First Ever Genetically Modified Pig-to-Human Kidney Transplant Successfully Completed

 https://www.newsweek.com/first-ever-genetically-modified-pig-human-kidney-transplant-successfully-completed-1671331

Specialists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have, for the first time, successfully transplanted pig kidneys into a human patient.

The xenotransplantation was performed on September 30, 2021, at UAB Hospital. Today, the first peer-reviewed research was published in the American Journal of Transplantation.

Joe Rogan's Friends Assemble in D.C. to Do Something They Say Isn't an Anti-Vax Rally

 https://www.vice.com/en/article/88g5bk/joe-rogans-friends-assemble-in-dc-to-do-something-they-say-isnt-an-anti-vax-rally

In a bit of light comedy, at one point, the rally’s website also listed as a speaker someone they referred to only as “Rabbi Epstein.” The site used a photo of Mendel Epstein, the infamous Orthodox rabbi convicted in 2015 of masterminding a long-running operation in which he and his cronies kidnapped and tortured men to persuade them to give their wives gets, or Jewish divorce decrees. FitzGibbon did not respond to an email inquiring about whether Mendel Epstein was indeed speaking at the rally. By the following morning, however, Mendel’s photo had been quietly swapped out for one of Rabbi Zev Epstein, a known anti-vaccine activist and a far more likely candidate for someone who’d speak at this event.

Man accused by January 6 truthers of being FBI infiltrator denies claim in interview with House select committee

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/11/politics/january-6-ray-epps-fbi-false-flag/index.html

The Arizona man that some right-wing figures baselessly claim was part of secret FBI plot to orchestrate the January 6 insurrection told the House panel investigating the attack that he has no ties to the FBI or law enforcement, a committee aide told CNN.

While Epps' denial is unlikely to sway diehard conspiracy theorists, it carries some heft because it came in an interview with congressional investigators, where lying would be a federal crime.

Republican lawmakers and pro-Trump outlets have zeroed in on Epps to bolster their broader conspiracy theory that the FBI was responsible for the violence on January 6. Their claims about Epps have been panned by fact-checkers.

Two-thirds of COVID-19 jab reactions caused by placebo effect - study

 https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-693996

More than two-thirds of the common side-effects people experience after a coronavirus shot can be attributed to a negative version of the placebo effect rather than the vaccine itself, new research indicates.

Scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston examined data from 12 clinical trials of COVID vaccines and found that the “nocebo effect” accounted for more than three-fourths (76%) of all common adverse reactions after the first dose and more than half (nearly 52%) after the second dose. A third of clinical trial participants who received no vaccine reported systemic adverse advents like headache and fatigue.

The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, suggest that a large proportion of milder side-effects, such as headaches, short-term fatigue and arm pain are not produced by the the vaccine itself, but by other factors thought to generate the nocebo response, such as anxiety.

Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to shield records from Jan. 6 committee

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/19/trump-supreme-court-records-527421

The Supreme Court’s order on Wednesday did not reach a final conclusion on this point but said Trump’s effort failed because his assertion of executive privilege would have failed even if he were still in office.

“The questions whether and in what circumstances a former President may obtain a court order preventing disclosure of privileged records from his tenure in office, in the face of a determination by the incumbent President to waive the privilege, are unprecedented and raise serious and substantial concerns,” the high court said.

“Because the Court of Appeals concluded that President Trump’s claims would have failed even if he were the incumbent, his status as a former President necessarily made no difference to the court’s decision,” the unsigned Supreme Court order added.

Supreme Court ruling is a bitter legal and personal blow to Trump

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/20/politics/donald-trump-supreme-court-january-6-committee/index.html

There is no doubt, however, that Trump will be apoplectic that his three Supreme Court nominees, Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, did not publicly dissent from denying his bid to keep his West Wing records secret. Trump has repeatedly slammed the Supreme Court for throwing out his false claims of election fraud, claiming he was a victim of a miscarriage of justice even though his delusional cases were also dismissed by multiple lower courts. Even before the election in 2020, the then-President had said it was important to quickly confirm Barrett so that she could be in place to vote on any election disputes.

Supreme Court clears the way for House to get Trump White House documents

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/19/politics/supreme-court-trump-white-house-docs/index.html

The Supreme Court cleared the way Wednesday for the release of presidential records from the Trump White House to a congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

The court's order means that more than 700 documents will be transferred to Congress that could shed light on the events leading up to the insurrection when hundreds of rioters converged on the Capitol attempting to stop certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

Only Justice Clarence Thomas said publicly that he would have granted former President Donald Trump's request to block the document handover from the National Archives to the House select committee. No other justices made an objection public.

