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Sen. Wyden talks President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks, tariffs plansTrump's picks for key positions in his second administration
NoneParaguayan President Santiago Peña pledged to firmly defend his country's meat in the face of recent statements by Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard, who refused to continue selling meat from Mercosur countries. We do not agree that they want to question things that we do not accept, the non-recognition of our enforcement authorities, or try to harm Paraguayan production, like that of other countries, something that we simply do not accept, said Peña, who insisted that no other region besides South America can produce enough food to supply the world. What I have encouraged my colleagues, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, is that we take a greater role in market access, where there is clearly an important market in the European Union, but there are also other tremendously important markets. As a member of Mercosur, we promoted the negotiation and signing of the free trade agreement between Mercosur and Singapore, and today Paraguay is leading the negotiations with the United Arab Emirates, he underlined. Peña also highlighted the entry of Paraguayan meat into markets such as the United States and Canada and the ongoing processes to reach Panama, South Korea, and Mexico. The President also pointed out that his government was eager to start a new era of friendship with Donald Trump's return to the White House. We are very excited about the beginning of this new administration. We work very closely with President Biden's administration, but the reality is that historically for Democratic governments Latin America has always been a more distant region than for Republican presidents, he said. The Colorado leader also said he spoke on the telephone with Trump who showed great interest in Paraguay, in addition to agreeing on the positions regarding international conflicts. We view with great optimism the appointment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is the only legislator, the only senator in American history to come to visit Paraguay, he knows Paraguay, he knows the history, the present, the things we are defending, the positions we have, so we really view with enormous optimism, Peña noted. Regarding former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes being listed as significantly corrupt by the US, Peña explained that in no way was it a State matter so the question must be solved by the interested person directly. Peña was Economy Minister under Cartes, and the current Colorado Party chairman also mentored his presidential bid. They are not State matters, they are not part of the bilateral agenda, insisted Peña. With the United States, we have a very rich agenda ranging from security, technology, investment, [and] market access. Peña also said he would be traveling next week to France at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron and from there he would be making an official visit to Israel. For two days we will be having several meetings, including the reopening of the Paraguayan Embassy in Jerusalem and also an invitation to be able to meet with the Parliament, the Prime Minister, universities, and the business sector, he pointed out while recalling that Israel has historically been an ally of Paraguay. We have put a very clear, forceful position and without any margin of doubt that we stand on the side of Israel, of the democratically elected government of Israel, the defense of this aggression that has received last October 7 that we have condemned, a terrorist act and that really as a people who have suffered a war of intolerance, he said. (Source: ABC)
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Ireland’s three largest political parties remain in a tight grouping, according to the latest major opinion poll before Friday’s General election. It shows that support for the Fianna Fail party is at 21% ahead of polling day, only slightly ahead of their coalition partners Fine Gael and the largest opposition party Sinn Fein, who were neck-and-neck at 20%. The Red C-Business Post poll showed support for Fianna Fail unchanged, while Fine Gael had a slide of two percentage points and Sinn Fein gained two. The near dead-locked poll results came on Wednesday as fears over future economic threats took centre stage in the final stretch of the campaign. Taoiseach Simon Harris said he is taking a “project truth” approach to calling out Sinn Fein’s spending pledges as election results on the other side of the Atlantic put Ireland’s economic model into sharp relief. Donald Trump’s presidential election victory in the US has brought heightened concern around what his proposals for corporation tax and tariffs could mean for Ireland. Mr Harris, leader of Fine Gael, has argued Ireland and other EU countries need to prepare for the possibility of trade shocks as he criticised the scale of Sinn Fein’s spending pledges as well as their saving plans. He said: “I think that is irresponsible, I think it is dangerous and I think it is reckless.” He accused Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald of not being able to say what her party was prepared to do in the event of an economic crash, adding that Fine Gael would borrow and stop putting money towards a rainy-day fund. Asked if the party was engaging in “project fear” to dissuade voters against Sinn Fein, Mr Harris said: “I call it ‘project truth’. It’s telling people what’s being discussed right across European capitals.” Ms McDonald told an RTE interview on Wednesday morning that a Sinn Fein government would also be prepared to start borrowing in the event of an economic downturn. Both Mr Harris and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, who were partners in the last coalition government in Ireland, have made clear they will not countenance Sinn Fein as a potential partner in the next administration in Dublin. One day after the only three-way debate featuring the leaders of the main parties, Mr Martin accused Sinn Fein of being “dishonest” about how they will fund their manifesto plans. Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday, he said he is anxious to get clarity on the issue. “I think Sinn Fein have been very dishonest, frankly, in terms of the funds, because if you go through their figures, and this is a matter of fact, not opinion, they’re predicting a surplus of a billion in 2026, a billion in 2027. “Even in 2025, they’re talking about a mini budget, which would mean reducing the surplus that we’re anticipating in 2025. “There’s a legislative obligation now on any new government to put 0.8% of GDP to one side, and into the funds. There’s no way you can do that with a surplus of a billion in 2026 or 2027, and we would argue they would not have enough funds next year either to put into the funds.” He added: “It means they have no room to manoeuvre if things go wrong, if there’s headwinds come externally, or there are shocks internationally, Sinn Fein is not allowing any headroom at all in terms of room to respond or to move it.” Ms McDonald accused the other two parties of conspiring to keep Sinn Fein out of government and prevent change in Ireland. She said the two men were now “indistinguishable” from each other as she claimed they were suffering “acute amnesia” in regard to their records in government. On a visit to Naas fire station in Co Kildare, she said: “To listen to them, you’d imagine they had just arrived on the scene and that they were going to come up with all of these solutions. “They have had ample chances, ample opportunity, to make things better, and they have failed, and in between the two of them I make the case that now we ask for our chance, with our plans, with our team, to demonstrate how change can happen, how your community, your family, yourself, can be supported when the government is actually on your side.” Mr Martin’s and Mr Harris’ coalition partner Roderic O’Gorman, the leader of the Greens, issued a warning to the public over a future government without his party. On Wednesday, he said it is looking likely that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael will be returned to government – but cautioned they may not want the Greens to continue “fighting hard” on policies. He told reporters: “My sense is certainly the mood music from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is that they’d like an easier life in the next government – and my concern is they use these small populist parties and right-wing independents.” Mr O’Gorman argued that the Greens could continue to provide stability to government at a time when economic shocks may be around the corner. As the Green leader suggested that relying on independents would be unstable, Mr Martin has also argued that “too much fragmentation would lead to incoherence in government”. Reflecting on Tuesday night’s debate, the Fianna Fail leader said the race remained “too close to call” while Mr Harris said it is “all to play for”. The leaders of Ireland’s three main political parties clashed on housing, healthcare and financial management in the last televised debate before Friday’s General Election. The tetchy debate, which was marked by several interruptions, saw the parties set out their stalls in a broadcast that commentators said did little to move the dial before polling day. After the 2020 general election delivered an inconclusive result, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, two parties forged from opposing sides of Ireland’s Civil War of the 1920s, agreed to set aside almost a century of animosity and share power – with the Greens as a junior partner. From 2016 to 2020, Fianna Fail had supported Fine Gael in power through a confidence-and-supply arrangement from the Opposition benches in the Dail parliament. Sinn Fein won the popular vote in 2020 but a failure to run enough candidates meant it did not secure sufficient seats in the Dail to give it a realistic chance of forming a government.Shares of Chinese consumer -oriented names , , and rocketed higher on Monday, up 5.5%, 10.1%, and 21.9% as of noon ET. There was an across-the-board rally in Chinese stocks today, with the smaller, more economically sensitive stocks in the country rallying the most. This came after the country's Politburo met and made a dovish statement for more forceful and imminent stimulus. China is getting increasingly serious about stimulus On Monday, China's 24-member Politburo released a statement, declaring the government will have a more forceful fiscal response to the country's economic woes, and that the central bank will use a "moderately loose" monetary policy into next year. While that couched language might not scream "huge stimulus money," China's Politburo hasn't used that official language since 2008, during the Great Financial Crisis. Not only that, but the statement also came with other language vowing to be more "active" in responding to economic downturns and boosting consumer demand while stabilizing the housing market. China's downturn has been the result of the long "zero-COVID" lockdowns, the clampdown on the country's biggest tech companies, difficulties with foreign capital to get money in and out of the country, and perhaps most importantly, a big housing downturn that has decimated consumer confidence. Chinese consumers have a lot of their wealth tied up in their