Free Republic

Trying to strike a balance between free speech and public health, California’s Legislature on Monday approved a bill that would allow regulators to punish doctors for spreading false information about COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments. The legislation, if signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would make the state the first to try to legislate a remedy to a problem that the American Medical Association, among other medical groups and experts, says has worsened the impact of the pandemic, resulting in thousands of unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths. The law would designate spreading false or misleading medical information to patients as “unprofessional conduct,” subject...

Kenneth Austin Bennett, 54, livestreamed the confrontation on his Facebook, which shows him shoving state Sen. Richard Pan on the sidewalk near the Capitol. Bennett has unsuccessfully attempted to recall Pan and filed paperwork to run against him last year, though he never appeared on the ballot. The video shows him running into Pan on the sidewalk and confronting Pan about his position on vaccines. Pan briefly engages Bennett while he continues to walk. "Maybe you should study public health," Pan says at one point. The video then shows Bennett reaching out and shoving Pan in the back after Pan...

Democrats Want To Decide What Is Real or Fake News Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) is the author of the “Online False Information Act,” a new bill that would require anyone who posts any news on the Internet to verify all information through “fact-checkers.” Sen. Pan does not name who these “fact checkers” are, but I’m sure the State of California will create a new agency of state workers to oversee this.