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"Real Time" host Bill Maher went on a tirade against the growing "tsunami" of cancel culture.

"I swear to God, I don't want to talk about cancel culture and this nonsense every week, but I just thinkpeople understand how this is a tsunami and how fast the goalposts change almost on a weekly basis," Maher began the discussion on Friday night.

"Literally, on the top of my head ...I wrote down three things that I could think of -- not just what you do now... it's anything you've ever done... Not justwhat you say, it's now what you listen to, they can catch you for that. What you order, who you say you like, anythingsort of association, if you retweet something."

The subject later turned to the ousting of Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Alexi McCammond, who was forced to resign even before she started the job after the magazine's staff expressed outrage over allegedly racist and homophobic tweets she made a decade ago when she was a 17-year-old high schooler.

McCammond had previously apologized for the posts.

TEEN VOGUE EDITOR BECOMES LATEST CANCEL CULTURE VICTIM AFTER STAFFERS' REVOLT OVER DECADE-OLD TWEETS

"Can I just say something? People talk s--- in private! We can't legislate that away!" Maher exclaimed. "For f--- sake, can we have a little common sense? People talk s--- about each other in private."

"Can I just say something? People talk s--- in private! We can't legislate that away!"

One of Maher's guests, former U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., blamed Teen Vogue for not backing McCammond and urged Corporate America to "not buy into this stuff."

"You're right," Maher agreed. "Somebody hasto have some b---s!"

Alexi McCammond left Teen Vogue after staffers complained about posts from her teenage years. (Getty Images)

Heitkamp slammed Republicans attempting to appropriate cancel culture and pointed to their "War on Christmas" mantra that gets pushed every holiday season.

"Yeah, they're snowflakes, too," Maher responded. "But they don't control the media the way these brats do. That's the problem. I don't think that it was Republicans who got Alexi [fired]."

"I don't think that it was Republicans who got Alexi [fired]."

The HBO star then compared the current state of cancel culture to the "Blacklist" era of the 1950s how the simple act of "informing on you" could get someone banned.

"People go to parties now and they don't want to talk. They're like, 'Can I talk? I don't know your girlfriend. She might be woke.'Really. I'm not making this up," Maher said. "This informant thing, it's not just what you do, it's what you don't report. That's another way the goalpost moved."

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Maher then pointed to the canceling of Mumford &Sons banjo playerWinston Marshall, who issued an apology and announced he was "stepping away" from the band after he praised journalist Andy Ngo's book "Unmasked," which exposes the dangers ofAntifa. Maher called his apology "so Soviet."

"'Over the past few days, I have come to better understand the pain I caused by the book I endorsed.' What? Did you hit someone over the head with it?" Maher quipped. "'I have offended not onlya lot of peopleI don't know but also thoseclosest to me, including my bandmates.' What a bunch of p---ies they must be. 'And for that, I am truly sorry.' It's so Stalinesque. You know what, how about, 'I can read what I want! I'm a musician!'"

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Maher blasts cancel culture over Teen Vogue editor's ousting: Woke 'brats' control the media now - Fox News

The city of Laramie is pushing back against a bill that would allow the University of Wyoming to control its own water supply. The city council passed a resolution this week strongly condemning that bill, even calling it unconstitutional.

If passed, the "University water system" bill would give UW the authority to drill its own wells and operate a water system independent of the city's.

Laramie City councilors expressed concern this week that if the university establishes its own water system, it would lead to a duplication of efforts, and a higher cost to taxpayers.

One of the main issues surrounds the watering of Jacoby Golf Course. Laramie officials say, if the city no longer watered the golf course, it would have to regularly flush its sewer system by opening fire hydrants.

Laramie Mayor Paul Weaver said local taxpayers will be paying twice - once for the city system, and once for the university system.

"It's not because I'm hot to trot to have a big agency fight with the University of Wyoming. That's dumb. I want to do as little of that as possible," he said. "It's that I don't think it's fair for our constituents, Laramie ratepayers, to have to deal with that double dip."

Councilor Erin O'Doherty said the bill could affect other communities throughout Wyoming, wherever UW owns land.

"I do think it was aimed toward Laramie," she said. "But it also affects people around the state, in Goshen County, Natrona County, Park County, Laramie County, Sheridan County, Teton County - because the university owns property in all those places. So could the university be setting up parallel water systems in all of these counties? It's not an efficient way to run water works. It's more efficient to consolidate.

Councilors are also worried that if the university draws too much water into their system, the city may have to redig and deepen their own wells to ensure water access for residents.

The bill is being debated in the Wyoming House of Representatives.

Read more here:
City Of Laramie Bashes Bill That Would Give UW Control Of Water Supply - Wyoming Public Media

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson spoke to the media on Friday for the first time since being suspended seven games for boarding Flyers defenseman Brandon Carlo. The hit sent Carlo to the hospital. A day later, the NHLs Department of Player Safety suspended Wilson for the totality of circumstances

Wilson, who is set to return Saturday against the New York Rangers, was not interested in debating with the decision saying that he was going to keep that (opinion) to myself, keep that in the locker room.

But Wilson admitted that he must continue to adjust and focus more on making hockey plays than big hits.

A transcription of the full interview is below.

What did you think about the suspension?

Tom Wilson: Obviously, you probably heard a lot about it on social media and all of that. I digested it after the first couple of days as a way to try and get focused on myself making sure Im ready when the team has me back and when I can get back in there. Its one of those situations where you kind of hoped it didnt happen for a number of different reasons, but it is what it is. Ive just got to control the future.

You stayed clear of DoPS for a season or so. Do you have to make more adjustments to your game?

Tom Wilson: I have to continue to adjust. The game is always adapting year to year. At the end of the day, it cant happen. I cant be missing seven games. I cant be missing one game. I have to be in the lineup. As you look around the league, theres a lot of different stuff going on. Theres some confusion. Theres some [hypocrisy]. Theres a lot of different things going on. I just have to worry about helping the team win, playing good hockey. Ive been physical my whole life. Thats in me. Thats bred in me. Im always going to try and be a physical player. For now, I just have to continue to develop my offense and chip in offensively, and help the team win. Obviously, be more careful to make sure Im not putting myself in those spots.

Did you reach out to Brandon Carlo to see how he was doing?

Tom Wilson: I did, yeah. A lot of people probably wouldnt believe me, but you never want to see a fellow peer get injured. Theyre hockey players just like I am. This is their living. Their livelihood. When a guy goes down, its not a good feeling. I texted him the next day and I was happy to hear he was feeling better. It was a couple of weeks ago now. Just trying to move forward and build my game.

How do you internalize all the haters on social media? Youre painted as a villain outside of Washington.

Tom Wilson: Social media is a scary place right now on a number of different levels: hockey, the world. Its not a nice place. Its not a friendly place. People feel like they can say whatever they want. Its nothing new to me. Thats been there throughout my whole career. Im not going to sit here and say it bothered me a ton. Obviously, you dont want to see a lot of that being said. I think everybody, in general, can do a better job. That being said, the support from DC, the support from the Capitals organization. For all of the haters you see, theres a lot of good that you see and a lot of friends and family and around the game of hockey that reaches out and supports you. Its one of those things that there are ups and downs. I just have to move forward and stay on the ice.

How difficult has it been not to play for two weeks? Has it helped that the team has won without you?

Tom Wilson: That helps a lot. Part of the reason I hate missing time is I feel like Im not there to help the team. When they go out there and take care of business, they play the way they are, youre a proud teammate. Youre extremely happy. Theyve been playing great hockey. Ive been traveling with them. Ive been practicing with them every day so Ive been staying fairly involved. Thats been nice to keep my mind on hockey. Moving forward, its crunch time now. There are 20-something games left. This is meaningful hockey. This is when we ramp everything up. I just want to hit the ground running and try and jump right in where we left off.

Do you think youll have any rust when you get in on Saturday?

Tom Wilson: I think when youre around the team and practicing, your mind stays sharp. Youre there. Youre around for the inside jokes, the camaraderie, all that. You dont feel like youre missing as much. It is a shortened season. The games hold a lot more weight. It sucked. It did go by a little quicker a week and a half, two weeks. Theyve been doing a great job playing good hockey. Hopefully, they can keep it rolling tonight and go from there.

We heard a lot of your teammates angry about how the NHL treated your hit to Leo Komarovs board of Lars Eller. Was there any added frustration from you to see that hit go without any supplemental discipline?

Tom Wilson: I dont want to talk too much about specifics. Thats not why Im here. Thats not part of my job. My job is to control what I can control. You cant control what Player Safety does in other situations. You cant control how other players play the game. Hockey is a very tough sport. Every single play is different. Thats just the nature of the sport. It can be frustrating when you start to [compare and contrast] around the league. With that being said, I like to deal with the reality of the situation and like I said control my end. There a lot of different things out there that you can probably pay attention to. Thats just not smart from my end and not worth my time to get bent out of shape about.

Do you think Player Safety judges you differently than other players?

