NEW YOR K | DC EDITION
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In the News
NEWS
Ten Senate Republicans
have unveiled their $618 bil-
lion counterproposal to Presi-
dent Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion
pandemic relief plan. ... A5
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who
voted to impeach President
Donald Trump, has announced
the launch of a political action
committee to oppose the Re-
publican Party’s embrace of
Trump. ... A3
The number of reported
post-vaccination adverse
events and deaths hasn’t
changed federal officials’ view
on the safety of COVID-19
vaccines, the CDC says. ... A6
Trump has been nominated
for the Nobel Peace Prize by
an Estonian member of the
European Parliament. ... A7
Biden says he’s withdraw-
ing a package of spending
cuts worth $27.4 billion that
were proposed by Trump prior
to leaving office. ... A7
Mobile brokerage firm
Robinhood is essentially
“shooting itself in the foot”
by blocking users from pur-
chasing stocks of companies
such as GameStop Corp., an
analyst says. ... A7
Rep. Elise Stefanik has
called on New York Gov. An-
drew Cuomo to resign if a
federal investigation proves
there was a “criminal coverup”
of COVID-19-related nursing
home deaths. ... A5
More people have died in
January after contracting
COVID-19 in the United States
than in any other month since
the start of the pandemic, ac-
cording to a tracking project
housed at The Atlantic. ...A8
CHINA
A Shanghai district sur-
veyed its residents on their
willingness to take a COVID-19
vaccine, and the majority said
no. ...A9
Chinese citizens inter-
viewed by The Epoch Times
say they knew of more COV-
ID-19 cases than authorities
have reported, and suspect a
coverup. ...A9
BUSINESS
U.S. consumer spending fell
for a second straight month in
December amid restrictions
to slow the spread of COV-
ID-19, while inflation steadily
rose, according to the Com-
merce Department. ...A17
The number of Americans
who signed contracts to buy
homes declined slightly for
the fourth straight month, but
it was still a record high for
December, data shows. ... A17
OPINION
Diane Dimond: Get Ready
for Fights Over Criminal Jus-
tice Reform... A13
Salena Zito: The Lone Wan-
derers of the Revolution... A14
Paul Adams: Learning and
Belonging: Tradition and the
Individual ... A16
LIFESTYLE
President Donald Trump’s
executive order on civic archi-
tecture was something more
than 70 percent of Americans
would agree with. ...B1
The story of Hercules and
the Hydra offers insights into
the unintended consequences
of our pursuit of progress. ...B6
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| T U E S D A Y, F E B . 2 , 2 0 21
ECONOMY
All but 3 States See Higher
Over-the-Year Unemployment
Bureau of Labor statistics suggest discrepancy between red and blue states in
unemployment rates, with the top 10 all being states with Democrat governors
BY TOM OZIMEK
O
nly three states in the
union—all Republi-
can-led—saw unem-
ployment rates drop
or remain unchanged between
December 2019 and December
2020—South Dakota, Alaska, and
Nebraska, according to a recent
government report.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics,
part of the U.S. Department of La-
bor, said in a report last week that
over-the-year unemployment re-
mained unchanged in Nebraska,
fell by 0.3 percentage points in Alas-
ka, and dropped by 0.4 percentage
points in South Dakota—the state Continued on A2
FACEBOOK
Facebook’s
‘Supreme Court’
Overrules It
Users can appeal content
moderation to Oversight Board
BY MATTHEW VADUM
Facebook’s new “Supreme Court”
ruled against Facebook four out of
five times in its first batch of con-
tent-moderation rulings released
Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington
on April 11, 2018.
DONALD TRUMP
WH Reviewing Whether to Cut Trump Off From Intelligence Briefs
BY IVAN PENTCHOUKOV
The White House is reviewing
whether to grant intelligence brief-
ings to former President Donald
Trump, according to White House
press secretary Jen Psaki.
“That’s under review, but there
was not a conclusion last I asked,”
Psaki told reporters on Feb. 1.
Former presidents receive routine
briefings and are able to access clas-
sified information.
Accuracy The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 as an independent newspaper with the goal to restore accuracy and
integrity in media. We have received numerous awards for our reporting, including from the Society of Professional
& Integrity Journalists, the Society for News Design, and the New York Press Association.
Truth & Tradition VOL . X V I I I | NO. 2,888 $1.
BRYAN WOOLSTON/REUTERS
CONGRESS
Biden’s
Nominees
Promptly
Confirmed,
So Far
Biden appointees far
ahead of Trump’s in 2017,
when Democrats used
parliamentary tactics to
delay confirmations
BY MARK TAPSCOTT
Senate Republicans are mounting
much less opposition to President
Joe Biden’s major appointees in
2021 than Democrats did against
President Donald Trump’s Cabinet
nominees in 2017.
Four of Biden’s top picks have
been confirmed quickly by the Sen-
People line up outside a career center hoping to find assistance with ate, which is split 50-50 between
their unemployment claims, in Frankfort, Ky. on June 18, 2020. Democrats and Republicans, with
Vice President Kamala Harris pro-
viding the tie-breaking vote that
also makes Sen. Chuck Schumer
(D-N.Y.) the Senate majority leader.
Director of National Intelligence
Avril Haines was confirmed just a
few hours after Biden took the oath
of office on Jan. 20, with Secretary
of Defense Lloyd Austin approved
by the Senate two days later on a
93–2 vote.
JAMES NORD/AP PHOTO Secretary of the Treasury Janet
with the lowest unemployment rate Yellen was approved on Jan. 25
in December 2020. on an 84–15 vote, and Secretary
Red states top the chart in terms of State Antony Blinken was con-
of the lowest unemployment rates firmed on Jan. 26 by a vote of 78–22.
(with Kansas, a blue state, the only Confirmation hearings are be-
notable exception), while blue ing scheduled and held at a fairly
states occupy the bottom rungs. prompt pace as Senate Republi-
Nine out of 10 of the states with the cans, led by Senate Minority Leader
lowest rates of unemployment were Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), are care-
led by Republican governors: South fully picking their battles.
Dakota (3.0 percent), Nebraska (3.0), Only two of Biden’s Cabinet
Iowa (3.1), Vermont (3.1), Utah (3.6), nominees appear to face serious
Alabama (3.9), New Hampshire obstacles. Sen. Josh Hawley initially
(4.0), North Dakota (4.1), and Ar- placed a hold on Alejandro Mayor-
kansas (4.2). kas’ nomination as secretary of the
Kansas, the only Democrat-led Department of Homeland Security
state in the top 10, had a jobless South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gives a (DHS), but Schumer won a cloture
rate of 3.8 percent, a 0.7 percentage State of the State address in Pierre, S.D., vote on Dec. 28, 2020.
on Jan. 8, 2019. Continued on A2
to the public. BURMA
The company’s recently staffed
Oversight Board enjoys an indepen- US ‘Alarmed’ by Reports of Military
dent funding stream and the com-
pany can’t fire its members. Face-
Coup in Burma, ‘Will Take Action’ If
book has vowed to obey the board’s Steps Aren’t Reversed
rulings unless contrary to law.
Facebook currently has 2.7 bil- BY ZACHARY STIEBER In a statement, the army said it
lion users worldwide and 15,000 was responding to “election fraud.”
content moderators, according to U.S. President Joe Biden’s admin- Military chief Min Aung Hlaing was
Ars Technica. istration expressed alarm late Jan. taking power and planned to impose
The rulings dealing with take- 31 over reports of a military coup in a state of emergency for 12 months.
down decisions by content modera- Burma and promised to take action White House press secretary Jen
tors, who reportedly work in “sweat- if steps aren’t taken to Psaki said in a state-
shop” conditions, offer some insight reverse the situation. ment that the United
Continued on A3 According to Bur- The United States States was alarmed by
SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES mese military tele- stands with the reports that the Bur-
vision on Feb. 1, the mese military “has
military is taking con- people of Burma taken steps to under-
trol of the country for in their aspirations mine the country’s
one year. for democracy, democratic transi-
State Counsellor freedom, peace, and tion,” including the
Aung San Suu Kyi, the arrest of Suu Kyi and
nation’s top leader, and
development. other officials.
the country’s presi- Secretary of State Biden was briefed
dent, Win Myint, were Anthony Blinken by national security
both detained in the adviser Jake Sullivan
pre-dawn hours, as were members on the situation but hasn’t directly
of Suu Kyi’s ruling party and regional weighed in on the matter as of Feb. 1.
Cabinet members, according to The “We continue to affirm our strong
Irrawaddy news service. Continued on A4
SOCIAL MEDIA
STEVEN
House Intelligence Committee
Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-
deputy director of national intelli-
gence, who penned an open letter CROWDER
Calif.) said last month that Trump in The Washington Post, arguing
SUES
FACEBOOK
shouldn’t get intelligence briefings. that Trump should be cut off from
“There’s no circumstance in which further briefings on Jan. 20.
this president should get another in- She wrote that Trump shouldn’t be
telligence briefing, not now, not in briefed because he intends to remain “We will NOT
the future,” Schiff told CBS. “I don’t in politics, alleging, without offering self censor, we
think he can be trusted with it now, evidence, that “it is not clear that he will NOT be bullied, silenced
and in the future he certainly can’t understands the tradecraft to which or intimidated,” conservative
be trusted.” he has been exposed, the reasons host Steven Crowder said.
That view was echoed by Susan the knowledge he has acquired must Read more on A2
Gordon, Trump’s former principal Continued on A3
A2 | NATION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Biden’s Nominees Promptly Confirmed, So Far

DOUG MILLS-POOL/GETTY IMAGES

CONTINUED FROM A1 ment of President Trump’s

A final vote on confirma-
tion was to be held Feb. 1
but was delayed until Feb.
2 due to a winter storm that
blanketed the Washington,
D.C., region. A Feb. 2 vote
also will be held on Sec-
retary of Transportation
nominee Pete Buttigieg.
Xavier Becerra
is strongly op-
posed by several
Senate Republi-
cans due to his
long-standing
support for fed-
eral funding of
abortion-on-
demand.
Republicans pointed to a
2015 DHS inspector general
report that stated that May-
orkas, who was then deputy
secretary of the department,
had used his position to
benefit Democratic figures
such as former Virginia Gov.
Terry McAuliffe, and threat-
ened retaliation against ca-
reer DHS employees who
criticized his actions.
Former California At-
torney General Xavier
Becerra, Biden’s nominee
as secretary of the Depart-
ment of Health and Human
President Joe Biden stands with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin after signing an executive order in the Oval Office on Jan. 25, 2021.
Services (HHS) is strongly
opposed by several Sen-
ate Republicans due to his
long-standing support for
federal funding of abortion-
on-demand, and for his lack
of experience in the health
care industry.
Becerra also raised eye-
brows when he said the First
Amendment’s guarantee of
religious freedom applies
only to individuals, not to
churches or other religious
institutions.
Biden nominated Becerra
on Dec. 7, 2020, but a con-
firmation hearing hasn’t yet
been scheduled. Sen. Mike
Braun (R-Ind.) has encour-
aged Biden to withdraw the
nomination.
Even so, Biden is far ahead
of where Trump was at the
same point in the latter’s
presidency, and close to
how well President Barack
Obama, who Biden served
as vice president, fared with
his appointments. Demo-
crats controlled the Senate
in 2009, while Republicans
controlled it in 2017.
An analysis by Heritage
Action for America Execu-
tive Director Jessica An-
derson reveals a dramatic
contrast, as Senate Demo-
crats used every available
parliamentary procedural
tactic to delay consideration
of Trump’s nominees.
“Instead of working with
the Republican majority on
legislation, Senate Demo-
crats chose to weaponize
the confirmation process in
order to slow down enact-
conservative agenda in
the administration and in
Congress. The numbers bear
this out,” Anderson wrote on
Twitter on Feb. 1.
“In 2009, 12 of President
Obama’s nominees were
confirmed within his first
2 days in office. Only 2 of
President Trump’s nominees
were confirmed in his first 2
days in office. It took 25 days
before President Trump’s
12th Cabinet level nominee
was confirmed by the Sen-
ate,” Anderson wrote.
“Additionally, 16 out of 22
of Obama’s initial Cabinet-
level nominations were
confirmed in the Senate by
voice vote. In 2017, the Sen-
ate confirmed 0 of President
Trump’s 22 Cabinet-level
nominations by voice vote,”
Anderson added.
Trump’s Cabinet nomi-
nees required on average
more than 33 days to be
confirmed after being nomi-
nated. Only two, Secretary
of Defense (Ret.) Gen. Jim
Mattis and DHS chief John
Kelly were confirmed the
same day Trump was inau-
gurated.
U.S. Trade Representative
Robert Lighthizer required
111 days before the Senate
confirmed him, Agriculture
Secretary Sonny Perdue’s
nomination was stalled for
94 days, and Director of
National Intelligence (DNI)
Dan Coats for 54 days.

All but 3 States See Higher Over-the-Year
Unemployment
CONTINUED FROM A1
point rise in the measure com-
pared to December 2019.
The top 10 states with the high-
est unemployment rate in Decem-
ber 2020 were all led by Democrat
governors: Hawaii (9.3 percent),
Nevada (9.2), California (9.0), Colo-
rado (8.4), New Mexico (8.2), New
York (8.2), Rhode Island (8.1), Con-
necticut (8.0), Illinois (7.6), and New
Jersey (7.6).
Besides blue states having, in
general, the highest unemploy-
ment rates in December 2020, they
also had the highest over-the-year
growth in unemployment, the re-
port shows.
One theory is that blue states are
struggling with higher unemploy-
ment because they took more ag-
gressive steps in fighting the pan-
demic, with Democratic governors
tending to impose more stringent
restrictions than their Republican
counterparts.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem,
who has resisted imposing the kind
of lockdowns that have been seen in
other parts of the country, blamed
pandemic-related restrictions for
hurting the economy.
“Last year, we saw governments
all across the country shut down
people’s lives. American citizens
could not go to church, run their
business, or send their children to
school,” Noem wrote in a Jan. 8 op-
ed in The Federalist.
“COVID didn’t crush the econ-
omy. Government crushed the
economy,” she wrote, arguing that
Republicans “stand for your right
to earn a living and to do business.”
It’s a sentiment that was often ex-
pressed by former President Don-
ald Trump, notably during one of
his debates with then-candidate
President Joe Biden, when Trump
said, “They’re shut down so tight
and they’re dying.”
A study of lockdown measures
in the states was carried out by re-
searchers at the personal finance
site WalletHub in October 2020.
It concluded that the states with
the most rules tended to have the
highest unemployment rates.
Another theory for why unem-
ployment is higher in blue states
JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
People enjoy a drink at Hayley’s bar in Mobile, Ala., on Sept. 15, 2020.
CHUNG I HO/THE EPOCH TIMES
A barista works in an empty coffee shop in New York on Jan. 20, 2021.
had restrictions roughly on par with
other blue states, has fared rela-
Red states top the tively better. Its economy is driven
chart in terms of by manufacturing, contributing
the lowest unem- around $28 billion in quarterly GDP
compared to accommodation and
ployment rates, food services, which contribute
while blue states around $4 billion in quarterly GDP
occupy the bot- but which dropped to $2.5 billion
in the second quarter of 2020, at the
tom rungs. height of the lockdowns, while man-
ufacturing remained unchanged.
than in red states has to do with the Hawaii, on the other hand, which
fact that blue states tend to be more tops the unemployment table, looks
reliant on service industries, espe- much different in industry contri-
cially ones related to travel, leisure, bution to GDP, with arts, entertain-
and hospitality, which have been ment, recreation, accommodation,
hit by the pandemic disproportion- and food services accounting for
ately hard. nearly $9 billion in 2019, compared
This might go some ways toward to manufacturing, which contrib-
explaining why Kansas, which has uted just $1.7 billion.
Steven Crowder Announces Lawsuit
Against Facebook
JACK PHILLIPS
Conservative host Steven
Crowder said on Feb. 1 that he’s
suing Facebook over  “unfair
competition, fraud, false adver-
tising, and antitrust.”
Crowder attorney Bill Rich-
mond said on Crowder’s You-
Tube channel that the lawsuit
is “already initiated,” and he
accused the tech giant of false
advertising, antitrust violations,
unfair competition, and fraud.
“The key remedy is injunctive
relief (stop unfair/deceptive
acts). We’re also seeking seven-
figure monetary damages. The
goal here is forcing honesty and
clarity in policy application
and enforcement,” according to
Crowder’s website.
“Our broader point is that we
are pro-business but anti-fraud.
Facebook lured consumers and
creators to spend money and
provide data and views under
the promise of not engaging in
political, racial or religious bias
in enforcing their policies, but
they have done so both express-
ly and secretively, and hence,
the suit.”
In the YouTube clip, Crowder
said his Nov. 3 election livestream
was cut off in the midst of his
coverage. Crowder said he was
never provided a reason for why
the stream was taken down.
“They removed the biggest
stream that has ever existed,
from the biggest platform that’s
ever existed, with no reason,”
he said.
The Epoch Times has reached
out to Facebook for comment.
His website accused Facebook
of reducing the reach of certain
pages and favoring certain news
outlets over others.
A number of conservatives, in-
cluding then-President Donald
Trump, were suspended from
Facebook and other social media
platforms following the breach
of the Capitol on Jan. 6. Over the
years, conservatives have com-
plained that Big Tech firms are
censoring or throttling right-
wing news websites and pages,
prompting Trump and others to
consider repealing Section 230
We will NOT be
bullied.
Steven Crowder,
conservative host
of the Communications Decen-
cy Act that serves as a liability
shield for social media websites
and others.
“We’re prepared to take the
lawsuit as far as we need to,
including to the United States
Supreme Court,” Crowder’s site
stated.
Crowder made reference to
the lawsuit on Jan. 31, writing
on Twitter: “I do not know what
will happen February 2nd. But
tomorrow, we will NOT self cen-
sor, we will NOT be bullied, si-
lenced or intimidated. We will
kneel for NO one.”
Conservative commentator
Candace Owens in Novem-
ber 2020 announced a lawsuit
against Facebook’s “fact-check-
ers,” including USA Today and
Lead Stories—a website that
is funded, in part, by Chinese
Communist Party-linked firm
ByteDance.
“It is time to fact-check the
fact-checkers,” Owens said at
the time. “I’m going to put these
suckers through discovery and
figure out what the relationship
is that they have with Facebook.”
Crowder’s lawsuit is scheduled
to be filed in the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District
of California.
STEVENCROWDER/CC BY 3.0
Conservative host Steven Crowder.
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
Facebook’s
‘Supreme Court’
Overrules It,
Orders Banned
Posts Restored
CONTINUED FROM A1
into Facebook’s byzantine,
seemingly arbitrary con-
tent-moderation process in
which the company deletes
posts, offering vague justi-
fications for the censorship,
or without explaining why.
Conservatives say Facebook
engages in viewpoint dis-
crimination and frequently
censors posts on topics of
interest to them such as
election fraud and the legiti-
macy of the 2020 presidential
election, the CCP virus that
causes the disease COVID-19,
Black Lives Matter, and the
transgender movement. In
July 2019, Facebook banned
The Epoch Times from ad-
vertising, without giving clear
reasons for doing so.
Facebook removed a post
with the Declaration of In-
dependence in it in 2018 on
the grounds that America’s
founding document was hate
speech; it soon reversed that
decision after a public outcry.
Before that, Facebook took
down the iconic 1972 “Na-
palm Girl” photograph show-
ing children running from a
bombed-out village during
the Vietnam War, citing its
policy against child nudity.
The company reversed that
decision, too.
“After hearing from our
community, we looked
again at how our Commu-
nity Standards were applied
in this case,” Facebook said,
acknowledging “the history
and global importance of this
image in documenting a par-
ticular moment in time.”
In September 2019, Face-
book CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Then-President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Cabinet
Room of the White House on July 31, 2020.
White House Reviewing Trump
Access to Intelligence Briefings
CONTINUED FROM A1
be protected from disclo-
sure, or the intentions and
capabilities of adversaries
and competitors who will
use any means to advance
their interests at the expense
of ours.”
White House chief of staff
Ron Klain has previously said
that the Biden team would
check with intelligence pro-
fessionals before making a
decision.
“We’ll certainly look for a
recommendation from the
intelligence professionals in
the Biden administration,”
Klain told CNN on Jan. 17.
Trump’s Save America PAC
didn’t immediately respond to
an emailed request for com-
ment by The Epoch Times.
The campaign to cut Trump
off from intelligence briefings
is part of a larger effort to os-
tracize him from the public
unveiled his plan to create
the board.
“If someone disagrees with
a decision we’ve made, they
can appeal to us first, and
soon they will be able to
further appeal this to the in-
dependent board,” he wrote
in a letter at the time. “As an
independent organization,
we hope it gives people con-
fidence that their views will
be heard and that Facebook
doesn’t have the ultimate
power over their expression.”
Board members serve a
maximum of three three-
year terms each and are
paid an amount that the
company hasn’t disclosed.
The company is allowed
to seek an “automatic and
expedited review” in ex-
ceptional circumstances,
“when content could result
in urgent real-world con-
sequences,” such as, for
example, if someone were
live-streaming a murder.
In the only Oversight
Board ruling dealing with a
user from the United States,
Case Decision 2020-005-FB-
UA, that body reversed
Facebook’s decision to take
down a post that the com-
pany had claimed violated
its Community Standard on
Dangerous Individuals and
Organizations.
In October 2020, a user
had posted a quotation that
was incorrectly attributed to
Joseph Goebbels, the Reich
minister of propaganda in
Nazi Germany. It wasn’t ac-
companied by Nazi symbols
or even a photograph of Goe-
bbels, who killed himself in
1945 as the Soviet Army was
closing in on his location in
ANNA MONEYMAKER-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
and the government.
The Democrats last month
impeached Trump for the
second time in just over a
year, alleging that he incited
an insurrection and are seek-
ing a conviction in the Sen-
ate that would bar him from
holding public office. The
impeachment alleges that
Trump incited the mob that
broke into the Capitol on Jan.
6. In a speech that day, Trump
urged protesters to make
their voices heard peace-
fully. He has repeatedly con-
demned the violence since.
In the meantime, major
social media platforms have
banned Trump’s accounts,
cutting a direct line of com-
munication he had with
tens of millions of followers.
Trump has since announced,
through intermediaries, that
he intends to work with Re-
publicans to retake majorities
in Congress in 2022.
A sign at the entrance to Facebook’s corporate headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on March 21, 2018.
Berlin. The quotation, in Eng-
lish, claimed that, instead of
appealing to intellectuals,
arguments should appeal to
emotions and instincts, and
“that truth does not matter
and is subordinate to tactics
and psychology.”
The user, who wasn’t iden-
tified in the case decision,
said his or her intent was to
draw a comparison between
the sentiment in the quota-
tion and the presidency of
Donald Trump. The board
held that the quotation “did
not support the Nazi party’s
ideology or the regime’s acts
of hate and violence,” adding
that comments on the post
from the user’s friends sup-
ported the user’s claim that
he or she sought to compare
the Trump presidency to the
Nazi regime.
Facebook claimed that
posts sharing a quotation
attributed to a dangerous
individual are treated as ex-
pressing support for them,
unless the user provides ad-
ditional context to make their
intent explicit. The company
said it removed the post be-
cause the user didn’t make
clear that they shared the
quotation to condemn the
purported author of it, to
counter extremism or hate
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) in Washington on Sept. 16, 2020.
Kinzinger Starts PAC for
Conservatives Against Trump’s GOP
IVAN PENTCHOUKOV
One of the 10 House Re-
publicans who voted last
month to impeach Presi-
dent Donald Trump an-
nounced the start of a po-
litical action committee
(PAC) on Jan. 31 to oppose
the Republican Party’s em-
brace of Trump.
“The Republican Party
has lost its way,” Rep. Adam
Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said in a
video posted on the website
of the Country First PAC.
The six-minute video
mentions neither Trump’s
name nor any specific pol-
speech, or for academic or
news purposes.
The Oversight Board deter-
mined that “these rules were
not made sufficiently clear to
users.”
The board didn’t rely on
the First Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution, which
protects free speech in the
United States, instead refer-
encing documents adopted
by international bodies,
such as the U.N. Guiding
Principles on Business and
Human Rights, the Interna-
tional Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, and the In-
ternational Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms
of Racial Discrimination.
In Case Decision 2020-
002-FB-UA, the board over-
turned Facebook’s decision
to take down an October
2020 post from a user in
Myanmar who wrote that
“Muslims have something
wrong in their mindset,” ar-
guing that “Muslims should
be more concerned about the
genocide of Uighurs in China
and less focused on hot-but-
ton issues like French car-
toons mocking the Prophet
Muhammad.”
The post featured two
widely shared photographs
of a Syrian toddler of Kurd-
icy issues. In the remarks,
Kinzinger equated the
people who breached the
Capitol on Jan. 6 with the
Republican Party. Demo-
crats embraced the same
strategy in the wake of the
Capitol breach and im-
peached Trump, alleging
he incited an insurrec-
tion. Trump and Repub-
licans have consistently
condemned those who
breached the Capitol, in-
cluding on the day of the
incident.
Kinzinger also alleged,
without offering exam-
ples or evidence, that Re-
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Judi-
ciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administra-
tive Law on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 29, 2020.
ish ethnicity who drowned
attempting to reach Europe
in 2015.
Facebook removed the post
as anti-Muslim hate speech
but the board allowed it, de-
termining that it should be
viewed as “commentary on
the apparent inconsistency
between Muslims’ reactions
to events in France and in
China.” The board found
that while the post could
be deemed offensive, “it did
not reach the level of hate
speech.”
In Case Decision 2020-
003-FB-UA, the only board
ruling in favor of Facebook so
far, the body held a Novem-
KEVIN DIETSCH-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
publicans have embraced
conspiracy theories, out-
rage, and the politics of
personality.
“The party that always
spoke of a brighter tomor-
row, it no longer does. It
talks about a dark future
instead. Hope has given
way to fear. Outrage has re-
placed opportunity. Worst
of all, our deep convic-
tions are ignored. They’ve
been replaced by poison-
ous conspiracies and lies,”
Kinzinger said.
Kinzinger is 1 of 10 Re-
publicans being targeted
for primary challenges
NATION | A3
JOSH EDELSON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
ber 2020 post claiming Azer-
baijanis “are nomads and
have no history compared to
Armenians” and that urged
“an end to Azerbaijani ag-
gression and vandalism,”
was properly banned as hate
speech.
The post was made dur-
ing an armed conflict  last
year between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. The user posted
historical photographs de-
scribed as showing churches
in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Rus-
sian wording accompanying
the photos claimed that Ar-
menians built Baku and that
this heritage, including the
churches, was destroyed.
by the Fight Back Now
America PAC, which was
started by former Trump
campaign manager Corey
Lewandowski. The PAC
will first focus on defeated
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
Cheney released a state-
ment denouncing Trump
when she announced the
intention to vote to im-
peach the president.
The other House Republi-
cans who voted to impeach
the president are Reps. An-
thony Gonzalez (Ohio), Jai-
me Herrera Beutler (Wash.)
John Katko (N.Y.), Peter
Meijer (Mich.), Dan New-
house (Wash.), Tom Rice
(S.C.), Fred Upton (Mich.),
and David Valadao (Calif.).
Support for Trump is
strong in Congress and
among voters. Ninety-five
percent of Republicans in
the House voted against
impeachment, while in
the Senate, 45 Republicans
voted for a resolution call-
ing the impeachment trial
unconstitutional. More
than 4 in 5 GOP voters hold
a favorable view of Trump,
according to a Morning
Consult poll released on
Jan. 27.
Kinzinger has been a vo-
cal Trump critic and was
the only Republican to vote
for a resolution calling on
Vice President Mike Pence
to invoke the 25th Amend-
ment to remove Trump. He
told The Washington Post
last month that he has felt
isolated from his party in
the aftermath of his im-
peachment vote.
A4 | NATION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

