Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A county health officer in California issued an order requiring masking in acute care facilities starting on Nov. 1, an order authorities attribute to rising seasonal respiratory illnesses.

The mandate, which lasts until March 31 of next year, requires the use of face masks by people in acute care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, surgical and maternity centers, and infusion centers such as dialysis and chemotherapy centers, during respiratory virus season, not including patients.

“These respiratory viruses can cause serious illness, particularly in vulnerable groups such as infants, older adults, pregnant individuals, and those with weakened immune systems,” Lisa Hernandez, the Santa Cruz County public health officer, said in a statement. “This order aims to reduce the spread of these viruses and protect those most at risk from severe outcomes, including hospitalization and death.”

Santa Cruz County is located to the south of San Jose and other cities that make up Silicon Valley in California.

Last fall, officials in counties around California’s San Francisco Bay Area implemented similar mask mandates in health care facilities that lasted from Nov. 1, 2024, to April 2025.

An official in California’s Yolo County said last month that residents were advised to wear masks indoors because of COVID-19.

“Based on current wastewater levels of the virus that causes COVID-19, I recommend that everybody in West Sacramento wear a mask when they are around others in indoor public spaces,” Aimee Sisson, the Yolo County health officer, said in the statement.

The most recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the rates of positive tests and emergency department visits across the United States are continuing to fall.

Positive tests fell to 6.7 percent for the week ending Sept. 27, down from 9.6 percent during the previous week, according to the data. The percentage of emergency visits for COVID-19 fell from 1 percent to 0.7 percent.

Nineteen states are experiencing “high” or “very high” levels of COVID-19, according to wastewater data reviewed by the CDC. Connecticut, Delaware, Nevada, and Utah are seeing the highest levels.

“COVID-19 activity has peaked and is declining in many areas of the country, but emergency department visits and hospitalizations are elevated nationally,” the CDC said in a separate statement.

Monitoring of wastewater also shows that the XFG variant accounts for about 85 percent of all COVID-19 cases, followed by the NB.1.8.1 variant at 7 percent. The XFG variant was deemed a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization earlier this year.

Usually, the CDC releases data on COVID-19 on Fridays, but a message on the agency’s websites says that because of the ongoing government shutdown, “certain federal government activities have ceased due to a lack of appropriated funding.” No COVID-19 or respiratory virus updates were released by the CDC on its websites on Oct. 3.

“During the government shutdown, only web sites supporting excepted functions will be updated,” the CDC message said. “As a result, the information on this website may not be up to date and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries.”

Tuesday marks the grim two-year anniversary of the Oct.7 terror attack by Hamas which targeted southern Israel, including the Nova music festival and several Kibbutzim, as well as Israeli military border outposts.

Coinciding with the anniversary and memorials being held across the country, Yemen’s Houthis have been launching drones throughout the day on the southernmost Israeli city of Eliat, on the Red Sea.

“Yet another drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat was shot down by air defenses, the military says,” reports Times of Israel.

The drone was intercepted outside Israeli airspace while it was still inbound, and so there were no public alert sirens activated. “It marks the fourth Houthi drone shot down in the Eilat area within an hour,” the report indicates.

The Houthis have vowed to continue such attacks so long as IDF forces continue their operations in the Gaza Strip, even though urgent peace talks are currently underway in nearby Egypt, based on President Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to join the talks Wednesday, which are happening ‘indirectly’ between the Israeli and Hamas sides. Hamas has said it is ready to release all remaining 48 hostages (dead and alive) – but significant hurdles remain over an array of conditions.

Meanwhile, at a moment of national mourning in Israel, hostage victims’ family members are still looking for answers as to why police and military intervention took so long during the attack of Oct.7

“Where were the rescue forces? Where was the state? How come you were here for hours and no one saved,” the families said in a statement, Kan public broadcaster reported.

“And yet two years later, we still have no answers. All the investigations they have presented to us are rubbing salt in the wounds and sand in the eyes of the families,” they said.

