A suspect has been captured in relation to a fatal shooting at the University of Virginia on Sunday. Police took 22-year-old Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. in custody and charged him with murder on Monday after three members of the University of Virginia football team were fatally shot at a parking garage on campus; two others were injured.

According to The Washington Post, Jones was a freshman on the football team in 2018 but allegedly did not appear at any games. Officials noted that the students shot at were all on the same bus “full of students” returning from a field trip, and while the motive has not yet been determined, the students were all once teammates.

The deceased students were identified as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D'Sean Perry, UVA President Jim Ryan said during a press conference. The two others who were injured were not identified.

“This is a sad, shocking and tragic day for our UVA community,” Ryan said at a press conference Monday. “Let me say how deeply sorry I am for the victims and for their family and friends.”

“This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia,” Ryan wrote in an open letter shared on social media. “This is a traumatic incident for everyone in our community.”

Prior to taking Jones into custody, the university's emergency management issued an alert on Twitter of an "active attacker firearm."

"People have been locked down in libraries all night. Everyone (is) definitely shaken up," Luke, a student who preferred that his last name be withheld for privacy reasons, told USA TODAY in an email. "We are in deep prayer for the victims and for their families right now."

Late Monday morning, the shelter-in-place order was lifted after a "thorough search" on and around the campus, police said.

"There has been a shooting on Culbreth Road and the suspect is at large and considered armed and dangerous," Ryan said in a tweet.

According to USA TODAY, Jones faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun to commit a felony, UVA Police Chief Tim Longo said. This incident was also not the first time Jones caught the attention of the police: He attracted attention in September as well after someone reported he commented about having a gun, but no reports were made as no one actually saw him with a weapon.

Several elected officials in Virginia also spoke about the shooting on social media.

"This morning, Suzanne and I are praying for the UVA community," Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on Twitter, referring to his wife, Suzanne Youngkin.

"Heartbroken to hear of another Virginia community devastated by gun violence," Sen. Tim Kaine said in a tweet. "Praying for the UVA community and closely monitoring the situation."

Across the country, mass shootings have increased amid debates on gun control and legislation. According to CNN, at least 68 shootings have occurred nationwide including on 15 college campuses. To this day, the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history remains the 2007 attack at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, where a 23-year-old student killed 32 people before dying by suicide.

More than 20 Republican attorneys general filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s administration Tuesday over a Department of Agriculture school meal program rule. According to the Associated Press, the rule prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. As a result, schools that do not implement LGBTQ-friendly policies will face potential cuts in federal meal funding.

Led by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, the lawsuit claims that the federal government is attempting to force states and schools to follow anti-discrimination requirements that “misconstrue the law.”

The rule is a result of a May announcement in which the USDA said it would include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as a violation of Title IX. Title IX is a 1972 law that guarantees equity between the sexes in “any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Per the new rule, states are required to review allegations of discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, as well as update their policies and signage.

“Whether you are grocery shopping, standing in line at the school cafeteria, or picking up food from a food bank, you should be able to do so without fear of discrimination,” said Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Deputy Under-Secretary Stacy Dean in a May 5 statement announcing the USDA’s effort.

While the agency emphasized volunteer compliance, it also noted that states and schools that receive federal funds have agreed to comply with federal civil rights laws.

According to the AP, the directive followed a landmark civil rights decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020 that found that Title VII, protects gay, lesbian, and transgender people from discrimination in the workplace.

The attorneys general involved in the lawsuit believe the new directive has not only misread the SCOTUS ruling, but has also failed to provide states and other groups the opportunity to provide public comment.

“We all know the Biden administration is dead-set on imposing an extreme left-wing agenda on Americans nationwide. But they’ve reached a new level of shamelessness with this ploy of holding up food assistance for low-income kids unless schools do the Left’s bidding,” Rokita said in a press release Tuesday.

Rokita made news this week for opening an investigation into the doctor who provided a medication abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio who was forced to travel to Indiana to receive care.

By filing the lawsuit, the attorneys general are hoping to get a similar result as to a separate challenge from earlier this month, when a Tenessee judge temporarily barred two federal agencies from enforcing directives issued by Biden’s administration. Those directives also extended protections for LGBTQ+ people in schools and workplaces.

In that case, the judge sided with the attorneys general, and ruled that the directives infringed on states’ right to enact laws, the AP reported. The laws in question included the ability to ban students from participating in sports based on their gender identity or requiring schools and businesses to provide bathrooms and showers to accommodate transgender people; the judge believed policies involving such actions should be enacted by the state.

“This case is, yet again, about a federal agency trying to change law, which is Congress’ exclusive prerogative,” Slatery said in a statement. “The USDA simply does not have that authority. We have successfully challenged the Biden Administration’s other attempts to rewrite law, and we will challenge this as well.”

As of this report, the following 22 state attorneys general are involved in the lawsuit: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.

One of North Dakota’s most powerful lawmakers announced his plans to resign Monday after reportedly exchanging texts with a jailed man facing child pornography charges. According to the Associated Press, the Republican senator identified as Ray Holmberg is the state’s longest-serving senator. His career spanned more than 46 years. While his term was expected to end on Nov. 30 and he had no intentions to rerun, he said Monday he would resign effective June 1.

"Recent news stories have become a distraction for the important work of the legislative assembly during its interim meetings," Holmberg wrote in an email announcing his resignation. "I want to do what I can, within my power, to lessen such distractions. Consequently, in respect for the institution and its other 140 members, I shall resign my Senate seat effective June 1, 2022.”

He added: "This date will give District #17 leaders enough time to go through the process and select a replacement."

The decision comes days after a report was published about his text message exchange with an imprisoned man. Initially, Holmberg had announced that he would step down on April 20 from his role as head of the panel that oversees the legislature’s business between sessions. His decision to resign from office comes less than a week later.

The text message exchange was first reported by the Forum of Fargo on April 15. According to that investigative report, Holmberg exchanged at least 72 text messages in August with Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier. Morgan-Derosier is serving charges of possessing thousands of images and videos of sexually abused children. Prosecutors allege that Morgan-Derosier not only possessed pornographic images of children, but also took two children under the age of 10 from Minnesota to his Grand Forks home with intention of abusing them.

While Holmberg first told the Forum he was aware of a local story about the charges, in an interview later he denied this.

When asked about the text messages, he told the Forum that his text messages with Morgan-Derosier were related to “a variety of things,” including patio work Morgan-Derosier did for him. He also claimed he no longer had the messages. He said: “They’re just gone.” The Forum obtained the jail log that recorded the text message exchange through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request—the text messages themselves were not public.

But this isn’t the first time Morgan-Derosier’s text messages have made headlines. Pulling from a transcript of proceedings, the Forum of Fargo reported comments made by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl during a Jan. 4 detention. In that hearing, Puhl referenced text messages from August to a “77-year-old man from Grand Forks.”

While the man was not identified in court, the text messages requested Morgan-Derosier to bring his boyfriend over for a massage. Since Holmberg was 77 at the time and represents that area, questions were raised if he could be the man in question.

Following the report, Democratic Party Chairman Patrick Hart called for Holmberg to step down from Legislative Management and release the text messages. According to the AP, Holmberg chaired the Legislative Management Committee, which decides committee assignments and chooses topics that often inspire legislation. Amid chairing this committee, he served on multiple others, making him a powerful legislative.

But while some called for his resignation, GOP state Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner defended Holmberg and told the AP that he is only guilty of bad judgment.

”He sent 72 messages to a bad, bad person," Wardner told the AP. “That’s not illegal, and until there is more information, I think [his committee resignation] is a step in the right direction… If there is any evidence of any wrongdoing, we will act, and we will act quickly. Right now, all we have is that it looks bad.”

Prior to announcing his resignation, Holmberg planned to retire this year due to medical reasons.

As abortion ban proposals make their way nationwide, some GOP states are taking the opportunity to propose other horrific laws. A bill, HB 233, has been proposed in the Tennessee state legislature that would establish a common-law marriage between “one man” and “one woman,” WKRN reported.

Bill sponsors claim the proposed bill would add a new marriage option for residents. “So, all this bill does is give an alternative form of marriage for those pastors and other individuals who have a conscientious objection to the current pathway to marriage in our law,” Tom Leatherwood said. “There is not an explicit age limit.”

However, while the sponsors claim it expands marriage options, they fail to mention the consequences of having no age limit. Since the bill eliminates an age requirement for marriage, child advocates believe it opens the door for child sex abuse. This is because, without an age requirement, there is a possibility of child marriages.

The move is clearly a step back for the state because the state only signed laws prohibiting the marriage of minors under the age of 17 in 2018. According to The Tennessean, the 2018 bill prohibited anyone under the age of 17 from marrying in Tennessee and anyone under 18 from marrying someone who is four or more years older.

Previous laws before this one allowed a judge to waive the minimum age limit for marriage if guardians of a child consented.

Various state representatives have pushed back on the bill, including Rep. Mike Stewart, who said he didn’t understand the motivation behind removing the age requirements. “I don’t think any normal person thinks we shouldn’t have an age requirement for marriage.”

He added the potential increase in sex abuse. “It should not be there as it’s basically a get out of jail free card for people who are basically committing statutory rape—I mean it’s completely ridiculous, so that’s another reason why this terrible bill should be eliminated,” Steward said.

According to state data obtained by Unchained at Last, Tennessee granted at least 37 marriage licenses to 17-year-old girls in 2014, the only minors in that year. Additionally, UNICEF found 300,000 girls and boys were married before 18 in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018.

