News Roundup: Governor Newsom Violates State Mask Mandate at NFL Playoff Game

BY JACK CROWE

January 31, 2022

Good morning and welcome to the News Editor's Roundup, a weekly newsletter that will ensure you're up to date on the developments in politics, business, and culture that will shape the week's news cycle — as well as those that might escape mainstream attention.

Governor Newsom Violates State Mask Mandate at NFL Playoff Game

California governor Gavin Newsom was photographed without a mask on Sunday at the Rams–49ers playoff match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, along with Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti and San Francisco mayor London Breed, despite a state-wide indoor mask mandate.

SoFi Stadium also requires guests to wear masks except while eating and drinking. California currently has a mask mandate for all indoor public spaces until at least February 15.

The three politicians posed for photographs with former Los Angeles Lakers player Magic Johnson.

Collins: Biden's Handling of Supreme Court Nomination 'Clumsy at Best'

Senator Susan Collins (R., Maine) on Sunday criticized President Biden's handling of the Supreme Court vacancy that will be left by Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement as "clumsy at best."

Biden promised to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court during the spring 2020 presidential primaries. Now, with Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer retiring, Biden will have the opportunity to fill a vacancy on the High Court and says he plans to honor his promise.

"I would welcome the appointment of a Black female to the court," Collins said during an appearance on ABC's This Week. "I believe that diversity benefits the Supreme Court. But the way that the president has handled this nomination has been clumsy at best. It adds to the further perception that the court is a political institution like Congress when it is not supposed to be."

Three-Quarters of Americans Want Biden to Consider 'All Possible Nominees' for Supreme Court, New Poll Finds

A majority of Americans do not support President Biden's pledge to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court without reviewing all potential candidates, a new poll found.

Biden first promised to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court during the spring 2020 presidential primaries. Now, with Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer retiring, Biden will have the opportunity to fill a vacancy on the High Court and says he plans to honor his promise.

A new ABC News/ Ipsos poll found that 76 percent of Americans want Biden to consider "all possible nominees," while only 23 percent want him to automatically follow through on his promise to nominate a black woman.

UPenn May Sue if Transgender Swimmer Is Barred from Women's Championship

The University of Pennsylvania is weighing whether to pursue legal action if transgender swimmer Lia Thomas is prohibited from competing in the upcoming NCAA women's swimming championship, according to a report.

A swimmer on the university's women's team told Fox News, ""I have a feeling that if USA Swimming changes their rules, they will be filing a lawsuit for Lia to swim, but they wouldn't do that for us."

"That's just really upsetting," the swimmer told the outlet under the condition of anonymity, adding that she had heard about the potential lawsuit that from "some of the administrators."

Agents Challenge Border Patrol Chief over Lax Immigration Policies: 'Good Men Are Doing Nothing'

On Friday, a group of agents openly challenged the leader of the U.S. Border Patrol, claiming that their hands have been tied by the Biden administration.

Customs and Border Protection officials got into a heated exchange with United States Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz. Frustrated with the constant influx of illegal aliens and lethal narcotics flooding the southern border, many agents indicated they feel powerless to stop the lawlessness due to regulatory limitations based on political correctness rather than reality.

"We stay focused, we continue to do the job and the mission that we signed up for . . . we all raised our hand," Ortiz said in leaked footage released by journalist Ali Bradley, to which an officer shot back, "It's kind of hard to say it."

"It's not hard to say it! It might be hard for you to say it but I've been doing it for 31 years," Ortiz yelled. "Each day I wake up and I'm committed to this organization and I'm committed to each one of y'all."

"You say that, but it seems like the policies contradict . . ." an agent started to say before Ortiz retorted, "You're getting bogged down in the policies and the politics."

Governor Hochul Extends New York Mask Mandate after Court Reinstates It

New York governor Kathy Hochul (D.) has extended the state's mask mandate amid ongoing litigation and court battles over the policy. The rule requires residents to wear a face mask in all indoor venues except for establishments that require proof of vaccination.

The requirement was reinstated after an appeals court granted a stay, temporarily reversing the ruling of a New York State Supreme Court judge who struck it down last week.

"We didn't know at the time when we put in our mask or vaccine requirement to protect people as this Omicron surge was spiking . . . what January and February look like," Hochul said Friday.

"We still don't know much beyond where we are right now. But again, the trend is much more positive, and that is why I want to talk about the fact that we'll have a temporary extension of our business mask or vaccine policy."

Grief over Slain NYPD Cop Mixes with Anger as Officers Blame 'Powers That Be' for Emboldening Criminals

The funeral ceremony commemorating the line-of-duty death of New York police officer Jason Rivera drew thousands of uniformed officers from across the country to St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on Friday.

Just over a year out of the police academy, Rivera, 22, and his 27-year-old partner Wilbert Mora, whose funeral is next week, were gunned down in a Harlem apartment last weekend while responding to a domestic disturbance call. The killer, Lashawn McNeil, had a violent criminal record prior to the shooting, including a 2003 felony narcotics conviction and multiple prior arrests for unlawful possession of a weapon, assaulting a police officer, and a felony drug count.

Loudoun Teen Found Guilty of Assaulting Girl in School Won't Have to Register as Sex Offender

A teenager found guilty of committing multiple sexual assaults in multiple Loudoun County, Va. schools will not have to register as a sex offender after Judge Pamela Brooks reversed an earlier ruling on Friday. The teenager, a 15-year-old, is set remain on probation in a juvenile detention facility until his 18th birthday.

He was found guilty on multiple counts earlier this month, when Brooks had originally sentenced him to both probation and a spot on the sex offender registry. His lawyers have claimed that he is being unfairly penalized as a result of "a national media outcry."