US ‘Alarmed’, EU and UK Aung San Suu Kyi (L), Burma’s foreign minister,
walks with Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the military’s
Condemn Military Coup in Burma commander-in-chief, in Naypyitaw, Burma (also
known as Myanmar), on May 6, 2016.

AP PHOTO/AUNG SHINE OO, FILE

CONTINUED FROM A1

support for Burma’s democratic

institutions and, in coordination
with our regional partners, urge
the military and all other parties
to adhere to democratic norms and
the rule of law, and to release those
detained today,” Psaki said.

We continue to
affirm our strong
support for Bur-
ma’s democratic
institutions.
Jen Psaki, White House
press secretary

“The United States opposes any

attempt to alter the outcome of re-
cent elections or impede Myan-
mar’s democratic transition and
will take action against those
responsible if these steps are not
reversed. We are monitoring the
situation closely and stand with
the people of Burma, who have
already endured so much in their
quest for democracy and peace.”
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony
Blinken called on Burmese mili-
tary leaders “to release all govern-
ment officials and civil society
leaders and respect the will of the
people of Burma as expressed in
democratic elections on Nov. 8.”
“The United States stands with
the people of Burma in their aspi-
rations for democracy, freedom,
peace, and development. The
military must reverse these ac-
tions immediately,” he said in a
statement.
European Union governments
and the UK have also condemned
the military’s seizure of power in
Burma and demanded the imme-
diate release of people arrested in
raids across the country.
From tiny Luxembourg to Euro-
pean powers France and Germa-
ny, leaders and foreign ministers
reacted swiftly in statements and
on Twitter to criticize the coup, ex-
pressing grave concern but avoid-
ing details of a possible response.
“We call for the immediate re-
lease of all those detained and to
reestablish the democratic pro-
cess,” Spanish Prime Minister
Pedro Sánchez said.
EU foreign policy chief Josep
Borrell and European Commis-
sion President Ursula von der
Leyen, the head of the EU’s execu-
tive arm, also released statements
condemning the coup.
Borrell said that “democracy
must prevail,” and Danish For-
eign Minister Jeppe Kofod said,
“Military under civilian control is
a key democratic principle.”
Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie
Wilmes said EU governments
would now discuss their next
steps, but no ministers offered
any possible reprisals.
The EU is Burma’s third-biggest
trading partner and has given
the country special trade prefer-
ences, which could potentially be
removed, although such a process
likely wouldn’t be immediate.
British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson said: “I condemn the
coup and unlawful imprisonment
of civilians, including Aung San
Suu Kyi, in Myanmar. The vote of
the people must be respected and
civilian leaders released.”
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic
Raab said, “The democratic wish-
es of the people of Myanmar must
be respected, and the National As-
sembly peacefully re-convened.”
A spokesperson for the UK gov-
ernment urged the Burmese junta
to “respect the rule of law and hu-
man rights, and release those un-
lawfully detained.”
“We need to see the peaceful
reconvening of the National As-
sembly, respecting the results of
the November 2020 general elec-
tion and the expressed wishes
of the people of Myanmar,” the
spokesperson said in a statement.
Anna Roberts, executive direc-
tor of the Burma Campaign UK,
said the Burmese junta must not
be allowed to “get away with this
coup.”
“Every tool available needs to be
deployed to pressure the military,”
she said. “The British government
must now move quickly to sanc-
tion military companies, join the
genocide case at the International
Court of Justice, and build a coali-
tion of countries willing to impose
arms embargoes.”
Burma, also known as Myan-
mar, is in Southeast Asia adjacent
to Thailand and India, among oth-
er countries. It has a population of
about 54 million.
Suu Kyi, 75, originally took office
in 2016. Suu Kyi, the general secre-
tary of her party, had been placed
under house arrest for many years
in 1989 after the military refused
to hand over power following the
1988 elections.

CHUNG I HO/THE EPOCH TIMES

Homeland Security Authorizes TSA to Enforce

Joe Biden Mask Mandate
JACK PHILLIPS
The Department of Homeland
Security authorized the Trans-
portation Security Administra-
tion (TSA) to start enforcement of
President Joe Biden’s mask man-
date for U.S. travelers.
“TSA will fully comply with the
President’s Executive Orders, CDC
guidance, and the DHS National
Emergency determination to en-
sure healthy and secure travel
across all transportation sectors.
This will help prevent further
spread of COVID-19 and encour-
age a unified government re-
sponse,” Darby LaJoye, acting TSA
administrator, said in a statement.
“As we continue to experience
impacts from this pandemic, we
are committed to this measure as
the right thing to do for the TSA
workforce, for our industry stake-
holders, and for passengers.”
According to the TSA website,
face coverings are now required
at  “screening checkpoints and
throughout the commercial and
public transportation system,”
adding that it came on the heels
of Biden’s national emergency
declaration. The order takes ef-
fect on Feb. 2.
The masking mandate will last
until May 11, and travelers over
the age of 2 who are not wearing
masks might be  “denied entry,
boarding, or continued transport”
and could face “civil penalties.”
The TSA said the “federal face
mask requirement extends to the
nation’s domestic network of air-
ports” as well as “passengers and
crewmembers flying aboard air-
planes operated by domestic and
foreign air carriers with inbound
flights to U.S. ports of entry.”
“Surface transportation modes,
such as passenger rail, bus sys-
tems, and over-the-road bus com-
panies” are included, the agency
said. “Passengers without a mask
may be denied entry, boarding,
or continued transport. Failure A subway staff member and a passenger on a train in Manhattan on May 4, 2020.
to comply with the mask require-
ment can result in civil penalties.” and science-based public health trol and Prevention (CDC). Put
Biden on Jan. 20 implemented measures,” Biden wrote at the time. simply, masks and other pub-
a federal face-covering directive. “Such measures include wear- lic health measures reduce the
“It is the policy of my Administra- ing masks when around others, spread of the disease, particularly
tion to halt the spread of corona- physical distancing, and other re- when communities make wide-
virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by lated precautions recommended spread use of such measures, and
relying on the best available data by the Centers for Disease Con- thus save lives.”

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 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 NATION | A5

Cuomo Must Resign If ‘Coverup’

of Nursing Home Deaths Proven: Stefanik
SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES

ISABEL VAN BRUGEN they were trying to cover them

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has
called on New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo, a Democrat, to resign if
a federal investigation that she’s
seeking proves a “criminal cov-
erup” of COVID-19-related nurs-
ing home deaths.
In an interview with Fox News’
“Justice with Jeanine Pirro” on
Jan. 30, the congresswoman said a
federal investigation must be held
into Cuomo’s administration, af-
ter a Jan. 28 report from the state
attorney general’s office revealed
health officials underreported the
deaths by as much as 50 percent
in some places.
“I want to see a federal investi-
gation because I think there were
criminal acts conducted by the
governor, by his senior staff. I want
a very public and transparent in-
vestigation,” Stefanik told Pirro.
The congresswoman, who has
characterized the revelations as
“a massive corruption and cov-
erup scandal at the highest level
of New York State government,”
said she believes the state com-
missioner of health, Dr. Howard
Zucker, should tender his resigna-
tion following the release of the
76-page report.
The report followed an inves-
tigation into the state’s nursing
home responses during the pan-
demic over allegations of patient
neglect and other misconduct.
Stefanik also called for Cuomo’s
resignation if the investigation re-
veals any misconduct.
“I think he [Cuomo] should re-
sign if there’s a criminal coverup,
which I believe there is,” she said.
Preliminary data from the in-
vestigation into nursing homes
suggests that many residents who
had to be transferred to a hospi-
tal died there from COVID-19, the
disease caused by the CCP (Chi-
nese Communist Party) virus.
These cases weren’t reflected in
the state Department of Health’s
(DOH) published totals for nurs-
ing home deaths. The attorney
general’s office had compared
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arrives for a news conference in New York on Sept. 8, 2020.
GREG NASH/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
home deaths have been a focal
point for Cuomo’s handling of
the pandemic. He has repeated-
ly pushed back against assertions
that his policies played any role in
the deaths.
The report is also expected to
trigger more scrutiny over Cuo-
mo’s policies and handling of
nursing homes amid new cases
of the virus across the state and
country.
Critics have pointed to Cuomo’s
decision to order nursing home
patients recovering from COV-
ID-19 to be returned to the facili-
ties to free up hospital bed space
for the increased number of nurs-
ing home deaths. Cuomo—who
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) during a House Armed Services Committee hear- has touted his administration’s
ing on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 9, 2020.
response to the pandemic—has
often rejected the suggestions
data reported to its office from The attorney general also found that his policy led to an increase
62 nursing homes, which repre- that some nursing homes under- in deaths.
sents 10 percent of the total facili- reported their resident deaths to “What was most telling ... they
ties in New York, to data reported the DOH. knew the numbers, they put them
to DOH. The CCP-virus-related nursing out the same day, which shows
up,” Stefanik said. “There are more
questions than answers when you
look at the 76-page report.”
“This is the beginning of pursuit
to justice, not the end. I would urge
the attorney general to continue
moving that process forward.”
She also asked state Attorney
General Letitia James and the
U.S. Justice Department to “im-
mediately” issue subpoenas to
the Cuomo administration for
documentation and communi-
cations related to his handling of
the pandemic, saying that there
must be “accountability and con-
sequences.”
“This is why the governor has
been able to stonewall ... because
they have not issued those sub-
poenas,” Stefanik said. “This has
been not just a nursing home
scandal but a criminal coverup
... a  corruption scandal at the
highest levels of New York state
government.”
Cuomo’s office didn’t imme-
diately respond to a request for
comment by The Epoch Times.
Separately, Rep. Lee Zeldin
(R-N.Y) on Jan. 31 also accused
Cuomo of “covering up” nursing
home deaths in the state.
“Whenever you hear him say
‘who cares,’ every time that video
is played, I think of the family that
lost a loved one—a mom or dad,
grandma, or grandpa. I don’t look
at this story about being about
data, statistics, numbers—this is
a coverup,” Zeldin told Fox News’
“Sunday Morning Futures.”
“It’s a coverup of a policy that
ended up resulting in that grand-
mother or grandfather losing their
lives,” he added. “This is criminal
what happened.”
The White House stated on Jan.
29 that the Department of Justice
(DOJ) will decide whether to pur-
sue the case.
The DOJ didn’t respond to an
earlier request for comment on
the matter.
Janita Kan contributed
to this report.