Removing an age limit only opens up doors for these statistics to grow. GOP states are clearly making moves to take the country in the opposite direction.

“The Sexual Assault Center does not believe the age of consent for marriage should be any younger than it already is. It makes children more vulnerable to coercion and manipulation from predators, sexual and other,” the Sexual Assault Center of Middle Tennessee said in a statement to WKRN.

Dating is tough. Having to navigate dating someone who has different political views is even tougher. Let’s be real: If we’re allowed to be “choosy” about what it is about our partner’s appearance that attracts us, why not their mind and views? Apparently to some conservatives, it’s okay to be “picky” when it comes to choosing a partner appearance-wise, but god forbid you have an issue with their political views.

As always, conservatives have made simple things into a bigger issue. After a poll earlier this month revealed Democrats are less likely to date someone or befriend someone with different political views than Republicans, conservatives are in a frenzy.

They are obsessing over the fact that nearly a quarter of college students wouldn't be friends with someone who votes for the other presidential candidate. Not to mention 71% of Democrats wouldn't go on a date with someone with opposing views.

Many think this is ridiculous, but honestly, you can’t blame them. Unfortunately we are in a time in which many Republican views threaten the livelihood of communities, especially those who identify with marginalized ones. The case, as many argue, is it’s no longer about policy and views on legislation but fundamental human rights.

Why would I want to date someone who disagrees with not only my values but my mere existence? That may sound extreme, but in some cases it’s true. I’ve heard countless stories in which individuals have spoken beyond negatively about DREAMS only to realize they are dating one.

I have also befriended many people who make Islamophobic comments only for them to realize I am Muslim. Apparently since I do not always fit the stereotypical Muslim appearance, many do not realize I identify as such and think it’s okay to speak ill of Islam. Newsflash: Whether or not I identify with a specific faith should not matter. You shouldn’t be so ignorant in the first place to bad mouth an entire religion. Even if I weren’t Muslim, it definitely would not make it okay to make Islamophobic or xenophobic comments.

Sorry not sorry, but I am one of those people who avoids dating and befriending individuals who voted for Trump. I merely cannot understand how one could support someone who has contributed to so much hate across the country. I am sure there are some “nice” people who voted for Trump, but they are not compatible with me. If I see Trump on your dating profile, it’s an automatic swipe left.

While some may think befriending someone from another party or with different views allows one to have dialogue, that’s not always the case. Sometimes it can negatively impact one’s mental health or create further conflict. It shouldn’t be your job to defend your views to someone constantly, especially if you care about them. Just like you have the ability to have your own views, you should have the ability to choose who you allow into your circle.

Yes of course, it does create a partisan divide as Axios has noted, which could result in distrust in the U.S. However, the reality is even if people have not admitted this before, politics has always impacted dating.

Millennials and college students may be more open to admitting it, but this has been a trend for generations. Identity has always impacted the way one goes about dating or befriending individuals.

Historically, even interracial relationships were looked down upon in the U.S. A 1958 Gallup poll found that just 4% of Americans approved of interracial marriages. That number increased to 94% this year.

With time all things change, and who knows—if Republicans get their act together, maybe a divide can be avoided. Kos has asked this before, but would you date someone with an opposing political view, or someone who voted for Trump?

While health care workers have been providing care for thousands across the country, little to no care is available for them—especially mental health care. In the past two years, hospitals nationwide struggled with a rise in hospitalizations due to the COVID-19 virus, alongside reports of continuous staff shortages. As unvaccinated individuals continue to fill hospitals and fight with health care professionals, exhaustion and lack of support have left health care workers struggling with their own problems. States with the highest COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates were seeing more resignations than any others, Daily Kos reported.

In an effort to help community members and local caregivers facing stress and other issues, Seattle therapist Shelley Green started taking appointments with health care workers in fall 2020. Green, who felt fortunate that she could do her teletherapy work from the comfort of her home, offered therapy services free of charge.

During this time, she learned that health care workers were not only afraid of bringing the coronavirus home but felt unsupported and “left to die” by public officials. Most recently, Green told the Seattle Times these workers’ grief and pain had turned to anger, as people across the nation refuse to wear a mask or get vaccinated.

Green’s clients are not alone in how they feel. According to a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicineon Thursday, repeated exposure to sickness and death, along with a sense of fear and anxiety during the pandemic, contribute to mental health issues of people in the workforce.

The study surveyed more than 500 frontline workers across 47 states between September 2020 and February 2021. While researchers didn’t formally diagnose the participants, they asked them to complete four standardized psychiatric assessments, a pandemic-specific questionnaire, and questions about their professions.

The study noted that more than half of frontline health care workers and about 40% of first responders, like firefighters and paramedics, say the pandemic has decreased their willingness or ability to stick with their careers. Additionally, one in five nurses say it’s “not at all likely” they’ll still be working in their field in five to 10 years; about 17% of first responders say the same.

“Everyone is quitting,” Laura Wood, a social worker at the Swedish Cherry Hill medical campus in Seattle, told the Seattle Times. She noted that nurses, emergency department technicians, respiratory therapists and social workers are leaving “left and right. Our staff is so burned out. We’re just so tired.”

Researchers hope that the survey and other data will allow for more resources and support to be available for health care workers.

“We don’t need to protect people from every aspect [of their jobs],” Dr. Rebecca Hendrickson, a physician and researcher at VA Puget Sound Health Care System and assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said. Hendrickson helped lead the study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

“If you can increase the amount of support people have … you can make a really big difference in people’s experiences and people’s ability to recover and cope effectively with the trauma they’re experiencing as part of their job.”

But this news is not new, as health care workers have been pleading for help for months.

Multiple studies have found that health care workers are feeling burnout and stress at accelerated rates due to the pandemic. Since the start, health care workers have expressed that hospitals are not only overcrowded but short-staffed, with many nurses and others having to make quick and difficult decisions, including who to treat first, Daily Kos reported.

The study also found that more than 12% of health care workers, and nearly 20% of first responders, reported thinking about hurting themselves or that they would be better off dead at least several days during the past two weeks.

“It was just kind of overwhelming and a red flag,” Hendrickson said. “We have an urgent need to address these issues both because there’s just a really high level of suffering and distress … and we have a moral obligation as a society to address this type of suffering in people who have worked hard to protect all of us during this pandemic.”

Many health care workers feel a sort of stigma about taking care of themselves because they feel as though they have a duty to help others, Green noted. So even as they experience burnout they continue to work, to the detriment of their own mental health.

“She was like, ‘It’s just so hard for us. We’re always the last ones to seek what we need because we see ourselves as providing what other people need,’” Green said about one person she talked to.

Health care workers need our support. No one should feel like they have been “left to die,” especially those who are working day and night to support the well-being of others. If you have any ideas about how to support local health care workers, drop a comment below.

Accountability is on the rise. Days after a well-known North Carolina judge was accused of attempting to drive over Black Lives Matter protesters, another judge made headlines for not one but numerous allegations. Talladega County Probate Judge Randy Jinks was suspended for making sexist and racist comments to employees, according to a 78-page complaint filed by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission.

But that's not the end of it. Jinks has made headlines again, this time because a court ruled that he must be removed from the bench. He was removed after the Judiciary Court ruled he had violated numerous Canons of Judicial Ethics and created a hostile work environment by demeaning both employees and citizens. The Friday ruling was not only unanimous but very rare in the state of Alabama, as judges almost never get removed.

The decision follows a complaint issued in March in which Jinks was accused of "frequent inappropriate demeanor," with more than 100 allegations of creating a toxic and hostile environment. Jinks allegedly not only initiated racist conversations, including remarks about the Black Lives Matter movement, but talked about pornography and women, NBC News reported.

His remarks were caught on a tape in which he not only spoke openly about his political views (including supporting the 'Stop the Steal' movement), but repeatedly made inappropriate comments to the office's only Black employee, a clerk. He even apparently had a tantrum over a missing sandwich, which he allegedly blamed the clerk for stealing.

According to the complaint document, in one instance Jinks allegedly minimized the police killing of George Floyd.

"I don't see anything wrong with the police killing [Floyd]," Jinks told an employee during a phone conversation, the report said. He allegedly also referred to Floyd as "just another thug" and said "he pretty much got what he deserved." The complaint report also noted that Jinks would mouth the n-word when referring to Black people and told a deputy clerk that Black people get benefits and welfare "because of the color of their skin."

Prior to his suspension, Jinks denied that he made that remark, telling the commission, "There exists no excuse for the killing of George Floyd, that watching the video is sickening, unconscionable, inhumane and horrifying."

In an interview in March with WOTM-TV, he said: "I'm the same Randy you know — the same Randy you voted for and supported two years ago. I am a decent person. I am very respectful around women. I do not use racial slurs. I do not go off on tirades in the office. I do get mad if someone steals my food."

He added that while he has "made some errors...the majority of these vicious, vile and vulgar accusations are nothing to fear." Apparently unfazed by the possible consequences, he continued: "They can say what they want, they can't hurt me."

Yet recordings confirmed otherwise.

Additionally, when Jinks' only Black employee bought a new car in 2019, the judge allegedly asked him if he sold drugs to afford it. "What you doing, selling drugs?" he asked Darrius Pearson, who had testified that in May 2019.

He also reportedly agreed when another employee referred to the same Black employee as a "typical lazy, good-for-nothing Black man," the complaint stated.