homes, so this has been a huge headwind to consumer demand. While Beijing had responded to the downturn somewhat this summer, most measures to date had been in the form of cuts and indirect actions, which might not have a big effect if consumers aren't willing to borrow. Some critics have decried a lack of more forceful direct fiscal responses and getting cash into the hands of consumers, while giving them the confidence to restart spending. This has been due to the government's unwillingness to take on larger deficits. However, the language in today's statement seems to suggest Beijing is now open to taking on those larger deficits to jolt the economy out of its slumber. How these stocks would benefit Better consumer spending and household wealth would benefit all three of these stocks. Tencent has a portfolio of products that span both consumer and enterprise customers, but its biggest segments are still consumer-oriented in free-to-play video games, the giant social media platform WeChat, and its digital financial payments platform Tenpay. Baidu, meanwhile, is the largest search platform in China, and is therefore dependent on the economically sensitive advertising market, while the company is also advancing AI and self-driving car technology. And Futu is an online financial brokerage that facilitates trading for stocks, derivatives, and other assets. A healthier Chinese consumer would theoretically invest and trade more. China stocks all clear? Not so fast While today's news was certainly encouraging, investors should still take care to be cautious of Chinese stocks. While all three stocks are still well below their 2021 highs, they have all had quite a run this year, as these names surged a huge amount following this summer's initial statements promising more aggressive stimulus. However, after the summer's surge, some investors had been disappointed in the actual follow-through since then, and there's still uncertainty as to how the government will follow through on today's statements. While today's announcements do indicate an incremental promise for a more forceful government response, China's lagging property sector, aging population, and likely higher tariffs on goods destined for the U.S. under the incoming Trump administration will be difficult to tackle all at once. However, for those willing to take on the significant geopolitical and policy risks, China's big tech and consumer companies still remain cheaper than their U.S. counterparts -- though that gap has narrowed quite a bit over the past few months.Hungary's Orban vows to disregard international arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Photo: The Canadian Press Premier David Eby meets with his cabinet for breakfast during a photo opportunity at legislature in Victoria, Nov. 27. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito British Columbia Premier David Eby says 25-per-cent U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods would be "devastating" for the province's lumber and forestry industries. He made the comment ahead of a meeting with fellow first ministers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Eby was scheduled to participate in the virtual meeting on Wednesday to discuss U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose the tariffs unless Canada and Mexico stop illegal border crossings and prevent illicit drugs from entering the United States. Eby said the lumber and forestry sectors are already strained by a recent increase in duties amid the ongoing U.S.-Canada dispute over softwood lumber. He said after the first meeting of his new cabinet in Victoria that the tariffs are "unjustified," and they would hurt Americans as much as they would Canadians. The premier said B.C. is a source of natural gas, wood products, minerals and other products that U.S. businesses depend on, and the tariff would hinder jobs and opportunities in the province while making "life more expensive for Americans." Eby and Ottawa have called for a united front dealing with Trump's tariff plan, which he announced on social media on Monday. Eby said B.C. officials had repeatedly raised concerns with Ottawa over organized crime and illicit drugs, such as fentanyl, in relation to border security. "It's a priority for us. It has been for a while, we've written to Ottawa about it. Doesn't justify the tariffs, but it does mean that we can talk about those issues as well." Eby said Trump's proposed tariff "doesn't make economic sense," and the measure is not necessary to address issues at the border. The premier said he believes B.C. has a strong case to make for the tariff being "badly placed" if Trump's priority is to reduce costs for Americans. "I think the premiers are unified," Eby said. "There are 13 of us plus the prime minister. It's a big group of people with different political perspectives, but on this issue of ensuring that we're protecting the people in our country from these unjustified tariffs, I believe we're completely in line on that question."Stock market today: Wall Street climbs as bitcoin bursts above $99,000
Walmart's DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump's election victory