Senate Republicans Propose $618 Billion in Pandemic
Relief as Counter to Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Plan
TOM OZIMEK
Ten Senate Republicans on
Feb. 1 unveiled their $618
billion counterproposal to
President Joe Biden’s $1.9
trillion pandemic relief plan,
which some members of the
GOP have panned as an un-
workable liberal wishlist.
Biden has proposed $160
billion for vaccines and test-
ing, $170 billion for schools
and universities, and funds
to give certain Americans a
$1,400-per-person stimulus
check, among other provi-
sions.
Some Republicans have
questioned the overall price
tag, while others urged more
targeted measures, partic-
ularly over the direct pay-
ments to individuals.
Congress has approved
some $4 trillion in emer-
gency pandemic relief since
the start of the pandemic last
year, the largest rescue pack-
age in American history.
The 10 Republican senators
were scheduled to meet with
Biden on Feb. 1 after he invit-
ed them to the White House
following their request for a
meeting to propose an alter-
native CCP (Chinese Com-
munist Party) virus relief
package.
“We appreciate the presi-
dent’s quick response to our
letter, and we are pleased to
accept his invitation to the
White House tomorrow af-
ternoon to discuss the path
forward for the sixth bipar-
DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES
tisan COVID-19 relief pack-
age,” the GOP senators said
in a joint statement, which
noted that their proposal
builds on previous relief bills
that had passed with bipar-
tisan support. The senators
said in their letter that while
parts of the proposal mirror
Biden’s plan, their proposal
includes more targeted as-
sistance.
According to a draft pro-
posal of the slimmer Repub-
lican package, there would
be $160 billion for the di-
rect pandemic response,
including $50 billion for a
“massive expansion of test-
ing,” $30 billion for a disaster
relief fund, and $20 billion
for a national vaccination
program. There would also
be an extension of the $300
weekly unemployment in-
surance payments until July,
at a cost of $130 billion.
At a cost of $220 billion, Re-
publicans are also proposing
a round of $1,000 direct pay-
ments to American families,
lower than the $1,400 stim-
ulus checks Biden has pro-
An ambulance
sits parked
on the plaza
outside the
U.S. Capitol in
Washington
on March
16, 2020.
posed. The GOP package also
proposes $50 billion in aid to
small businesses, with $40
billion for the popular Pay-
check Protection Program
and $10 billion for an eco-
nomic injury disaster loan
facility. The Republicans are
also proposing $20 billion in
child care grants and $20 bil-
lion to reopen schools.
Biden and the group of
Republicans are expected
to meet on Feb. 1 to chart a
way forward in light of com-
peting visions for COVID-19
relief. An invitation to the
GOP senators to meet at the
White House came hours af-
ter the lawmakers sent Biden
a letter on Jan. 31 urging him
to negotiate rather than try
to ram through his relief
package solely on Democrat
votes.
As a candidate, Biden
expected that his decades
in the Senate and his eight
years as vice president
gave him credibility as a
dealmaker and would help
him bring Republicans and
Democrats to consensus on
the most important matters
facing the country.
But less than two weeks
into his presidency, Biden
showed frustration with
the pace of negotiations at a
time when the economy con-
tinues to struggle under the
strain of the pandemic. Last
week, 847,000 Americans
applied for unemployment
benefits, a sign that layoffs
remain high.
“I support passing COVID
relief with support from Re-
publicans if we can get it.
But the COVID relief has to
pass—no ifs, ands, or buts,”
Biden said on Jan. 29.
The House and Senate are
on track to vote as soon as
this week on a budget reso-
lution, which would lay the
groundwork for passing an
aid package under rules re-
quiring only a simple major-
ity vote in the evenly divided
Senate.
Winning the support of
10 Republicans would be
significant for Biden in the
50–50 Senate where Vice
President Kamala Harris is
the tie-breaker. If all Demo-
crats were to back an even-
tual compromise bill, the
legislation would reach the
60-vote threshold necessary
to overcome potential block-
ing efforts and pass under
regular Senate procedures.
The Epoch Times reporter
Janita Kan and
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
Facebook’s
Zuckerberg
Praised Biden’s
Executive Orders:
Leaked Video
ZACHARY STIEBER
Facebook CEO Mark Zuck-
erberg praised executive
orders issued by President
Joe Biden during his first day
in office, newly leaked video
from a company meeting
shows.
“I thought President Biden’s
inaugural address was very
good,” Zuckerberg said dur-
ing the Jan. 21 meeting.
“In his first day, President
Biden already issued a num-
ber of executive orders on
areas that we as a company
care quite deeply about and
have for some time,” he said.
“Areas like immigration,
preserving DACA, ending
restrictions on travel from
Muslim-majority countries,
as well as other Executive
Orders on climate and ad-
vancing racial justice and
equity. I think these were
all important and positive
steps.”
The video was leaked to
Project Veritas, a nonprofit
watchdog, by someone the
group described as a Face-
book insider.
Biden issued a record
number of executive orders
in his first days in office as
he sought to reverse actions
taken by former President
Donald Trump.
The group also leaked a
clip of Zuckerberg dispar-
aging Trump at a Jan. 7
meeting.
“It’s so important that our
political leaders lead by ex-
ample, make sure we put
the nation first here, and
what we’ve seen is that the
president has been doing
the opposite of that,” Zuck-
erberg said at the time. “The
president intends to use his
remaining time in office
to undermine the peace-
ful and lawful transition
of power.
“His decision to use his
platform to condone rather
than condemn the actions
of his supporters in the
Capitol, I think, has rightly
bothered and disturbed
people in the U.S. and
around the world.”
Trump gave a speech on
Jan. 6 as protesters turned
violent at the U.S. Capi-
tol about two miles away.
Trump told supporters to
go to the building but urged
them to remain peaceful.
After protesters breached
the Capital, he released
videos asking them to
leave and condemned the
violence.
Facebook didn’t immedi-
ately respond to a request by
The Epoch Times for com-
ment.
The social media company
took a number of punitive
actions against Trump in
the lead-up to the Novem-
ber 2020 election and ulti-
mately banned him from
its website, claiming he
was condoning rather than
condemning the actions of
his supporters. Facebook
appeared to take no action
against Biden, even as the
Democrat issued a number
of misleading posts before
and after the election.
A6 | NATION
Trump Names New Lead Lawyers
for Impeachment Defense Team
JANITA KAN
Former President Donald Trump
on Jan. 31 named two attorneys
who will lead his impeachment
defense legal team.
The two lawyers who will rep-
resent the former president in
next week’s Senate trial are Da-
vid Schoen, an attorney from Ala-
bama, and Bruce Castor Jr., a for-
mer prosecutor in Pennsylvania.
The announcement follows
media reports citing anonymous
sources that said a group of attor-
neys from South Carolina were
no longer participating in the
defense.
South Carolina-based lawyer
Butch Bowers had previously been
tapped to lead the president’s legal
team but parted ways over differ-
ing opinions on the direction of
the defense arguments, the re-
ports said. Other lawyers on the
team who also reportedly exited
were Deborah Barbier and former
federal prosecutors Greg Harris,
Johnny Gasser, and Josh Howard.
The lawyers didn’t immediately
respond to requests by The Epoch
Times to confirm their departures.
Jason Miller, a Trump adviser,
confirmed the reports of a reshuf-
fle on Jan. 30, saying that the “final
decision on our legal team” hadn’t
yet been made.
On Jan. 31, Trump’s office re-
leased a  statement  saying that
Schoen and Castor would be lead-
ing the team, and that Schoen had
already been working with Trump
and other advisers in preparing
for the trial.
“It is an honor to represent
the 45th President, Donald J.
Trump, and the United States
Constitution,” Schoen said in
the statement.
The new team has about a week
CDC: No Evidence of Safety Problem With
CCP Virus Vaccines
ZACHARY STIEBER
The number of reported post-vac-
cination adverse events and deaths
hasn’t changed federal officials’
view on the safety of the two au-
thorized COVID-19 vaccines, the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) said on Feb. 1.
After receiving one of the vac-
cines, 288 people have died, ac-
cording to reports submitted to
the passive Vaccine Adverse Event
Reporting System. More than
3,000 patients have suffered ad-
verse events after getting one of
the vaccines.
“Based on the data received and
reviewed so far, the adverse events
reported are similar to those ob-
served in clinical trials. Currently,
there is no evidence to suggest a
safety problem with these vac-
cines,” a CDC spokeswoman told
The Epoch Times in an email.
“CDC is aware of reports of
deaths occurring after admin-
istration of COVID-19 vaccines.
These deaths are under investi-
gation. From the data, it appears
many of these deaths are among
nursing home residents who had
serious underlying conditions
and death was not hastened by
the vaccination.”
Only two vaccines are autho-
rized for use in the United States
against the CCP (Chinese Com-
munist Party) virus. One is pro-
duced by Moderna; the other is
made by Pfizer and BioNTech.
Both were authorized in mid-
December 2020.
Pfizer has said it’s closely moni-
toring all reports following vac-
cination, while Moderna hasn’t
responded to requests for com-
ment on the issue.
In a Jan. 27 presentation by CDC
official Tom Shimabukuro to the
agency’s Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices, the of-
ficial said most post-COVID-19
to strategize what direction it will
take in the defense. Opening ar-
guments are scheduled to begin
next week.
Republicans have begun unit-
ing behind the argument that the
Senate impeachment trial of a for-
mer president is unconstitutional,
a question that has sparked heated
debate among legal scholars and
lawmakers.
“Dem. efforts to impeach a pres.
who has already left office is un-
constitutional & so bad for our
country. In fact, 45 Senators have
A clinical officer at Virginia Mason administers a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19
vaccine at the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle on Jan. 24, 2021.
vaccination deaths have occurred
among long-term care facility resi-
dents. He said the deaths “should
not be assumed to be causally re-
lated to vaccination.”
Officials in Norway said last
month that they were probing the
deaths of some two dozen elderly
persons who had received Pfizer’s
COVID-19 vaccine. They said the
vaccine “may have contributed
to a fatal outcome in some frail
patients.”
Based on the estimated mortality
in long-term care facility residents
in the United States, Shimabukuro
said to expect 11,440 deaths post-
vaccination among the population.
Mortality in the residents “is high
and substantial numbers of deaths
in this population will occur fol-
lowing vaccination as temporally-
associated coincidental events,”
a slide in his presentation stated.
The Food and Drug Administra-
tion told The Epoch Times that
there are no plans to develop a
database for post-vaccination
deaths at this time.
If a link between an adverse
event or death to a vaccination
were verified, the health officials
already voted that it is unconsti-
tutional,” Miller wrote on Twitter.
On Jan. 26, Sen. Rand Paul (R-
Ky.) raised a point of order on the
Senate floor, forcing the chamber
to take a stance on the constitu-
tionality of the upcoming pro-
ceedings. The Senate ultimately
voted 55–45, meaning that, while
the trial will go ahead, it revealed
that nearly half of the chamber be-
lieves the proceedings are uncon-
stitutional.
Castor said the trial is expect-
ed to test the “strength of our
GRANT HINDSLEY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
would communicate the findings
and consider if additional regula-
tory actions were warranted, such
as product labeling, an adminis-
tration spokesperson said.
The CDC spokesperson told The
Epoch Times that all reports of
deaths occurring post-COVID-19
vaccination are being probed.
“Reports of deaths occurring af-
ter administration of COVID-19
vaccines are under investigation.
Establishing cause of death for a
patient from any cause (includ-
ing vaccines) is an involved and
complex process that involves
physician judgment. Typically,
CDC defers to autopsy reports and
death certificates as the definitive
cause of death for any given pa-
tient,” she said.
“It’s important to remember that
many adverse events, including
death, following immunization
are often coincidental—that
means that while an adverse event
may happen after getting vacci-
nated, the vaccine is not always
the cause of it. When combined
with other protective measures,
vaccines are one of the best tools
we have to fight the pandemic.”
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
Then-President Donald Trump and then-First
Lady Melania make their way toward Marine
One before departing from the South Lawn of
Constitution.”
“The strength of our Constitu-
tion is about to be tested like never
before in our history. It is strong
and resilient. A document written
for the ages, and it will triumph
over partisanship yet again, and
always,” he said in the statement.
Castor previously served as a
solicitor general and as acting at-
torney general of Pennsylvania.
The Democrat-controlled House
on Jan. 13 voted 232–197 to im-
peach Trump on a single article of
impeachment, alleging that the
Some Reddit
WallStreetBets
Users Urge
Others Not to Buy
Silver, Stick With
GameStop
JACK PHILLIPS
Several top posts on the highly
popular WallStreetBets sub-Red-
dit forum have suggested that us-
ers not purchase silver, following
media reports over the weekend
that suggest otherwise.
“Silver might go up nicely and
for a time but don’t get high on
hopium, this is not gonna go in
the 100s,” said one user.
In another highly upvoted post,
one wrote: “False media reports
about ‘Reddit traders’ moving en-
mass into silver, SPACs, or what-
ever is benefiting hedge funds
at the moment is getting out of
control. It doesn’t take more than
2 seconds and a smooth brain to
pull up front page of WSB to see
that nobody is talking about that
[expletive] (except for the bots).”
Even more posts said users
should continue to purchase
GameStop (GME) stock and hold
it—as was the strategy last week.
“You might have noticed this
weekend that the hedge funds
tried to push silver (a great com-
modity btw) via their shills on
the media (expect more this
morning on CNBC),” added an-
other, saying that “this is just a
pure DISTRACTION at this time
aimed at diverting attention
from GME.”
On Feb. 1, silver broke $30
per ounce for the first time in
years.  As traders turned their
attention to silver—a bigger and
more liquid market than the in-
dividual stocks targeted until
last week—shares of GameStop
tumbled 31 percent to $225, after
closing on Jan. 29 at $325.
The silver market isn’t large—
the White House on Jan. 20, 2021.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
president incited an “insurrec-
tion” that caused the U.S. Capitol
breach on Jan. 6.
The impeachment, which was
completed in a single seven-hour
session, has been criticized by Re-
publicans for its expediency and
lack of due process.
Although Senate Majority Lead-
er Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is forg-
ing ahead with the trial, the 55–45
vote on Paul’s order could be an
indication that a Trump convic-
tion is unlikely, since a two-thirds
majority is needed to convict.
about 1 billion ounces annually,
or $28 billion at the spot—so it is
relatively easy to move the price,
said portfolio manager Maria
Smirnova at precious metals-
focused fund manager Sprott
Inc, a long-term silver investor.
“Gold and silver are direct ben-
eficiaries of low to negative real
interest rates and fiat currency
debasement,” she said. “A general
economic post-COVID recovery
is also helping the silver price.”
Users on the forum added that
people should also avoid pur-
chasing Dogecoin, a cryptocur-
rency that was started as a joke
several years ago. Over the past
weekend, Dogecoin frequently
trended as users called on others
to purchase and hold it.
On Jan. 31, bullion dealers such
as Moneymetals, JM Bullion, AP-
MEX, and others reported silver
bullion shortages, saying that or-
ders couldn’t be fulfilled or would
be delayed due to high demand.
APMEX CEO Ken Lewis wrote
in a Jan. 31 statement: “In the last
week, we have seen a dramatic
shift in Silver demand from our
customers. For example, the ra-
tio of ounces sold per day was
running about two times earli-
er in the week and closer to four
times the average demand by the
end of the week.”
“Once markets closed on Fri-
day, we saw demand hit as much
as six times a typical business
day and more than 12 times a
normal weekend day. Combined
with the extremely high demand
levels, we are also seeing a surge
in new customers. On Saturday
alone, we added as many new
customers as we usually add in
a week,” Lewis added.
The demand in silver appeared
to be so great over the weekend,
that even popular Amazon list-
ings for silver bullion—which
generally have higher prices
than bullion dealers—appeared
to be out of stock. Prices also ap-
peared to increase significantly.
Reuters contributed
to this report.
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
Robinhood ‘Shooting
Itself in the Foot’ by
Removing GameStop
Stock: Analyst
ISABEL VAN BRUGEN &
JOSHUA PHILIPP
Mobile brokerage firm Robin-
hood is essentially “shooting
itself in the foot” by blocking its
users from purchasing stocks
of companies such as Game-
Stop Corp. that were soaring in
value after individual investors
banded together to squeeze Wall
Street hedge funds, according to
analyst Charles Mizrahi—host
of “The Charles Mizrahi Show”
and creator of the Alpha Investor
newsletter.
The company and various oth-
er platforms restricted access to
purchases of hot stocks such as
GameStop, Koss Corp., and AMC
Entertainment Holdings Inc., a
move that has prompted mem-
bers of Congress in recent days
to call for an investigation into
whether there was collusion by
hedge funds and the retail stock
investment app.
Robinhood is the focus of a
class-action lawsuit filed in the
Southern District of New York last
week. The action accuses the firm
of “purposefully, willfully, and
knowingly” removing GameStop
stock from its trading platform “in
the midst of an unprecedented
stock rise.”
The plaintiff says these actions
“deprived retail investors of the
ability to invest in the open-mar-
ket and manipulating the open-
market.”
“How could Robinhood stop
trading in a stock during a frenzy,
when a majority of their clients, or
about half, are in there because
of the ability to trade and make it
easy. So are they shooting them-
Biden Reverses
$27.4 Billion
in Spending
Cuts Proposed
by Trump
JANITA KAN
President Joe Biden says he’s with-
drawing a package of spending
cuts that were proposed by former
President Donald Trump prior to
leaving office.
Biden informed House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Jan. 31
that he’s withdrawing the 73 pro-
posed rescissions previously de-
livered to Congress that total $27.4
billion.
Trump announced his spending
cut package on Jan. 14, less than a
week before he was scheduled to
leave office.
He had previously signaled that
he would propose “rescissions” to
a $2.3 trillion government funding
bill to reduce spending in particu-
lar areas his administration had
deemed “wasteful.”
The spending-cut proposals
were made by invoking the 1974
Impoundment Control Act. Under
the act, if a president wants to spend
less money than Congress provided
for a particular program, he can
seek congressional approval to re-
scind by sending a special message
to Congress identifying the amount
he proposes to rescind, the reasons
for it, and the economic effects of
the rescission.
According to Trump’s letter to
Congress, his proposed rescissions
in preference of COVID stimulus
were expected to affect programs
in  the departments of Agricul-
ture, Commerce, Education, En-
ergy, Health and Human Services,
Homeland Security, Interior, Jus-
tice, Labor, State, and the Treasury.
selves in the foot?” Mizrahi said
in an interview with The Epoch
Times’ “Crossroads” program.
“It was coming,” said Mizrahi,
referring to the class-action law-
suit against the company.
“Robinhood got the client
that they wanted. They wanted
the young person, they wanted
the people, the millennials,
who could look how easy it is to
trade,” he said. “As a customer,
why would I ever want to open an
account with these people? Do
you ever want to be in a position
where you cannot get out of or into
something you want?”
According to an update on its
blog, Robinhood narrowed trad-
ing limitations to eight companies
from 50 on Jan. 31. GameStop still
faces limitations, as well as AMC
and Blackberry Ltd.
“I don’t know if they’re shooting
themselves in the foot here,” Miz-
rahi said. “We’ll watch this play
out. I came to think, what’s their
defense going to be? We had too
many people wanting to buy or
sell? You’re a broker. That’s what
you’re supposed to be doing.”
“If there’s nothing that was done
that was illegal to stop the trading
in the stock, I don’t see any justi-
fication for that. It doesn’t make
any sense that they should stop
trading certain stocks because of
crazy volatility.
“I don’t know what this is going
to do here, maybe [it will] just give
everyone a breather by stopping
it. But I agree if you’re going to
change the rules in the middle of
the game, realize there’s going to
be some pushback,” he said. “You
just can’t do that.”
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev
President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House on
Jan. 26, 2021.
Other programs included  the
African Development Founda-
tion, the Commission of Fine Arts,
the Corporation for National and
Community Service, the District of
Columbia, the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, the Inter-American
Foundation, the Millennium Chal-
lenge Corporation, the National
Endowments for the Arts and Hu-
manities, the National Gallery of
Art, the Peace Corps, the Presidio
Trust, the United States Agency for
International Development, the
Army Corps of Engineers, and the
Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars.
“I will sign the Omnibus and CO-
VID package with a strong message
that makes clear to Congress that
wasteful items need to be removed.
I will send back to Congress a red-
lined version, item by item, accom-
panied by the formal rescission
request to Congress insisting that
those funds be removed from the
bill,” Trump said at the time.
Several Democrats in Congress
criticized Trump’s move to cut
spending, including Rep. John Yar-
muth (D-Ky.). The chairman of the
House Budget Committee accused
the former president of trying to
“inflict as much harm as possible”
before leaving office and character-
The logos of video game retail store GameStop and trading application Robinhood on screens, in Arlington, Va., on Jan.
28, 2021.
Analyst Charles Mizrahi, host of “The Charles Mizrahi Show” and creator of
the Alpha Investor newsletter.
has denied what he described as
a “conspiracy theory” that hedge
funds prompted the mobile bro-
kerage company’s decision to
restrict users from purchasing
shares in GameStop.
“I think I’ve said over and over
DOUG MILLS-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
izing his budget request as “damag-
ing and irrational.”
Yarmuth claims that the rescis-
sion proposals would cut funding
to “programs critical in the fight
against COVID-19, climate change,
and strengthening America’s global
leadership.”
Congress’s spending bill drew
widespread scrutiny in December
as lawmakers rushed to pass the
measure to avert a shutdown. The
funding measure was agreed on by
the House and the Senate follow-
ing months of stalled negotiations
and posturing.
The more than 5,500-page bill
passed both houses of Congress
to the dismay of some lawmakers
from both sides of the aisle, who
said they didn’t have sufficient time
to read the legislation.
The package includes a $1.4 tril-
lion omnibus bill that will fund
defense spending and domestic
programs and $900 billion in CO-
VID-19 pandemic relief.
The measure was heavily criti-
cized by Trump and others for
“wasteful items” and “unneces-
sary” spending such as send-
ing hundreds of millions of dollars
overseas for foreign aid and funding
domestic programs for entities that
are “not even open for business.”
THE EPOCH TIMES
again said that it’s not true,” Tenev
said on Jan. 29. “Our decision to
temporarily restrict customers
from buying certain securities
had nothing to do with a market
maker or a market participant or
anyone like that putting pressure
Trump Nominated for Nobel Peace
Prize Over Israel-UAE Peace Deal
JACK PHILLIPS
Former President Donald Trump
was nominated for the Nobel
Peace Prize on Feb. 1 by an Es-
tonian member of the European
Parliament, Jaak Madison.
In a post on social media,
Madison said: “In the last 30
years, Donald Trump is the first
president of the United States,
who during his tenure, has not
started a war. Additionally, he
signed several peace agree-
ments in the Middle East which
have helped provide stability in
the region and peace.”
Madison was referring to the
Abraham Accords, a joint state-
ment between Israel, the United
Arab Emirates, and the United
States—and later, with Bahrain
and other Arab countries.
“We encourage efforts to pro-
mote interfaith and intercultur-
al dialogue to advance a culture
of peace among the three Abra-
hamic religions and all human-
ity,” according to a statement on
the State Department’s website.
“We believe that the best way to
address challenges is through
cooperation and dialogue and
that developing friendly rela-
tions among States advances
the interests of lasting peace in
the Middle East and around the
world.”
Trump was nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize last year by
Norwegian Parliament mem-
ber Christian Tybring-Gjedde.
“For his merit, I think he has
done more trying to create
peace between nations than
most other Peace Prize nomi-
nees,” Tybring-Gjedde told Fox
last year.
Separately, Harvard Law Pro-
fessor Emeritus Alan Dershow-
itz nominated Trump’s son-in-
law and former presidential
NATION | A7
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
on us or asking us to do that.
“It was entirely about market
dynamics and clearinghouse de-
posit requirements, as per regula-
tion.”
The Securities and Exchange
Commission on Jan. 29 issued a
rare joint statement from its act-
ing chair and commissioners. It
said it was working closely with
other regulators and stock ex-
changes “to protect investors and
to identify and pursue potential
wrongdoing” and would “closely
review actions ... that may disad-
vantage investors” or hinder their
ability to trade stocks.
“I think if you look at this entire
situation, it’s a novel situation,”
Tenev told Fox News. “A relative-
ly small number of stocks have
gone viral on the internet. And
as things that go viral on social
media and the internet do, there’s
an exponential growth in inter-
est. And so we have to be prudent.
And we have to have prudent risk
management. And that’s what the
firm did.”
adviser Jared Kushner on Feb.
1. Dershowitz—who is eligible
to nominate individuals be-
cause of his status as a former
Harvard Law professor—argued
that Kushner and his associate
Avi Berkowitz helped negotiate
the Abraham Accords.
“The Nobel Peace Prize is not
for popularity. Nor is it an as-
sessment of what the interna-
tional community may think of
those who helped bring about
peace,” Dershowitz wrote. “It
is an award for fulfilling the
daunting criteria set out by Al-
fred Nobel in his will.”
Under the diplomatic push,
Trump’s administration also
negotiated deals with Sudan
and Morocco.
Kushner, in a statement on
Jan. 31, said that he was honored
to be nominated for the prize.
President Joe Biden’s adminis-
tration is expected to review all
national security deals struck
during the Trump administra-
tion, including arms packages
for the United Arab Emirates
and Saudi Arabia.
Some lawmakers have com-
plained about the Morocco deal
because, to win the nation’s
agreement, the United States
recognized its sovereignty over
the disputed Western Sahara.
Also on Feb. 1, the Black Lives
Matter movement was nomi-
nated for the Peace Prize by a
Norwegian Parliament mem-
ber, Petter Eide. Eide said that
people have messaged him “to
say that BLM is a violent orga-
nization,” but he rejected the
claims.
The winner of the Nobel Peace
Prize will be awarded in No-
vember.
Reuters contributed
to this report.
A8 | NATION
Kushner and 3
Trump-Era Officials
Nominated for Nobel
Peace Prize
TOM OZIMEK
Former White House senior ad-
viser Jared Kushner, his deputy,
Avi Berkowitz, as well as former
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David
Friedman and former Israeli Am-
bassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer,
have been nominated for the Nobel
Peace Prize for their roles in nego-
tiating four normalization deals
between Israel and Arab nations.
Attorney Alan Dershowitz, pro-
fessor emeritus of Harvard Law
School, nominated the four Trump-
era officials on Jan. 31 for their roles
in negotiating the deals, known as
the Abraham Accords.
“These Accords, which have
brought about normalization be-
tween Israel and several Sunni
Arab nations, fulfill all the criteria
for the prize,” Dershowitz wrote in
his nomination letter, as cited by
the Jerusalem Post.
“They hold the promise of an even
broader peace in the Middle East
between Israel, the Palestinians
and other Arab nations. They are
a giant step forward in bringing
peace and stability to the region,
and even to the world,” he wrote.
The normalization deals were
announced in a four-month span
between mid-August and mid-
December 2020 and were lauded
by many as the most significant
January Saw Most COVID-19 Deaths,
Hospitalizations Amid Pandemic
LORENZ DUCHAMPS
The year 2021 appears to have start-
ed on a grim note as more people
died in January after contracting
COVID-19 in the United States than
in any other month since the start
of the pandemic, according to the
COVID Tracking Project.
“January saw the most deaths of
any month so far at 95,211, nearly
20k more than in December,” read
a post on the Twitter account for the
project, which says it is “housed at”
The Atlantic.
The previous highest was recorded
in December, with more than 77,000
people reported to have died from
the CCP virus nationwide, while
a total of 6.4 million people tested
positive for the virus, more than
doubling the previous month, dur-
ing which about 37,000 people died.
The project also provided addi-
tional information on the number
of patients hospitalized, showing
that on average more people were
admitted to hospitals with the CCP
virus in January than in any other
month.
Officials with the project noted,
however, that toward the end of the
month, the seven-day average num-
bers showed a decline, compared
to a peak in the middle of January.
About 127,000 people on a sev-
en-day average were admitted to
hospitals nationwide in January.
Currently, there are 95,013 people
hospitalized with COVID-19 nation-
wide, according to the project.
A seven-day average helps track-
ers to “understand trends around
inconsistencies in the reported
data,” adding that during the sec-
ond half of January, the total num-
ber of cases and hospitalizations
declined compared to the first half
of the month, they said.
This rise and fall of cases are like-
ly influenced by friend and family
gatherings over the holiday sea-
son. A seven-day average of new
CCP virus cases shows over 40,000
fewer people tested positive at the
end of the month than at the be-
ginning of January. The numbers
peaked in mid-January, on Jan. 12,
the effort said.
diplomatic breakthroughs in the
Middle East in 25 years as the re-
gion girds for a prolonged confron-
tation with Iran.
Iran tensions remain high, with
former Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo saying in a speech at the
National Press Club in mid-January
that the al-Qaeda terrorist group
has a new headquarters there.
“Al-Qaeda has a new home base, it
is the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said
Pompeo. “As a result, [Osama] bin
Laden’s wicked creation is poised
to gain strength and capabilities.”
“We ignore this Iran-al-Qaeda
nexus at our own peril. We need
to acknowledge it, we must con-
front it. Indeed, we must defeat it,”
he said, adding that “this axis poses
a grave threat to the security of na-
tions and to the American home-
land itself.”
The Abraham Accords have been
