a lot of ways that are coming here that have criminal backgrounds in other nations, but are getting into our country.
And now on this catch and release situation, we don't even know the kind of people that are coming into our country.
We are now seeing an uptick in the COVID cases.
And of course, the drugs, I mean, we could do a whole program on just the illicit drugs, the fentanyl that's coming up through our southern border.
From your perspective, from being inside the inside of Congress, a number of people I've spoken to, they mentioned that people are getting flown into the interior of the country.
But a lot of people also say that nobody knows where these people are going.
That's right.
Is that the case, even from your perspective, being inside of Congress?
Yeah.
In fact, what's really interesting is I've been down to the border five different times.
I have gone down.
In fact, I think I mentioned earlier, we had taken a CODEL of the oversight committee down to the border, but we went to one of the plants where they're keeping the kids over at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
So they're taking these people to the processing center, then moving them out very quickly.
But in this health and human services, I call it kid camp because it's a huge tent.
There's about 4,500 children in there, unaccompanied minors, that are being moved into the interior every month.
They're moving them out that fast.
They're not doing background checks.
We don't know if these kids are going to people here legally, if these are real sponsors, if these are cartel.
I mean, and we don't even know where all they're going.
But all of this is at the expense of the taxpayer, and that's what is a shame.
The amount of money that's being spent...
To not only house these kids, feed these kids, medicate these kids, and the families, and then move them into the interior.
Remember, any transportation costs are on the backs of the taxpayer.
Is there no remedy for at least the transparency side of it?
Because it seems like they're getting bussed or flown in, and nobody knows where they're going.
What's the justification for it?
Is it like privacy for them?
I think it's more about the Biden administration and the departments not willing to say, we have a crisis.
This doesn't even have to be happening.
If we would have seen the policies under the Trump administration that were working, like the Remain in Mexico and the Title 42, we wouldn't even be having this issue.
But obviously they refused to acknowledge.
In fact, I actually sent a letter to Vice President Harris inviting her to New Mexico so she could see the reality we live in.
But you're right in that there seems to be this shroud of secrecy We can't find out where all these people are going.
And I obviously fly back and forth from D.C. back to my district all the time.
Inevitably, on almost every flight I'm on, you'll have a number of people with their manila envelopes.
They don't speak English.
They're going somewhere.
And a lot of what people don't know is these non-governmental organizations, NGOs, are getting paid a lot of money.
To help facilitate these families and these unaccompanied minors, but we don't know where all they go, but we know they are going throughout the interior of the country.
Now, if you'd like to watch that full interview between her and I, I'll be publishing it over on Epic TV. And now lastly, I'd like to make a small announcement similar to what I made in the last few episodes.
If you still watch television, like over-the-air, satellite, sitting in your living room around the couch with your family and friends watching The Tube, well, I have a very cool announcement.
Because our show, Facts Matter, is now available on television, specifically on NTD.
Now, NTD is an awesome cable news network.
They're actually a sister media to The Epoch Times, and they report the news in a solid, professional way, without all the spin and false narratives that you get from the mainstream cable news networks.
They're a great alternative to the CNN, Fox News, CBS, MSNBC monopoly on news.
And now you can catch our program, Facts Matter, on their 7 p.m. Eastern time slot.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, they are still growing.
Currently, you can watch them over the air in 32 different states, but they also have coverage on both Roku and Apple TV, so you can watch them over Wi-Fi.
If you'd like to see how you can watch them, whether they're carried by your cable provider, you can do so over at NTD.com forward slash TV. I'll actually throw a link to it in the description box below, or you can just go on over to NTD.com forward slash TV. And again, if you go there, you type in your zip code, and you find that your cable provider does not carry them, well, you can call up your cable provider or email them and say, hey, listen, You should carry NTD. I'm looking for it.
And they actually do take those things seriously.
They do take those requests into consideration.
Again, that link will be down in the description box below.
I hope you check it out.
Now, lastly, if you haven't already, smash that like button for the YouTube algorithm.
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