Tom Wilson: Thats a tough question. Thats probably one you have to ask them. I can believe a lot of different things. I can analyze the situation just like all of you have and like everybody in Toronto and everybody across the National Hockey League. Everybody can build their opinion. Im not going to tell you my opinion. I can keep that to myself, keep that in the locker room. Obviously, my teammates supporting me means a lot. I would have their backs in a tough situation. I guess you have to take it for what its worth. Theres a lot of guys talking about it around the league right now: captains, teams saying things about the physical aspect of the game. Its going to difficult moving forward. Its a fast game. Its a hard game and safety is important. Its a tough job. I just want to focus on what I can control.

After your last suspension, you talked to George Parros and went over video. You lowered your target with your hits. Is that the crux of your problem, that you have to hit lower? Walk me through what technical part you have to explain.

Tom Wilson: It had been almost 200 games and over 600 hits since I talked to them. Part of my game is physicality. Thats what I need to do to be in the league and thats something hockey has always been. Its been a hard-hitting game. As I get stronger and faster, those are hard hits. To answer your question, you have to stay out of situations that might not end in the result you want. The past one is an extremely tough one. I actually get butt-ended in the face before the hit. That changes things. Hockey is a crazy sport and Im not going to reflect too much on past hits. Just moving forward, like you said, whether its finishing lower and going after the puck a little bit more, just try to make hockey plays and stay on the ice. Its tough to dive into too much detail. Everything happens really fast and a lot of instinct comes into play in the game of hockey.

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Tom Wilson on his seven-game suspension for boarding Brandon Carlo: 'I have to continue to adjust' - Russian Machine Never Breaks

New Delhi:The Delhi high court on Friday sought the Centres response on a plea challenging the new Information Technology rules which seek to regulate digital news media, filed by Quint Digital Media Ltd which publishes The Quint.

A bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notices to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and granted them time to file their responses.

The court listed the plea filed by Quint Digital Media Ltd for further hearing on April 16, along with another similar petition which was filed earlier by the Foundation for Independent Journalism (which runs The Wire).

The new rules seek to regulate media portals, over the top (OTT) streaming platforms and social media intermediaries. They grant sweeping powers to the Centre, including the right to demand removal of content. The rules have come under criticism from news portals,journalists bodiesandinternet freedom advocates.

The petition filed by Quint challenges the constitutional validity of the IT rules particularly Part III of the rules, which seeks to regulate digital media publications. The petition is limited to the rules application on digital media platforms. Part III of the rules, the petition argues, goes beyond the jurisdiction laid out by the IT Act (under which the rules have been frames) and is also ultra vires the Constitution.

The matter was argued by senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, who had also represented The Wire before the high court earlier this month.

The petition reads:

The present Petition challenges the constitutional validity of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021 or Impugned Rules) under the provisions of Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act), inasmuch as they purport to apply to publishers of news and current affairs content (digital news portals) as part of digital media, and consequently regulate these entities under Part III of the Rules (Impugned Part) by imposing Government oversight and a Code of Ethics which stipulates such vague conditions as good taste, decency, prohibition of half- truths etc. matters nowhere within the contemplation of the IT Act; and draconian consequences for perceived non-compliance, including blocking, modification and deletion of content, compulsory publication of apology, which may be ordered and enforced by Central Government officials.

Not only is it impermissible for subordinate legislation to go beyond the purpose of the parent Act, it is far worse that it does so in a manner that affects Fundamental Rights vitally. This is precisely what the IT Rules, 2021 do, the petitioner has said.

Also read: Centres New Rules Compromise Press Council of Indias Autonomy, PCI Members Say

The rules impose unreasonable restrictions on digital media houses, the petition says, arguing, The right to freely criticise the government is an essential and an inalienable part of the right to practice news journalism and a regulatory mechanism with the government at its apex is a manifestly unreasonable interference with the said right, especially if subjective and vague criteria like good taste and decency can be invoked to lead to Government interference.

The Foundation for Independent Journalism (which runs The Wire), M.K. Venu and Dhanya Rajendran had together filed the first legal challenge to the new IT rules. On March 9, the Delhi high court had issued notice to the Centre on this petition, which argues that The Impugned Part of the Rules, to the extent that it seeks to achieve such special regulation or control of digital media including online news platforms, is manifestly ultra vires the parent Act.

LiveLaw, a legal news website, has also challenged the rules in the Kerala high court. The petition said the rules notified on February 25 impose arbitrary, vague, disproportionate and unreasonable restrictions on digital news media and social media intermediaries.

Read the full text of Quints petition below.

