Emord’s Sacred Fire of Liberty, Biden recession, GDP drops, Biden COVID recovery, Monkeypox emergency, Gun-free zones, Third party prospects, Dr. David King, Wisconsin Lt Governor race, Wisconsin God Squad, Thyroid concerns and MORE!

July 28th, 2022 3-5PM ET

Thursday on The Robert Scott Bell Show:

Sacred Fire of Liberty!

It’s that time of the week where we get to explore the political healing that this country needs so desperately! Jonathan Emord is back to help us dissect the latest political news that’s fit to print:

GDP fell 0.9% in the second quarter, the second straight decline and a strong recession signal The U.S. economy contracted for the second straight quarter from April to June, hitting a widely accepted rule of thumb for a recession, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday. Gross domestic product fell 0.9% at an annualized pace for the period, according to the advance estimate. That follows a 1.6% decline in the first quarter and was worse than the Dow Jones estimate for a gain of 0.3%. Officially, the National Bureau of Economic Research declares recessions and expansions, and likely won’t make a judgment on the period in question for months if not longer. But a second straight negative GDP reading meets a long-held basic view of recession, despite the unusual circumstances of the decline and regardless of what the NBER decides. GDP is the broadest measure of the economy and encompasses the total level of goods and services produced during the period. “We’re not in recession, but it’s clear the economy’s growth is slowing,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “The economy is close to stall speed, moving forward but barely.”Markets reacted little to the news, with stocks slightly lower at the open. Government bond yields mostly declined, with the biggest drops at the shorter-duration end of the curve. A separate report Thursday showed that layoffs remain elevated. Initial jobless claims totaled 256,000 for the week ended July 23, a decline of 5,000 from the upwardly revised level of the previous week but higher than the Dow Jones estimate of 249,000, according to the Labor Department.

Biden says ‘no surprise’ economy ‘slowing down’ as economy enters technical recession President Biden reacted to Thursday’s GDP report, saying it is “no surprise that the economy is slowing down” amid inflation, despite saying earlier this week that the U.S. would not be entering a recession. The U.S. economy shrank in the spring for the second consecutive quarter, meeting the criteria for a recession as record-high inflation and higher interest rates forced consumers and businesses to pull back on spending. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced across the economy, shrank by 0.9% on an annualized basis in the three-month period from April through June, the Commerce Department said in its first reading of the data on Thursday. Refinitiv economists expected the report to show the economy had expanded by 0.5%. “Coming off of last year’s historic economic growth — and regaining all the private sector jobs lost during the pandemic crisis — it’s no surprise that the economy is slowing down as the Federal Reserve acts to bring down inflation,” Biden said Thursday in a statement. “But even as we face historic global challenges, we are on the right path and we will come through this transition stronger and more secure.” Biden touted the job market, saying it “remains historically strong, with unemployment at 3.6% and more than 1 million jobs created in the second quarter alone.”

Joe Biden After Beating Coronavirus: Keep Wearing Masks and Get Vaccinated but You Will Probably Get Infected Anyway President Joe Biden emerged from coronavirus isolation Wednesday urging Americans to continue wearing masks indoors and getting their vaccine shots. “My symptoms were mild, recovery was quick, and I’m feeling great,” Biden said proudly. The president delivered a speech outdoors in the Rose Garden in front of reporters, the first time he has appeared at an in-person event since he first tested positive. The president repeated his advice to Americans about the importance of wearing masks. “You should consider wearing a mask when you’re in a crowded indoor public place,” he said. “These precautions add an extra layer of protection for you and for those around you.” The president again urged Americans to get vaccinated and make sure they were up to date with their booster shots. “Every person age five and older should get a booster shot,” he said, urging people over 50 to get two booster shots. But Biden admitted that even though Americans were taking precautions, they were still likely to get the virus.

Biden admin might soon declare monkeypox a public health emergency: Report The Biden administration might declare monkeypox a public health emergency in the coming days, according to reports.  Sources familiar with the matter told Politico the declaration could happen as soon as later this week. Such a declaration would be made by Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), led by Secretary Xavier Becerra. Declaring an emergency would give HHS access to additional funds and increase its staff to address the matter. Becerra is expected to hold a press conference on monkeypox Thursday morning.  Fox News has reached out to HHS and the White House for comment but did not hear back before publication.  The report comes days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the international monkeypox virus outbreak a global health emergency.  Officials in the U.S. have been raising the alarm on monkeypox. Health departments in San Francisco and other major cities say they still don’t have enough shots of the vaccine to meet demand. California lawmaker Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, issued a statement urging Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency. “Unfortunately, because our federal government failed to act quickly to acquire the vaccine supplies needed to prevent an outbreak, we are now in a public health emergency that is only going to escalate,” Weiner said. “Given that gay and bi men and trans people are the most impacted, it’s sadly becoming clear that we are being left behind once again.”