This was taken at 8:38am on October 7th. It was apocalyptic. And at this moment we didn’t understand the scale of the attack. It took time to understand that Hamas had infiltrated the entire border. pic.twitter.com/EX8hCf1Wml

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 7, 2025

Various political leaders in the West offered their condolences marking the day, including US Vice President JD Vance, who stated on X, “On this second anniversary of the terrible terrorist attacks of October 7, we remember all of the innocent people brutally murdered by Hamas.”

“And we continue to work towards President [Donald] Trump’s plan to bring the remaining hostages home and build a lasting peace for all,” he wrote further.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) had killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages on that day two years ago. The brazen and well-planned attack even featured paragliders flying into the Nova festival grounds, where a massacre ensued in what some eyewitnesses said felt “apocalyptic”. Later analysis indicated that some Israelis may have been killed by ‘friendly fire’ during the chaotic Israeli military response, which included deployment of helicopters and tanks.

Eerie footage. This is the moment Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel on paragliders Saturday morning. pic.twitter.com/sThsSInzas

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) October 11, 2023

Israel’s military response in Gaza has itself been brutal and overwhelming. Well over 60,000 people have died, including many tens of thousands of civilian men, women, and children. But Israel says a significant bulk of this figure is Hamas militants. Wars on other fronts have since raged – including in Lebanon, Iran, Syria, and Yemen – with the whole geopolitical landscape having shifted dramatically since Oct.7.

Residents in crime-ridden Baltimore City, controlled by leftists, are demanding answers after Mayor Brandon Scott received a new taxpayer-funded luxury SUV outfitted with almost every bell and whistle, including fancy lights, sirens, and a security microphone. 

Fox Baltimore reports that Mayor Scott’s new city-issued Jeep Grand Wagoneer costs in excess of $163,000, which includes $65,000 in upgrades.

“Not the taxpayers’ money! If he wants it for himself, yeah. But not with our money,” Federal Hill resident Christian Heath told the local media outlet. 

Heath noted, “Our money should be for the city, the schools, the kids. Just to ride around? We don’t have cars like that.”

Yet, as we’ve learned over the years from Fox Baltimore’s Chris Papst, the city’s epic mismanagement and endless scandals, especially within its imploded public school system, show that throwing more money at education doesn’t translate into success in math or writing.

In fact, taxpayer funds are simply lining the pockets of Democrats and their unions. The result: multiple generations of young people who never receive a proper education, their futures stolen from them. 

• Educational Crisis: Baltimore High School Fails To Produce A Single Proficient Math Student In Four Straight Years

Fox Baltimore spoke with other residents who agreed that the mayor should have a secure vehicle but questioned the cost of the luxury SUV. 

The mayor driving around in a luxury SUV while the city experiences a population collapse to 100-year lows, continued violent crime, an exodus of businesses, opioid crisis, police shortage, backfiring criminal and social justice reform, an exodus of companies, and mounting financial woes is terrible optics for City Hall Democrats, who have navigated the city over the course of decades right into the ground. 

In recent months, Mayor Scott signed off on the city’s largest budget to date, totaling $4.6 billion. This new budget is double the size of what the city operated two decades ago, despite a population decline of more than 60,000 residents during that time. Baltimore’s per capita spending now exceeds $7,600 per resident, surpassing cities like Boston, Atlanta, Detroit, and Chicago. This spending even outpaces the combined spending of Las Vegas and Los Angeles. 

Taxpayer advocate David Williams expressed serious concerns over the city’s financial priorities. 

“Unfortunately, this is not surprising. You look at a city that’s spending billions a year on education and the system isn’t getting any better,” Williams said, adding, “Right now Baltimore officials think spending money is the goal. Well, it isn’t.”

Residents might start asking a very simple question: Does Mayor Scott serve the people of Baltimore City or the interests of globalist George Soros? 

Meanwhile, Maryland’s leftist Gov. Wes Moore was recently spotted half-naked on mega leftist George Clooney’s luxury yacht in Italy.

Are Maryland Democrats even serving the best interests of their constituents, or pandering to billionaire liberal elites and unhinged leftists in Hollywood?

Authored by Jesse Coghlan via CoinTelegraph.com,

Bitcoin could be worth half as much as gold by its next halving, slated for 2028, and the recent rise in gold prices would price the cryptocurrency at $644,000 in “equivalent value,” analysts say.

“We’ve been saying Bitcoin should reach half of gold’s market cap after the next halving,” Matthew Sigel, head of digital asset research at VanEck, said in an X post on Monday.

Gold futures hit a record high of above $4,000 per ounce as traders rushed to the asset, which has long been seen as a safe haven. Sigel said that its record price “implies an equivalent value of $644,000 per [Bitcoin].”

Crypto analysts have long compared Bitcoin and gold, but the latter has outperformed Bitcoin so far this year, rising 50% amid increasing uncertainty over political developments, a weakening US dollar and sporadic US tariffs.

Young investors prefer Bitcoin 

Sigel said that younger investors turn to Bitcoin as a store of value, the main use case for which traditional investors would typically turn to gold.

“Roughly half of gold’s value reflects its use as a store of value rather than industrial or jewelry demand, and surveys show younger consumers in emerging markets increasingly prefer Bitcoin for that role,” he said.

Source: Matthew Sigel

Analyst Jordi Visser said in June that younger generations believe the financial system “has been worsening every single year,” and their calls for increased public spending could also help to boost Bitcoin’s price.

Gold could go higher from here

Meanwhile, veteran trader Peter Brandt said that gold could still have room to run despite hitting a peak high.

“Gold may go substantially higher before any meaningful correction,” Brandt wrote to X on Monday. “How much higher? No clue!”

“But I am quite certain that ‘all-in’ FOMO [fear of missing out] buyers at these levels will need deep pockets in the future,” he added.

Bitcoin hit a new all-time peak on Monday, reaching above $126,000 for the first time, though Bitcoin critic and prolific gold backer Peter Schiff said that despite Bitcoin’s record peak, “it’s still about 15% below its record high” in terms of gold.

“Bitcoin would have to rise to about $148K to match its record high priced in gold,” he added.

“I still think it’s too early for Bitcoiners to get excited about the rally. Until Bitcoin can make a new high priced in gold, it’s just a bear market rally,” he said.

However, Joe Consorti, the head of growth at Bitcoin custodian Theya, said that Bitcoin’s “fair value floor has been lifted to $1.34 million” with gold’s rise.

President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he has “sort of made a decision” concerning the ultra-controversial question of selling and transferring long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, via intermediary countries in NATO.

But then he added the crucial caveat that he first wants to know what the Ukrainians plan to do with the Tomahawks. “Where they are sending them, I guess I will have to ask that question. I would ask some questions,” he posed.

Let’s hope it is true. 🙏🏻
But with that guy we never know…

Trump stated that he has practically made a decision regarding the supply of “Tomahawks” to Ukraine pic.twitter.com/ymDNuauXkJ

— Maria Schmid – 🇵🇹 (@MariaSc90701399) October 6, 2025

This suggests a cautious approach which will lean against such a brazen escalation in the conflict. Moscow last week said it would be “surprised” if the Trump White House actually went through with this.

“I sort of made a decision pretty much,” Trump said when asked by reporters whether he has made a final decision. The following additional response is bad news for hawks, and positive for doves which wish to see de-escalation of the proxy war:

“Where they are sending them, I guess I will have to ask that question. I would ask some questions. I am not looking to see an escalation,” Trump said.

Some pundits are interpreting this as a ‘yes’ – but it’s clear that Trump did not give approval – based on these remarks alone at least.

The response came after Russia’s President Putin on Sunday said that the supply of Tomahawks to Ukraine would be a “completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation.”