hailed as enabling a more respon-
sive strategic posture with respect
to the threat posed by Iran.
“The recent Abraham Accords
between Israel and the United
Arab Emirates and Bahrain both
reflect and augur a growing stra-
tegic alignment between Israel
and key American partners in the
Middle East, driven primarily by
the worsening Iranian nuclear
and regional threats,” the Jewish
Institute for National Security of
Health care workers tend to a patient with the CCP virus at Providence St.
Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2021.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky speaks during a news conference at The Queen in Wilm-
ington, Del., on Dec. 8, 2020.
“The 7-day average number of
new cases is more than 40k fewer
than at the beginning of the month
and more than 100k fewer than
at their peak on January 12,” the
COVID tracking project said on
Twitter, adding that “the number
of people currently hospitalized
is more than 37k fewer than at its
mid-month peak.”
As of Feb. 1, over 26.1 million
people have tested positive for
COVID-19 nationwide and at
least 441,367 people have died, ac-
cording to data from Johns Hopkins
University.
The Biden administration at one
of its new health briefings last week
Then-presidential adviser Jared Kushner (R) speaks next to then-national security adviser Robert O’Brien ahead of
boarding the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the UAE, at the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Aug. 31, 2020.
America (JINSA), a pro-Israel think
tank based in Washington, said in
a statement.
In a November 2020 report, JINSA
urged the Trump administration
to further strengthen its efforts to
contain Iran by moving Israel to
the U.S. Central Command (CENT-
COM) area of responsibility from
the U.S European Command area
of responsibility, which the Penta-
gon did on Jan. 15.
“It also could enable Israel, U.S.
forces in the Middle East, and Arab
partners to begin or deepen region-
al cooperation on missile defense,
exercises, strategic planning, intel-
ligence sharing, and other critical
military activities,” JINSA said in a
statement explaining the rationale
ARIANA DREHSLER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES
said it’s projecting about 90,000
more deaths in the next four weeks.
“I know this is not news we all
want to hear, but this is something
we must say so we are all aware,”
said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the new
director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). “If
we are united in action we can turn
things around.”
The CDC’s latest projection is that
the country will have a cumulative
479,000 to 514,000 deaths by Feb. 20,
Walensky said.
Mimi Nguyen Ly
contributed to this report.
From NTD News
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
for moving Israel to CENTCOM,
while noting in its report that the
move would bolster Israel’s ability
to defend U.S. and Arab partners’
interests by “continuing to be the
tip of [the] spear against Iran and
its proxies.”
Kushner, who is former President
Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and
Berkowitz, who was the Middle
East envoy, were key figures in ne-
gotiating deals between Israel and
the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain,
Sudan, and Morocco.
Dershowitz, in his letter to the
Nobel committee, said he wanted
to “emphasize the enormous con-
tributions to peace made by Jared
Kushner, Avrahm Berkowitz, David
Friedman, and Ron Dermer,” say-
Pennsylvania Secretary of
State Resigning Over Amendment
Issue: Governor
JACK PHILLIPS
Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania’s
secretary of state and its top elec-
tions official, will resign over her
department’s reported failure to
advertise a proposed constitu-
tional amendment that would
extend the statute of limitations
for survivors of childhood sex
abuse to file actions against their
abusers.
Gov. Tom Wolf said her resigna-
tion will go into effect on Feb. 5.
The secretary of state’s office is
constitutionally required to ad-
vertise a proposed amendment,
according to the governor’s office.
Wolf stressed that the resig-
nation had nothing to do with
Boockvar’s oversight of the Nov.
3 election in Pennsylvania, in
which she was at the center of
a slew of failed lawsuits filed by
former President Donald Trump
and surrogates who claimed
rampant fraud had occurred.
“This change at the Depart-
ment of State has nothing to do
with the administration of the
2020 election, which was fair and
accurate,” Wolf said.
The secretary’s office must ad-
vertise the proposed amendment
to the state Constitution, which
voters would have decided at the
ballot box in each of the three
months before the 2020 general
election. The office never did,
Wolf said.
“The delay caused by this hu-
man error will be heartbreak-
ing for thousands of survivors
of childhood sexual assault,
advocates and legislators, and I
join the Department of State in
apologizing to you. I share your
anger and frustration that this
happened, and I stand with you
in your fight for justice,” he said.
The governor said he’d commit
to working Pennsylvania’s legis-
lature to reach a solution legisla-
tively if they wanted to create a
window in civil court for victims
to file claims.
Boockvar, a Democrat, con-
firmed in a statement that she
will depart. Wolf will appoint Ve-
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
ing that “these men played espe-
cially important roles,” in the peace
deals.
“Kushner and Berkowitz traveled
all over the region, meeting with
leaders and their associates, advo-
cating for peace and nailing down
all the details,” Dershowitz wrote.
In a statement, Kushner said he
was honored to be nominated for
the prize, which will be awarded
in October.
President Joe Biden’s administra-
tion is expected to review all na-
tional security deals struck during
the Trump administration, includ-
ing arms packages for the United
Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Reuters contributed to this report.
ronica Degraffenreid, another
Pennsylvania elections official,
to serve as acting secretary.
“I’m extremely proud of what
we’ve accomplished for the peo-
ple of Pennsylvania,” Boockvar
said. “I’ve always believed that
accountability and leadership
must be a cornerstone of public
service. While I only became
aware of the mistake last week,
and immediately took steps to
alert the administration to the
error, I accept the responsibility
on behalf of the department.”
Attorney General Josh Shap-
iro said that “the Department
of State’s failure to carry out its
responsibilities in the consti-
tutional amendment process is
shameful, and all options must
be on the table to fix this imme-
diately.”
“Too many institutions have
failed survivors of sexual abuse
for far too long, and I am deter-
mined for that disgraceful streak
to end and to make sure justice
is no longer denied. My office
has made clear that the amend-
ment process was an unneces-
sary hurdle from the beginning.
I urge the General Assembly and
Governor to do what many states
have already done and let Penn-
sylvania survivors have their
day in court as soon as possible
by passing this final reform into
law,” he added.
PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Pennsylvania Secretary of State
Kathy Boockvar, in an undated photo.
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
Majority in Shanghai
District Balk at Getting
Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine
MARY HONG
A survey of residents in
Shanghai, including peo-
ple who are at “high risk” of
contracting COVID-19, re-
veals that a low percentage
of them are willing to take
Chinese-made COVID-19
vaccines, according to a set
of internal documents ob-
tained by The Epoch Times.
The financial hub is cur-
rently experiencing a resur-
gence in cases, with some
areas of the city going under
full lockdown.
Jing’an district is one of
the main urban areas of
Shanghai, with roughly 1.06
million permanent resi-
dents; 39 percent of them
are over the age of 60.
A set of January work re-
ports from the Jing’an dis-
trict’s health commission,
which was obtained by The
Epoch Times, contains sur-
vey data on locals’ willing-
ness to take Chinese vac-
cines for COVID-19. Of the
113,000 people surveyed by
the commission, 24,000—
or roughly 21 percent—said
they were willing to be vac-
cinated.
Meanwhile, 11,811 people
in the district have already
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) speaks to the media before the weekly
Senate Republican lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Nov.
10, 2020.
US Senator Criticizes WHO
for Supporting Beijing’s
COVID-19 Propaganda
FRANK FANG
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) criti-
cized the World Health Or-
ganization (WHO) on Jan. 31
after the health body’s inves-
tigators visited a Chinese pro-
paganda exhibition on Jan. 30.
The WHO team is currently
in the city of Wuhan, the epi-
center of the CCP (Chinese
Communist Party) virus out-
break last year, investigating
the origins of the pandemic.
The CCP virus is responsible
for causing the disease CO-
VID-19.
Investigators began work on
Jan. 28 after completing their
mandatory quarantine. Since
then, the team has visited ar-
eas including two local hos-
pitals, a seafood market, and
the exhibition.
The cavernous exhibition,
which opened in October
2020, according to China’s
state-run media, displays the
CCP’s propaganda about its
early responses to the pan-
demic. The content and nar-
ratives displayed all praise the
CCP’s leadership in control-
ling the spread of the virus.
Evidence points to the virus
as having originated from
Wuhan before spreading to
countries and regions around
the world.
“Unbelievable. The @WHO
continues to give oxygen to
CCP propaganda and COVID
lies. Biden’s Admin should
rethink rejoining the WHO
received the first dose of a
COVID-19 vaccine, while
668 people have received a
second dose.
While the documents
don’t indicate which manu-
facturer’s vaccine was ad-
ministered, it’s likely from
the state-run drug compa-
ny Sinopharm, since that’s
the only one that Chinese
regulators have approved
for the general population.
The report also showed
that 17 cases of adverse
reactions were reported,
including 12 cases of “gen-
eral reactions,” four cases
of “abnormal reactions,”
and one “concidental
event.” The latter term re-
fers to an event that occurs
after a vaccination but isn’t
caused by the vaccine.
Officials at Sinopharm
didn’t immediately respond
to a request by The Epoch
Times for comment.
At a Jan. 9 press confer-
ence by the central gov-
ernment’s State Council,
officials claimed that Chi-
nese-made COVID-19 vac-
cines have few health risks.
“Severe adverse reaction
of vaccination occurs about
one in a million.”
But based on the district’s
SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
without significant reform
and reassurances they will
stop parroting General Sec-
retary Xi,” Scott wrote on
Twitter.
The CCP’s initial coverup of
the virus outbreak has been
well-documented. The re-
gime silenced eight doctors,
among them ophthalmologist
Li Wenliang, after they tried
to warn the public of a new
form of pneumonia spreading
in Wuhan in late 2019.
The WHO initially parroted
Beijing’s claim that the virus
wasn’t contagious, dismiss-
ing an email warning from
Taiwan.
Former U.S. President Don-
ald Trump announced that he
was pulling the United States
out of the WHO on May 29,
2020, saying that the WHO
had refused to act on reforms
recommended by the United
States, including proving its
independence from the CCP.
Trump’s decision was
overturned on Jan. 20, when
President Joe Biden signed an
executive order halting the
United States’ withdrawal
from the United Nations body.
There are already signs that
the Chinese regime is using
the visit by WHO experts to
promote its coronavirus nar-
rative.
On Jan. 29, in a daily brief-
ing, China’s foreign ministry
spokesperson Zhao Lijian de-
nied that the WHO experts in
China were there to conduct
data, out of a total of 12,479
(11,811 + 668) people, four
cases of “abnormal reac-
tions” equals to about three
per 10,000.
At the same press confer-
ence, officials said vaccines
will be administered in
“three steps.” The first step
is for “key populations,” in-
cluding medical staff and
personnel who work in air-
lines, border and customs,
and logistics; the second
step is to vaccinate high-risk
groups, such as the elderly
and people with chronic
and underlying diseases;
the third step is to vaccinate
the general population.
But the health commis-
sion data shows that only
a small number of people
in the priority groups were
willing to take the vaccine.
According to the data,
at the Cishuixian Women
and Children’s Hospital of
Shanghai, only 33 people
said they were willing to
be vaccinated, out of 135
questioned. At the Shang-
hai East China Hospital,
616 people indicated a
willingness, out of a total
of 1,261 people surveyed.
The Shanghai Dermatology
Hospital found 124 people
an investigation.
“I’d like to stress that the ex-
changes and cooperation on
origin-tracing between WHO
experts and Chinese profes-
sionals are part of a global
study, not an investigation,”
Zhao said.
On Jan. 31, China’s state-
run mouthpiece the Global
Times posted to Twitter its re-
port on WHO experts visiting
the Huanan Seafood Market.
It made an unsubstantiated
claim that the initial outbreak
in Wuhan might have “origi-
nated from imported frozen
food.”
In response to such claims
from the CCP in June 2020,
the WHO stated in August
2020 that there is no evidence
people can catch COVID-19
from food or food packaging.
China has also tried to pin
the blame for the pandemic
on countries including the
United States, Italy, and India.
For example, in March 2020,
Zhao accused the U.S. Army of
bringing the virus to Wuhan.
Before their investigation
began, WHO investigators
were warned that they must
be able to counter China’s
disinformation efforts, ac-
cording to a Jan. 28 article
published on The Strategist,
a commentary and analysis
website run by the Austra-
lian Strategic Policy Institute
(ASPI) think tank.
“The WHO investigation
team, and the international
community more broadly,
must be willing to counter
any narrative that obscures
the origins of COVID-19,” the
article states.
The article was written by
Yan Bennett, assistant direc-
tor of the Paul and Marcia
Wythes Center on Contem-
porary China at Princeton
University; and John Garrick,
a university fellow in law at
Australia’s Charles Darwin
University.
“The WHO research team
faces serious challenges in
seeking ‘truth from facts’ be-
cause the Chinese Commu-
nist Party under Xi Jinping’s
leadership forcefully guards
official narratives against
critical commentary, espe-
cially when it comes from the
international community,”
the authors states.
A medical worker shows a syringe with a vaccine at a health care center in Yantai, Shandong Prov-
ince, China, on Jan. 5, 2021.
who said they were willing
to be vaccinated, in a sur-
vey of 735 people.
Staff within the local gov-
ernment bureaucracy were
no more willing to take the
vaccine. For example, the
Shanghai Medical Insur-
ance Management Cen-
ter, an agency of the city
government, surveyed 155
people, and 25 people said
they were open to taking
the vaccine.
People who work in logis-
tics and transportation also
were identified by Chinese
authorities as at high risk
of contracting the disease.
In a survey of 1,196 peo-
ple from 10 express courier
companies that operate in
the district, only 12 people
Chinese Citizens Say COVID-19 Cases
Are Being Covered Up
NICOLE HAO
As CCP (Chinese Commu-
nist Party) virus outbreaks
continue to worsen across
China, locals in the cities
of Harbin, Tonghua, and
Shanghai told the Chinese-
language Epoch Times that
they knew of infections that
officials didn’t report, lead-
ing them to suspect that au-
thorities were covering up
the epidemic.
Chinese central authori-
ties also issued conflicting
policies about travel during
the Lunar New Year holiday,
causing confusion.
While newly diagnosed
COVID-19 patients were
detected in northern Chi-
na’s Jilin, Heilongjiang, and
Hebei provinces, locals in
Shanghai said authorities
locked down more resi-
dential compounds there—
which likely means some
residents were diagnosed
with COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Suihua city in
Jilin Province announced
on Jan. 31 that a newly built
makeshift hospital was put
into operation and received
its first patients that day; the
city said that a few hundred
patients so far need hospi-
talization.
Suihua also announced its
third round of mass COV-
ID-19 testing on all residents
as a method to curb the
spread of the virus. Deputy
Mayor Dong Wenqin said
all 10,933 villages and resi-
dential compounds in the
city were fully locked down
and no resident could leave
their homes for 19 days; the
city still reported new infec-
tions.
Harbin is in a similar situ-
ation. Local residents told
the Chinese-language Ep-
och Times that they knew
of more infections that au-
thorities didn’t announce.
“Every day, they [the gov-
ernment staff] picked up
residents from our resi-
dential compound and our
neighboring Lanhe Min-
gyuan residential com-
were willing to be vacci-
nated.
Due to the vulnerable
populations of nursing
homes, they have been re-
garded as the hardest hit
and with the highest mor-
tality rate.
But in a survey of the dis-
trict’s welfare and elderly
care institutions, only 48
people were willing to be
vaccinated out of 1,317 peo-
ple surveyed at 42 nursing
homes and one assistance
center. At 35 of those facili-
ties, there was zero willing-
ness—no one said they were
willing to be vaccinated.
Wu Jinglei, director of the
Shanghai Health Commis-
sion, claimed on Jan. 22
that the city has vaccinat-
A woman is tested for COVID-19 outside a hospital in Beijing
on Jan. 28, 2021.
pound, who were positive
infections,” said Wang Jian
(pseudonym), a resident at
the Mingda Garden resi-
dential compound. “They
have sealed our doors for a
long time [since Jan. 19], but
people still get infected.”
A resident at that Dajiang
Jinzuo compound named
Chen Hai (pseudonym) said
his residential compound
has detected new patients
frequently since it has been
sealed off for over a week.
Sun Ming (pseudonym)
was taken to a hotel for
quarantine after he was
identified as a close contact
of a diagnosed patient.
“All quarantine centers
are now filled with people,”
he said. “A lot of confirmed
patients’ close contacts are
being quarantined at home
now because no quarantine
center has a free room.”
Shanghai residents told
the Chinese-language Ep-
och Times that the outbreak
in Shanghai was worsening
but authorities were cover-
ing it up.
“Don’t trust the official an-
nouncements. [The regime]
won’t tell you the truth,”
Chen said.
Chen obtained a con-
struction blueprint of the
makeshift quarantine cen-
ter in Songjiang district, at
the southwestern corner of
Shanghai, which he shared
with this publication.
The CCP Central Com-
mittee’s General Office,
CHINA | A9
STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
ed more than 840,000 peo-
ple, including more than
180,000 doctors, nurses,
and other medical workers.
But many Chinese citi-
zens—as well as those in
countries that have made
deals to buy Chinese vac-
cines—have questioned the
safety and efficacy of Chi-
nese vaccines.
Another Chinese vaccine,
which is being produced by
state-run company Sino-
vac, is currently in clinical
trials. It has been reported
to have an efficacy rate of
50.38 percent during trials
in Brazil, just barely over
the 50 percent needed for
regulatory approval as set
by the World Health Orga-
nization.
GREG BAKER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
as well as, 29 provincial
and city governments, is-
sued policies to discourage
people from traveling for
the Lunar New Year holi-
day, which falls on Feb. 12
this year. Millions typically
travel across the country to
reunite with families.
But on Jan. 31, China’s
State Council, during a
press conference, said that
people can travel, and that
local governments shouldn’t
forbid people from heading
home for the holiday. It also
instructed authorities not to
require travelers to quaran-
tine at home or hotels, and
that people traveling from
low-risk regions shouldn’t
be forced to take COVID-19
nucleic acid tests.
China commentator Tang
Jingyuan notes that the
State Council is headed by
Premier Li Keqiang, while
the Party is headed by lead-
er Xi Jinping.
The State Council’s latest
instructions hinted that Li is
concerned about the econ-
omy and wanted people to
consume more. Meanwhile,
Xi wants to effectively curb
the outbreaks so that he can
solidify his power.
“No traveling means no
family gathering, no gift-
giving, and no big dinners,”
Tang said. “The Chinese
economy was in very bad
shape in 2020, and Li Keq-
iang must be very worried
about losing these big New
Year-related revenues.”
A10 | WORLD
Court Fines
Navalny’s Wife After
Protests in Moscow
MOSCOW—A Moscow court on
Feb. 1 ordered the wife of Russian
opposition leader Alexei Naval-
ny to pay a fine of 20,000 rubles
($265) for violating protest regula-
tions after she attended a demon-
stration in the Russian capital to
demand his release.
Tens of thousands protested
across Russia’s 11 time zones on
Jan. 31, chanting slogans against
Russian President Vladimir Putin
and demanding that authorities
free Navalny, who was jailed last
month and faces a prison term.
More than 5,400 protesters were
detained by authorities, one
group said.
While Russia’s state-run media
dismissed the demonstrations
as small and claimed that they
showed the opposition’s failure,
Navalny’s team said the turnout
on Jan. 31 demonstrated “over-
whelming nationwide support”
for the Kremlin’s fiercest critic.
Navalny’s allies have called for
another demonstration in Mos-
cow on Feb. 2, when a court is
scheduled to hear the authorities’
motion to send him to prison for
up to 3 1/2 years.
His wife, Yulia Navalnaya,
joined a protest in Moscow on Jan.
31 that took place despite unprec-
edented security measures that
city authorities took ahead of the
Uganda Opposition
Leader Wine Challenges
Election Result
KAMPALA, Uganda—Ugandan
presidential challenger Bobi Wine
on Feb. 1 filed a court challenge
seeking to overturn the reelec-
tion of President Yoweri Musev-
eni, who has been in power for
35 years.
Those who are
lucky to return
speak of horrifying
stories of torture.
Bobi Wine
Wine, whose real name is Robert
Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, had sug-
gested he didn’t want to legitimize
Museveni’s victory in last month’s
polls by seeking justice with a
court that has been reluctant to
rule against the president in past
elections. The Supreme Court
ruled three times that electoral
irregularities weren’t substantial
enough to affect the outcome.
Museveni won the Jan. 14 elec-
tions with 58 percent of the vote
while Wine had 35 percent, ac-
cording to final results announced
last week by the electoral commis-
Bolsonaro Allies Poised to Win Leadership of Brazil’s Congress
BRASILIA—Allies of Brazil’s right-
wing President Jair Bolsonaro
are set to win leadership roles in
Congress on Feb. 1, bolstering his
standing but not necessarily his
economic team’s reform agenda,
analysts and politicians said.
Rodrigo Pacheco of the center-
right Democrats party, whom
Bolsonaro has endorsed, is ex-
pected to easily win election as
president of the Senate, with 55-
60 votes in the 81-seat chamber,
according to risk consultancy
Arko Advice.
Pacheco recently said he
wouldn’t make a priority of priva-
tizing Eletrobras, Latin Ameri-
ca’s largest utility and one of the
government’s biggest potential
asset sales as it works to cut the
fiscal deficit. He also disagrees
rally. She was quickly detained
and charged with participating in
an unauthorized rally. A court on
Feb. 1 ordered Navalnaya to pay a
fine, her lawyer Svetlana Davydo-
va told the Interfax news agency.
Davydova said the defense plans
to appeal the ruling.
In the largest outpouring of dis-
content Russia had seen in years,
mass protests engulfed dozens
of Russian cities for the second
weekend in a row despite efforts
by Russian authorities to stifle the
unrest triggered by the jailing of
44-year-old Navalny, Putin’s most
well-known foe.
Navalny was arrested Jan. 17
upon his return from Germany,
where he spent five months recov-
ering from nerve-agent poisoning
that he blames on the Kremlin.
Russian authorities have rejected
the accusations. He faces a prison
term for alleged probation viola-
tions from a 2014 money-launder-
ing conviction, which has been
widely seen as politically moti-
vated.
After his arrest, Navalny’s team
released a two-hour YouTube
video about an opulent Black Sea
residence purportedly built for
Putin. The video has been viewed
more than 100 million times, fur-
ther stoking Russians’ discontent
amid an economic downturn.
sion after accounting for results
from nearly all polling stations.
Wine has accused electoral au-
thorities of declaring “cooked-up
results,” alleging irregularities
such as soldiers stuffing ballot
boxes, casting ballots for people,
and chasing voters away from
polling stations across the East
African country. He has urged
his supporters to protest his loss
through nonviolent means.
Despite the assertions of fraud,
Wine’s National Unity Platform
party wasn’t always sure that go-
ing to court was the right move.
Some members said it was “a to-
tal waste of time” while others
argued that it was necessary “to
expose Museveni and put the ju-
diciary on trial,” said Joel Ssenyo-
nyi, a spokesman for Wine.
It was not immediately clear
when courtroom arguments will
begin.
Anthony Wameli, a Ugandan
attorney who is part of Wine’s le-
gal team, said they had amassed
“glaring evidence” of malfea-
sance and would “dissect the
voter register” in trying to prove
that Museveni’s victory is invalid.
But he cited challenges such as
harassment by state agents he
with Bolsonaro’s policies easing
environmental enforcement and
gun sales.
For speaker of the lower house,
the right-wing Liberal Party’s
candidate, Arthur Lira, has
widened his lead over Luiz Fe-
lipe Baleia Rossi, of the centrist
MDB party, who is backed by
left-wing lawmakers pushing
to spend more on assistance to
low-income Brazilians hurt by
the coronavirus pandemic.
On Jan. 31, the center-right
Democrats party decided not to
back any candidate in the 513-
seat chamber, effectively pulling
its support for Baleia Rossi and
ensuring Lira a majority.
The decision was a defeat for in-
cumbent speaker Rodrigo Maia, a
member of the Democrats party,
Yulia Navalnaya arrives to attend a hearing at a court in Moscow on Feb. 1, 2021.
The rallies following Navalny’s
arrest appear to have rattled the
Kremlin. In an effort to quell the
protests, the authorities have
jailed Navalny’s associates and
activists across the country. His
brother Oleg, top ally Lyubov So-
bol, and three other people were
put under a two-month house ar-
rest and face criminal charges.
A total of 40 criminal probes
have been opened in 18 Russian
regions in connection to the pro-
tests, said Pavel Chikov, head of
the human rights organization
Agora.
Russian authorities cracked
down hard on the demonstra-
tors on Jan. 31, detaining more
than 5,400 people, according to
Opposition presidential challenger Bobi Wine speaks to the media outside his
house in Magere, Uganda, on Jan. 26, 2021.
accused of detaining over 1,000
of Wine’s supporters before and
after the elections.
“We are doing everything in
hiding,” he said. “We are going
to seek witness protection.”
Wine, in a Facebook post on Feb.
1, highlighted the case of a miss-
ing man he said was among many
victims of alleged abductions.
“Countless Ugandans have been
abducted and taken to unknown
places,” he said. “Those who are
lucky to return speak of horrify-
ing stories of torture.”
Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi, an inde-
pendent analyst who is a promi-
nent rights attorney in Uganda,
said he believes Wine will find
it hard to convince the panel of
judges to annul Museveni’s victo-
EVARISTO SA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
speaks at Planalto Palace in Brasilia
on Dec. 17, 2020.
who has sought to keep Congress
independent from the Bolsonaro
government in setting the legisla-
tive agenda.
Lira has some 280-300 votes, ac-
cording to Congressman Marcelo
Ramos, who is in line to become
his deputy speaker.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
OVD-Info, a legal aid group that
monitors arrests at protests. The
group said that was the highest
number in its nine-year history of
keeping records in the Putin era.
OVD-Info said at least 51 pro-
testers were beaten by police of-
ficers while being detained. Foot-
age of the protests showed riot
police beating people with trun-
cheons and throwing them onto
the ground. Media reported some
protesters were hit with Tasers.
When asked Feb. 1 about the
mass detentions, Kremlin spokes-
man Dmitry Peskov noted that
the protest was “unlawful” and
charged that “there was a fairly
large number of hooligans, pro-
vocateurs with more or less ag-
NICHOLAS BAMULANZEKI/AP PHOTO
ry, even if there is strong evidence.
“The only problem is the judg-
es,” he said. “The judges want
stability. They know that if they
annul an election it can cause a
coup or it can cause instability.
That’s what they fear.”
Museveni has dismissed allega-
tions of vote fraud.
Uganda’s elections were marred
by violence ahead of polling day
as well as an internet shutdown
that remained in force until four
days after the vote. Social media
sites remain restricted.
Police surrounded Wine’s home
for days after the elections, with
authorities citing an urgent need
to prevent him from leading pro-
tests. They withdrew from Wine’s
residence last week after a judge
Bolsonaro’s growing influence
over Congress should dispel for
now the growing clamor for im-
peachment from critics who have
filed 57 requests to unseat him,
mainly for his handling of the
pandemic that has killed some
224,000 Brazilians.
Upset by the news that his party
was abandoning his favored can-
didate, Maia reportedly threat-
ened on Jan. 31 to authorize
the opening of impeachment
proceedings on his final day as
speaker, according to newspa-
pers Estado de S. Paulo and Folha
de S.Paulo.
Representatives for Maia de-
clined to comment on the re-
ports.
Despite deep recession and the
world’s second-deadliest COV-
ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/AP PHOTO
gressive behavior towards law
enforcement officers.”
“In response to provocations,
the police act harshly and within
the law,” Peskov said.
Russian state media also high-
lighted “aggressive actions” of the
protesters in their coverage of the
Jan. 31 demonstrations, which re-
ports said were joined by “times
fewer” people than on Jan. 23.
Many reports underscored “po-
lite” actions by police officers, and
state TV channel Russia 1 even
aired video statements of people
thanking law enforcement offi-
cers in the wake of the rallies.
By Daria Litvinova
From The Associated Press
ruled that Wine’s home isn’t a de-
tention facility.
The United States and the Euro-
pean Union have noted concerns
about Uganda’s elections. Natalie
E. Brown, the U.S. ambassador, in
a statement last week cited “deep
and continuing concern about the
extrajudicial detention of opposi-
tion political party members, the
reported disappearance of several
opposition supporters, and con-
tinued restrictions on the [Nation-
al Unity Platform’s] operations.”
A popular singer before he won
a seat in Uganda’s parliament, the
38-year-old Wine has emerged
as the country’s most powerful
opposition figure. Wine has cap-
tured the imagination of many
at home and abroad in his gen-
erational clash with Museveni.
He has repeatedly called for the
retirement of Museveni, a U.S. ally
on regional security who accuses
Wine of being a foreign agent.
Wine denies the allegation.
Museveni was able to run again
after lawmakers removed the
last constitutional barrier—an
age limit—to what some see as
a possible life presidency for the
76-year-old leader.
Uganda has never witnessed a
peaceful transfer of power since in-
dependence from Britain in 1962—
one reason why even some within
Museveni’s party urge him to pre-
side over an orderly transition.
By Rodney Muhumuza
From The Associated Press
ID-19 outbreak, polls show Bol-
sonaro retaining his core support
of a third of the electorate, though
his negatives rose in January as
the second wave of the pandemic
began to bite.
His popular support, along with
a growing willingness to discuss
traditional horse-trading in Con-
gress, have helped him secure a
political base of center-right law-
makers.
Opening the pork-barrel tap has
also helped. Newspaper Estado
de S. Paulo reported last week
that Bolsonaro authorized 3 bil-
lion reais ($550 million) in pork-
barrel spending in the districts of
250 lawmakers and 35 senators.
By Anthony Boadle
From Reuters
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 WORLD | A11