The complaint also highlighted allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior in the workplace, stating that the judge's "inappropriate demeanor disgusts, embarrasses, and upsets those employees who have routinely witness it."

According to the document, the judge frequently spoke about his sexual preference to employees and detailed his physical relationship with his wife. He even allegedly sent a video of a woman performing a striptease to an employee and insisted that he watch it even though the employee said he was busy with work. In another incident, he told an employee he liked the way a woman "burnt his sausage."

While Jinks claimed his comments were made during private conversations, evidence showed that they were made during work hours and at the workplace.

Jinks was infamous for unprofessional conduct, including often cursing at his employees.

In its ruling Friday the court said that while Jinks had been accused of having a "racially insensitive demeanor," the court felt as though his actions far exceeded that. It ordered that Jinks not only pay for the hearing but be removed from the bench immediately. "Although the complaint alleges 'racially insensitive demeanor,' this Court is of the opinion that Judge Jinks' conduct rose above racial insensitivity," the court said in its final judgment.

Jinks, who was sworn into office in 2019, has overseen adoptions and guardianships, mental health commitments, and the issuing of marriage licenses. He does not have a legal background. According to NBC News, having a legal background is not a requirement for probate judges in nearly all counties in Alabama.

Despite the evidence, numerous complaints, and March suspension, Jinks failed to acknowledge what was wrong with his behavior. In a Saturday statement, his lawyer claimed that prior to being in office and openly identifying as a Republican he had "never been accused of being racist"

"Judge Jinks' remarks were taken completely out of context and cast in a light calculated to besmirch the judge's character and further the accusatory employees attempts to remove him from office," Jinks' lawyer Amanda Hardy said.

She added that "closer scrutiny should have led to a more measured response to this case." According to Hardy, Jinks is still deciding whether to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Alabama.

The situation with anti-vaxxers is just getting worse and worse. Across the country, anti-vaxxers have been targeting school district and health officials who promote masks in schools under the guise of protecting their 'rights' as parents. But these misguided parents aren't the only ones targeting the vaccinated: Some actual schools are targeting not only parents who support masks, but teachers and students who wish to be vaccinated.

After making headlines in April for barring teachers who got the COVID-19 vaccine from interacting with students, a Miami private school announced last week that children who are vaccinated will have to stay home for 30 days after each shot.

The announcement first reported by local news outlet WSVN was shared via an email to parents, warning them that if they are "considering the vaccine for your Centner Academy student(s), we ask that you hold off until the Summer when there will be time for the potential transmission or shedding onto others to decrease."

According to school officials, the quarantine is being placed because of concerns of vaccine side effects and spread of COVID-19, in addition to fears that children who are vaccinated pose a threat to those who are not.

"Because of the potential impact on other students and our school community, vaccinated students will need to stay at home for 30 days post-vaccination for each dose and booster they receive and may return to school after 30 days as long as the student is healthy and symptom-free," the letter to parents from Center Academy read.

In a statement to The Washington Post, David Centner, one of the school's co-founders, reiterated the concern over COVID-19 spread, claiming the policy was based on "numerous anecdotal cases that have been in circulation." "The school is not opining as to whether unexplained phenomena have a basis in fact, however we prefer to err on the side of caution when making decisions that impact the health of the school community," Centner said.

While these false claims and myths have been debunked multiple times by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which noted that coronavirus does not "shed or release any of their components" through air or skin contact, such conspiracy theories are rampant, especially in Florida. Additionally, since none of the three vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration use live viruses, the CDC has confirmed that they cannot make one sick with COVID-19.

"What happens 30 days after they get vaccinated? What kind of nonsense is this?" Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert at Florida International University, said. "Where did they get that? There's nothing in the recommendations to that… they made that up. That's science fiction, not even science fiction because it's pure fiction."

In April, the Centner Academy said employees who got the vaccine after April 22 would not be allowed to return to work at the school. However, the private school later told WSVN that teachers and employees who did decide to get vaccinated would not be fired, just not allowed to work with students.

That letter sent in April also included misleading claims that unvaccinated women have experienced miscarriages and other reproductive issues from standing near vaccinated people.

Despite its anti-vaxx ideology and targeting of those who get vaccinated, school officials claimed they are not anti-vaxx.

In the letter to parents regarding the vaccine quarantine, school officials referred to COVID-19 vaccines as "experimental vaccines" and claimed that while they respect the choice of individuals to get vaccinated, they were concerned about the entire school community.

"Centner Academy's top priorities are our students' well-being and their sense of safety within our educational environment. We will continue to act in accordance with these priorities. The email that was sent to families today was grounded in these priorities," a co-owner of the school told WSVN.

The letter follows various recommendations from health officials and research proving that vaccines are the most efficient way to not only stop the spread of COVID-19 but prevent one from getting it.

"I don't find the letter interesting, I find it sad," Marty said. "I find it terrible that there's all this misleading information coming out of an institution that allegedly is an educational institution." Marty continued: "The technology is not new. The technology is well established and it's based on the best science we have."

Children nationwide are being infected with COVID-19 at alarming rates, causing many schools to close down within days of opening. In Miami alone, more than 2,000 students have been infected with the virus.

As of this report, Florida has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 infection nationwide with a daily average of 2,600 new cases reported, according to data compiled by The New York Times.

At one point, health care workers here and abroad were receiving standing ovations and loud cheers for helping to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Now, these same health care workers and professionals on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 are facing consistent harassment and threats from imbittered COVID-19 deniers.

Across the country, doctors, nurses, and other health care staff are dealing with violence and threats from patients over rules designed to keep the virus at bay, and worse, for not administering unapproved treatments that some patients demand.

"A year ago, we're health care heroes, and everybody's clapping for us," Dr. Stu Coffman, a Dallas-based emergency room physician, told the Associated Press. "And now we're being in some areas harassed and disbelieved and ridiculed for what we're trying to do, which is just depressing and frustrating."

Coffman isn't alone. Thousands of health care workers nationwide have reported abuse. Due to pandemic stress, burnout, and constant violence, some are even leaving their jobs—resulting in widespread hospital staff shortages nationwide.

According to data compiled by the CDC, nearly a quarter of public health workers said they felt bullied, threatened, or harassed because of their work since the pandemic began. Additionally, of the 26,174 public health workers surveyed across the U.S., 23.4% said they'd been threatened or harassed, and 11.8% said they'd received job-related threats.

"I get threatened every day at work," Tom Kelsch, an emergency department nurse, told the Michigan Advance. "They say, 'I know where you live; I'll be visiting you.' They say they're going to come and kill me; they say, 'I know where you park and what you drive.' It's pretty awful what we deal with. I've been spit on."

While Kelsh shared that such incidents are not new to him and that even patients facing extreme and life-threatening pain can lash out, he noted that the violence has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I started working in the [emergency room] 11 years ago, and every year it was slightly getting worse with patients verbally assaulting us, physically assaulting us — but since the pandemic started, it has gone up tenfold," he said.

While assaults on health care workers are not a new phenomenon and have been a concern for years, hospitals nationwide have reported higher rates of violence since the start of the pandemic. Some hospitals have even resorted to supplying staff members with panic buttons in light of the situation. A Missouri hospital provided its employees with panic buttons that immediately alert hospital security after assaults on health care workers increased drastically, the Associated Press reported.

According to a February report by the Geneva-based Insecurity Insight and the University of California, Berkeley's Human Rights Center, more than 1,100 threats or acts of violence against health care workers or facilities were reported in 2020. Almost half of those attacks were related to COVID-19, researchers found.

Health care workers are attributing the rise to misinformation about the pandemic and its "miracle" cures.

"When our staff experiences cursing, screaming, physical abuse, 'I am going to get my gun,' a knife pulled on them—it is terrifying," Jane McCurley, chief nurse executive for Methodist Healthcare System, told local CBS affiliate KENS5. McCurley noted that hostility mainly came from guidelines for masking, visitation policies, or wait times.

The situation is even worse for Asian American health care workers, who face hate not only because of their profession but also for their race, thanks to heightened xenophobia and racist messaging attributed to the pandemic in conservative circles. One Filipino American registered nurse and a specialist in nursing informatics in Floral Park, New York, told CNN that the rise in crimes against both health care workers and Asian Americans made her feel unsafe, prompting her to stop taking public transportation and begin carrying pepper spray.

While Kathleen Begonia shared that she's experienced racism her whole life, she said it is disheartening that those she treats could be her perpetrators. "I actually signed up to take self-defense classes because I still carry my childhood experiences of racism with me," Begonia said. "I don't trust that anyone else can take care of me, not even police, so I make sure that I can defend myself. I run every day and keep fit in case I need to defend myself."

"Thinking about how we are nurses taking care of anyone who comes into the hospital—it can be infuriating. The very people who insult us in public can also become vulnerable themselves and require our care," Begonia said. "So, when I see people hurting the Asian American community, it saddens me because we are also your health care providers."

Health care professionals outside of the hospital are also facing hate and threats with anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers threatening and attacking them just for encouraging children to wear masks in schools. Health care workers should not have to face violence for saving individuals and helping to stop the spread of a pandemic.

Another day, another anti-vaxxer death. As the delta variant continues to spread across the country, anti-vaxxers are not only filling up hospitals but facing death. Almost every day, news of a popular anti-vaxxer being hospitalized or dying as a result of COVID-19 seems to make headlines.

