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The phenomenon, speech pathologist Nancy Polow says, is part of a concerning trend in kids born during or shortly before the pandemic Compounding the crisis, when parents sought help, they were met with lockdown-related roadblocks, such as mask restrictions and telehealth meetings Now the restrictions have lessened, Polow says, parents are scrambling to address these failures, signing up for pricey speech therapy sessions A growing body of academic research also supports Polow's claim that children born over the past three or so years possessing weaker verbal skills

Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade said Tuesday on FBN’s “Kudlow” that suburban white women were “freaked out” by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, hurting Republicans in polling for the midterm election. Kilmeade said, “Well, the three things the Democratic Party is polling well in, coronavirus still, which is inexplicable; abortion because they are pro-choice and a lot of the zero tolerance, when it comes to these states has a lot of people freaked out. I think the 15 weeks seems to be – even if you’re the most pro-life person, your neighbor probably isn’t – so how do...

Farmers around the globe are feeling unfairly targeted and unfortunately, they are right. From the Netherlands to Ireland to Canada, nations are increasingly targeting their respective agriculture sectors under the banner of climate change. Going after farmers could not come at a worse time as the war in Ukraine has triggered an international food shortage, which one United Nations official recently stated is “threatening global hunger on an unprecedented scale.” For example, the Netherlands, while a relatively small country, is the second-largest agricultural exporter in the world, the largest exporter of meat among all EU nations, and the third...

Two days ago, Germany's second-largest town of Hamburg told residents to prepare for hot-water rationing during certain times of the day due to "an acute gas shortage."Now, Germany's largest landlord has warned tenants that when the heating season starts in autumn, they will only be able to turn their heat up to 17C (62.6F) between the hours of 11pm and 6am.In a Thursday announcement, Vonovia said the move was intended to save energy and gas use during the current crisis. The company added that the change won't affect daytime temperatures, and that access to hot water won't be affected, meaning...

The State of Victoria's remaining COVID-19 restrictions won't be easing before October, as Premier Daniel Andrews extends the state's pandemic declaration. The move will enable the state government to implement COVID-19 related measures deemed necessary to protect public health. The orders will be effective until 11.59pm on Wednesday, October 12. In making the declaration, Andrews said there continued to be a "serious risk to public health" across the state from COVID-19. "I am satisfied on reasonable grounds that there continues to be a serious risk to public health throughout Victoria due to the coronavirus disease which requires continued public health...

What were the benefits and costs of the COVID-19 restrictions implemented over the last two years? It's a good time to ask that question, especially now that the masks are coming off and the lockdowns are canceled. One useful scorecard comes from the prestigious National Bureau of Economic Research, in the form of a paper by three market-friendly economists, Casey Mulligan (University of Chicago), Stephen Moore (Heritage Foundation) and Phil Kerpen (Committee to Unleash Prosperity). They evidently disagree with the nation's most prominent advocate of massive restrictions, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who recently argued, "I don't think we're ever going to...

NOTE: (The opinions expressed in guest op-eds are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.)According to a new study titled “Final Report Card on State Responses to COVID-19,” states that implemented the least restrictive COVID-19 lockdowns performed far better than those that took the more draconian track.The study, conducted by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, found that “states which maximized the individual freedoms of business owners, consumers, workers and parents – and allowed their citizens to make their own risk assessments without government mandates – had the best performance.”Moreover, the study notes:“It turns...

In a stunning change of rhetoric, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the architect of our nation’s COVID-19 response, seemingly conceded on Sunday that new government restrictions weren’t going to happen and that it’s now up to Americans to assess their own risk and act accordingly. Hallelujah! “This is not going to be eradicated, and it’s not going to be eliminated,” Fauci said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. “And what’s going to happen is that we’re going to see that each individual is going to have to make their calculation of the amount of risk that they want to take.” Fauci said that...

President Joe Biden should prioritize American energy independence and end reliance on adversaries such as Russia, Venezuela, and Iran, 27 state financial officers say in a letter Tuesday to the president. In their letter, they urge Biden to consider the consequences of foreign energy dependence for U.S. businesses and consumers. “Policies implemented during the last year thwart the vitality of American energy production,” the financial officers’ letter to Biden reads. “The rising cost of fuel, coupled with precipitous inflation has, and will, continue to result in dire consequences for working-class families.” The 27 state-level officials are part of the State...

- At a media briefing yesterday, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, grasped wildly for all available evidence she should maintain a stranglehold on the lives and livelihoods of area residents despite the continuing decline in hospitalizations and deaths.

White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci warned about the potential for the reinstatement of COVID-19 restrictions in the United States.Americans, he told the BBC on Sunday, “need to be prepared for the possibility” of an uptick in COVID-19 cases, which may lead to further restrictions.“I don’t want to use the word ‘lockdowns.’ That has a charged element to it. But, I believe that we must keep our eye on the pattern of what we’re seeing with infections,” he told the outlet.Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from the virus have dropped significantly in the United States since the winter’s COVID-19 surge.The...

The pushback continues against Joe Biden’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) rules, put into place in February to consider greenhouse gas emissions and “vulnerable” communities when permitting natural gas pipelines, including criticism from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).

Flu cases are rising across much of the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday, though overall flu levels remain low. Weekly flu cases had been declining through most of January, but began rising nationally the week ending March 5, the CDC said. That increase has continued, albeit slowly.

New Zealand has announced the end of QR codes, mask rules, COVID-19 vaccine passports, and other mandates in most industries.As of April 4, vaccination passport rules will be removed and vaccination mandates will be lifted in all industries except health and disability, aged care, corrections, and border forces. Changes that take effect on March 26 include increasing indoor capacity limits to 200 from 100, while outdoor limits will be completely removed.Mask mandates also will be removed for all outdoor events, but remain for workers at indoor events with an orange risk rating.QR code scanning requirements also will be removed.As the...

Former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a leading contender for the GOP nomination in the Pennsylvania governor’s race, is hoisting up the economic impacts of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine as a portrait of why American energy independence is so important. Speaking to the Post-Gazette by phone on Thursday amid a four-day swing through Pittsburgh, Mr. Barletta blamed Democrats and President Joe Biden’s administration for weakening America’s energy exportation worldwide — a vacuum that Russian energy was able to fill, he claims. . . . Despite criticism from GOP officials, oil and gas drilling in the U.S. has actually increased since Mr....

When Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago, some were quick to quip that Vladimir Putin had single-handedly killed Covid. As the story goes, worldwide collapse of public support for Covid restrictions, abysmal approval ratings for the Biden administration, and internal Democratic party polling warning of a political bloodbath in November necessitated a shift in the news cycle away from the pandemic. In characteristic lockstep, jurisdictions around the world began hastily walking back their mandates because, you know, science. Putin’s war in Ukraine certainly provided a much-needed diversion from Covid woes. Yet we should not conclude that the unconscionable precepts underpinning...

As the omicron wave of the COVID pandemic continues to wane in the US (recently convincing the CDC to finally drop its federal masking guidance), the situation in Hong Kong couldn't be more different. As case numbers continue to soar despite the government's suddenly draconian measures to suppress spread, thousands of Hong Kongers have decided to flee, escaping both the crushing COVID restrictions, and the city-state's increasingly authoritarian tendencies now that Beijing has reasserted political control.Hong Kong's response to the virus has gotten increasingly heavy-handed as authorities demand that it fall in line with Beijing's "COVID zero" policy, which requires...

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly planning to announce the end to all COVID-19 restrictions in the country on Monday. Johnson will unveil his “Living With COVID” plan when Parliament returns from a break this week, The Sun reported.

Switzerland announced this week that it is lifting nearly all coronavirus restrictions in the country as infection rates in the country steadily decline. The Federal Council, the seven-member Swiss executive branch, said as of Thursday, masks and COVID-19 vaccination passes will no longer be required to enter shops, restaurants, cultural venues and other public settings and events. The requirement to wear masks in workplaces and a work-from-home recommendation will also end, as will capacity limits on large-scale gatherings.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Tuesday that his government will accelerate its timetable for lifting coronavirus restrictions, reopening businesses, and terminating its vaccine passport system. “The world’s done with it, so let’s just move forward,” he said of the pandemic.