2 Cases of South African Virus Variant in South

of England Without Travel Links
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
SIMON VEAZEY

Two people in the south of Eng-

land have tested positive for the
South African variant of the CCP
virus—the first such cases with
no identified links to travel from
the country.
The discovery in Surrey sparked
the rollout of local “surge testing”
of thousands of people as local au-
thorities try to stem the spread of
the more transmissible variant.
“Residents in the affected areas,
and across Woking, should re-
main calm and continue to follow
the national restrictions that are
currently in place,” Surrey County
Council said in a statement.
“This follows notification that a
specific variant of COVID-19 has
been identified from two positive
tests in the area, in residents who
have no links to travel or previ-
ous variant cases. The variant is
known as the SARS-CoV-2 variant
(also known as VOC-202012/02)
which originated in South Africa.”
The free tests, posted through
residents’ mailboxes, will be col-
lected by a team of officials later
the same day, before being sent
to labs.
Ruth Hutchinson, director of A lab technician uses a pipette device to process samples to test for COVID-19, at Biogroup Laboratory’s lab in west London on Jan. 21, 2021.
Public Health for Surrey, said that
it was a precautionary measure. The surge testing is expected to The fact that the new cases can’t effective against the South Afri- “The UK has one of the best
“The more cases of the variant extend into neighboring regions be traced back to South Africa can variant, the potency appears genomic systems in the world
we find, the better chance we in the coming days. People don’t suggests that the variant could lower than against other variants. which has allowed us to detect
have at stopping it from spread- need to self-isolate unless they test have started to circulate in the Novavax recently announced the variant originating in South
ing further. By playing your part positive. UK, and will be harder to keep that initial trials showed its vac- Africa here in Surrey[.] I urge ev-
and taking the test, you’ll be help- The Health Secretary last week under control. cine was 89 percent effective in eryone offered a test to take it up
ing to keep your community and said that all of the cases of the According to the statement from the UK, where the more transmis- to help us to monitor the virus
your loved ones safe,” she said in new variant of the CCP virus at the council, there is also no evi- sible strain originating in Kent is in our communities and to help
a statement. that time had been traced back to dence “that the regulated vaccine now predominant. A less exten- suppress and control the spread
“It’s really important to say that travel from South Africa. would not protect against” the sive trial in South Africa—where of this variant,” Dr. Alison Bar-
there is currently no evidence that A total of 105 cases of the variant South African variant. the VOC-202012/02 variant is nett, regional director at Public
this variant causes more severe ill- have previously been identified, While recent studies of some dominant—suggested an effec- Health England South East, said
ness, so you don’t need to worry.” according to Sky News. vaccines do suggest that they are tiveness of around 60 percent. in a statement.

UK Orders 40 Million More Doses of Valneva COVID-19 Vaccine

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

ALEXANDER ZHANG
The British government signed a
deal on Feb. 1 for an extra 40 mil-
lion doses of the CCP virus vaccine
developed by French pharmaceuti-
cal firm Valneva.
The UK government had already
purchased 60 million doses, and
invested millions of pounds in
Valneva’s manufacturing facility
in Livingston, Scotland, which be-
gan production last week.
UK Health Secretary Matt Han-
cock said he was “so pleased” by
the deal.
“This vaccine shows the best
of Scottish expertise right at the
heart of our UK vaccine endeavor,
& demonstrates the strength of our
union working together,” he wrote
on Twitter.
The deal brings the total number
of CCP (Chinese Communist Party)
virus vaccine doses secured by the
UK to 407 million.
The extra purchase is intended to
ensure the UK has “the best chance
of securing access to successful
vaccines as quickly as possible,”
the government said in a state-
ment.
It will also give the UK flexibility
in case there’s a need to revaccinate
any part of the population, it said.
Valneva’s COVID-19 vaccine can-
didate is currently undergoing tri-
als and will need to receive regula-
tory approval before it’s rolled out
at the end of the year.
The company said that 150
healthy adults aged 18 to 55 years
have been recruited for a clinical
study, which commenced mid-De-
cember and is expected to report
initial results in April 2021.
If the vaccine is approved by UK
regulators, the Livingston facility
will be able to produce up to 250
million doses annually for ship-
ment across the UK and around
the world.
In addition to the 100 million
doses already purchased, the UK
government retains options for a
further 90 million doses for supply
between 2023 and 2025.
The total value of the 190 million
doses is up to 1.24 billion pounds
($1.69 billion), Valneva said in a
statement.
The UK has so far approved three
COVID-19 vaccines developed, re-
spectively, by Pfizer/BioNTech, Ox-
ford/AstraZeneca, and Moderna. Vials of COVID-19 vaccine and
By Jan. 31, nearly 9 million people syringes with the logo of French-
across the UK had received the first Austrian vaccine firm Valneva, on
dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Nov. 17, 2020.