In the most recent incident, two YouTubers from Alabama who were popular for online resale tips died as a result of COVID-19 days after they posted a video confirming they would never get vaccinated, AL.com reported. "We are ALIVE and still Reselling on eBay," the couple said in their last video.

The couple, Dusty Graham and Tristan Graham, known as "Alabama Pickers," posted quite a few videos on their YouTube channel denying COVID-19.

The channel has since then been taken down, but their last video remains online reposted through other accounts, including the channel "Vaxx Mann." That channel belongs to the website sorryanitvaxxer.com, which is dedicated to resharing social media posts from people who publicly opposed the COVID-19 vaccine only to later die from the virus.

According to a GoFundMe page set up by their children, Dusty died Thursday after battling COVID-19 for three weeks. His wife had "passed suddenly in her sleep" weeks earlier due to coronavirus complications on Aug. 25.

"Unfortunately Dusty and Tristan have both passed away," the couple's daughter, Windsor Graham, said. "Thank you for all the kind words and helping us during this difficult time. We will be using the money to pay for funeral expenses." The announcement of their deaths follows an announcement from Dusty weeks earlier that he was in the ICU "battling it [COVID-19] out."

The 90-minute video came days before his announcement and addressed in detail why the couple would never get vaccinated and their stance on other COVID-19 measures. "Still haven't gotten the you know what," Dusty said before mimicking a syringe jab. "Still not planning on getting it."

"I've got my own passport. It's called the 'Bill of Rights.' I think this will be all behind us in a couple of years," Dusty continued, referring to his birth certificate. His comments were made around the 41:30 mark.

"I think this will be all behind us in a couple years," Dusty added. "Then they'll be like you don't need that anymore," referring to vaccine passports.

Dusty Graham also claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine is "technically not" a vaccine and called it an "immunity therapy." He noted that both he and his wife survived without a vaccine for a year alongside friends who had contracted the virus. They even spoke about Tristan's cancer trauma and that being a reason why they did not need to be vaccinated.

We are ALIVE and still Reselling on eBaywww.youtube.com

Sadly, like others who have refused to get vaccinated, the couple died shortly after their anti-vaxxer comments. Stories like this should be a warning to anti-vaxxers, but unfortunately, they're not. While many have regretted not being vaccinated on their deathbed, some did not have that opportunity.

At this time, more than 90% of all coronavirus-related hospitalizations are made up of unvaccinated individuals. While getting the COVID-19 vaccine does not prevent coronavirus, reports have indicated symptoms are less severe for those who are vaccinated. As a result, health care professionals are urging individuals to get vaccinated before it's too late.

Talk about perfect timing. During a hearing on the FBI's mishandling of allegations against Larry Nassar, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse raised questions about whether the Nassar investigation was the only FBI case that was bungled. Whitehouse used the investigation of former USA Gymnastics team doctor and convicted pedophile Nassar to question the legitimacy of the FBI's 2018 background check into Brett Kavanaugh, wondering if that investigation might have been "just as flawed."

"It strikes me very strongly as we sit here today, and as we heard the powerful testimony earlier this morning, that the last time a woman came forward in this committee to testify to her allegations of sexual assault in her childhood, the witness was Christine Blasey Ford," Whitehouse said.

"It appeared to me then, and it appears to me now that her testimony was swept under the rug in a confirmation stampede," he added. "It is very possible that the FBI investigation of her allegations was just as flawed, just as constrained, just as inappropriate, as the investigation in this case."

Whitehouse demanded answers regarding the non-investigation of then-Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh and called out FBI Director Christopher Wray over the bureau's investigation of Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.

Whitehouse noted that he repeatedly requested more information about the FBI's investigation into Ford's allegations but had been ignored for two years before finally receiving a response yesterday.

"Not coincidentally, I suspect, on the eve of your appearance today," Whitehouse said to Wray.

During the testimony against Nassar, Wray said that he felt "heartsick and furious" once he learned of the agency's failures toward pursuing justice. However, he didn't acknowledge the fault he or the agency as a whole had in the botched investigation and blamed individuals who "betrayed the core duty that they have of protecting people." But he did vow to "make damn sure that everybody at the FBI remembers what happened here in heartbreaking detail."

Whitehouse took this as an opportunity to raise questions about Kavanaugh.

"Let's just make sure there's wasn't also a botched handling of another allegation in this committee with regard to Dr. Ford," Whitehouse said after questioning the legitimacy of investigations in the case.

But Whitehouse was not the only one. Other lawmakers also questioned Wray over the bureau's handling of the Kavanaugh probe, including the claim that the FBI lacked the authority to conduct a deeper background investigation into the then-nominee.

Kavanaugh was confirmed to his lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court in October 2018 by a vote of 50-48, helping secure a conservative majority on the bench.

According to The Guardian, the bureau claimed that a 2010 Memorandum of Understanding prevented it from performing a deeper investigation into allegations of misconduct. According to a letter to Whitehouse and Sen. Chris Coons at the time, the FBI said that it did not have the authority under the MOU to "unilaterally conduct further investigative activity absent instructions from the requesting entity." It claimed special instructions were needed from then-president Donald Trump under 2010 guidelines on how such investigations could be conducted.

But despite this, Whitehouse has stood his ground and even told The Guardian he would not stop asking questions until the director answers them.

"In its years-late response to our questions, the FBI leaned hard on the notion that this MOU limited its authority to be the FBI and investigate wrongdoing. Now that we have the MOU, it's even harder to understand the Bureau's excuses for ignoring credible information it received. Director Wray ought to be ready to answer my questions about this episode – I won't stop asking until he does."

Whitehouse made a promise to Ford in 2018 following Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation to pursue the thorough investigation of her sexual assault allegations. He said he would do "whatever's in my power to make sure your claims get a full and proper investigation." Whitehouse was suspicious that the tip line set up for information about Kavanaugh's background was "not for real." After issues found in Nassar's investigation, his suspicions grew stronger.

"This wasn't a tip line — this was a tip dump," Whitehouse told the Boston Globe in July. "It was a garbage chute from the tip line to the White House counsel's office, where they had no interest in conducting an investigation."

"For those of us in the Senate, it raises questions about the trustworthiness of FBI background investigations for nominees. If this is going to turn into a situation where the FBI can tank a background investigation by sending derogatory information to the White House and Congress never finds out, that is a poor setup for Senate trust."

Whitehouse added that the issue is still relevant three years after Kavanaugh's confirmation because that's how long it took for the FBI to respond to his questions. "It's not my fault — it's their fault," he said. "This should have come out immediately."

It seems like tabloids and magazines aren't the only ones concerned with just appearances. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has become the talk of the town after making an appearance at a military parade this week, looking a lot slimmer.

Of course, one of the first outlets to report on his new look and focus solely on that rather than his numerous human rights violations is Fox News. "He's fit, he's fun, and he's fascist!" Rachel Campos-Duffy said on "Primetime." She continued in what sounded like the commentary for a fashion show. "Take a look at Kim Jong Un flaunting his new tan and slim physique at the North Korean military parade." She even showed images of the dictator, noting that "after this photo op, many might start calling him Slim Jong Un."

The show's guest Jimmy Failla, a comedian, said he didn't buy it, to which Campos-Duffy argued he not only looked good but said: "I'm sorry, he looks better than our president!"

According to Human Rights Watch, North Korea is "among the world's most repressive countries."

A 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry found that the government committed violations amounting to crimes against humanity, including extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, rape, and forced abortions. North Korea operates secret prison camps where presumed government opponents face torture, forced labor, and starvation.

Various reports have been written on the human rights abuses committed by Kim Jong Un's regime, including one by the United Nations calling the abuses "unspeakable atrocities."

That Fox focused on his appearance instead of his list of violence was outrageous, but it didn't come as a surprise given their reporting history and lack of focusing on the facts. What came as a bigger surprise is they were not the only ones.

Outlets across the country focused on Kim Jong Un's appearance, including CBS News, Bloomberg, and the Associated Press.

And the biggest of all surprises— to me at least— CNN! "Shows off dramatic new weight loss" sounds like the headline of a magazine you'd find at the side of a grocery store cash register if you ask me.

Of course, the praise didn't go unnoticed. Many chimed in on the comments, especially those by Campos-Duffy— focusing on his weight loss is one thing but comparing him to Joe Biden another.

The reactions on Twitter are endless, but while most are focusing on Fox News, some are questioning what the other outlets were thinking.

The question most Twitter users are asking is, how much are outlets getting paid or threatened for this coverage?

After making headlines for allegedly being part of a sex trafficking investigation, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is making headlines again and not just for his marriage. Days after reports of Gaetz eloping with Ginger Luckey, the congressman who confirmed he was under investigation in April on allegations of trafficking a minor for sex made headlines this week for failing to report his book sales—a minor federal violation.

Gaetz committed the crime when he failed to include information about advances, royalties, or terms of agreement with the publisher of his book in a recent financial disclosure submitted on Aug. 10. After questions arose about the missing information, Gaetz amended the disclosure and refiled it on Aug. 16.

Members of Congress must file their annual House financial disclosure reports by Aug. 13, Business Insider reported.

"The law is clear that book royalty income must be disclosed," Kedric Payne, general counsel and senior director of Ethics at Campaign Legal Center, told Insider. "Indeed, it is difficult to think of a recent example when a lawmaker did not disclose such income. It is well established that voters have a right to know all sources of income for their elected officials."

In 2020, Gaetz published Firebrand: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the MAGA Revolution, celebrating not only the MAGA movement but with insight into his "fun loving" bachelor days in Congress. In the book, he not only describes himself as having an "active social life" but advised members of Congress not to date their staff.

"It's risky to date in a town where there's potentially a thin line between love and blackmail, or at least love and bad PR," Gaetz wrote. "I knew going in how many people had been brought down by sexual missteps in this town, so I set some rules to help me err on the safe(r) side."

"In Washington, safe sex means in part: no dating lobbyists, no dating your staff members, and I should have added no dating reporters, but I didn't at first," he continued. "I'm a representative, not a monk."

It is ironic that Gaetz would offer dating advice from the perspective of a successful ladies' man since he's accused of paying a minor for sex—an allegation for which his former friend and associate Joel Greenberg provided evidence to prosecutors in the case. Gaetz denied and defended himself against in an op-ed published in April.

The book was promoted by Donald Trump and his minions, with idiots like Donald Trump Jr. describing the book as a "must-read." But despite the praise, it seems Trump's fan base didn't buy it—literally. According to the amended disclosure, Gaetz made $25,000 in royalties. Firebrand is currently ranked #69,486 in Amazon's Books category.

The number comes as a surprise since the RNC often boosts book sales of its members. Even Tom Cotton a Republican from Arkansas made $202,500 in royalties from his book, Sacred Duty: A Soldier's Tour at Arlington National Cemetery.

It's clear now why Gaetz didn't include his book sales—he was probably embarrassed. But of course, his office gave no reason for why the information was initially missing despite inquiries from different news outlets.

"There was additional documentation needed from the Congressman's book publisher," Jillian Lane Wyant, chief of staff to Gaetz, told Insider. "We are in the process of receiving that information and amending the Congressman's financial disclosure now."

Not only were the reported royalties low, but according to a breakdown by The Daily Beast, the amended document itself raises questions. According to the amended financial report, Gaetz was awarded 60% royalties by his publisher, more than double the typical hardcover royalty rates. Not only do the numbers not make sense, but if Gaetz did only earn $25,000, that means he sold 6,000 copies or fewer of his book over several months. It's also worth noting that Firebrand was released at an industry-standard $27; less than one year from its on-shelf date, hardcovers cost around $8 on Amazon.

While Gaetz's sales may be low, he's not the first member of Congress not to disclose where he's making money outside of his congressional salary. The Ethics in Government Act requires members of Congress to disclose where they're making money for everything from book deals to stock trades; despite this, many Republicans have a history of failing to disclose their financial earnings. Additionally, for lawmakers to accept royalties, permission must be granted ahead of time by ethics officials under "usual and customary contractual terms," The Daily Beast reported.

In the end, it is unlikely Gaetz will suffer any consequences for failing to include the book earnings in his original report now that he has belatedly filed an amendment.

"Filing an incomplete financial disclosure report is a violation of both the Ethics in Government Act and the House rules," Brett Kappel, an attorney who specializes in government compliance at Harmon Curran, said. "The fact that Rep. Gaetz quickly filed an amended report, however, likely means he will suffer no consequences."

With food insecurity already present in the U.S., the coronavirus only worsened the issue nationwide. According to NPR, food insecurity more than doubled due to the economic crisis COVID-19 inflicted, impacting as many as 23% of households this year. Joe Biden and his administration announced changes to the United States' food stamp program and its nutrition standards Monday to address the issue.

The changes will increase average benefits for food stamps in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program by more than 25%. This permanent increase in the levels of assistance is the largest single increase in the program's history. Average monthly per-person benefits will rise from $121 to $157. Starting in October, the changes will be available indefinitely to all 42 million SNAP beneficiaries, The New York Timesreported.

"It's in our collective best interest to make sure that we're helping folks through difficult times," Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday. According to the Times, enrollment in SNAP has more than doubled since the early 2000s, and about 43% of beneficiaries are children. Throughout the pandemic, people relied on government assistance to feed their families.

Activists noted that previous levels of pre-pandemic SNAP assistance weren't enough for families to survive and be healthy. Many households were forced to choose cheaper, less nutritious options or simply go hungry to have enough food. According to the Times, more than three-quarters of households in the program report using up their benefits in the first half of the monthly cycle.

Additionally, nearly 90% of SNAP recipients report running out of benefits by the end of the month. Advocates say this figure depicts the disconnect between the program calculations and its recipients' lived experience.

"This outmoded food plan has limited SNAP's purchasing power and made unrealistic assumptions about the cost of food, the time it takes to plan and prepare meals, and the constraints faced by time-strapped working families," Lisa Davis, senior vice president of hunger charity Share Our Strength, said. "An updated Thrifty Food Plan would better reflect the way families live today, where working households do not have unlimited hours to prepare food from scratch, and modern dietary guidelines advise a wider variety of foods."

Benefits are awarded on a sliding scale; the adjustments raise the maximum amount to $835 a month for a family of four, an increase of 21%.

The changes come at a time where multiple coronavirus relief bills will be ending. But while coronavirus relief bills increased the number of people receiving the maximum amount of benefits, they did not expand SNAP funding for the 40% of recipients who already qualified for this maximum,The Washington Postreported.

Monday's announced revisions come under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Thrifty Food Plan, a list of 58 food groups the government uses to estimate the cost of an economical and nutritious diet. Vilsack noted that changes to the algorithm were needed since families now have different consumption patterns than when the program was last updated. The program was last updated in 2006. Before that, it relied on data from 1999.

They follow a law passed by Congress in 2018 that ordered the Agriculture Department to complete a program review within four years. In his first month of office, Biden told the department to speed up the process so that benefits "reflect the true cost of a basic healthy diet."

"We know this is a program that reduces poverty, we know this is a program that improves health outcomes for kids, we know based on the data that it also results in better educational achievement because kids are fed," Vilsack said.

The new plan will increase the program's costs by about $20 billion a year, Vilsack confirmed. He added that the program's $79 billion annual costs would help "stabilize our democracy."

Increasing SNAP benefits not only works to end national hunger but severely impacts the overall health of children. Balanced nutrition is proven to improve testing scores and lower hospital admissions and other troubles children face.

"Plain and simple, this is totally a game-changing moment," Jamie Bussel, a senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropy focused on health, said. "The changes have enormous potential to reduce, and potentially eliminate, child hunger and poverty in this country. This will reflect much more accurately what food actually costs in communities."

I hate to stereotype them all, but Republicans across the country have garnered reputations for their lack of empathy towards humanity. However, one GOP official has allegedly taken it to the next level. A Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate is under investigation in connection with a fatal motor vehicle accident in which he claims he wasn't involved … although a motorcycle was found stuck to the front of his car.

According to the Associated Press, Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Charlie Gerow, who announced his candidacy last month, shared Friday that he is cooperating with police in an investigation into an accident during which a motorcyclist was killed. While Gerow claims he had no involvement, he apparently drove several miles with the motorcycle stuck to the front of his car, a witness told Spotlight PA.

The witness, a highway construction worker, was working on the turnpike when he saw that a motorcycle was "sitting upright, with the side stuck into the front of the car." He said he and his crew watched in disbelief as sparks flew from the car, which was traveling at a high rate of speed.

"It was a big motorcycle, too. There were a bunch of sparks. And it was very loud," Nicholas Forgette, the witness, told Spotlight PA. As a result of the accident, the highway was closed for several hours.

Forgette also told the outlet that he saw Gerow's Mercedes pulled over by state police several miles down the road from where he first saw the car pass. He said Gerow was sitting on a guardrail, stone-faced and "kind of disconnected."

Pennsylvania state police officials have released little to no information about the incident outside of confirming a vehicle belonged to Gerow. The accident occurred Wednesday night, but how the crash happened has not yet been made public.

According to a police news release, the victim—identified a 30-year-old Logan Carl Abbott—died as a result of multiple blunt impacts. Toxicology tests on the victim are pending.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Gerow said he "looks forward to the State Police completing their investigation and is confident that the investigation will confirm that he was not the cause (of) the accident." He did not comment on the motorcycle being stuck to his car or why he did not notice it while driving for several miles.

According to the AP, Gerow's gubernatorial campaign is his first statewide campaign after running unsuccessfully for Congress and the state legislature. Driving for miles without realizing he had a motorcycle attached to his grill is not a good look.

At the start of the pandemic, multiple cruise lines made headlines for having passengers or crew members on board who tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the cruise lines were forced to either dock at the nearest port or delay their trips. The struggle continues, with a Royal Caribbean International cruise delaying its inaugural sailing of the Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19. But the twist is that all eight members who tested positive were vaccinated, officials said Tuesday, according to NBC News.

In a statement posted to Facebook Tuesday, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Michael Bayley said the situation was "two steps forward and one step back." All crew members were to be fully vaccinated by June 18; however, before the date of departure could arrive, at least eight tested positive, two with mild symptoms and six who were asymptomatic. Bayley noted that the "positive cases were identified after the vaccination was given and before they were fully effective."

All eight have quarantined and are being closely monitored by a medical team, but the company has delayed the ship's first trip from July 3 to July 31 in order for all crew members to observe quarantine and prevent further infection."While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests," Bayley said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it is rare for people to test positive for COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated, but not impossible. Such cases are known as breakthrough infections. Out of more than 130 million people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in the U.S., only 10,262 have reported breakthrough infections, the CDC said in May, NBC News reported.