AVAPOW's Black Friday Event: Essential Automotive Tools At Exclusive PricesThe Paramount co-CEO threesome of Chris McCarthy , George Cheeks and Brian Robbins is apt to look quite different once the Skydance-Paramount merger goes through in late March-early April, according to sources and not surprisingly. However, we hear that no decisions have been made yet on the comings and goings of McCarthy, Cheeks and Robbins. A Bloomberg article today reported that of the three, only Cheeks is bound to survive once incoming CEO and Paramount buyer David Ellison arrives. This in addition to further consolidation of the conglom’s TV assets. Those familiar with the Skydance -Paramount merger tell us that Ellison has yet to have talks with McCarthy and Robbins about their future under the new merger. Chatter indicates that Cheeks looked well positioned to stay on as he oversees CBS, the division that has the least overlap with Skydance and one that has been doing well. The broadcast network added new hits this year including Tracker , Matlock and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage that are delivering strong ratings. There had been questions about his relationship with Ellison’s incoming No. 2 Jeff Shell , though sources have indicated that the two are currently on good terms after smoothing over any past fractures. Cheeks resigned from NBCUniversal in early 2020 just weeks after Shell replaced Steve Burke as NBCU CEO, following a sweeping restructuring that impacted Cheeks’ role at the company. RELATED: Paramount President-To-Be Jeff Shell Says Linear TV Will Remain “A Strong Business For Decades To Come” Some insiders believe Robbins, who oversees both Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, will be departing and was always meant to as Ellison is planning to have Skydance Head of Production Dana Goldberg lead Paramount’s film business. Sources tell us that Robbins hasn’t made any hard decisions about staying or going, but he’s not without options including potential start-ups. The film division under his tenure has generated several No. 1 box office hits this year in If, Bob Marley: One Love, and Smile 2 , as well as solid tentpoles in Gladiator II and A Quiet Place: Day One in a domestic box office year bound for $800M-plus. McCarthy has overseen the Taylor Sheridan universe, which has delivered a string of hits, including tentpole Yellowstone, 1923, Tulsa King, and, most recently Lioness, as well as the revamp of Paramount+ with Showtime with shows like the upcoming Dexter reboot and The Agency . Ellison and Shell have also been meeting with Paramount department heads to assess the future, even though no decisions have been made. From early in the deal process people close to Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital had indicated the potential for many millions in savings in TV and streaming. Even beyond the half billion in savings already taken out with cost cuts and hundreds of layoffs by the current Paramount regime. With its linear TV business still profitable, though declining, Paramount is slashing 15% of its U.S. staff, pink-slipping around 2,000 positions before the end of this year. Ellison’s rumored plan is to combine all the Paramount TV networks, currently run by Cheeks and McCarthy, i.e. CBS, MTV, Comedy Central etc. into one division. While the previous Donald Trump presidential administration was a hurdle for the AT&T/WarnerMedia merger, sources says there aren’t any monkey-wrenches expected for Skydance-Paramount merger once Trump resumes office. “If Kamala Harris became President, then we’d have a problem,” one source close to the merger told Deadline recently about the Democrats’ tough stance on deals. The Federal Communications Commission hasn’t OK’d the Paramount Skydance merger yet. Those opposing the merger can petitions by Dec. 16 with final response due Jan. 13, according to Bloomberg. Shari Redstone, who controls Paramount, put the triumvirate in charge in a surprise move after ousting former CEO Bob Bakish last summer as the two weren’t seeing eye on the sale process. It’s a bit unwieldy there was a fair bit of skepticism among industry players and Wall Streeters, but in the end it’s for a limited time. The months before a merger is announced and closes are difficult times at companies and keeping executives in place during the transition is key. To that end Paramount last month awarded each of the three another $3 million worth of stock grants that, unusually, are valid whether or not they are CEOs at Paramount or doing some other job at the company. Par had previously sweetened the trio’s compensation in June to reflect their new roles. That SEC filing said Cheeks, Robbins and McCarthy would qualify for a severance payment of twice their base pay in if the company changes hands – which it likely will. They also can continue to receive benefits for 24 months after their departures. For the period they serve in the Office of the CEO, each also is eligible for an annual cash bonus of $2.75 million. Last week, Paramount said HR head Nancy Phillips, EVP, Chief People Officer, And Doretha Lea, EVP, Global Public Policy and Government Relations, are both eligible for a $1 million bonus if they remain until the deal closes. The very long anticipated merger is expected to close in the first half of next year and most pundits don’t expect any particular regulatory hurdles in the new administration. Paramount reps had no comment on possible executive changes — which would, in any case, concern the new Paramount post-sale and be outside of their purview. Ellison has said AI and tech will be key to the merged entity working in part with Oracle, the software giant co-founded and run by his father Larry Ellison. Larry Ellison is the biggest investor in Skydance and will be as well in the merged company, which some rivals have been quick to point out. The company specified last month that David Ellison will have 100% control of the family’s Paramount interest when the deal closes, not Larry. David Ellison recently hired former longtime Netflix executive Cindy Holland, someone with firsthand knowledge of using technology to grow and scale a business with a tech mentality. She is expected to have a big role in the new merger, likely overseeing Paramount+. Nellie Andreeva contributed to this report .