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A National Park Service ranger walks down the main cell block on Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco, in this file photo.
Get Ready for Fights Over
Criminal Justice Reform
DIANE DIMOND
In the brand-new year
ahead, get ready for
some brand-new moves
to change the nation’s
criminal justice system as
we know it. In some states,
it’s already happening.
You’ll hear about several proposals in
the coming months. Among them: Cut
the U.S. prison population by more than
half; close all private prisons; shutter all
private immigration detention centers;
eliminate cash bail for arrestees await-
ing trial; cancel the death penalty; and
stop judges from handing out mandatory
minimum sentences. In addition, you’ll
surely hear about reestablishing federal
monitoring of police departments for
civil rights violations and forbidding
officers from using chokeholds or no-
knock raids to round up those suspected
of serious crimes.
The question is, exactly how
will some, or all, of these ideas
be put into practice?
The Biden administration has en-
dorsed all of these criminal justice
reform proposals.
Some citizens will consider these
fine ideas. Others will not. And therein
lies the great debate ahead for all of us.
Pages could be filled with the pros and
cons of each of these suggestions.
The question is, exactly how will
some, or all, of these ideas be put into
practice? Will there be thoughtful dis-
cussion of each proposal, or will they be
hastily crammed down citizens’ throats
by political fiat?
U.S. presidents have the power to
simply issue an executive order or
memorandum to put their desires into
effect, provided the order isn’t out of
step with either the Constitution or laws
already on the books. Such a president’s
decree carries the same weight as any
law passed by Congress. Naturally, crit-
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • A13
ROBYN BECK/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES
ics can—and do—challenge executive
orders in court.
Case in point: President Donald
Trump’s Executive Order 13768, which
withheld federal criminal justice funds
from defiant “sanctuary jurisdictions”
that refused to uphold U.S. immigration
laws. That 2017 order faced several legal
trials and has been see-sawing through
the courts ever since. Trump’s bottom
line was clear: Cities and states shouldn’t
be allowed to ignore established laws.
Yet, currently, in Los Angeles, that is
exactly what the union representing
some 800 prosecutors claims is happen-
ing at the directive of the newly elected
district attorney, George Gascon. The
union filed a lawsuit.
California’s penal code has long in-
structed prosecutors to seek extra prison when it comes to public safety.
time for defendants who have a prior San Francisco district As these matters play out in lengthy
criminal record, those found in posses- attorney George Gascon and expensive court battles, all taxpayers
sion of a firearm, or those with known speaks during a new con- can do is sit back, watch, and realize that
gang ties. Other longstanding sentenc- ference in San Francisco the only current winners are the lawyers.
ing enhancements include defendants on Dec. 9, 2014. What will happen, then, if President
convicted of crimes against children Joe Biden uses his executive power to
or the elderly, or so-called hate crimes. sidestep debate and enact the progres-
Shortly after Gascon took office, he sive proposals listed above? There will
issued a directive instructing his vast surely be more divisiveness and more
team of prosecutors to lay off the extra court fights.
enhancements. Many in the criminal justice system
The union’s lawsuit claims Gascon’s think this scenario is a real possibility.
directive “placed line prosecutors in an They worry that police departments will
ethical dilemma—follow the law, their be further crippled and judges will be
oath, and their ethical obligations, or forced to release dangerous defendants
follow their superior’s orders.” with no bail and the unrealistic hope
Gascon, a progressive who cam- that they will return for trial.
paigned for a kinder criminal justice We have entered a phase of politics
system, is fighting the lawsuit and where leading by partisan edict is
says he is simply doing what the voters becoming more frequent. No debate of
elected him to do. In response to the issues, just politicians who feel embold-
lawsuit, Gascon said, “Overincarcera- ened to ram through their ideas. Is this
tion—the practice of sending people to OK with you?
jails and prisons for too long—does not
enhance safety.” Diane Dimond is an author and investiga-
Gascon isn’t the only DA to take office tive journalist. Her latest book is “Thinking
and suddenly change the rules. The Outside the Crime and Justice Box.”
same thing has happened in Philadel-
phia, Portland, Chicago, Boston, Dallas,
and other cities.
Is this what we want? Should elected
officials be allowed to ignore the laws
they don’t like and order underlings to
follow their lead? Seems like a gamble
A14 | OPINION
The Lone Wanderers of the Revolution
SALENA ZITO
WASHINGTON—Walk
toward Anderson House
on Massachusetts
Avenue, just off Dupont
Circle, and the first thing
you see is a remarkable
bronze of George Washing-
ton guarding the entryway.
Walk inside and your breath will be
nearly taken away by the opulent beauty
and all the splendor of the Gilded Age.
This was once the winter home of
American diplomat Larz Anderson. His
wife, Isabel Weld Perkins Anderson,
donated their Beaux-Arts mansion and
much of its furnishings to The Society of
the Cincinnati in 1938 to serve as their
headquarters.
Anderson was a member of the patri-
otic hereditary society formed in 1783
by Gen. Henry Knox and other officers
who served in the Revolutionary War.
Its purpose remains to perpetuate the
memory of the War for Independence,
remind citizens to remain vigilant in the
defense of their liberties, and keep alive
the memory of the virtuous sacrifices
that secured those liberties.
To be a member, you have to have
descended from an officer who served in
that war. Anderson was the great-grand-
son of Lt. Richard Clough Anderson Sr.
Despite the opulence of the grand hall,
the elegant foyers, the Flemish tapes-
tries, imported marble floors, French fur-
niture, and Asian ivories, the image that
stayed with me throughout the entire
tour was the haunting portrait of Joseph
Winters in the “America’s First Veterans”
exhibition.
The portrait was done over 40 years
after the Revolutionary War when art-
ist John Neagle stumbled upon an old,
near-naked man huddled in the snow in
DILBERT
PEANUTS
RED AND ROVER
GRAND AVENUE
MUTT & JEFF
a Philadelphia alley.
“I found him much benumbed with
cold and scantily clad,” Neagle wrote in
his diary. “His outer dress was ragged—
His flannel and coat scarcely covered his
naked body and he had an apology for a
shirt—all were in rags and strings.”
Neagle took the man home with him,
fed him and, discovering that he only
spoke German, brought back the local
grocer to help translate his story. Winters
had immigrated from Germany, was a
weaver by trade, and had outlived his
wife and two children.
Then, his story took a profound twist.
The elderly homeless man had served in
the Revolutionary War and told Neagle
he had “fought very hard to establish the
liberties of our country.”
Neagle wrote that Winters became “a
lone wanderer in a world evincing but
little feeling or sympathy for him.” Nea-
gle would eventually paint his portrait,
capturing all of the appalling sadness
of how quickly society and government
forget those who served when it becomes
convenient.
Neagle wrote that Winters
became ‘a lone wanderer in
a world evincing but little
feeling or sympathy for him.’
Less than one-half of 1 percent of
Americans currently serve in our armed
forces, making them nearly invisible to
most of us in our daily lives, despite their
call to serve all of us every waking hour
of their lives.
Politicians sometimes use them to
rally around or as a political wedge is-
sue. Their service often takes more from
them than any of us ever give, costing
COMICS
SALENA ZITO
John Neagle’s portrait of Joseph Winters, a
Revolutionary War soldier who found him-
self alone and forgotten at the end of his life.
His portrait and story are part of the Anderson
House exhibition on American soldiers.
them marriages, friendships, life, limb,
or mind.
They become the lone wanderers
among us who we don’t see until tragedy
strikes or someone publicly dismisses
them. This isn’t something of yesteryear.
It happened last month when Capitol
Police asked National Guard troops to
move out of congressional buildings and
into garages.
They had little access to bathroom fa-
cilities and had cramped conditions that
could be perilous during the COVID-19
pandemic.
While the reaction across Washington
and both sides of the aisle was outrage,
someone made that decision, and some-
one with power found them disposable.
Let’s be clear here: The men and women
in our National Guard are tough; they
can handle and have handled worse than
sleeping on a cold garage floor when it is
38 degrees out. The outrage here lies not
in the deed, but in the dismissal—the
lack of respect for their fulfillment of duty.
It’s a dismissive attitude many in our
society have carried too long through too
many generations.
GARFIELD
GINGER MEGGS
BIG NATE
DRABBLE
FRANK AND ERNEST
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
Winters disappeared into the night af-
ter Neagle captured his old face fixed in
sadness and fatigue. No record remains
of where he spent his last days.
The elegant bronze of Washington has
been removed from its graceful sentry
outside the Anderson House. The re-
ceptionist confirmed it was a preven-
tive measure in reaction to the riots and
statue destruction that raged across the
district last summer.
The “Lone Wanderer” will still be on
exhibition when Anderson House opens
at the end of March. It’s an extraordi-
nary hall, where dignitaries such as
former British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill and former President Ronald
Reagan met with the descendants of the
officers who led an often-ragtag Army
filled with brave men like Winters, who,
despite not knowing the language and
having not lived here very long, found
liberty a cause worth defending.
It’s worth a visit, just as a reminder of
why we should never forget.
Salena Zito has held a long, successful
career as a national political reporter.
Since 1992, she has interviewed every
U.S. president and vice president, as
well as top leaders in Washington, D.C.,
including secretaries of state, speakers of
the House, and U.S. Central Command
generals. Her passion, though, is inter-
viewing thousands of people across the
country. She reaches the Everyman and
Everywoman through the lost art of shoe-
leather journalism, having traveled along
the back roads of 49 states.
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
SPECIAL SERIES
How the Specter of Communism
Is Ruling Our World
Sabotaging Education
The Epoch Times here serializes an adaptation from the Chinese of
“How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World,” a new book by
the editorial team of the “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.”
2. Communism in Western
Universities
a. The Leftist Slant of
University Faculties (cont.)
The term “tenured radicals” was
coined by Roger Kimball in his 1989
book of the same name, and referred
to the radical students who had been
active in the anti-war, civil rights, or
feminist movements of the 1960s,
later entered universities to teach,
and obtained tenure in the 1980s.
From there, they inculcated students
with their system of political values
and created a new generation of
radicals. Some of these 1960s radi-
cals became department heads and
deans. The purpose of their scholarly
work was not to explore the truth,
but to use academia as a tool for un-
dermining Western civilization and
traditions. They aimed to subvert
mainstream society and the political
system by producing more revolu-
tionaries like themselves.
Once the spark of class hatred
enters their hearts, students learn
to resent and oppose the normal
structure and workings of society,
for which the inevitable solution
is rebellion and revolution.
Once tenured, professors can
participate in various committees
and have considerable say in recruit-
ing new faculty members, setting
academic standards, selecting topics
for graduate theses, and determin-
ing the direction of research. They
have ample means to use their
power to exclude candidates who
do not conform to their ideology.
For this reason, more traditionally
minded individuals who teach and
do research according to traditional
concepts are being steadily mar-
ginalized. As older professors retire,
those who replace them are mostly
leftist scholars who have been indoc-
trinated with communist ideas.
Radical students who had been
active in the anti-war, civil rights,
or feminist movements of the
1960s later entered universities to
teach, and obtained tenure in the
1980s. From there, they inculcated
students with their system of
political values and created a new
generation of radicals.
Gramsci divided intellectuals into
two camps: “traditional” intellec-
tuals and “organic” intellectuals.
The former are the backbone of
maintaining traditional culture and
social order, while the latter belong
to newly emerging classes or groups
and play a creative role in the pro-
cess of fighting for hegemony in their
classes or groups. [68] In this view,
the proletariat uses organic intel-
lectuals on its path to seizing cul-
tural and eventually political power.
Many tenured radicals would define
themselves as organic intellectuals
who oppose the current system. Like
Gramsci, they follow the Marxian
axiom that “the philosophers have
only interpreted the world in vari-
ous ways; the point, however, is to
change it.” [69]
In this way, education for the Left
is not about imparting the essence of
knowledge and human civilization,
but for priming students for radical
politics, social activism, and “social
justice.” After graduation and upon
joining society, they vent their dissat-
isfaction with the current system by
rebelling against traditional culture
and calling for destructive revolution.
b. Reshaping Traditional
Academics With Communist
Ideology
While Marxism-Leninism is the
guiding ideology for every subject in
communist countries, academic free-
dom is a core focus in the West. Aside
from ubiquitous moral standards
and academic norms, there shouldn’t
be any bias in favor of particular in-
tellectual trends. But since the 1930s,
socialism, communism, Marxism,
and the theories of the Frankfurt
School have entered American col-
leges in force, severely altering the
humanities and social sciences.
Revolutionary Discourse
Dominates the Humanities
in America
Author Bruce Bawer once asked
Alan Charles Kors, a historian at the
University of Pennsylvania, about
which three books he thought had
had the deepest influence on the
humanities in the United States.
With hardly a pause, Kors named
Gramsci’s “Prison Notebooks,”
Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Op-
pressed,” and Frantz Fanon’s “The
Wretched of the Earth.” [70]
Gramsci, the Italian Marxist, needs
no further introduction as his work
has been described in previous
chapters. Freire, a Brazilian educa-
tional theorist, adored Lenin, Mao
Zedong, Fidel Castro, and Ernesto
“Che” Guevara. His “Pedagogy of
the Oppressed,” published in 1968
and reprinted in English two years
later, has become mandatory read-
ing at many academic institutions in
the United States. The book doesn’t
focus on any specific educational
problems, but rather is “a utopian
political tract calling for the over-
throw of capitalist hegemony and
the creation of classless societies,”
as described by City Journal’s Stern.
[71] Freire’s work does no more than
repeat the Marxist view that there
are only two kinds of people in the
world: the oppressor and the op-
pressed. The oppressed should, then,
reject their education, be awakened
to their miserable circumstances,
and be spurred to rebellion.
Fanon was born on Martinique
Island in the Caribbean and joined
the Algerian war against French co-
lonial rule. His “The Wretched of the
Earth” was published in 1961 with a
preface by French existentialist and
communist Jean-Paul Sartre, who
summarized Fanon’s theory as thus:
Western colonizers are the embodi-
ment of evil, whereas non-Western-
ers are inherently noble by virtue of
their being colonized and exploited.
Fanon called on people in the
colonies to engage in violent revolt
Chapter Twelve
against the colonial ruling class. He
said: “At the level of individuals, vio-
lence is a cleansing force. It frees the
native from his inferiority complex
and from his despair and inaction; it
makes him fearless and restores his
self-respect.” [72] Embracing Fanon’s
ideas, Sartre wrote in the preface:
“For in the first days of the revolt you
must kill: to shoot down a European
is to kill two birds with one stone, to
destroy an oppressor and the man
he oppresses at the same time: there
remain a dead man, and a free man;
the survivor, for the first time, feels a
national soil under his foot.” [73]
Paulo Freire, a Brazilian
educational theorist, adored
Lenin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro,
and Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. His
‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ has
become mandatory reading at
many academic institutions.
Freire’s work repeats the Marxist
view that there are only two
kinds of people in the world: the
oppressor and the oppressed.
The ideas of Gramsci, Freire, and
Fanon are deceptive narratives that
entice people to view history and
society through the lens of class
struggle. Once the spark of class
hatred enters their hearts, students
learn to resent and oppose the nor-
mal structure and workings of soci-
ety, for which the inevitable solution
is rebellion and revolution.
Which particular theorist or
school of thought has had the great-
est influence on humanities and
social sciences in American col-
leges is a matter of debate. What’s
clear, however, is that Marxism, the
Frankfurt School, Freudian theory,
and postmodernism (which worked
alongside communism in destroying
culture and morality) have come to
dominate the field.
Notes
68. David Macey, “Organic Intellec-
tual,” in “The Penguin Diction-
ary of Critical Theory” (London:
Penguin Books, 2000), 282.
69. Karl Marx, “Theses on Feuer-
bach,” in “Marx/Engels Selected
Works,” vol. 1, 13–15, accessed via
Marxists Internet Archive.
70. Bruce Bawer, “The Victims’
Revolution: The Rise of Identity
Studies and the Closing of the
Liberal Mind” (New York: Broad-
side Books, 2012), chap. 1.
71. Sol Stern, as quoted in Bawer,
“The Victims’ Revolution.”
72. Frantz Fanon, “The Wretched of
the Earth,” trans. Constance Far-
rington (New York: Grove Press,
1966), 94.
73. Jean-Paul Sartre, “Preface,” in
Frantz Fanon, “The Wretched of
the Earth,” trans. Constance Far-
rington (New York: Grove Press,
1966).
See next edition for the next
installment.
To purchase the books, visit
EpochShop.com
OPINION | A15
Stephen Gregory, Publisher
Jasper Fakkert, Editor-in-Chief
Channaly Philipp, Life & Tradition,
Travel Editor
Chrisy Trudeau, Mind & Body Editor
Crystal Shi, Home, Food Editor
Sharon Kilarski, Arts & Culture Editor
ABOUT US
The Epoch Times is a media
organization dedicated to seek-
ing the truth through insightful
and independent journalism.
Standing outside of politi-
cal interests and the pursuit of
profit, our starting point and our
goal is to create a media for the
public benefit, to be truly respon-
sible to society.
We endeavor to educate read-
ers about today’s most impor-
tant topics, seeking to broaden
and uplift minds. We believe that
rational, balanced debate is key
for fostering a healthy democ-
racy and a compassionate
society.
As an independent media out-
let, we use our freedom to inves-
tigate issues overlooked—or
avoided—by other media outlets.
We seek to highlight solutions
and what’s good in society rather
than what divides us.
We report respectfully, compas-
sionately, and rigorously.
We stand against the destruc-
tion wrought by communism,
including the harm done to cul-
tures around the world.
We are inspired in this by our
own experience. The Epoch
Times was founded in 2000 to
bring honest and uncensored
news to people oppressed
by the lies and violence in
communist China.
We still believe journalism is a
noble vocation, but only when it
genuinely seeks to serve its com-
munities and help them to flour-
ish. In all that we do, we will hold
ourselves to the highest stand-
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A16 | OPINION
Learning and Belonging:
Tradition and the Individual
PAUL ADAMS
We belong to each other, and we
learn everything worthwhile
by submitting to the authority
of a tradition we didn’t in-
vent. We don’t make it up from
scratch according to our feel-
ings of the moment.
In an essay celebrating the 250th
anniversary of Beethoven’s death,
David Goldman traces the line of piano
teachers descending in a direct line
from Beethoven himself down through
the 19th and 20th centuries to his own
teacher, the Italian pianist Carlo Levi
Minzi.
Any serious students of piano sub-
mit to a tradition, whether or not they
go on to become a concert pianist.
They learn and develop the norms and
The keyboard of Beethoven’s last grand piano, a pianoforte built by Viennese piano manufacturer
Conrad Graf, at the Beethoven House in Bonn, Germany, on Dec. 13, 2019.
The Book You’ve Been
Waiting for...
“Extremely well “The Truth, as horrifying as it is,
researched and true.” shall set us free. This should be
on this country’s academia’s
list of required reading.”
HOW THE
SPECTER OF COMMUNISM
IS RULING OUR WORLD
The specter of communism did not
disappear with the disintegration of the
Communist Party in Eastern Europe
ORDER NOW!
EpochShop.com
the particular virtues that the prac-
As human beings, tice—of piano, chess, baseball, law, or
medicine—requires and builds. Virtues
we can’t thrive, might include, among those particular
individually or in to mastery of the skills and knowledge
society, as auton- required, perseverance and self-disci-
pline (practicing whether you feel like it
omous, unencum- or not), humility, and gratitude.
bered individuals. The ability to “express oneself” and
innovate comes later, with long hours
or years of practice and the disciplined
development of knowledge and skill
within the tradition.
Genealogies and Belonging
A line of teachers linking Goldman to
Beethoven brings to mind the impor-
tance of family lists and genealogy in
many cultures and religions. They’re a
prominent feature of the Hebrew Bible,
and the New Testament begins with an
INA FASSBENDER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES account of how Jesus was descended
from Abraham and David. In many cul-
tures, such as that of Maori and Native
Hawaiians, speakers may introduce
themselves to an audience, not with
their academic credentials or profes-
sional achievements, but with their
genealogy. It’s both a way of identify-
ing oneself and of acknowledging one’s
debt to those who went before. It’s an
expression of gratitude for everything
we’ve received.
In everything, we learn from those
who gave us life, language, a shared
way of understanding the world, and
from those who taught us particular
practices—such as piano (or baseball or
medicine)—that require us to sit at the
feet of teachers and submit to a tradition
that long precedes us.
Expressive Individualism
In contrast, we tend to think of our-
selves, as current law encourages us to,
as autonomous selves, as wills pursuing
our own ends as we define them. We
think we shouldn’t be encumbered or
bound by obligations to which we didn’t
freely consent. We shouldn’t, in this
view, be encumbered by obligations we
didn’t choose.
One name for this ideology of the
autonomous, unencumbered self is
“expressive individualism.” As Carter
Snead puts it in his new book, “What It
Means to Be Human,” expressive indi-
vidualism “equates being fully human
with finding the unique truth within
ourselves and freely constructing our
individual lives to reflect it.”
NOW That way of looking at life is an ex-
treme version of the individualism that
BIGGER SIZE, French observer Alexis de Tocqueville
EASIER TO READ noted in early 19th-century America.
FORMAT In his travels in America, Tocqueville
noted a declining sense of community,
leading people into the view that they
“owe no man anything and hardly ex-
pect anything from anybody. They form
the habit of thinking of themselves in
isolation and imagine that their whole
destiny is in their hands.”
Rugged Individualists
and Modern Snowflakes
The self-sufficient, self-determining
rugged individualist celebrated in
Western film and frontier lore is one
expression of this vision, one in which
the hero has little connection to past or
future, to family or community.
The student who expects “safe spac-
es,” who demands official protection
from anything upsetting, the “snow-
flake,” seems like an altogether differ-
ent character in the country’s drama
today, though no less detached from
family, tradition, and the community
he or she grew up in.
The contrasts are obvious. The rug-
ged individualist doesn’t demand to be
kept safe from unpleasant feelings. If he
didn’t read the great works of Western
literature (though he may well have read
the King James Version of the Bible or
Bunyan’s classic of spiritual individual-
ism, “Pilgrim’s Progress”), he at least
didn’t demand the canon of great works
be purged of anything today’s woke
reader (or he himself) might consider
offensive or politically incorrect.
What both kinds of individualism
have in common is the focus on the self,
the weak sense of obligations that were
unchosen (like those to family or coun-
try), the idea that you were or could be
what you determined was right for you.
But the individualism of the woke, of
identity politics, goes further.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
The individualism of identity politics
or wokeness also seeks a substitute
for the sense of belonging that comes
with birth into a family, a faith, a cul-
ture, and a community. As Mary Eber-
stadt shows, the pull of identity politics
is that of a substitute for the loss or
absence of those aspects of belonging.
It’s an angry, quasi-religious impulse,
one that seeks out a separate identity
and community based on the desires
of the individual.
But despite the protestations, those
who embrace the politics of identity
don’t just want to be left alone. Far from
hardly expecting anything from any-
body, like Tocqueville’s individualists
of 19th-century America, the lifestyle
identitarians of today assert hitherto
unknown “rights” as claims on the state.
They demand and depend on a repres-
sive state that limits the authority and
freedom of the family, the church, em-
ployer, and voluntary organization.
One paradoxical expression of this
phenomenon was the sight of white
women screaming racist epithets and
insults at black police officers on duty at
the supposedly anti-racist riots of Port-
land, Oregon, that went on for months.
It was the only situation in which whites
could scream racist abuse at blacks with
impunity, knowing that the uniformed
officers of the state were under strict
orders not to respond.
We see loud yelling of students at Yale,
as some of the most privileged young
people in the world claim victimhood
and tell conciliatory administrators
to shut up and listen when they try to
speak. There are frequent demands
that faculty members be dismissed and
speakers canceled if vocal students con-
sider their views unacceptable.
Society can’t be reduced
to atomized individuals
on one hand and the
almighty state on the other,
with everything between
impoverished or destroyed.
The traditional and universal un-
derstanding of teaching and learning
is that the teacher embodies mastery
within a tradition. The authority as
a teacher is granted by virtue of that
tradition and his or her mastery within
it. The student sits at the teacher’s feet,
literally or figuratively, because both
parties realize that the teacher has
much to teach and the student much
to learn.
Identity politics in educational set-
tings often asserts the opposite. Those
with higher victim status are at elite
institutions to teach faculty, not to learn
from them. Those seen as irredeemable,
in particular heterosexual white males,
must shut up and listen. These “op-
pressors” are overrepresented among
faculty and administration.
Tradition and the Individual
The dominant ideology of wokeness or
identity politics is then an inversion of
the “best which has been thought and
said in the world,” as Victorian poet
Matthew Arnold put it. It reverses the
natural position of teacher and learner.
And in its individualism, putting will
and power rather than dependence and
relationships at the center of life, it dis-
torts actual human experience.
A more accurate view of what it means
to be human and of life as we actually
experience it starts with the fact that
we’re not free-floating wills or minds.
We’re born as dependent rational ani-
mals, as philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre
calls it, into “networks of uncalculated
giving and gracious receiving.”
We’re born into complete dependence
on others, more than other mammals
and for longer. We lose all indepen-
dence and autonomy as we approach
death or suffer extreme disability.
We’re always indebted to others, a debt
of gratitude we’re obliged to pay or be
guilty of being profoundly ungrateful.
These aren’t for the most part contracts
or debts we choose to incur.
As human beings, we can’t thrive, in-
dividually or in society, as autonomous,
unencumbered individuals. We belong
to each other. Society can’t be reduced
to atomized individuals on one hand
and the almighty state on the other,
with everything between impoverished
or destroyed.
Paul Adams writes on ethics, marriage
and family, and social policy. He is
professor emeritus of social work at the
University of Hawaii. He has also taught
at Case Western University and the Uni-
versity of Texas.
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
US Consumer Spending Slumps
Further; Inflation Creeping Higher
WASHINGTON—U.S. consumer spending
fell for a second straight month in Decem-
ber amid renewed business restrictions to
slow the spread of COVID-19 and a tem-
porary expiration of government-fund-
ed benefits for millions of unemployed
Americans.
The report from the Commerce Depart-
ment on Jan. 29 also showed inflation
steadily rising in December. Expectations
that inflation would perk up this year were
supported by other data showing a solid in-
crease in labor costs in the fourth quarter.
But a rise above the Federal Reserve’s 2
percent target, a flexible average, is unlikely
to worry policymakers. The U.S. central
bank is expected to maintain its ultra-easy
monetary policy stance for a while as the
economy battles the pandemic. Excess ca-
pacity remains throughout the economy,
which could limit companies’ ability to
raise prices.
“The Fed would like inflation to aver-
age 2 percent, so it would like inflation to
temporarily move above 2 percent,” said
Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Fi-
nancial in Pittsburgh. “Inflation pressures
will remain limited to a few sectors as high
unemployment will restrain wage growth.”
Consumer spending, which accounts for
more than two-thirds of U.S. economic ac-
tivity, slipped 0.2 percent last month as out-
lays at restaurants declined. Spending at
hospitals also fell, likely as patients stayed
away in fear of contracting the coronavirus.
Households also cut back spending on
recreation. Consumer spending tumbled
0.7 percent in November. Economists
polled by Reuters had forecast spending
would fall 0.4 percent in December.
When adjusted for inflation, consumer
spending decreased 0.6 percent last month
after dropping 0.7 percent in November.
That likely sets a lower base for consumer
spending in the first quarter.
Another drop in January isn’t expected
as states, including New York and Califor-
nia, have started easing pandemic-related
restrictions. But outlays on long-lasting
manufactured goods, the main driver of
spending during the pandemic, fell for a
second consecutive month in December.
Spending on nondurable goods dropped
for a third straight month. Services gained
0.1 percent.
“Goods spending has clearly rolled over,
and we anticipate the pull-forward in de-
mand in the second half of last year will
US Home Contract Signings
Set Record High for December
SILVER SPRING, Md.—The number of
Americans who signed contracts to buy
homes declined slightly for the fourth
straight month, but it was still a record high
for December.
The National Association of Realtors’
index of pending home sales dipped 0.3
percent to 125.5 in December, an all-time
high, according to the Jan. 29 report. An
index of 100 represents the level of contract
activity in 2001. Contract signings rose 21.4
percent over December 2019.
Contract signings are considered a barom-
eter of purchases that will take place in the
next one to two months. While it’s not always
completely accurate, the report would sug-
gest a strong winter for the housing market.
Regionally, contract signings were es-
sentially flat in the West and South, while
they declined 3.6 percent in the Midwest.
Signings rose 3.1 percent in the Northeast.
Thanks to a sizzling summer that con-
Informational signs at the Destiny USA mall during its reopening, as COVID-19 restrictions are
eased, in Syracuse, N.Y., on July 10, 2020.
also weigh on consumption of goods at
the start of this year,” said Tim Quinlan, a
senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities
in Charlotte, North Carolina. “We do not
anticipate spending to pick up significantly
until a vaccine is widely administered.”
Inflation pressures will
remain limited to a few
sectors as high unemployment
will restrain wage growth.
Gus Faucher, chief economist, PNC
The data was included in the Jan. 28 ad-
vance gross domestic product report for the
fourth quarter, which showed the economy
growing at a 4 percent annualized rate after
a record 33.4 percent pace in the July-Sep-
tember period. Consumer spending rose
at a 2.5 percent rate last quarter following
a spectacular 41.0 percent growth pace in
the third quarter.
Separately on Jan. 29, the University of
Michigan said its measure of consumer
sentiment eased in January. A third report
from the National Association of Realtors
showed contracts to purchase homes de-
creased for a fourth straight month in De-
tinued into fall, the housing market has
largely weathered the economic downturn,
even with a huge spring decline due to the
coronavirus outbreak.
Historically low interest rates are drawing
prospective buyers into the market, but
prices for both existing and new homes
have risen significantly in the past year as
supply remains near all-time lows.
The median sales price for an existing
home was $309,800 in December, up 12.9
percent from a year ago. Prices for a new
home have risen about 8 percent in the
past year, some of that because of a sharp
increase in the cost of framing lumber.
Mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac re-
ported on Jan. 28 that the average rate on
the 30-year fixed-rate home loan remained
near record lows at 2.73 percent.
By Matt Ott
From The Associated Press
JOHN RAOUX/AP PHOTO
A sold home
in Orlando,
Fla., on Dec.
8, 2020.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
MARANIE STAAB/REUTERS
cember, suggesting some moderation in
the housing market, one of the economy’s
star performers.
Growth is expected to decelerate to
around a 2 percent rate in the first quarter
as the economy works through the disrup-
tions from a COVID-19 surge in the winter.
Faster growth is expected by summer. The
government provided nearly $900 billion in
additional relief in late December and dis-
tribution of vaccines is expected to broaden
and accelerate.
President Joe Biden also has unveiled a
recovery plan worth $1.9 trillion, although
the package is likely to be pared amid wor-
ries about the nation’s swelling debt.
The late December stimulus package,
which included direct cash payments to
some households and renewal of a $300
unemployment supplement until March
14, helped to boost personal income, which
rebounded 0.6 percent after tumbling 1.3
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| A17
percent in November.
Some of the money was stashed away,
boosting the saving rate to 13.7 percent
from 12.9 percent in November.
Inflation Crept Higher
The personal consumption expenditures
(PCE) price index, excluding the volatile
food and energy component, gained 0.3
percent after being unchanged in Novem-
ber. In the 12 months through December,
the so-called core PCE price index in-
creased 1.5 percent after advancing 1.4 per-
cent in November. The core PCE price index
is the Fed’s preferred inflation measure.
Gradually firming inflation was rein-
forced by a fourth report from the Labor
Department showing its Employment Cost
Index, the broadest measure of labor costs,
rose 0.7 percent last quarter after advanc-
ing 0.5 percent in the third quarter.
The ECI is widely viewed by policymakers
and economists as one of the better mea-
sures of labor market slack and a predic-
tor of core inflation, as it adjusts for com-
position and job quality changes. Wages
jumped 0.9 percent last quarter.
But with employment still 10 million jobs
below the pre-pandemic peak, the rise is
probably unsustainable. Still, inflation is
seen accelerating in the months ahead as
weak readings last March and April drop
from the calculation.
Strengthening economic growth is also
expected to boost price pressures. Bottle-
necks in the supply chain are raising costs
for manufacturers, and the increases are
being passed on to consumers. Recent
manufacturing surveys have shown a
surge in price measures for both raw ma-
terials and finished products.
“Though inflation will accelerate this
year, some of that will be transitory,” said
Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s
Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
By Lucia Mutikani
From Reuters
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A18 | PUZZLES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

CROSSWORD CONSTRUCTED BY TOM HOUSTON

EPOCH TIMES STAFF 11. According to the law
12. “He who ___ it, dealt
it”
4NUMBERS CONSTRUCTED BY C. CHANG
AT 4NUMS.COM DAILY BRIDGE CLUB
Maintaining focus
Use the four numbers in the corners, and
the operands (+, - X, and ÷) to build an BY FRANK STEWART, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

13. Governmental lingo equation to get the solution in the middle.

There may be more than one “unique” so- ©2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
14. Becomes firm lution but, there may also be “equivalent”
solutions. For example: 6 + (7 X 3) +1 = 28 In the club lounge, the talk turned to the
15. Amazing adventure and 1+ (7 X 3) + 6 = 28 importance of focus. One of our older
20. Zing members said his abilities were hard to
27. Bloomers on a string gauge.
“One day, I amaze myself,” he sighed.
28. Afghan’s language “The next, I’m trying to find my cellphone
30. Giant Hall-of-Famer when I’m talking on it.”
In today’s deal, West led the jack of
31. Unreactive trumps against four hearts, and South won
33. Norse thunder god with the king, led a diamond to the ace and
ruffed a diamond with the deuce of trumps.
34. Fix, in a way (Oops.) He returned a trump to dummy’s
37. ___ Holliday ace and led a high diamond.
38. Big deal SPADE SHIFT
39. Ethanol and Botox East ruffed (South threw a spade) and
40. Eastern title led the ten of clubs: king, ace. West then
Hard 1 - 1 Solution shifted to spade: five, queen, ace. South
41. “The Tinker’s Wed- could only concede a club — he couldn’t
ding” playwright reach dummy — and the defense cashed a
spade. Down one.
45. Depletes South lost focus at Trick Three. He must
47. Gunpowder ingredi- ruff a diamond with a middle trump, lead
a middle trump to dummy and continue
ent with a high diamond. Then, if the defense
48. Expected operates the same way, South can lead his
deuce of trumps to dummy’s four and run
49. Annex the diamonds to discard his low spades.
50. 13th-century Norse
collection DAILY QUESTION
You hold: kA 10 4 2 j K 8 7 6 2 i
51. Caviar 4 h K 8 7. Your partner opens one
52. Kook diamond, you respond one heart and he
Hard 2 - 1 Solution bids two clubs. What do you say?
56. Mollify ANSWER: This problem is agonizing.
Across 37. A dessert 80. Judicial rulings
42. “____ Rider” 84. “___ Lizzie” (Ford 57. Ointment ingredient Since your partner may have only 12
1. An organ stop points, to pass may be your only route
9. Turning points 43. Praiseful poem Model T) 58. Voltaire play about to a plus score. But he could have as
13. “Look here!” 44. Grinder 85. “Are We Alone?” religious fanaticism many as 18 points, and passing may
59. Energize miss a game. If vulnerable, with more to
16. Arugula alternative 45. theepochtimes.com, research org. gain, you might try 2NT. Do not bid two
17. Abound e.g. 86. Big problems for 60. Do-it-yourselfer’s spades, which would suggest much more
46. Music genre Dumbo? purchase strength.
18. Rage North dealer
53. ___ Grande 87. Zinnia’s center? 61. “ ___ Miniver”
19. A “good” kind of virus 54. Lead 88. “___lively!”
N-S vulnerable
21. Swelter 66. Amount of hair
55. ___’wester 89. Geriatric’s gait 67. Common Market
NORTH
22. “A British ___” kJ 5
56. Conspiracy jA 4 3
(“H.M.S. Pinafore” song) 58. A contortionist and a Down inits. iA K Q 5 3 2
69. Hello or goodbye in Easy 1 - 1 Solution h5 4
23. “I don’t like your ___, budget planner both ___ 1. Why many people work
missy!” 62. Missing a deadline 2. Bartender on TV’s Kona WEST EAST
kK 9 8 3 kQ 7 6
24. ‘My ___ Sal’ 63. “Pat, can I buy ___?” Pacific Princess 70. Bernie Sanders’ mit- jJ 10 jQ 9 5
64. ____ gum (food tens iJ 9 8 6 i10 7
25. Club requirements, 3. African capital hA J 3 hQ 10 9 6 2
maybe thickener) 4. Kind of hand 71. Unkempt
65. Feldspar with the SOUTH
26. “Rug” area? 5. “Butterflies ___ Free” 75. In-of connector kA 10 4 2
symbol An 76. Go over jK 8 7 6 2
29. Anti-inflammatory 68. Church song 6. Mail discrimination i4
dressings 72. Stroking coordinator 7. Mishmash 77. “... ___ but hear not” hK 8 7
32. “Tucker” in Brisbane 73. CD follower 8. It’s inert 81. Bite North East South West
1i Pass 1j Pass
35. Bus. card abbr. 74. “If all ___ fails...” 9. Ordinal suffix 82. “Did it hurt?” subject, 2j Pass 2k Pass
36. Diamond comple- 78. Trumped-up story 10. “Little” or “major” briefly 4i Pass 4j All Pass
ment 79. “Aladdin” prince follower 83. Curling surface Easy 2 - 1 Solution Opening lead —jJ

WORDSEARCH CONSTRUCTED BY TOM HOUSTON

EPOCH TIMES STAFF SUPER KAKURO CONSTRUCTED
BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF

Help with Today’s Crossword Puzzle? Kakuro puzzles are like crosswords that use numbers instead of words. The goal is to fill the blank squares associated with a clue (called a “run”) with the numbers 1-9
so that the numbers add up to the corresponding clues. Like Sudoku, digits in a run cannot repeat. When the grid is filled, the puzzle is complete.

ACCRA INERT OFFICIALESE

ALOHA ISAAC PASHTO
ANIMATE LANOLIN PLACATE
ANORTHITE LEAGUER POULTICES
DANISH PASTRY LEGALLY PSALM
DEBTS LINED SCALP
DIAPASON MAHOMET SMELT
EARACHES MAKE ENDS MEET SYNGE
EMANCIPATIONS MESSY TRESS
ESCAROLE NEUROTOXINS UNSTEADY
GUIDE NITER USES UP
HOAGY ODYSSEY

SOLUTIONS
CROSSWORD SUPER KAKURO 4NUMBERS

HARD 1

HARD 2

EASY 1

EASY 2
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 PUZZLES | A19
SUDOKU CONSTRUCTED
BY KANNAN SANKARAN SUPERSUDOKU CONSTRUCTED
BY KANNAN SANKARAN

Fill in the boxes using numbers between 1 and 9 so that each column, each Fill in the boxes using numbers from 0 to 9 and letters from A to F so that each column, each row, and
row, and each 3x3 square contain all nine numbers only once. each 4x4 square contain all ten numbers and six letters only once.
Hard

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Easy
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CRYPTIC QUOTE
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
14

EPOCH DOKU CONSTRUCTED

BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF

WORK SPACE

KAKURO CONSTRUCTED
BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF JUMBLE BY DAVID L. HOYT
& JEFF KNUREK

Kakuro puzzles are like crosswords that use numbers instead of words. The goal THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
is to fill the blank squares associated with a clue (called a “run”) with the numbers By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
1-9 so that the numbers add up to the corresponding clues. Like Sudoku, digits Unscramble these Jumbles,
in a run cannot repeat. When the grid is filled, the puzzle is complete. one letter to each square,
Get the free JUST JUMBLE app • Follow us on Twitter @PlayJumble

to form four ordinary words.

Easy
GIWHE
EPOCH ESCAPE MAZE
NILVY

CATEKJ

ENGAAD
Now arrange the circled letters
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC to form the surprise answer, as
All Rights Reserved. suggested by the above cartoon.
Answer “ ”
here:

WORK SPACE

SOLUTIONS
SUPERSUDOKU SUDOKU: EASY JUMBLE EASY KAKURO
rienced — DE JA “VIEW” Repeat After Me
movie before, she expe-
ing that she’d seen the
When she had the feel-
Answers:

AGENDA
JACKET
VINYL
WEIGH
SUDOKU: HARD EPOCH DOKU
Jumbles:

CRYPTIC QUOTE
oil for the limelight.
office substitute the midnight
Window in politics. Let men in
Desk and less of the Show

Contact the Puzzle Master @: Feedback@EpochTimes.com

We need more of the Office
A20 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

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TRUTH AND TRADITION

 J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM JOHANNES SIMON/GETTY IMAGES
TRADITIONAL CULTURE FILM

What We Learn ‘Sophie Scholl:

From the Hydra The Final Days’
Science, like the serpent-headed monster, seems This German film captures the valiant effort of one
to cause more problems than it remedies. college student fighting the Nazis with truth.

See B6 See B2

TRADITIONAL CULTURE|ART|ENTERTAINMENT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 B1

SONGQUAN DENG/SHUTTERSTOCK

ARCHITECTURE LORRAINE FERRIER

Making
“Whenever it is proposed to prepare plans for the
Capitol, I should prefer the adoption of some one of the
models of antiquity which have had the approbation of
thousands of years,” Thomas Jefferson wrote to French

America’s
engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant on April 10, 1791.
But why did Jefferson and America’s Founding
Fathers admire classical architecture so much as to
emulate it in federal buildings and U.S. courthouses?

Civic
And why is classical and traditional architecture still
relevant to Americans today?
National Civic Art Society (NCAS) President Justin
Shubow helps answer these questions, and more.

Architecture
Shubow is also the chairman of the U.S. Commission
of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency of seven
presidential appointees who are the aesthetic guard-

Great Again
ians of Washington. Shubow’s architectural critical
essays have been published widely in top national
publications, and he’s a noted speaker at academic
institutions and the U.S. State Department.
Shubow explained by phone the importance of
honoring America’s historic architecture, and the
An interview with significance of President Trump’s recently signed
executive order “Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic
National Civic Art Architecture,” which the NCAS (a nonprofit organiza-
tion promoting public art and architecture worthy of
Society President the American Republic) championed.

Justin Shubow Continued on B4

America’s Founding
Fathers favored
classical architecture
for the Republic.
B2
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TRUTH AND TRADITION
Ying and Yang by Sandra Kuck
Original artworks, canvas wraps,
and prints of Award-winning oil
paintings now available at
InspiredOriginal.Org/Store
FILM
‘The Sun’s Still Shining’:
The Courage of
Sophie Scholl
JEFF MINICK
R
ight now, millions of patriotic
Americans are apprehensive
about the sea change in our
federal government. Many
regard with dismay the
proposals to open borders, to include
more indoctrination in our schools, for
higher taxes, for continued closures and
restrictions to fight the pandemic, and
for more politically correct measures,
to name a few. Many of us fear greater
restrictions on our constitutional liber-
ties, like free speech, religious freedom,
and gun ownership.
We’re facing some tough times.
And those times mean that we have to
be tough as well. The “summer soldiers
and the sunshine patriots,” described
long ago by Thomas Paine, will retreat
into their homes, muttering complaints
but otherwise unwilling to stand up and
defend their principles. Others want to
resist oppression and to celebrate liberty
with joy, but are looking for the inspira-
tion to do so.
Which brings us to “Sophie Scholl: The
Final Days.”
The White Rose
In this award-winning 2005 German
film, directed by Marc Rothemund and
written by Fred Breinersdorfer, Sophie
Scholl (Julia Jentsch), her brother Hans
(Fabian Hinrichs), and friend Christoph
Probst (Florian Stetter) are members of
the White Rose, a nonviolent group of
students opposed to the Nazis.
When Sophie and Hans distribute an-
ti-Hitler leaflets at their university, they
are caught, and along with Christoph
are arrested for treason. Throughout the
rest of the film, we follow Sophie as she
meets with a Nazi interrogator, faces
trial in a kangaroo court, and is then
summarily executed by the guillotine.
Based on a true story, this movie offers
inspiration to all who value their natural
rights, their liberty, and their religious
faith. From it, we can learn the impor-
tance of protest against injustice, the
courage needed to make that protest,
and the faith that can sustain us in our
quest for truth and justice.
Woke
“Woke,” meaning to become more so-
cially and politically aware, is a popular
word with the left these past couple of
years.
But that definition is broad. In “Sophie
Scholl: The Final Days,” woke readily
applies to her resistance to the Nazis.
Once a member of a Nazi girls’ organiza-
tion, Sophie and the others now see and
understand that they live in a country
of lies and oppression.
Today, many Americans are similarly
awakened, having opened their eyes to
the fact that Big Tech and many of our
political elites are corrupt. That act of
awakening is the necessary first step in
tackling this mess.
Law, Conscience, Morality
Shortly after Sophie’s arrest, her inter-
rogator Robert Mohr (Alexander Held)
points to a book and explains that it con-
tains the laws of the Reich regarding
treason. Later, when Sophie tells him
that decency, morality, conscience, and
God are her compass in life, Mohr reacts
with scorn, denying the existence of any
higher power.
RICHARD HUBER/CC BY-SA 3.0
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
When Mohr tells Sophie that her par-
ents and perhaps even the schools have
failed to educate her properly, she an-
swers him in this way:
“Do you realize how shocked I felt that
the Nazis used gas and poison to dispose
of mentally ill children? My mother’s
friends told us. Trucks came to pick up
children at the mental hospital. The
other children asked where they were
going. ‘They’re going to heaven,’ said
the nurses. So the children got on the
truck singing.
“You think I wasn’t raised right, be-
cause I feel pity for them?”
To which Mohr responds: “These are
unworthy lives.”
A few lines later, Sophie tells him, “Ev-
ery life is precious.”
For decades, we have seen manmade
law in conflict with natural law. Given
the possibility that this conflict may
grow even more intense, we must, like
Sophie, hold to our principles and re-
member that, as Sophie’s father says in
the movie, “There is a higher justice!”
The Evils of Bureaucracy
From the moment of her arrest, Sophie
finds herself caught up in a machine
run by petty officials. The man with
the Adolph Hitler copycat haircut, who
marches Sophie from room to room, is
the worst of this lot: a fanatic delighted
that the state has arrested students who
dared to write and issue literature de-
nouncing the regime.
Other bureaucrats may show a more
human face—the stenographer who
gives Sophie a fleeting glance of pity,
the female guard who slips her a ciga-
rette and allows her to say goodbye to
her brother and Christoph, and even
Mohr, who attempts to convince Sophie
to save herself by betraying her friends.
If accused of abetting evil, however, all
of these people would likely reply, “I was
just doing my job.”
Here, the film should raise questions
among its viewers. Can we ourselves risk
speaking truth to power? Are we will-
ing to be canceled on social media, be
shunned by family and friends, or even
lose our jobs for standing up for what we
believe? As many know by now, some
through firsthand experience, the pow-
ers that be no longer need concentration
The White Rose memo-
rial in Room 253 of the
Munich Court of Jus-
tice, where the first
of the White Rose tri-
als, which convicted
Sophie and her brother
Hans, was held.
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
camps to erase their opponents from
public dialogue. They simply “cancel”
them, removing unwanted voices from
the public forum.
This movie offers These are tough questions with no real
easy answers.
inspiration to all
Education as Indoctrination
who value their At one point, Mohr faults the education
natural rights, system as having failed to teach Sophie
that “a new age” has dawned. When he
their liberty, and asks why as a teenager she had joined
a Nazi girls’ organization, she says: “I
their religious heard that Hitler would lead our country
faith. to greatness and prosperity and ensure
everyone had work and food and was
free and happy.”
AUTHENTICATED NEWS/ARCHIVE PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES For a century, tyrants have made
these same promises in Russia, China,
Cuba, and dozens of other countries
around the world. And power-hungry
politicians are now making them in the
United States of America.
We must teach our young people the
truth.
Beauty
Several times during the movie, Sophie
subtly reminds viewers of her love and
appreciation for the beautiful. At one
point, writing a letter to a friend, she
remarks of Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet:
“In Schubert’s piece, you can feel and
smell the breezes, hear the birds crying
out for joy. The piano repeats the motif
like cold, sparkling water.”
Later, when her female cellmate asks
about her fiancé, Sophie describes a
vacation with him on the shores of the
North Sea: “Take a fishing boat out at
dawn—just the sea, the sky, and our
dreams.”
Throughout the movie, Sophie gath-
ers strength and solace from the sun,
turning her head to the sky when be-
ing marched from place to place or
German students Hans basking in the sunlight by the window
Scholl (1918–1943) and his in her cell.
sister Sophie (1921–1943), As it does for Sophie, beauty can
circa 1940. Both were sustain us when we feel battered
members of the nonviolent by horrible events.
White Rose resistance group
against the Nazis. After their
arrest for distributing anti- Faith
war leaflets at the University Like her parents, Sophie is a devout
of Munich, they were con- Christian. A Lutheran pastor visits
victed of high treason and her before her execution and prays
executed by guillotine. with her. Several times, Sophie of-
fers her own prayers, seeking con-
PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN/GETTY IMAGES
Actress Julia Jentsch dur-
ing the 55th annual Berlin
International Film Festival
on Feb. 13, 2005.
SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES
Actor Fabian Hinrichs on
Feb. 13, 2005, in Berlin.
FIGURATOR/CC BY-SA 4.0
B3
solation in the presence of God.
At one point in her despair, she whis-
pers these tender words: “Dear God, all I
can do is stammer to you. I can do noth-
ing but hold out my heart to you. You
created us in your likeness. Our hearts
are uneasy until they find peace in you.
Amen.”
Amen.
Time to Stand Up
In the coming months, we may face a
storm of legislation the likes of which
we’ve never seen. We’ll need to gather
our strength and our wits, find com-
rades as did Sophie and Hans, and push
back against those who would “reset”
our country. We must love our country
and our freedoms more fiercely than
ever, and speak up when others try to
take them away from us.
And we must always hold on to hope.
As her executioners escort her through
the door to the guillotine, Sophie turns
to Hans and Christoph, and says, “The
sun’s still shining.”
Let’s keep those words in mind this
winter.
‘Sophie Scholl: The Final Days’ is avail-
able free of charge on YouTube.
Jeff Minick has four children and a
growing platoon of grandchildren. For
20 years, he taught history, literature,
and Latin to seminars of homeschool-
ing students in Asheville, N.C. He is
the author of two novels, “Amanda
Bell” and “Dust On Their Wings,” and
two works of non-fiction, “Learning
As I Go” and “Movies Make The Man.”
Today, he lives and writes in Front
Royal, Va. See Jeff Minick.com to follow
his blog.
A bust of Sophie Scholl
by Wolfgang Eckert. Wal-
halla Temple, in Donaus-
tauf, Germany.
B4 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

CAROL M. HIGHSMITH ARCHIVE/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION

1
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

1. The National Mall,

Lincoln Memorial, and
Washington Monument, in
Washington.
2. Aerial view from above
the U.S. Capitol, looking
west along the National
Mall, in Washington.
3. The design for the original
U.S. Capitol Building, circa,
1796, by amateur architect
Dr. William Thornton.
4. Stained glass window
in an alcove of the reading
rooms at the Thomas
Jefferson Building.

3 4

ARCHITECTURE Continued from B1 It’s fundamentally democratic by giving

Americans the sorts of federal buildings

Making
The Epoch Times: How do people recog-
nize good architecture?
Justin Shubow: I believe there is some
kind of human nature underlying our
that they want.
The Epoch Times: Why did America’s
forefathers favor classical designs?
Mr. Shubow: Thomas Jefferson and

America’s
evaluation of architecture. This is one
reason why there are masterpieces
around the world that are universally
recognized across cultures, whether it’s
the U.S. Capitol Building or the Taj Ma-
George Washington consciously chose
the classical style of the core buildings
for the American government and the
design of Washington, D.C. They wished

Civic
hal. There is a human nature involved in
our appreciation.
At the same time in the U.S., certain
building types are often associated with
to harken back to republican Rome and
democratic Greece, those great political
traditions. They, particularly Jefferson,
also saw the classical tradition as being

Architecture
democracy in the minds of ordinary
people. You don’t have to have attended
architecture school to have a sense of
what a courthouse looks like or what a
time-honored and timeless.
Jefferson sought classic architecture to
improve the respect for America around
the world. And the classical tradition