While many Republican governors are against companies requiring passengers to prove they have been vaccinated, the CDC and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission support their ability to do so. While Royal Caribbean has set up guidelines for its cruises, including it being mandatory for all guests over 16 to be fully vaccinated, the rules do not apply in Florida. Florida's exception follows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive order that bans companies from asking people for proof of vaccination.

According to the company, starting August 1 the age requirement for vaccinated guests will be 12 years or older. Younger passengers who are not yet eligible for the vaccine will be allowed to sail with a negative test as long as they follow safety regulations.

"Guests eligible but not fully vaccinated or able to show proof of vaccination will be subject to testing and additional health protocols at their own expense," the company said. "Children not eligible for vaccines will be subject to complimentary testing and health protocols."

This isn't the first time Royal Caribbean has faced a similar situation. Last week the company's first cruise ship from Miami had two passengers test positive for coronavirus despite the entire ship being filled with "fully vaccinated" crew and adult guests, CBS News reported. Guests were required to show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before sailing from St. Maarten.

Cruise ships have been considered superspreaders for the novel coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and were not given the go-ahead to resume operations until May, according to NBC News. In order to avoid being a superspreader ship, CDC guidelines require that 95% of ship passengers should be fully vaccinated prior to sailing. Additionally, everyone on the ship, whether or not they are vaccinated, is advised to wear a mask.

The incident goes to show that just because you're vaccinated doesn't mean you cannot be infected by the novel coronavirus. Despite things opening up and safety regulations easing down, we are still in a global pandemic.

After a hospital followed through on its warning to suspend and terminate any employee who did not abide by its mandatory vaccination policy, anti-vaxxers attempted to pursue a lawsuit. The employees involved in the suit claimed that it violated their rights to be told by an employer that they must be vaccinated. But, despite their confidence that the Houston Methodist hospital did not have the right to require them to be vaccinated in order to work, they were wrong.

In the country's first ruling on vaccine mandates, a Texas judge dismissed the lawsuit creating a precedent for similar cases nationwide. In the lawsuit employees of the Houston Methodist, one of the first hospital systems in the country to require all employees to be vaccinated, attempted to challenge the company's mandatory vaccination policy. The company suspended more than 170 employees last week after months of warning them that they had until June 7 to be fully vaccinated. Once suspended, the employees were told they would have until June 21 to complete their vaccinations or risk termination, Daily Kos reported.

Despite the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission supporting policies that employers could require "all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19," at least 117 employees of the company attempted to sue the hospital claiming it violated state policy and made them "human guinea pigs."

According to the plaintiffs, federal law prohibits employees from being required to get vaccinated without full U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the vaccines. While the lawsuit was filed in Texas state court, it was moved to federal court at Houston Methodist's request. As a result, U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes ruled Saturday that federal law does not prevent employers from issuing that mandate because the law in question did not apply to private employers.

"The hospital's employees are not participants in a human trial," Hughes wrote. "They are licensed doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and staff members. The hospital has not applied to test the COVID-19 vaccines on its employees."

He continued that the mandate was a way to make the environment safer for both employees and patients. "This is not coercion. Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the Covid-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safer."

Hughes' ruling addressed each and every one of the plaintiffs' arguments including the vaccination requirement violating Texas law and a comparison to forced medical experiments in Nazi Germany. "Equating the injection requirement to medical experimentation in concentration camps is reprehensible," Hughes wrote. "Nazi doctors conducted medical experiments on victims that caused pain, mutilation, permanent disability, and in many cases, death."

Ultimately Hughes concluded that the plaintiffs "misconstrued" the law and "misrepresented the facts" and "will take nothing" from the hospital. If they had an issue with the policies in place, they should seek employment elsewhere, he wrote.

Upon hearing the ruling, lead plaintiff Jennifer Bridges noted that she would continue to fight her case. "This doesn't surprise me," she told USA Today. "Methodist is a very large company, and they are pretty well-protected in a lot of areas. We knew this was going to be a huge fight, and we are prepared to fight it." Bridges has also started a petition against mandatory vaccinations by employers.

In response to the ruling, attorney and conservative activist Jared Woodfill who represents her and the other 116 plaintiffs said: "We took the position that it shouldn't be dismissed for a whole host of reasons and we believe that forcing an individual to participate in a vaccine trial is illegal."

"This is the first battle in a long fight," Woodfill continued. "There are going to be many battles fought. Not just in this courtroom, but in courtrooms all across the state. There are battles that are going to be fought in the higher courts, the 5th Circuit, the Texas Supreme Court, even the United States Supreme Court. So this is just one battle in a larger war. It's the first round, if you will."

Woodfill confirmed that they would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court "if necessary."

So despite the judge noting and clearly addressing that they had no case, the plaintiffs refuse to back down.

The employees who were suspended from their roles made up only 1% of the hospital's total number of employees, according to Houston Methodist CEO Marc Boom. Boom noted that many other hospitals are working on similar initiatives but were only waiting on this case's verdict to take action. "We can now put this behind us and continue our focus on unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation," Boom said after the ruling. "Our employees and physicians made their decisions for our patients, who are always at the center of everything we do."

According to CBS News, as of this report, nearly 25,000 Houston Methodist employees had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and at least two employees who worked in management chose to leave rather than receive the vaccine.

As social media platforms finally take to cracking down on conspiracy theories, right-wing propaganda has found a new home. Conspiracy theorists are flooding TikTok, a popular social media application known for its short videos, with misinformation and alt-right propaganda.

While this seems harmless as propaganda is not new to social media, the issue is these videos are making their way to a number of audiences because of TikTok's recommendation algorithm. The algorism encourages users to follow accounts that are in their area or similar to their interests, by pushing multiple conspiracy theory accounts, TikTok's algorithm is spreading extremist misinformation at a rapid rate, according to Media Matters. As a result, far-right conspiracy theories are creating massive communities on and offline.

The videos are mostly known on the platform as "ConspiracyTok" come from a community that regularly discusses conspiracy theories. According to Media Matters, while some accounts are dedicated to theories of why the earth is flat others are more harmful and spread misinformation about cultures and identities, including COVID-19. That in itself is harmful to the country specifically, Asian Americans who have been discriminated against and targeted due to these theories, however as TikTok's algorithm promotes these videos more harm is done as misinformation reaches broader and often more vulnerable audiences.

A majority of TikTok users are GenZ users that are subject to influence from social media, as algorithms target youth members misinformation can have dire consequences. A fact it seems many alt-right TikTok users are taking advantage of. It only takes one video for a person's entire feed to be filled with "ConspiracyTok." The way TikTok's account recommendation algorithm works is individual users are recommended to one another by not only distance but potential interest.

Meaning if you accidentally even stumble on one video you most likely will end up seeing more in the future. Additionally, if a user follows someone they are more likely to get recommendations of similar accounts. This has caused the massive spread of not only anti-vax misinformation but, QAnon-related theories, COVID-19 denial, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

Of course, TikTok is working to ban and has banned many alt-right users from spreading misinformation but the issue is that this misinformation is not always easy to catch.

According to Media Matters, many conspiracy theorists pose as harmless users by posting a variety of content. This prevents them from being flagged as not all their content is controversial. For example, "Conscious Content" is an account with over 11,300 followers, whose bio reads: "Learn and inspire!" With videos about TV shows and other random information, one would never assume that this account belonged to a conspiracy theorist, but a deeper dive shows that the user suggests conspiracies such as believing that Jeffery Epstein was an Israeli spy.

This is not a sole example, other users have similar patterns of camouflage, Media Matters reported. As TikTok and other social media platforms crack down on alt-right individuals, they are coming up with more unique ways to push their agenda.

Under the guise of anything, alt-right community members are spreading misinformation and pushing conspiracy theories on not only the government but health and other issues. An easy way to find these users is by noting the hashtags they commonly use on videos, but again the issue comes down to these users cleverly diversifying their feeds to include different types of content and different tags as well. Doing so not only protects them from being tagged as a conspiracy account but also allows them to reach a broader audience.

If an account describes itself as a lifestyle account, a person who follows similar accounts may unknowingly follow it not realizing it is meant to spread conspiracy theories. In this way slowly when the account does post the theories in its agenda, a user will see them without having had the intention to.

This has been documented throughout TikTok's history with COVID-19 misinformation especially being a huge documented problem. While at first videos focused on COVID-19 and its spread they now focus on misinformation to do with the vaccine. "This shot will rearrange your DNA. They've planned this for one hundred years, it is the mark of the beast," one user ember_inside_me1 said. The account has over 27,500 followers.

According to research published in 2014 by the University of Chicago, about "half of the American public consistently endorses at least one conspiracy theory." So one is likely to come across conspiracy theories in one way or another, but the issue is how harmful they can be to the development of some individuals, especially if they are not aware. Studies have found that many youth and young adults get their news from social media, with the spread of misinformation poses a risk of whether or not some understand the difference between fact and conspiracy. Because many conspiracists gain the trust of social media users by depicting a multitude of content, conspiracy theories are more likely to be accepted by them when shared.

By not addressing the issue more thoroughly, TikTok is failing its users. According to Media Matters, while many extremist users on the app, including the ones mentioned in this report, are banned it does not prevent their content from being circulated. TikTok needs to do better, especially to protect its youth. Of course, it is impossible to remove all conspiracy from the view of social media users, more needs to be done to make users aware of what content they are seeing. TikTok's algorithm does more harm than good and needs to be redeveloped to consider the potential risks it poses.

A Connecticut lawmaker is under fire after making a xenophobic comment during a public hearing before the Planning and Development Committee meeting on Monday. The public hearing was meant to discuss potential legislation that addressed segregated housing.

In response to a discussion on why Greenwich doesn't have a larger Black population and the Greenwich Housing Authority board chairman Sam Romeo arguing that minorities make up 37% of the city's population, Democratic Rep. Michael Winkler said: "You count Asians and other minorities that have never been discriminated against." Winkler made the comment in an attempt to argue with Romeo, who claimed racism was not a reason why the town had housing segregation because minorities accounted for 37%. But while doing so he erased the discrimination minorities including Asians have faced.

According to CNN, the comment left other officials and lawmakers shocked and outraged that a state representative would downplay the racism Asian Americans are currently facing and have faced throughout history.

"I will just pause just for a moment and say I think that there have been a number of minority groups who have faced discrimination over time, and particularly, I think, in light of what happened in Atlanta last week," Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, a Democrat who chairs the committee, said in response to the comment.

Others chimed in including Republican Sen. Tony Hwang who called the comments absolutely "unacceptable." "Let me be clear, racism against anyone, and bias, is never acceptable," Hwang said demanding an apology.

While Winkler did eventually apologize, he initially did not have any intention to and stood his ground. He claimed that every immigrant group in the country has been discriminated against but his focus is on "the most oppressed." He failed to realize the xenophobia present in his comment which erased discrimination faced by Asian Americans and other groups.

"Every immigrant group that has come in has risen through and above the Blacks, while other immigrant groups, one after the other—the Polish, the Irish, whatever—came in and rose up. Blacks have always been at the bottom and remain there." Winkler said. "And so, they're the group that I look to when I'm trying to judge how well people are doing for the most downtrodden, the most oppressed."

The exchange continued with Hwang sharing he was "appalled" that Winkler didn't "feel a compulsion or an understanding to apologize to Asian Americans that you just disparaged because you believe they have been discriminated less."

Later in the meeting when Winker finally apologized, he noted that "discrimination against Asian Americans is very real. And I never meant to indicate otherwise."

But despite this late apology, what Winkler said cannot be erased. In a statement released on Tuesday, Attorney General William Tong called Winkler's comments ignorant and said he "cannot believe that Representative Winkler would say that Asian-Americans do not count and have not been discriminated against."

"Let me assure you that Asian-Americans count and the hate and discrimination against us is real, and it has gotten people hurt and killed," Tong said. "The history of bias and hate against Asian-Americans in this country is long and largely visible, an unfortunate reality that has been highlighted by the ignorant comments made by Rep. Winkler," he continued.

Tong referenced historical examples of discrimination and racism the AAPI community has faced including the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of Japanese Americansduring World War II, and the beating death of Vincent Chin, alongside the horrific Atlanta shootings from last week.

"The myth of the so-called 'model-minority' is a dangerous fiction that for too long has allowed this country to erase and ignore this shameful history. I invite Representative Winkler to seize this moment as a teaching opportunity, to educate himself by speaking to his Asian-American neighbors and colleagues, and to commit to joining me and others in fighting discrimination in all forms," Tong said.

Following the backlash from community members and lawmakers, Winkler shared the following statement with CNN in an effort to apologize to the APPI community: "My comments are inexcusable, especially with the recent rise in violence against Asian Americans," he said. "There is a long, painful history of Asian-Americans experiencing racism in this country, and I sincerely regret that I ignored that history and those experiences in my comments.

"Moving forward, I want to work to ensure that I truly understand and recognize the experiences of those who unfortunately know what it's like to be discriminated against in areas such as work, education, housing and more," he added.

The AAPI community has faced generations of violence in the U.S. Stereotypes can be traced to what scholars call the "yellow peril," an ideology from the 19th century, where white folks claimed things from Asia were a great threat to the white world. Historians and other academics found that this ideology, amongst other xenophobia, influenced U.S. policies on the basis "that Chinese people as a race, no matter where they are, are disease carriers." As a result, anti-Asian laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 were enacted to block Asian immigration, Daily Kos reported.

While the Black community has no doubt faced extreme and consistent discrimination in this country and continues to be victim to state-sanctioned and other violence, that does not mean other communities are not being discriminated against. In order to highlight and address the discrimination one community is facing we do not need to downplay what others have or are experiencing. The ranking or judging of one group's experience of discrimination to another is not appropriate and not the right way to address issues faced by minority communities. Black Lives Matter and the fight for justice for Black communities will continue despite efforts to address issues faced by other minorities as well. Claiming a group has "never been discriminated against" just to highlight the injustices Black people have historically faced is unacceptable. There are other and better ways to address violence against Black people without minimizing the trauma of other communities. America must do better.

In a weird turn of events, Enrique Tarrio, a chairman for the extremist organization Proud Boys, who organized a massive event in Portland, Oregon, last year, has a past as an informer for federal and local law enforcement, Reuters reported. A federal court proceeding transcript from 2014, obtained by the outlet, found that Tarrio had been working undercover for investigators since his arrest in 2012.

During the Miami hearing, a federal prosecutor, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, and Tarrio's lawyer detailed Tarrio's undercover work and claimed he had helped authorities prosecute at least 13 people in multiple cases involving drugs, gambling, and human smuggling.

However, in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, Tarrio denied working undercover and providing information on others. "I don't know any of this," he said, referring to what was shared in the transcript. "I don't recall any of this."

According to the transcript, both the prosecutor and Tarrio's defense attorney requested a reduction in Tarrio's prison statement due to his involvement as an informant. While Tarrio acknowledged the reduction in his sentence from 30 months to 16 months, he insisted it was made because he and his co-defendants cleared up questions about their own case.

In regards to a smuggling case, Jeffrey Feiler, Tarrio's attorney, said that Tarrio, "at his own risk, in an undercover role met and negotiated to pay $11,000 to members of that ring to bring in fictitious family members of his from another country. "

Oddly enough, not only do the court transcripts contradict Tarrio's denial, but so do statements from the federal prosecutor.

"He cooperated with local and federal law enforcement, to aid in the prosecution of those running other, separate criminal enterprises, ranging from running marijuana grow houses in Miami to operating pharmaceutical fraud schemes," prosecutor Vanessa Singh Johannes confirmed to Reuters.

Tarrio gained public attention after becoming the national chairman for the Proud Boys in 2018. The group began gaining further national attention after Donald Trump mentioned the hate group during a presidential debate. Instead of denouncing white supremacy as he was asked to do, Trump gave the group orders: "Proud Boys: Stand back and stand by," he said. "But I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing [problem]."

As a violent Trump supporter, Tarrio organized protests and other events and encouraged a "war" after Trump lost the election last year. While he was arrested on Jan. 4, two days before the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, by Washington police, at least five Proud Boys members were charged in the riot. Tarrio was charged with possessing two high-capacity rifle magazines and burning a Black Lives Matter banner during a protest in December. It's interesting how convenient it was that he was arrested before other serious crimes took place. While there is no evidence that he has cooperated with federal authorities since his Miami hearing, the timing of his arrest makes one wonder if he was still working with the FBI.

Additionally, the documents discovered by Reuters shed light on the fact that the leader of the Proud Boys group has repeatedly said in interviews he would never let police know of Proud Boys' plans, but he may have been collaborating with criminal investigators on multiple occasions in the past.

"Well if you're in the Proud Boys, you've gotta be pretty nervous," said Kendall Coffey, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, according to NBC News. "Because if this person was working as a confidential informant, almost like an undercover agent or secret agent, you are wondering, 'What is it that he could be saying about us some day?'"

If he was, there is no doubt that Tarrio has now denied helping law enforcement out of fear of backlash.

In a statement to Reuters, Johannes noted that she was surprised to see that the defendant, who she prosecuted in the past, has been a key contributor to violent political movements. "I knew that he was a fraudster, but had no reason to know that he was also a domestic terrorist," she said.

Officials are still in the process of investigating the role extremist groups like the Proud Boys played in the insurrection of the Capitol. While Tarrio wasn't present during the incident, he did make a trip to Washington, D.C. days prior. Who knows what his plans were then. Even if he did help investigators in the past, that does not dismiss the actions he has carried out or encouraged in these last few years.

So far, at least 150 people have been charged in association with the crimes committed at the Capitol at the start of this month. Despite what charges the rioters who invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6 face, the conspiracy theories, groups, and ideology they followed still remain. Until those factors are addressed, violence of this nature will continue.

2020 has been a year of ongoing protests and demonstrations for change across the globe. It has also been the year the world saw not only the largest but longest single protest to date. For almost a month now, tens of thousands of farmers in India have marched and protested against three bills passed in India's parliament in September. Since their start in late November, the protests have spread from the Indian capital of New Delhi to other parts of the country and garnered global attention. More than 250 million people across India have participated in not only the ongoing protest but in 24-hour strikes to show solidarity. According to Reuters, nearly 30 people have died as a result of freezing temperatures and at least 10 have died in accidents near protest sites

Despite the severe cold weather, farmers from the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan have vowed to stay camped outside of national highways until the laws are repealed. "It's very difficult to camp out in this weather, but we aren't scared," Balbir Singh, an octogenarian from the Patiala district of Punjab, told Reuters. "We won't go back until our demands are met. Even if we have to die here, we will."

The bills in question include the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act. While the first two laws expand on the marketing infrastructure provided by India's state-level governments and enable direct marketing of farm products to processors, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, and exporters, the third law works to facilitate the production, movement, and distribution of farm produce by removing existing regulatory barriers. As a result, farmers' already depressed wealth is further reduced.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi argues that under these laws the agricultural system will be streamlined and farmers will have more freedom to sell their goods at any price directly to private businesses, as opposed to having to sell their produce through auction, known as the "mandi system." However, farmers argue that these bills will collectively privatize the agricultural system, making them vulnerable to corporate exploitation.

Additionally, under the new laws large corporations can dominate the market by driving down prices and diminishing any advantage farmers had at setting their own produce prices. This will add to India's growing unemployment and the debt the farming community is already facing.

According to Al Jazeera, many farmers argue the current state-controlled "mandi system" needs reform within the food supply chain to give farmers more options to sell their crops to make a profit, and that these new laws will only further disempower farmers economically and within the agricultural system as a whole.

Despite consistent development in the tech sector, agriculture still remains the largest source of income for most Indians, employing more than one-half of the subcontinent's workforce. However, despite feeding a significant portion of India's economy and people, farmers themselves have struggled for years, often bearing debts and losses as a result of not only marketed goods but severe weather changes resulting from climate change.

While Modi and his corrupt government maintain that these laws will protect farmers, these farmers, who are often elderly, refuse to stop protesting until their demands are met. "We're worried no one will buy our produce, and that we'll go into debt," Harinder Singh, general secretary of a Punjabi farmers union, told NPR. "We want the government to repeal these laws."

Similar to protests in the U.S. in which peaceful demonstrators are met with police-induced violence, protesters in India have faced harsh and violent retaliation from the government. At the start of the protest on Nov. 25 when marchers first reached New Delhi, police officials not only used tear gas and water cannons against protesters but damaged roads outside the city to prevent them from entering. Photos and videos went viral on social media depicting the brutal tactics police officials were using, including beating protesters. Despite this, farmers and their allies continued to march on and were even filmed feeding some of the officers who beat them.

As a result of global attention and the ongoing protest being the largest and longest one in human history, talks between representatives of a farmers union and government officials are scheduled to take place this week. This has come as a shock to many South Asians, as the Modi government is not known to talk about issues and instead inflict violence on protesters of its policies.

While these protests are taking place mainly in India and are in favor of Indian farmers, it is important to note that they impact conditions and people outside of the country. "The pandemic has shown us that there are two economies," Simran Jeet Singh, a scholar of religion and history currently teaching at Union Seminary, told CNN. "Essential workers across the world are suffering. The farmers in India represent all of them, and their resistance to unjust legislation that privileges the uber-wealthy corporations is a resistance that speaks to so many of us all over the world."

Not only is India one of the world's largest producers and exporters of spices, but the places in which these protests are happening lead the world's export in Basmati rice and milk. Outside of food, these herbs are used for homeopathy and medical practices as well. Odds are that something in your home was made in India and would not have been had these farmers been protesting earlier. These protests impact not only the livelihood of farmers in India but also how you receive the goods you use on a daily basis, whether it be spices or cotton found in your clothing or bed sheets.

"Even if you don't feel a personal connection to India or the farmers out there like many of us do, as a human being who lives on earth you should be concerned about exploitation of the people who feed you everyday," Ramanpreet Kaur, a Sikh Punjabi woman in New York, told CNN.

People from all across the world including the U.S. are partaking in solidarity movements with these farmers because even if you do not consume the goods they produce, this is a humanitarian issue. Human beings should always be valued over corporations. A number of nonprofit organizations like Khalsa Aid are working to provide protesters and organizers with food and other supplies. Even if you cannot protest, you can help these farmers in a number of ways, including donating to organizations that help the families impacted such as Sahaita. Whether you are Indian or not should not matter: Exploitation should not be ignored.

Despite increases in COVID-19 cases across the country, some people are committed to large gatherings. Christian pastor Sean Feucht has once again hosted a prayer protest at which he claims thousands were in attendance. The Sunday protest entitled "Let Us Worship" included live music with no social distancing between packed, unmasked crowds. Individuals gathered at the city's Public Square Park to protest safety measures in place in religious institutions in efforts to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Footage of the event has gone viral on social media with no masks in sight as people gather around what looks like a concert stage. "We had THREE venue changes and so much resistance BUT THE CHURCH WILL NOT BE SILENCED!" Feucht said in a tweet Sunday about the event.

According to The Tennessean, California-based Feucht hosted the event in Nashville despite not having a permit to do so. As a result, the Metro Public Health Department is investigating the incident. "We have worked very hard to slow the spread of COVID by taking a measured approach to protect the community," the health department told The Tennessean. "The Health Department is very concerned by the actions that took place at the event and we are investigating and will pursue appropriate penalties against the organizer."

Nashville has limited gatherings without city approval to 25 people, CBS News reported. Approved events can have a maximum of 500 people, but masks are required. Dr. Alex Jahangir, leader of the city's coronavirus task force, expressed concern about the gathering, especially during a time when the state has seen an increase in cases. Jahangir told The Tennessean he was unaware of the event until Monday morning. "Any time there are a lot of people together, without masks, I have concerns, and that holds true in this scenario," Jahangir said. "From the pictures I saw online, good Lord, did you see people wearing masks? I didn't. That is not helpful to our cause."

Police Chief John Drake also noted the irresponsible behavior as the police department was not present at the event. "I am greatly disappointed that the organizer of Sunday's event and those in attendance did not better prioritize their health and the health of others through social distancing and the wearing of face coverings," he said Monday, according to NBC News. "Personal responsibility is a necessity regardless of the purpose for a public event."

Last month Daily Kos reported on other events hosted by Feucht, including an event described as a rock concert in California where thousands attended without COVID-19 precautions. According to Feucht's website, he also hosted an event in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday and plans to host more in South Carolina, Missouri, and Washington, D.C. Feucht's "Let Us Worship" tour is spreading more than freedom of faith across the country—it's spreading COVID-19.

As my colleague Marissa noted, some religious leaders across the country have resorted to ignoring coronavirus regulations. COVID-19 cases nationwide have been linked to these events, which often violate public health rules, including social distancing, mandatory masks, and limits on those in attendance. Just a day after the event's occurrence, The Tennessean reported an increase of more than 250 cases within 24 hours; this has resulted in health officials being "very concerned" about the increase in numbers this event will bring.

A video from the event shared on YouTube depicts a crowd of all ages gathered at the Nashville courthouse Sunday:

#LETUSWORSHIP - Sean Feucht - Nashville, TNyoutu.be

Days after mocking former Vice President Joe Biden for wearing a mask during the presidential debate, Donald Trump tweeted he tested positive for COVID-19. Trump has continuously downplayed the severity of the virus and who is susceptible. Having denied the importance of social distancing and mask-wearing, it only serves him right to go be infected. But while Trump shared the news of his test results Friday, days before he fundraised and made visits across state lines as part of his presidential campaign, potentially putting thousands at risk.

But Donald wasn't the only Trump family member who made local visits; Ivanka Trump visited three North Carolina businesses less than 24 hours prior to the announcement as well. The news of Trump and the first lady testing positive has resulted in at least three businesses to close for "deep cleaning," including one that reportedly houses immunocompromised or individuals with Down's Syndrome, the Daily Beast reported.

Holy Angels, the local nonprofit that owns the three businesses Ivanka visited, announced on Facebook Friday that the Cherubs Cage, Cotton Candy Factory, and Bliss Gallery would close for the day in order to sanitize the spaces. According to theCharlotte Business Journal, Holy Angels provides a number of services including medical assistance, housing, education, and employment opportunities for disabled individuals.

"As a precaution, we will be performing a deep cleaning of Cherubs Café, Cotton Candy Factory and Bliss Gallery today. While our protocols have always exceeded the CDC Guidelines, we want to ensure the safety of our employees and customers," Holy Angels posted on Facebook, after learning of Trump's diagnosis. The organization added that they voluntarily chose to close to "conduct this deep cleaning" although they were not required to. "When we reopen on Saturday, rest assured that we have done our very best to protect our loyal customers and our dedicated employees," Holy Angels said.

But while Holy Angels seemed comfortable enough to reopen so quickly despite the potential risks associated with Ivanka's visit, others felt differently. "She went to all of those places knowing that two people in her innermost circle, including her own father who she'd been around with no mask, tested positive for covid," comedian Fortune Feimster tweeted of Ivanka's visits. The tweet has since been deleted.

In a statement Saturday, Trump's doctor expressed the president was in day three of his illness raising concern that both Trump and his family knew of the illness and gave it no concern while going about their daily lives. Following backlash of his comments, Trump's doctor conveniently tried to correct his earlier statement adding that Trump just learned of his diagnosis Friday.

White House officials shared Friday that both Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, tested negative for coronavirus but whether the couple took a test prior to their trip to North Carolina is unclear. According to Penn Medicine, depending on when you take the test could impact your chances of getting a negative result despite having the virus. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also stated that a person has the ability to transmit the virus during a time period where a test can not detect the infection.

According to NBC News affiliate WCNC, journalists who covered Ivanka's visit to the Holy Angels establishments received a call from the White House Saturday confirming that a member of the press who covered the event tested positive for COVID-19. This news increases the number of possible exposures as a result of Ivanka's visit to North Carolina. According to WCNC, almost everyone present during Ivanka's visit was wearing a mask, however, it is important to note that Tuesday during the presidential debate Trump's family and supporters including Ivanka took off their masks during the event.

After denying the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and failing to implement a national plan to fight it, members of the Trump administration who test positive for COVID-19 continue to grow.