FACT CHECK: Gun Owners of America Spokeswoman Claims ’94 Percent of Mass Shootings Occur in Gun-Free Zones’ CLAIM: During Wednesday’s congressional testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Gun Owners of America’s (GOA) Antonia Okafor said, “94 percent of mass shootings occur in gun-free zones.” VERDICT: True, when “gun-free zones” are defined as “places where where general citizens couldn’t carry guns.” Okafor’s testimony is part of the Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing “examining the practices and profits of gun manufacturers.” The hearing centered on AR-15 rifles, which Okafor said she was proud to defend. She listed numerous instances in which law-abiding citizens have used AR-15s for self-defense, then noted that mass public attacks with ARs largely occur in gun-free zones. Okafor intimated that the attackers enjoy the gun-free zones because they know they will not face armed retaliation. She said, “It’s not surprising that 94 percent of mass shootings occur in gun-free zones.” In a 2014 study, updated in 2018 then again on July 6, 2019, the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) showed that 94 percent of mass public shootings between 1950 and the date(s) of the study occurred in gun-free zones. Mass shootings which occurred in gun-free zones during the study’s time frame include the Virginia Tech University attack, which killed 32 (April 16, 2007); the Fort Hood attack, which killed 13 (November 5, 2009); the Aurora movie theater attack, which killed 12 (July 20, 2012); the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack, which killed 26 (December 12, 2014); the D.C. Navy Yard attack, which killed 13 (September 16, 2013); the Chattanooga military base attack, which killed 5 (July 16, 2015); the Umpqua Community College attack, which killed 9 (October 1, 2015); the San Bernardino attack, which killed 14 (December 2, 2015); the Orlando Pulse attack, which killed 49 (June 12, 2016); the Parkland high school attack, which killed 17 (February 14, 2018); and the Santa Fe High School attack, which killed 10 (May 18, 2018).

Former Republicans and Democrats to Form New Third Political Party Dozens of former Republican and Democratic officials will announce on Wednesday a new national political third party to appeal to millions of voters they say are dismayed with what they see as America’s dysfunctional two-party system. The new party, called Forward, will initially be co-chaired by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey. They hope the party will become a viable alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties that dominate U.S. politics, founding members told Reuters. Party leaders will hold a series of events in two dozen cities this autumn to roll out its platform and attract support. They will host an official launch in Houston on Sept. 24 and the party’s first national convention in a major U.S. city next summer. The new party is being formed by a merger of three political groups that have emerged in recent years as a reaction to America’s increasingly polarized and gridlocked political system. The leaders cited a Gallup poll last year showing a record two-thirds of Americans believe a third party is needed. The merger involves the Renew America Movement, formed in 2021 by dozens of former officials in the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Donald Trump; the Forward Party, founded by Yang, who left the Democratic Party in 2021 and became an independent; and the Serve America Movement, a group of Democrats, Republicans and independents founded by former Republican congressman David Jolly.

Hour 2

Special Guest David D. King

Question of The Day!

I have a question about my extremely enlarged thyroid.
I am an active 70 year old woman and have had a very enlarged thyroid for over 15 years. I have had sonograms done every 2 years but recently had a catscan done and discovered that it is encroaching and displacing my trachea and reaching down towards my heart. The ENT said it is the largest thyroid he has ever seen. The measurement is 12 x 6 x 4.6 c.m.
I am being referred to a thyroid surgeon in San Antonio, Texas and was told that it would probably entail cutting into my chest as it cannot be removed through the throat.
My T-3 and T-4 levels are good but the THS is low 0.01 and I am being prescribed Methlmazole. I take no other prescriptions.
I’m reaching out to get some suggestions on things that could be helpful to shrink the Goiter and possibly avoid invasive surgery. Thank you so much
Kay

Remember Friends, The Power to Heal is Yours!