Jurors end 1st day of deliberations without a verdict in the YSL gang and racketeering trial
The Midwest is in for a cold, costly winter if President-elect Donald Trump succeeds in imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The U.S. buys nearly all the crude oil that Canada produces, but no region depends on those imports more heavily than the Midwest, which gets more than 60% of its oil from Canada. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, the site of two major transnational pipelines, that figure is closer to 80%. At roughly 2.3 million barrels a day, the Midwest uses more Canadian crude than the rest of the U.S. combined. So it’s going to come as a shock when Republicans across the region – where victories in Wisconsin and Michigan helped propel Trump back to the White House – discover that one of his first official acts will have been to start a trade war that could send energy prices soaring. Trump said he will impose the tariffs on Inauguration Day unless the two countries curtail drug trafficking and illegal immigration at U.S. borders. As bad as that would be for the former “blue wall” states, it would be even worse for Canada. The U.S. is Canada’s most important trade partner, accounting for two-thirds of all Canadian trade. The U.S. is also Canada’s largest investor. The two nations’ economies are so intricately linked that in 2023, $3.6 billion of goods and services flowed across their borders daily. So after a series of urgent phone calls, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sprinted south for a visit to Mar-a-Lago to try to reach common ground. For his trouble, Trudeau found himself the object of ridicule. After warning the incoming president that the tariffs could wreck both countries’ economies, Trump reportedly joked that if Canada could not survive without “ripping off” the U.S., perhaps it should become the 51st state, with Trudeau as its governor. Trudeau was said to have laughed, nervously. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who accompanied Trudeau, later told reporters in Ottawa that “the president was teasing us. It was ... in no way a serious comment.” Trudeau later said he and Trump had a productive meeting and even thanked Trump for the dinner. Trump undoubtedly was joking – at Trudeau’s expense – but he was also sending a serious message: He does not consider this a partnership of equals. He was serving notice that he is back, with all the brash aggression and seat-of-the-pants governing that marked his first term. Trudeau now is left to wonder whether he can even salvage the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that has guided mostly duty-free trade among the three countries since it was signed in 2020. Trump’s pledge to start tariffs on the first day of his presidency would appear to violate the terms of the agreement and could be a precursor to Trump attempting to renegotiate the deal. Trump’s stock-in-trade is creating chaos. It is his go-to move for gaining the upper hand in any situation: Do the unexpected. Be unpredictable. Go big. So why not threaten our closest trading partners with punitive tariffs that would wound their economies – and ours? Whatever concessions he wrings out of our partners will be declared “huge” victories. And it’s not just about the cost of oil. The tariffs would also increase the price of fruit and vegetables; the cost of natural gas; and hurt the U.S. auto sector. Michigan depends heavily on USMCA for its automotive industry. Most vehicles pass several times through the three countries, even if the final assembly is done in the U.S. Trump knows the stakes. Whether he lets on or not, he understands the concept of tariffs and their limitations. The Tax Foundation found that Trump’s first-term tariffs – many of which continued under President Joe Biden – “raised prices and reduced output and employment, producing a negative impact on the U.S. economy.” So what is Trump’s end game? On the campaign trail, Trump portrayed tariffs as a powerful cure-all that could generate enough revenue to cut taxes, bring down the deficit, pay for other programs, drive manufacturing back to the U.S., and wring concessions from foreign leaders – all at little to no cost for American consumers. Since being elected, he talks less of the huge revenues – which could only result from permanent tariffs – and seems to have settled on tariffs as a way to force foreign countries to bend to his will. His threat to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico puts the onus on those countries to reduce drug trafficking and illegal immigration at U.S. borders. It also makes them handy scapegoats should they fail to do so. The terms of success have been left undefined – another Trump tactic to keep everyone guessing. In the meantime, Midwesterners could start the Trump years by paying more to fill their gas tanks, heat their homes and fill their refrigerators. That can hardly be the outcome they expected when so many of them threw their lot in with Trump. Patricia Lopez is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. She is a former member of the editorial board at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where she also worked as a senior political editor and reporter.(From left) Danggang, Noraini, Martin, Judson and Sengiang take their oath as KDC councillors. KAPIT (Dec 4): Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association (PVATM) Kapit chairman Martin Bilun was sworn in Monday as Kapit District Council (KDC) deputy chairman. Martin fills the vacancy left by Watson Awan Jalai, who was appointed as a political secretary to the Sarawak Premier in April this year. The oath-taking ceremony, witnessed by KDC chairman Lating Minggang and secretary Kelimbik Sibat, among others, also saw the swearing-in of four new councillors. They are Judson Jarrau, Sengiang Anjan, Noraini Abdullah, and Danggang Ugik. In his speech, Lating reminded all councillors to work closely with each other and council staff in discharging their duties. “As a councillor, you must know your role, tasks and responsibilities. Each of you have been assigned specific tasks to carry out for the benefit of the people,” he said. With the new additions, KDC now has a total of 32 councillors for the 2023-2025 term. The council is currently having its fourth-quarter meeting until Dec 6.
