Viral News:  The mystery is that in parts of the country the Covid-19 vaccine campaign has inspired an anti-vaccine movement among conservative Republicans and some states controlled by them.

  Tennessee, for instance, has prohibited its health department not only from encouraging children to get vaccinated, but also from sharing any informationabout the vaccines. The state is precenting its health department  from giving children who have received one vaccine dose a reminder about getting the second and from communicating with them about vaccines in general. That includes measles, the cancer-causing HPV, and others.

  Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths are rising swiftly in some states with low vaccination rates, among them,  Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and Nevada.

  In response to the resurgence and in an effort to convince young people to get vaccinated, The White House yesterday rolled out pop singer Olivia Rodrigo who said, “It’s important to have conversations with friends and family members encouraging all communities to get vaccinated, and actually get to a vaccination site, which you can do more easily than ever before.” She’s expected to make a series of videos targeted at young people.

Self-Destruction: Drug abuse deaths rose by 30 percent last year, killing a record 93,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

  “This is the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, and the largest increase since at least 1999,” Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told National Public Radio.

  Ten states are predicted to have at least a 40% rise in drug overdose deaths from the previous 12-months, according to the CDC: Vermont, Kentucky, South Carolina, West Virginia, Louisiana, California, Tennessee, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Virginia.

Justice Delayed: An inspector general’s report says the FBI in the Indianapolis field office fumbled accusations of sexual abuse against former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, allowing him to go on sexually abusing young athletes before he was eventually prosecuted and sent to prison. Nassar is serving what amounts to a life sentence. 

  The report says at least 70 young women were molested by Nassar in the months after Gymnastics USA first reported him. The FBI didn’t act until after a story about Nassar ran in the Indianapolis Star.

  John Manly, a lawyer for many of the victims, said, “This is a devastating indictment of the F.B.I. and the Department of Justice that multiple federal agents covered up Nassar’s abuse and child molestation.” He said, “They’ve failed these women. They’ve failed these families. No one seems to give a damn about these little girls.”

 The Haiti Mystery: The head of the Haitian presidential guard has been detained for questioning in the continuing mystery of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

  At least four members of Moïse’s security detail are also in custody and two more people have been arrested, included a former ranking police officer.

  Police Chief Leon Charles said, “The investigation is very advanced,” according to the Associated Press. “We are looking for these assassins, and wherever they go we need to capture them, arrest them and bring them to justice.”

Sound Retreat: As the US departs and Afghanistan continues falling to the Taliban, the Biden administration announced plans to evacuate Afghans who helped the American effort and their families. What they’re calling “Operation Allies Refuge” could end up relocating  70,000 people.

The Spin Rack: A Los Angeles judge ruled that pop singer Britney Spears can hire her own lawyer for her effort to shake off the 13-year conservatorship controlled by her father. — At least 22 people died and dozens are missing in floods that resulted from torrential rains in western Europe. Some homes and vehicles were swept away. — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro went to the hospital with a case of hiccups that lasted 10 days. He may need surgery. — Florida authorities have evacuated or partly emptied four apartment buildings deemed questionably stable since the collapse of the condominium building in Surfside. — Actress Gillian Anderson of “The X Files” and “The Crown,” announced that bras are too uncomfortable and she won’t wear one anymore. “I’m sorry, but I don’t care if my breasts reach my belly button,” she said. “I’m not wearing a bra anymore.”

American Plaything: The American gun company Culper Precision has customized a Glock handgun to make it look like it’s made of multi-colored Lego blocks. The Danish toy company Lego has demanded that they stop.

  Culper Precision says that what they call the “Block19” was developed to “highlight the pure enjoyment of the shooting sports” and that “owning and shooting firearms responsibly is a really enjoyable activity”.

  And you know, children need to be trained to kill early.

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