But Ukraine’s Zelensky has argued just the mere possession of such sophisticated, long-range capabilities would force Putin to the negotiating table.

And yet, even with just long-range drones the Ukrainians are seeking to hit targets in and around Moscow. Trump knows using Tomahawks on Moscow would be a sure path toward WW3.

Russia is still seeking from a firm ‘no’ on the matter, as Reuters reports Monday:

Russia said on Tuesday it was waiting for clarity from the United States about the possible supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying such weapons could theoretically carry nuclear warheads.

Trump has shown real concern for improving bilateral relations with Moscow amid all the tension, also as the key nuclear treaty New START is hanging by a thread, having been extended by one year as negotiations proceed.

🇺🇸🇷🇺 The Axe of War

If Trump does transfer Tomahawks to the AFU, three and a half thousand military facilities will be within the strike zone. Western analysts provide this number, assuming Ukrainian formations will receive Tomahawk Block IV and Block V.

Even considering that… pic.twitter.com/2xdE007r3x

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) October 7, 2025

The American president knows that suddenly supplying a system such as Tomahawks would likely destroy all last vestiges of positive, diplomatic dialogue with Moscow. But this is a leader who has at times has undergone radical changes of mind, and it is sometimes difficult to interpret his thinking.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Oct. 6 stopped recommending a combination  vaccine that contains a varicella component, advising a standalone shot against the disease.

The CDC is now advising that children aged 1 receive a standalone chickenpox vaccine, its parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement.

Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill, also the deputy health secretary, made the change based on advice from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Advisers in September said the CDC should stop recommending the measles, mumps, rubella, varicella vaccine due to data showing that younger children faced an elevated risk of febrile seizures if they received the vaccine.

Instead, children should receive the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and, separately, a chickenpox shot, the panel said in a split vote.

“The CDC child and adolescent immunization schedule’s new recommendation of standalone chickenpox vaccination for toddlers through age three follows evidence presented to ACIP by the CDC Immunization Safety Office’s that healthy 12–23 months old toddlers have increased risk of febrile seizure seven to 10 days after vaccination for the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine compared to those given immunization for chickenpox separately,” the Department of Health and Human Services said.

“The combination vaccine doubles the risk of febrile seizures without conferring additional protection from varicella compared to standalone vaccination.”

The measles vaccine is mandated in nearly every state for school attendance.

The CDC’s official childhood immunization schedule has not yet been updated to reflect the change.

The schedule states that children should receive their first shot against measles around 12 months of age and a second shot sometime after turning 4 and before turning 7.

The schedule recommends that for the first dose, children younger than 4 receive the MMR vaccine and a separate varicella vaccine. However, the four-antigen combination shot “may be used if parents or caregivers express a preference,” the CDC says in schedule notes.

About 15 percent of children receive the measles, mumps, rubella, varicella shot for their first dose, according to CDC data.

A majority of advisers said a change was warranted, given the higher risk of febrile seizures.

Critics said that the change could lead to less adherence to the schedule, as children would receive one additional injection.

“The advantage of combination vaccines is that children and adults are more likely to complete the vaccine requirements if it’s given as a single dose,” Dr. Cody Meissner, professor of pediatrics at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, and one of the advisers who voted no, said ahead of the vote.

Others said that a change could actually lead to better uptake.

“I actually believe … less adverse events are going to increase trust and adherence,” said Retsef Levi, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the panel members who voted yes.

O’Neill on Monday also accepted advice from the panel on COVID-19 vaccines. The CDC now says that receiving a COVID-19 shot is an individual choice that should only be made after consulting with a health care professional.

Bodycam and dashcam footage show a fatal September 15 confrontation in Anaheim where 36-year-old Rudy Anthony Martinez II was shot after charging an officer with a shovel outside John Marshall Elementary School, according to the NY Post.

Police say the officer responded around 12:45 p.m. to a 911 call about a man, possibly on drugs, wielding a shovel and a brick. As soon as Martinez spotted the patrol car across an intersection, he sprinted toward it, shovel raised.