Great Again
church looks like. There are particular
building forms that have come down to
us from history, and it makes sense to
keep building in a way that is legible to
ordinary people.
Recently, the National Civic Art Society
PUBLIC DOMAIN
hired The Harris Poll to conduct a survey
The west of Americans’ preferences in federal ar-
façade of chitecture, and the survey found that 72
the Thomas
Jefferson
percent of Americans favored traditional
Building faces architecture for federal office buildings
the Capitol and U.S. courthouses. These were wide
Building. majorities over all demographic groups,
including socio-economic status, po-
litical party, race, and ethnicity. This is
not a partisan issue. It’s clear what the
American people want, and that’s also
why the executive order is so important:
largely set the pattern for American fed-
eral architecture up until World War II.
The Epoch Times: How did American
architecture move away from the forefa-
ther’s ideals?
Mr. Shubow: In 1949, a new federal
agency called the General Services Ad-
ministration (GSA) was created to over-
see all federal buildings. Although there
had been official classicism for federal
architecture, the GSA started to build
in a modernist style, in a style imported
from Europe, based on ideas of function-
alism, the metaphor of the machine, and
a stripped-down aesthetic.
And in 1962, there was a report on fed-
eral office space, and in that report there
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
CAROL M. HIGHSMITH/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION
PUBLIC DOMAIN
was a single page called the “Guiding
Principles for Federal Architecture.” And
those principles rejected official clas-
sicism and implicitly favored modern-
ism in federal design. At the same time,
those principles said that architectural
“design must flow from the architectural
profession to the Government and not
vice versa.” And who did this abdicate
control to? The modernists who had
come to dominate architecture. And
from that time on, federal architecture
has almost entirely been modernist and
post-modernist.
Empirical academic studies have
repeatedly found that architects’ evalu-
ation of buildings diverges greatly from
that of ordinary people. I would say that
there’s something about architectural
education that corrupts or deforms
architecture preferences away from hu-
man nature towards some kind of artifi-
cial good that only the indoctrinated can
support. Not only are there differences
in aesthetic interpretation, you will even
find some architects saying you should
admire certain buildings because they
are ugly. They’re not even denying that
such buildings are ugly. They have a dif-
ferent value system.
The Epoch Times: Is modernism the same
for architecture as it is for modern art?
Mr. Shubow: Modernism means differ-
ent things in art and architecture. But
very much in architecture, modernism
completely rejected the prior tradition of
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION
5 ernist design.
6 Mr. Shubow: I know that one federal
architecture. Modernists wanted to start
anew, and in its early phases, modernism
had this utopian ethos seeking to build
a new man in a new era, in a technologi-
cally and economically charged society.
I would note there is one key difference
between modern art and architecture in
that architecture is public. It’s forced on
us in a way that art is not. If you don’t like
a painting, you don’t have to go to a mu-
seum. If you don’t like a novel, you don’t
have to read it. But architecture builds
the world in which we live, and so it nec-
essarily has a small political component.
The Epoch Times: In December 2020,
President Trump signed an executive
order “Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic
Architecture” that favors classical and
traditional design for federal buildings.
What does this actually mean for civic
architecture?
Mr. Shubow: The executive order reori-
ents federal architecture in a classical
and traditional direction. It requires that
new federal buildings and U.S. court-
houses be beautiful and command the
admiration of the general public. The
order states that the general public’s pref-
erences should matter most—not those
of the architectural establishment—be-
cause what ordinary people want diverg-
es greatly from what architectural elites
want. I say architectural elites because
we’re talking about some of the largest
and most powerful architecture firms in
the country, which are largely modernist
in orientation.
At the same time, the order, although
not mandating classical or traditional ar-
chitecture for the country, does state that
there should be a particular regard for
classical or traditional architecture. It de-
fines traditional architecture to include
various styles that are not classical, such
as Gothic, Romanesque, and Pueblo Re-
vival, and shows that there are regional
styles in America that are appropriate
for federal buildings that are not strictly
speaking classical.
However, for new federal buildings in
Washington, D.C., the executive order
does require that those buildings be clas-
sical in part because Washington, D.C.,
was intended to be a stately classical city
by the Founding Fathers. That tradition,
and its iconic symbolism, was contin-
ued through the 1901–1902 Senate Park
Commission Plan, commonly known as
the McMillan Plan, which created the
National Mall and monumental core as
we know them. And classical architec-
ture is what Americans think of when
they think of our government at its best.
They don’t think of Washington as being
a Brutalist or modernist city. It’s the clas-
sical architecture that gives it its particu-
lar beloved character.
The Epoch Times: Why is this executive
order so important?
Mr. Shubow: As Thomas Jefferson said,
public architecture cannot be separated
from political activity. These federal
buildings speak to who we are as Ameri-
cans. They should have legible symbols;
they should inspire civic virtue. They
should not demoralize. They should
beautify and uplift our world, and should
B5
remind us of the ideals of our democracy.
The Epoch Times: Please give an exam-
ple of a federal building that aspires to
the virtuous characteristics that you just
mentioned, and another that doesn’t.
Mr. Shubow: The most famous case is
that of the U.S. Capitol, which is built in a
design inspired by a Roman temple. And
as a result, it has a sense of sacredness,
which can be seen from the fact that after
the recent attacks on the Capitol, numer-
ous legislators—both Republicans and
Democrats—talked about the desecra-
tion of the temple to democracy. And I
think that language is telling. If the U.S.
Capitol had been a Brutalist building or a
steel and glass box, no one would de-
scribe it as a temple, and no one would’ve
said it was desecrated because there is
nothing sacred about that kind of mod-
CC-BY-SA-3.0 The Capitol building became the model
for many state capitol buildings across
the country. It created a recognizable
building type in the United States.
Now, as for a building that totally fails,
there is the San Francisco federal build-
ing that looks like an alien spacecraft,
which is about to kill you with laser
beams. It’s deconstructivist. It’s ugly. It’s
widely hated by people in San Francisco,
and it’s unrecognizable as a civic build-
ing. It’s not identifiably American, or
regional in any way.
The Epoch Times: How do these con-
trasting architectural designs affect us?
judge, the late Jeffry Gallet, wrote an es-
5. The Capitol Building say in which he claimed that he has over-
of Washington, around seen trials in both a modernist court-
1800, which housed the house and a classical courthouse and
U.S. Senate. that the people in the courtroom were
6. The original columns better behaved in the classical building.
that supported the old
East Portico of the U.S. The Epoch Times: There have been some
Capitol are now at the comments from architects and architec-
National Arboretum. tural bodies that say the executive order
goes too far and stifles creativity. What is
your response to that?
Mr. Shubow: First, I would note that
many of the criticisms were from the
leaked draft of the executive order as
opposed to the final version. The ver-
sion that was signed by President Trump
does not mandate classical architecture
for federal buildings across the country.
Modernist buildings are completely al-
lowed so long as they are beautiful and
command the respect of the general
SAMIRA BOUAOU/THE EPOCH TIMES
public. So there is room for creativity and
innovation. And of course there is room
for creativity and innovation within the
classical tradition itself. The executive
order defines classical architecture quite
broadly to include everything from neo-
classical designs to Beaux Arts to
Art Deco.
The Epoch Times: What would you say
to people who would love to see more
A survey found classical and traditional federal build-
that 72 percent ings built in America? What can they do?
Mr. Shubow: They can reach out to their
of Americans political leaders and tell their prefer-
favored ences as to what they would like to see.
Ultimately, the client for federal build-
traditional ings is the American people, and their
tax dollars have been used in the billions
architecture to construct these buildings. And yet for
for federal too long, architects have been forcing
their preferences on the people, when it
office buildings should be the people’s preferences that
matter most.
and U.S. I want to make clear that throughout
courthouses. American history, people of all politi-
cal orientations have seen the greatness
Justin Shubow, of the classical tradition. That includes
president, National Civic Franklin Delano Roosevelt who, as
Art Society president, promoted classical architec-
ture for Washington, D.C., and fought
the modernists who sought to build in a
different style. It was F.D.R. who fought
for the building of the Jefferson Memo-
rial, which is in the form of the Roman
temple, even though the entire modern-
ist architectural establishment opposed
it for supposedly being out-of-date.
Likewise, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Stephen Breyer has talked about how
classical forms help convey a sense of
fairness and dignity.
What he had in mind is the association
Americans have, that certain building
types are associated with democracy.
Now, there is a sense, maybe you might
say an inherent sense, of harmony and
order and stability that comes from the
architecture so that you don’t even need
any association to appreciate it. It gets to
To find out more our human nature, about the sorts of ar-
about the National chitecture that are universally admired.
Civic Art Society, visit And I think when you just see well-
CivicArt.org designed classical buildings, you get a
sense of eternity and of timelessness and
This interview has even of the metaphysical level. You sense
been edited for clarity the existence of the good, the beautiful,
and brevity. and the true.
 B6
TRADITIONAL CULTURE
The Hydra of Modern Times
Hercules reminds us that science alone can’t solve all problems
JAMES SALE
T
he myths of the ancient worlds, as
we have discussed before, have
profound truths and insights to
tell us now, if we would but listen
to them. One that I find particu-
larly relevant at this present juncture of his-
tory is the story of the Lernaean Hydra, or
just the Hydra.
To recall, the Hydra was a snake-like mon-
ster who in the most authoritative sources
had nine heads, one of which was immortal.
On top of that, the creature’s breath was a
lethal poison and it spat a venom so deadly
that there was no cure for it.
The Hydra was the offspring of the loath-
some monster Echidna, who mated with the
even more ferocious Typhon. It was Typhon
who almost defeated the king of the gods
himself, Zeus, and in doing so would have
destroyed the whole created order if it had
been successful. The Hydra lived beside Lake
Lerna, guarding an ominous gate leading to
the underworld.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that just as the
king of heaven had fought and defeated the
Typhon monster in the upper world, so here
below on earth, it fell to his son, the human
hero Hercules, to defeat Typhon’s offspring,
the Hydra. This came about as a result of
Hercules’s second Labor.
Hercules was ordered by the treacherous
and weak king Eurystheus to destroy the
OPEN ACCESS IMAGE FROM THE DAVISON ART CENTER, WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
(Left) The print “Hercules Slaying the Hydra,” circa 1802, by Charles Heath the Elder after Raphael Lamar West. (Right) “Hercules and the Hydra,”
circa 1475, by Antonio del Pollaiuolo. Tempera on wood. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
ALL IMAGES IN PUBLIC DOMAIN UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE
ries of its power ever since? Indeed, without it,
it is difficult to conceive of how any learning,
much less science, could ever have evolved.
Yet it was Socrates, in Plato’s “Phaedrus”
(circa 370 B.C.), who said: “The discovery
of the alphabet will create forgetfulness in
the learner’s soul, because they will not use
their memories; they will trust to the exter-
nal written characters and not remember
of themselves.”
Of course, it may be thought now that the
weakening of the memory is a small price to
pay for the ability to be able to write, record,
and transmit information to posterity in the
way that writing has enabled. But the trouble
is, whereas there are very small Hydras, there
are also very large ones.
Especially since the start of the Industrial
Revolution in the 19th century, we have be-
come so dependent on technologies that we
are scarcely aware of our dependencies …
until something goes wrong—like, for ex-
ample, with COVID-19. Then suddenly we
become all too aware that globalization,
which in the 1990s we were told was unstop-
pable, inevitable, and more or less wholly
beneficial, has some serious downsides:
Mass traveling spreads the virus, and sup-
ply chains are vulnerable, with a particularly
negative effect on the poorest in society.
And, if we consider the Norwegian offi-
cials’  investigation, we may discover that
the so-called safe vaccines have not really
been tested sufficiently. As Carl Sagan said:
“We live in a society exquisitely dependent
on science and technology, in which hardly
anyone knows anything about science and
technology.” Unlike Hercules, we are all dis-
empowered consumers who have to take
“Hercules and the Hydra,” 1634, by Francisco de Zurbarán. what we are given.
Considering all this, plus the Hydras of
nuclear power, biological experimentation
(of which COVID itself may well be a conse-
quence), pollution, and so on, we have to ask:
What can be done about it? Does the myth
give us a clue? The answer is yes; it does.
Tempering Science With the Divine
We have to set a hero (or heroine) up to fight
against these Hydras. But the essence of the
Hydra, although Eurystheus’s real objec- “progress,” and in particular this problem- hero is that he is semi-divine. That is, solving
tive in setting all 12 of the famous Labors solving via science and technology. human problems is at least half a spiritual
of Hercules was for Hercules himself to be Reading a key story in today’s (Jan. 18, 2021) matter, for that is what “divine” means. Sci-
destroyed, for each of the Labors became The Epoch Times, I find a perfect illustration ence and technology on their own are not
increasingly difficult, if not impossible to of what I mean: The paragraph reads: “Of- going to solve our problems; they cannot
achieve. But, of course, Hercules was half ficials in Norway said they are investigat- solve our problems!
human and half divine; his father was Zeus. ing the deaths of about two dozen elderly As Robert Pirsig in his famous book “Zen
This was no ordinary man! patients who received the Pfizer/BioNTech and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
But even being half divine proved not quite vaccine and are looking into the prospect commented: “What’s wrong with technol-
enough for Hercules to overcome the Hy- that adverse reactions to the vaccine ‘may ogy is that it’s not connected in any real way
dra, at least on his own, for as he cut have contributed to a fatal outcome with matters of the spirit and the heart. And
off or clubbed each head to death, in some frail patients.’” We create so it does blind, ugly things quite by accident
Solving
another two would sprout in its a vaccine to save lives, but imme- and gets hated for that.”
human pro-
place. The Hydra thus became diately the opposite occurs—an- By its very nature, technology is spiritless.
blems is at least
more powerful, and Hercules other head of the Hydra pops up, But Hercules is not; he is semi-divine and
half a spiritual
had to retire. just when we thought we’d nailed semi-human. And notice, too, that Hercules
matter.
Fortunately, however, Hercu- the problem. works with another human being, and they
les was accompanied by Iolaus, his The particulars of the above case work as a team to overcome the Hydra.
nephew, and together they resumed the are not significant here—it may be In his fascinating book “Future Hype: The
fight. As Hercules destroyed one head, and on investigation that they all died of food- Myths of Technology Change,” Bob Seiden-
before it could regenerate into two, Iolaus poisoning! But this result is typical of the sticker talks about “wicked problems,” and
would sear the neck stump with a red-hot Hydra’s manifestation: a law of unintended these are what I call the Hydra. “Wicked
brand and thus prevent its growing again. consequences, in fact. And not only unin- problems have complex cause-and-effect
Eventually, as one head after another died, tended, but unforeseen too. As G.K. Chester- relationships, human interaction, and inher-
the creature also did, leaving only the im- ton observed, “Science invents conveniences ently incomplete information. They require
mortal head. This Hercules chopped off and by design and inconveniences by accident.” compromises. … The difference between
buried by the roadside. The Hydra, then, was Even, apparently, the creation of self- something that works in the lab, on paper, or
defeated and dead. evidently brilliant new technology, on re- in one’s head versus something that works in
So what is the relevance of this story for us? flection, seems to carry a sting in its tail, or the real world and is practical to real people
to continue our metaphor, generate a new is a characteristic only of wicked problems.”
The Many-Headed Serpent of Science Hydra’s head that attacks us somehow. For It is, therefore, the reintroduction of what
The Hydra, I think, is symbolic of mankind’s example, who could argue that the invention is human and spiritual into combatting the
efforts (often monstrous!) to solve its prob- of the alphabet and writing was a great new problems of our time that is of the essence;
lems. We might call this our philosophy of technology? Have we not been the beneficia- only in this way can further Hydras be pre-
vented.
But sadly, there is yet another Hydra to con-
front in the myth. Even for Hercules there
was a Hydra that he did not foresee.
You will remember that Hercules lopped
off the Hydra’s immortal head as well, and
buried it. Before doing so, however, he took
an ample supply of its poisoned venom with
which to tip his arrows—making them fatal.
The merest graze would kill any living being.
He killed many enemies this way.
But finally, Hercules was caught by the
technology himself. The poison was infused
into a shirt that his wife inadvertently sup-
plied him with, and he died in agony. Even
the great Hercules could not escape the Hy-
dra. Far better for him, perhaps, would have
been to have buried the technology rather
than to think he could actually use it for his
own ends. It rather reminds one of “The Lord
of the Rings” and the ring of power, which
always betrayed those who sought to wield
it (excepting its maker, the Dark Lord).
We need more heroes, human and divine,
if we are to overcome the problems the world
is currently facing.
James Sale has had over 50 books published,
most recently, “Mapping Motivation for Top
Performing Teams” (Routledge, 2021). He
won first prize in The Society of Classical
Poets 2017 annual competition, performing
in New York in 2019. His most recent poetry
collection is “HellWard.” For more informa-
tion about the author, and about his Dante
project, visit TheWiderCircle.webs.com
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
FILM INSIGHTS
Mark Jackson grew up in Spring Val-
ley, N.Y., where he attended a Waldorf
WITH MARK
school. At Williams College, his pro-
fessors all suggested he write pro-
fessionally. He acted professionally
JACKSON
for 20 years instead. Now he
writes professionally about
(Left) Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), in “Wonder Woman 1984.” (Middle) Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in full Amazon armor. (Right) Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) becomes Cheetah, in “Wonder Woman 1984.”
A Sequel Less
Wonderful
MARK JACKSON
“Wonder Woman” (2017) was one of the best
superhero films ever made. It was idealistic,
classy, aesthetically pleasing, and roman-
tic, and should have kicked off a fabulous
franchise. Unfortunately, “Wonder Woman
1984,” also directed by Patty Jenkins, is a
major letdown. Hollywood should have im-
mediately expunged it from the record and
gone back to the drawing board.
Why the year 1984? In a quote from Cin-
emablend, director Jenkins explains: “Why
1984? We wanted to bring Diana into the
modern world, but the ‘80s is a period that
Wonder Woman is quite synonymous
with. So it was great to see her there, but
most importantly, it’s sort of the height of
Western civilization and the success of the
world that we all live in, in the aftermath of
now. So I was curious to collide our Wonder
Woman into the height of our current mod-
ern belief system, and what kind of villains
come out of that, and see what happens. So
it all came quite naturally.”
What Goes On
This time around, Diana Prince, the Am-
‘Wonder Woman 1984’
Director
Patty Jenkins
Starring
Gal Gadot, Chris Pine,
Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal,
Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen,
acting. In the movies. Lilly Aspell
azon princess, aka Wonder Woman (Gal
Gadot), deals exclusively (well, aside from
a few anonymous good deeds like drop
kicking a would-be park rapist) with two
villains.
Mainly she goes up against the greedy,
megalomaniacal tycoon Maxwell Lord
(Pedro Pascal), who gets hold of a magical
museum rock that’s just like Aladdin’s lamp
and grants wishes.
Lord wishes to become the rock! It hap-
Gal Gadot pens! He is The Rock! No, not that Rock. But
again just he’s now a wish-granting geode in human
form! Then, he sneakily gets people to wish
looks and acts for things that he wishes for, and in so do-
ing, eventually creates a giant, global mess
so perfectly of granted instant gratification neediness,
Wonder calling to mind the Bob Dylan verse, “Just
then, the whole kitchen, exploded from
Woman-y, boiling fat, food was flying everywhere, I
left without my hat.”
one can Wonder Woman’s other nemesis is the
almost forgive museum’s archaeologist and geologist Bar-
bara Minerva, a nerd turned apex predator
the rest of the called Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) who, suf-
nonsense. fering from low self-esteem, allows afore-
said Mr. Lord to seduce her into giving
him that special museum rock. But she
has a wish too! She’d rather be less nerdy!
And so she turns into a seriously bad CGI
human cheetah with tufts of cheetah hair
and bad makeup who, to steal a popular
sentiment that was going around, looks
like somebody from the dreadful movie
“Cats” got confused and wandered onto
the wrong movie set.
Diana the Amazon multitasks dealing
with all that while also suddenly having
her old boyfriend, World War I pilot Steve
Trevor (Chris Pine) return from the dead.
He incarnates into the body of another
man. How’s that work anyway, like, “Hey
guy, mind if I take that bod for a spin? I need
to talk to my ex.”
Whatever. It’s not the film’s weakest point,
but the fact that Steve and his superhero
girlfriend are OK with this setup is mildly
disturbing throughout the film. It does al-
low Chris Pine to switch roles with Gadot,
giving him a chance to play fish out of
water and be amazed at modern-day jets,
elevators, and parachute pants. Also, hav-
ing it explained to him that everything in
a modern art gallery is art, he hilariously
mistakes an actual trash can as art.
The Decent Stuff
The film opens with a sort of Amazon
(Above) Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal, C) is restrained by Wonder Woman's whip, in Washington.
(Left) Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) chases down bad guys in Washington.
(Above left) Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) is not sure what to make of a 1980s mall.
B7
Rated
PG-13
Running Time
2 hours, 31 minutes
Release Date
Dec. 25, 2020
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.
Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and her
boyfriend, pilot Steve Trevor (Chris
Pine), go for a ride in a stolen jet.
Olympics set in the fabled Amazon land
of Themyscira, where the young girl Di-
ana (Lilly Aspell), half the height of her
strapping women competitors, rides
horses, shoots bows and arrows, jumps
around on a brass jungle gym obstacle
course—and nearly wins. Except she
cheats and gets a good-cop, bad-cop les-
son in being truthful and fair from her
über-Amazon mom (Robin Wright) and her
queen-of-the-Amazons grandma (Connie
Nielsen).
The other good stuff is mostly just Gadot,
a drop-dead beauty with comedic chops,
who was a serious whip-cracking box-
office slam in the original WW movie,
and who again just looks and acts so per-
fectly Wonder Woman-y, one can almost
forgive the rest of the nonsense. She, in
the same way Tommy Lee Jones was born
to play U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard in “The
Fugitive” and John Travolta was born to
play Tony Manero in “Saturday Night
Fever,” is perfect.
The Bad Stuff
I already said all of it. Actually, one of
the things that made the first WW movie
work so well was its comedic-fruit-bearing
premise: Diana ended up as a fish out of
water in old-school patriarchal Europe
after growing up on a powerfully matri-
archal Amazonian island. And the 1918
couture, architecture, and cultural de-
meanor was suited to Gadot’s classic looks
and therefore more aesthetically pleasing.
“Wonder Woman 1984” finds Diana in
Washington, D.C., in ’84—not what you’d
call a cultural high point in world history.
It’s the era of the bandana headbands,
Jane Fonda workout tapes, popped col-
lars, pushed-up sleeves on shoulder-pad-
ded pastel sports jackets, New Wave-i-
ness, Izod-and-docksider preppiness in
the colleges, stonewashed jeans, perms,
and giant hair for the New Jersey “Bridge-
and-Tunnel” crowd, Devo, mohawks,
mullets, leg warmers, and fanny packs.
Not even Wonder Woman can look good
in that world.
While I appreciated that the main rea-
son of the 1984 setting was to teach about
that particular 1980s zeitgeist—rampant
materialism and having it all—eventually
“Wonder Woman 1994” one the impres-
sion that returning director Jenkins said
all that she had to say on the WW topic
in the original.
B8
REWIND, REVIEW, AND RE-RATE
Down-and-Out Lawyer
Fights for Justice in a
Riveting Drama
IAN KANE
W
hen a director slows the
action down and focuses
on the actor, we see a ner-
vous twitch here, a tremble
of the chin there—a multi-
tude of subtle cues that give insights into
a character’s emotional state. If done right,
these long, unbroken shots can help view-
ers immerse themselves in the world that
the filmmaker is trying to bring to life.  This
technique is used to near-perfection in the
1982 legal drama “The Verdict,” starring
Paul Newman in perhaps his finest per-
formance.
The film’s slow-building
tension gradually
ratchets up every time
Frank is met with a new
challenge.
Helmed by Sidney Lumet (“12 Angry
Men,” “Serpico,” “Network”), a director
who is known for bringing the best out of
his actors, the film begins with an intimate
look at Newman’s character, Frank Gal-
vin. Frank’s a down-on-his-luck Boston
attorney, who has had very few cases in
recent years.
He’s playing a game of pinball in a run-
down bar, and much like his life, he keeps
losing game after game. The large win-
dow in the background paints a dreary,
gray scene, and that, along with a crooked
Christmas ornament dangling nearby, sig-
nals that it’s winter. This long, unbroken
shot immediately gives you an insight into
Virtue of the Brush
in a Time of Chaos
“When things are chaotic to the extreme,
order must be restored.”
- “The four books” by Zhu Xi
The original calligraphy is now available for purchase at
Frank. Each time he loses a pinball game,
he pauses and takes a sip from his semi-flat
beer or a drag from a cigarette.
Later, we see Frank at several funeral
services. As bereaved attendees shuffle
around, Frank hands out his business
cards to family members, hoping to drum
up some business. These dismal scenes
culminate in Frank getting tossed out of a
funeral home, after being a little too pushy
and insensitive with his card-dispensing.
That evening, Frank holds court at a lo-
cal bar, telling lewd jokes to a rapt circle
of buddies, guffawing at every punchline.
He staggers back to his office where—in
a drunken rage—he smashes some of his
framed law certificates, resulting in a glass
shard cutting his brow.
Later, his only friend, Mickey Morrissey
(Jack Warden), shows up and finds him in a
near-comatose state. Mickey revives Frank
and reveals a surprise: He’s got a case tailor-
made for Frank that could not only restore
the man’s reputation as a lawyer but also
make him rich.
The case involves a couple of well-re-
spected doctors who practice at an es-
teemed Catholic hospital in the city. The
doctors stand accused of malpractice: of
improperly administering anesthetic to
a young woman during an operation. The
woman has not only lost her unborn baby
but has also lapsed into a vegetative state.
The case seems open-and-shut, just beg-
ging for an out-of-court settlement. As
the alcoholic cobwebs begin to clear from
Frank’s head, his still-intelligent eyes dart
about at the prospect of an easy fortune. But
when Frank shows up to take Polaroid snap-
shots of the victim’s withered body, lying in
a hospital bed, he has a cathartic moment.
As he stares at her, any sense of greed he
had is replaced with something else.
Frank is summoned to the church to meet
with Bishop Brophy (Edward Binns), who
Ins p ired O rig inal.O rg
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
Paul Newman in the represents the interests of the diocese. In
opening film credits for the opulent church office, the bishop offers
the drama “The Verdict.” Frank a generous settlement that will set
him up for life.
However, Frank has been transformed:
He’s now seeking justice for the victim, at
all costs. He turns down the offer, saying
that if he accepts the money, he’d “just be a
rich … ambulance chaser.” In other words,
accepting the settlement would forever cost
him his integrity and perhaps his soul.
For Frank, the case represents not only
justice for the victim but also a validation
‘The Verdict’ of his skill and talent as an attorney. He’d
no longer be viewed as a has-been if he
Director fights it out.
Sidney Lumet
As the legal storm looms on the horizon,
Starring Frank realizes that the odds are stacked
Paul Newman, Charlotte
against him. The church has hired a top-
Rampling, Jack Warden,
James Mason flight law firm, which is headed by ruthless
Running Time
legal guru Ed Concannon (James Mason).
2 hours, 9 minutes During this time, Frank falls for Laura
Rated
Fischer (Charlotte Rampling), and the two
begin an intense relationship. Although
R
Laura seems supportive and nurturing,
Release Date
Dec. 17, 1982 (USA) we wonder if she truly has Frank’s interest
at heart.
And as Frank begins to experience set-
back after setback, we wonder: Does he
really have what it takes to go up against
such a high-powered legal team, especially
when the presiding judge dislikes him?
Simply put, “The Verdict” is a riveting
legal drama with not only a compelling
story but also stellar acting and direction.
The film’s slow-building tension gradually
ratchets up every time Frank is met with a
new challenge (or falters in the face of one)
and our sympathy for him deepens. The
Ian Kane is a filmmak- film’s an authentic-feeling character study
er and author based about a man whose passion for truth and
out of Los Angeles. To justice outweighs his capabilities … or does
see more, visit Dream- it? Find out for yourself in this outstanding
FlightEnt.com cinematic tour de force.