Quints petition challenging the new IT rules by The Wire on Scribd

Original post:
Delhi HC Issues Notice to Centre on The Quint's Petition Against New IT Rules - The Wire

Press statement by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe18 March 2021

Last week marked 1 year since WHO announced that the Public Health Emergency of International Concern declared on 30 January 2020 represented the first ever pandemic caused by a coronavirus.

Since then, weve seen nearly 42 million cases in this region alone, and more than 120 million globally. But weve also seen giant scientific leaps and the introduction of effective tools that give us power over the virus, when used.

The power of the collective. The heroism of our frontline. When I look back at the past year, I see remarkable attributes we have all expressed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Ultimately, our behaviour is saving lives.

The danger, however, is still clear and present.

The current situation is most acute in parts of the Region that were successful in controlling the disease in the first 6 months of 2020. It is in central Europe, the Balkans and the Baltic states where case incidence, hospitalizations and deaths are now among the highest in the world.

Case incidence continues its increasing trend, and is moving eastwards. We have now seen 3 consecutive weeks of growth in COVID-19 cases with over 1.2 million new cases reported last week across Europe.

Last week, deaths in the Region surpassed 900 000. Every week, more than 20 000 people across the Region lose their lives to the virus. The number of people dying from COVID-19 in Europe is higher now than it was this time last year, reflecting the widespread hold this virus has.

We are yet to see the widespread health impact and benefits of vaccines, which I can also assure you will come. But for now, we need to remain steadfast in our application of the full range of tools to respond.

Some 48 out of 53 European countries or territories have reported the B.1.1.7 variant of concern, which is gradually becoming predominant in our region. And yet, in the context of this faster spreading variant, several countries including but not limited to Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom have rapidly reduced transmission with public health and social measures to levels that can, and must, be kept low.

Five countries in the Region have received vaccines from the COVAX Facility fair and equitable access to vaccines, the overarching concept of COVAX, is happening in reality. The gap in access to vaccines in our region is narrowing, yet inequity persists, with all high-income countries having rolled out vaccination, but only 60% of middle- and lower-income countries having done so.

As of today, a total of 46 countries in the Region have administered more than 107 million doses of vaccine. Three percent of the population in 45 countries have received a completed vaccination series, and data from 23 countries indicates that 51% of health workers have received at least 1 dose.

While 27 countries are currently in a partial or full nationwide lockdown, 21 are gradually easing restrictive measures. Some are doing so based on the assumption that increasing vaccination uptake in countries would immediately lead to an improved epidemiological situation. Such assumptions are too early to make.

Let there be no doubt about it, vaccination by itself particularly given the varied uptake in countries does not replace public health and social measures.

With vaccination coverage in the Region ranging from less than 1% to 44%, it is also far too early to demonstrate the effect of vaccines on overall COVID-19 hospitalization and deaths. Nonetheless, early data from Israel, Scotland and the UK, linked to effectiveness against severe disease by the Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines, is promising and show lives are being saved.

As vaccine uptake increases, their broader impact will become visible, and studies like these will guide policy and improve our understanding of how the different vaccines contribute to our response. We welcome these studies, stressing that the available data is limited and that further research is urgently needed.

The WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have developed a robust protocol to study vaccine effectiveness in community settings to allow effective comparison of the results between countries.

A number of countries in the Region have temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a precautionary measure, based on reports from a few countries of rare blood coagulation disorders in persons who had received the vaccine. The detection, investigation and assessment of these cases is a testimony to strong surveillance and regulatory mechanisms.

In vaccination campaigns, it is routine to signal potential adverse events. This does not necessarily mean that the events are linked to the vaccination. Venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease in the world. It happens in populations regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not. COVID-19 vaccination will not reduce illness or deaths from other causes.

As of now, we do not know whether some or all of the conditions have been caused by the vaccine or by other coincidental factors. WHO is assessing the latest safety data, and once completed, the findings will be made public. At this point in time, however, the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh its risks and its use should continue, to save lives.

Vaccines work, and will eventually allow a return to a new normal. But for that to happen, we need to rely on science and have confidence in the incredible protection afforded by vaccines against all vaccine-preventable diseases, including COVID-19.

Meanwhile, we have one eye fixed on the future. This week, the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development, chaired by Professor Mario Monti, issued a call to action to rethink policy priorities in the light of pandemics, to fix the fractures and address the conditions that allowed COVID-19 to happen. This is a concrete step towards making health a centrepiece of society, preparing for future health emergencies and making sure that the notion of health as peripheral is a thing of the past.

Stay safe. Thank you.

Read more here:
Statement WHO European Region: COVID-19 case incidence on the rise as deaths edge towards 1 million - World Health Organization