In the dashcam video, the officer exclaims “oh s–t” before even stepping out of his cruiser. Martinez immediately begins swinging, ignoring repeated commands to “sit down” and warnings of “you’re gonna get shot.”

The NY Post writes that the officer fires two warning shots, but Martinez keeps advancing. The officer then opens fire. “When the officer arrived and encountered the subject, an officer-involved shooting occurred,” Anaheim police said in a statement.

“The subject was struck by gunfire, at which point the officer began to render first aid. The subject was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased approximately 30 minutes after arrival. A shovel was recovered at the scene. The officer was not injured during this incident,” Anaheim PD said.

The school went into lockdown, though officials said no students witnessed the incident. After the shooting, the officer provided first aid until paramedics arrived. Martinez was taken to a hospital, where he died about 30 minutes later.

*  *  *

Tesla unveiled a cheaper Model Y today with prices starting at $37,990–$39,990, about 15% below the previous base model, as the company works to reverse slowing sales and lost U.S. tax incentives.

Elon Musk has long promised a mass-market EV, though he scrapped a $25,000 car plan last year. Still, he argued in July: “The desire to buy the car is very high. (It’s) just (that) people don’t have enough money in the bank account to buy it. So the more affordable we can make the car, the better.”

The new pricing on Tesla’s website today, reported by Bloomberg and Reuters, followed teaser clips earlier this week posted on X showing headlights and a wheel with the date “10/7.” Tesla reportedly began building this lower-cost version in June but delayed production until after $7,500 tax credits expired. CFO Vaibhav Taneja warned output will ramp up slower than initially expected.

While Tesla just had a record quarter, global sales are down about 6% this year, and analysts expect U.S. EV sales to fall sharply after the credit’s removal. Recall, about a week ago the company reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter delivery figures. Deliveries came in at 497,099 vehicles, a 7.4% increase from a year earlier and smashing Bloomberg consensus estimates of 439,612. The numbers also beat the recently-boosted guidance from Goldman and UBS.

The bulk of the growth came from the company’s mass-market lineup: Model 3/Y deliveries reached 481,166, up 9.4% year-over-year and surpassing expectations of 424,828. Deliveries of Tesla’s other models totaled 15,933, representing a 53% jump from the previous quarter but slightly below estimates of 17,184.

On the production side, Tesla built 447,450 vehicles, down 4.8% from a year earlier and just under the consensus of 450,313. Model 3/Y production totaled 435,826, a 1.8% decline but still ahead of forecasts. Production of other models slipped to 11,624, down 13% from the prior quarter.

The strong delivery numbers likely reflected a pull-forward effect ahead of the loss of the US tax credits. Federal incentives that provided buyers with up to $7,500 for new EVs and $4,000 for used EVs expired on September 30 under new legislation passed by Congress. Tesla and its rivals had been factoring these credits into competitive lease and purchase offers, boosting demand in the final weeks of the quarter.

UBS said in a note that a push to take advantage of the tax credit would help delivery numbers: “Strong deliveries in the US as Tesla pushes, and consumers take advantage of, the $7,500 IRA EV tax credit before its expiry at the end of September 2025. We believe 3Q25 could be the highest quarterly US deliveries since mid-2023 and potentially the highest ever. We believe demand is very likely being pulled forward so we’d expect a q/q drop in 4Q25, even if the new “lower cost” Model Y is introduced.”

Now we’ll see if a lower cost Model Y can do the same…

Democrats are in a panic today after Axios reported a leaked memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) which challenges a 2019 law widely interpreted to guarantee back pay to furloughed employees during a government shutdown.

According to OMB general counsel Mark Paoletta, the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act doesn’t guarantee back pay, but instead creates the conditions for Congress to authorize those payments – for which lawmakers must set aside additional funds to compensate workers returning from furloughs – in this case, some 750,000 employees. 