Don Lemon SLAMS Unvaxxed As "Idiots," Laura Ingraham MOCKS Gen. Milley Over COVID Diagnosis

When the Delta variant dominated, vaccination and prior infection protected against Covid-19, but vaccination was safest, study finds

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/19/health/covid-vaccine-infection-protection-cdc-study/index.html

"Together, the totality of the evidence suggests really that both vaccination and having survived Covid each provide protection against subsequent reinfection, infection and hospitalization," said Dr. Eli Rosenberg, New York state deputy director for science. "Having Covid the first time carries with it significant risks, and becoming vaccinated and staying up-to-date with boosters really is the only safe choice for preventing COVID infection and severe disease."

"If a person who's had natural Covid then gets vaccinated, they have levels of antibody that are much, much higher than after the natural infection itself. And what we know about higher levels of antibody is: one, you usually get a longer duration of protection, and number two, the variety of antibodies that your immune system produces is more diverse. The notion is that you will be better protected against a diversity of variants," said Schaffner, who is a vaccine adviser to the CDC, but was not involved in the study.

Boeing Takes Hit as Its 777, 787 Planes Appear Susceptible to 5G Network

 https://www.newsweek.com/boeing-takes-hit-its-777-787-planes-appear-susceptible-5g-network-1670782

Boeing faces a setback as its 777 and 787 planes used by airlines worldwide are particularly susceptible to the new 5G network signals as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced safety concerns.

The FAA said the new 5G signals could interfere with the Boeing 787's and 777's airplanes systems using radio altimeters, which indicate how far a plane is off the ground while in the air, according to a statement Friday.

Altimeters data are used in several systems such as for engines, flight controls, traffic alert, collision avoidance, ground proximity warning, autopilot systems, and detecting dangerous wind shears.

Airlines are concerned because altimeters operate in the 4.2-4.4 GHz range, and the 5G frequencies would operate too close to the same range and affect airplane instruments, Reuters reported.

הממשלה מאשרת שוב את חוק הגיוס שנפל

 https://www.kikar.co.il/410490.html

הגנץ לוקח סיכון: פחות מ-48 שעות אחרי נפילת חוק הגיוס במליאת הכנסת, שר הביטחון בני גנץ לחץ והיום (רביעי) הממשלה מאשרת את חוק הגיוס מחדש לקראת הצבעה חוזרת על החוק בהמשך.

אחרי שהחוק יאושר לא יהיה צורך בישיבת ממשלה או בוועדת שרים לענייני חקירה, אלא החוק יונח ישירות על שולחן הכנסת.

כזכור, ביום שני האחרון נפל חוק הגיוס של שר הביטחון בני גנץ, לאחר שחברת הכנסת ג'ידא רחנאווי זועבי ממר"צ הפרה את המשמעת הקואליציונית והצביעה נגד חוק החוק ובמקביל חברי הכנסת מאזן גנאיים ועמיחי שיקלי נעדרו מההצבעה.

Gantz Resubmits Draft Law; Set to Pass Next Week

 https://hamodia.com/2022/01/19/gantz-resubmits-draft-law-set-to-pass-next-week/

Ahead of the vote in the Knesset plenum, pressure is expected to be placed on the MKs of the Ra’am party, one of whom abstained from voting on Monday, and also on MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi of Meretz, who opposed the bill in Monday’s vote, resulting in the bill failing to pass. The coalition believes that Zoabi will support the proposal this time around.

The vote on Monday ended in a 54:54 tie after MK Zoabi violated coalition discipline and voted against the law. MKs Mazen Ghanaim (Ra’am) and Amichai Chikli (Yamina) were absent from the vote.

Freed Hostage Rabbi Demanded Israel Drop Sovereignty Plans in the Settlements

 https://www.jewishpress.com/news/jewish-news/freed-hostage-rabbi-demanded-israel-drop-sovereignty-plans-in-the-settlements/2022/01/16/

In the world of "you can't make this stuff up"... This is my old synagogue, I left due to a few issues, first, the Rabbi called Israel an apartheid state against Islam, and a second, he didn't allow his members (including myself) to be armed during services. Now he is held hostage by a Muslim man with a gun...

Singer Hana Horká Dies of COVID After Catching It on Purpose To Avoid Vaccine

 https://www.newsweek.com/singer-hana-horka-dies-covid-after-catching-purpose-avoid-vaccine-1670675

Hana Horká, who was the vocalist for the long-running folk band Asonance, passed away on Sunday at the age of 57, AFP reported, citing her son Jan Rek.

Rek told Czech public radio iRozhlas.cz that his mother had voluntarily exposed herself to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, in order to obtain a health pass that would have allowed her to visit the sauna and theater.