PSU banks to launch new products in 3-4 months to ramp up credit growth: Banking SecySocial media users are misrepresenting a Vermont Supreme Court ruling , claiming that it gives schools permission to vaccinate children even if their parents do not consent. The ruling addressed a lawsuit filed by Dario and Shujen Politella against Windham Southeast School District and state officials over the mistaken vaccination of their child against COVID-19 in 2021, when he was 6 years old. A lower court had dismissed the original complaint, as well as an amended version. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed on Nov. 19. But the ruling by Vermont's high court is not as far-reaching as some online have claimed. In reality, it concluded that anyone protected under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, or PREP, Act is immune to state lawsuits. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that schools can vaccinate children against their parents' wishes. THE FACTS: The claim stems from a July 26 ruling by the Vermont Supreme Court, which found that anyone protected by the PREP Act is immune to state lawsuits, including the officials named in the Politella's suit. The ruling does not authorize schools to vaccinate children at their discretion. According to the lawsuit, the Politella's son — referred to as L.P. — was given one dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic held at Academy School in Brattleboro even though his father, Dario, told the school's assistant principal a few days before that his son was not to receive a vaccination. In what officials described as a mistake, L.P. was removed from class and had a “handwritten label” put on his shirt with the name and date of birth of another student, L.K., who had already been vaccinated that day. L.P. was then vaccinated. Ultimately, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that officials involved in the case could not be sued. “We conclude that the PREP Act immunizes every defendant in this case and this fact alone is enough to dismiss the case,” the Vermont Supreme Court's ruling reads. “We conclude that when the federal PREP Act immunizes a defendant, the PREP Act bars all state-law claims against that defendant as a matter of law.” The PREP Act , enacted by Congress in 2005, authorizes the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a declaration in the event of a public health emergency providing immunity from liability for activities related to medical countermeasures, such as the administration of a vaccine, except in cases of “willful misconduct" that result in “death or serious physical injury.” A declaration against COVID-19 was issued on March 17, 2020. It is set to expire on Dec. 31. Federals suits claiming willful misconduct are filed in Washington. Social media users described the Vermont Supreme Court's ruling as having consequences beyond what it actually says. “The Vermont Supreme Court has ruled that schools can force-vaccinate children for Covid against the wishes of their parents,” reads one X post that had been liked and shared approximately 16,600 times as of Tuesday. “The high court ruled on a case involving a 6-year-old boy who was forced to take a Covid mRNA injection by his school. However, his family had explicitly stated that they didn't want their child to receive the ‘vaccines.’” Other users alleged that the ruling gives schools permission to give students any vaccine without parental consent, not just ones for COVID-19. Rod Smolla, president of the Vermont Law and Graduate School and an expert on constitutional law, told The Associated Press that the ruling “merely holds that the federal statute at issue, the PREP Act, preempts state lawsuits in cases in which officials mistakenly administer a vaccination without consent.” “Nothing in the Vermont Supreme Court opinion states that school officials can vaccinate a child against the instructions of the parent,” he wrote in an email. Asked whether the claims spreading online have any merit, Ronald Ferrara, an attorney representing the Politellas, told the AP that although the ruling doesn't say schools can vaccinate students regardless of parental consent, officials could interpret it to mean that they could get away with doing so under the PREP Act, at least when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. He explained that the U.S. Supreme Court appeal seeks to clarify whether the Vermont Supreme Court interpreted the PREP Act beyond what Congress intended. “The Politella’s fundamental liberty interest to decide whether their son should receive elective medical treatment was denied by agents of the State and School,” he wrote in an email to the AP. “The Vermont Court misconstrues the scope of PREP Act immunity (which is conditioned upon informed consent for medical treatments unapproved by FDA), to cover this denial of rights and its underlying battery.” Ferrara added that he was not aware of the claims spreading online, but that he “can understand how lay people may conflate the court's mistaken grant of immunity for misconduct as tantamount to blessing such misconduct.” John Klar, who also represents the Politellas, went a step further, telling the AP that the Vermont Supreme Court ruling means that “as a matter of law” schools can get away with vaccinating students without parental consent and that parents can only sue on the federal level if death or serious bodily injury results. — Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck .