UPDATE:

In a statement on Friday, President Joe Biden says the inflation data does not reflect recent trends.

“But developments in the weeks after these data were collected last month show that price and cost increase are slowing, although not as quickly as we’d like," he said.

NEW: Lisa Hanson, a cafe owner in Minnesota, has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine after she continued operating her cafe in defiance of the governor’s 2020 lockdowns.

“You were a public risk because you kept your business open,” the judge said.

NEW - Facebook asserts "fact checks," created by third-party organizations and used to remove content or to suspend users, are nothing more than "protected opinions" in a court filing.

INBOX: Statement by Julian Assange's solicitors following the High Court's decision.

Despite 97 percent vaccination rate, NBA has already at least equaled last year’s total number of players/coaches entering COVID protocol. -- Sam Amico, Hoops Wire

NEWS

(Tallahassee, Fla.) -- Gov. Ron DeSantis pledges support to sign a bill to make Florida a Constitutional carry state. Eligible Floridians will not be required to seek a concealed carry permit once the bill is signed into law.

JUST IN: Justin Christopher Moore, the suspect accused of attempting to firebomb the Seattle Police Officers union in 2020, was arrested on Thursday after an extensive investigation by a multi-agency task force, police say.

WOW: New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern says her country has created a special account to fund journalists who will produce government-approved stories on Covid-19.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1469411730233176067/video/1

NEW: CDC MMWR released a report today detailing the first 43 confirmed Omicron cases in the U.S. Among these early cases, nearly 80% were vaccinated, there was one hospitalization & no deaths. The majority of patients had mild symptoms. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7050e1.htm?s_cid=mm7050e1_w

BREAKING: State Supreme Court rules mask mandate for Pennsylvania's schools, child care facilities isn't valid - AP

These people are insufferable!

Psaki says "it's no big deal" that 3-year-old sits outside for lunch and wears a mask indoors while at school.

https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/1469448988332105730?s=20

I must say, as an American, it is a shame watching the British court system become subservient to the regime in Washington over the Julian Assange matter. It is hard to believe bedrock principles of common law, like Due Process and Habeas Corpus, originated in the U.K.

DEVELOPING: At least 2 dead, up to 20 trapped after tornado hits nursing home in Monette, Arkansas