“Does this law cover all these furloughed employees automatically? The conventional wisdom is: Yes, it does. Our view is: No, it doesn’t,” an official told the outlet. 

If the White House runs with this interpretation, it would ‘dramatically escalate’ pressure on Senate Democrats to end the week-old shutdown, Axios suggests. 

“This would not have happened if Democrats voted for the clean CR,” a senior administration official told the outlet. 

Last month a FAQ on the White House’s website was amended to exclude reference to the 2019 law, as first reported by Government Executive today. 

Prior to Oct. 3, OMB’s Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations document highlighted the Government Employees Fair Treatment Act, the law enacted in 2019 as part of the deal to end the 35-day partial government shutdown during President Trump’s first term to ensure both furloughed and excepted federal workers receive backpay once government funding has been restored. Prior to the law’s passage, Congress had to OK furloughed workers’ backpay following each individual lapse in appropriations.

When asked about it on Tuesday, President Trump said that it “depends on who we’re talking about.”

NEW: President Trump tells me White House does not believe all furloughed federal workers are necessarily entitled to backpay during the shutdown:

TRUMP: “I would say it depends on who we’re talking about. I can tell you this. The Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk… pic.twitter.com/ZKsxHTbZ81

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) October 7, 2025

That said, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)’s shutdown guidance – last updated Sept. 28 – still states that furloughed workers will receive back pay at the conclusion of the shutdown. 

“After the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were furloughed as the result of the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those furlough period,” reads the guidance. “Retroactive pay will be provided on the earliest date possible after the lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates.”

The OMB memo that @MarcACaputo scoops here saying furloughed workers aren’t necessarily allowed backpay seems to be in direct contradiction to the OPM shutdown guidance the administration issued LAST MONTHhttps://t.co/NQns9i7uxs pic.twitter.com/vUuvJqmW01

— Sam Stein (@samstein) October 7, 2025

Until the White House comes out and explicitly outlines their position, the backpay issue will be both leverage and in limbo.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer broadly recommends COVID-19 vaccination. The agency now says that each person should take a range of factors into account, and consult with their doctor, before receiving a shot.

“Informed consent is back,” Jim O’Neill, the CDC’s acting director, said in a statement on Oct. 6 after accepting advice from the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel. “CDC’s 2022 blanket recommendation for perpetual COVID-19 boosters deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination for the individual patient or parent. That changes today.”

The official term for the updated posture is shared clinical decision-making. Under other tiers, vaccination is recommended for everyone or everyone in a certain age or risk group.

“Shared clinical decision-making recommendations are individually based and informed by a decision process between the health care provider and the patient or parent/guardian,” the CDC states on its website.

The CDC for years recommended virtually all people aged 6 months and older receive a COVID-19 vaccine, along with updated versions on an annual basis.

Around 44 percent of people aged 65 or older received a COVID-19 vaccine in late 2024 or early 2025, according to CDC data. About 14 percent of adults aged 18 to 49, 13 percent of children, and 10 percent of health care workers received a vaccine during that time.

Under orders from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the agency in May stopped recommending COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children and pregnant women.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, in September unanimously said that the CDC should change from its near-universal recommendation to shared clinical decision-making, in part because panel members said data supporting vaccine effectiveness is weak.

“At best, the additional protection provided by a seasonal booster is moderate and of short term,” Retsef Levi, chair of the panel’s COVID-19 immunization workgroup, said during the meeting.

Members also said that they were concerned about side effects the vaccines can cause, including myocarditis, a form of heart inflammation.

The panel’s advice is typically accepted by the CDC.

The Food and Drug Administration recently withdrew emergency authorization for the COVID-19 vaccines.

In updated approvals, it cleared the shots for people who are at least 6 months old who have one or more risk factors, as well as for people 65 and older.

Two of the shots are made by Moderna. One is made by Pfizer and BioNTech. The other is made by Novavax.

Some outside groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, still recommend COVID-19 vaccination for broader populations, including all children aged 6 to 23 months.