Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

McConnell Gets Brutal Reminders After Saying He's 'Perplexed' Why People Aren't Getting Vaxxed

McConnell Gets Brutal Reminders After Saying He's 'Perplexed' Why People Aren't Getting Vaxxed
Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images

With new and deadlier variants of the virus that's killed more than 600 thousand Americans continuing to emerge, the United States has yet to reach its goal of 70 percent of Americans fully vaccinated. Much of this is due to access or valid health concerns, but an unignorable portion is due to conspiracy theories eagerly promoted by right-wing lawmakers and media personalities.

That's why people were flummoxed when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he was confused at the vaccine hesitancy gripping Americans across the country.


According to CNN correspondent Ana Cabrera, McConnell said:

"I'm perplexed by the reluctance of some to get vaccinated, totally perplexed."

If McConnell's perplexed, he doesn't need to look further than his own party. Though McConnell—a polio survivor—has been steadfast in calling for Americans to take the vaccines, the Republican party has constantly amplified disinformation and baseless skepticism around the lifesaving innovation.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, for instance, recently held a press conference intended to highlight the negative side effects of the vaccines, which have been proven safe and effective against the virus.

Johnson also baselessly suggested there was an ulterior motive for vaccinating everybody:

"The science tells us that vaccines are 95 percent effective, so if you have a vaccine, quite honestly, what do you care if your neighbor has one or not? What is it to you? You've got a vaccine and the science is telling you it's very, very effective. So why is this big push to make sure everybody gets a vaccine and to the point where you better impose it, you're going to shame people, you're going to force them to carry a card to prove that they've been fully vaccinated so they can participate in society. I'm getting highly suspicious of what's happening here."

But Johnson isn't the only one.

Over in the House, Republican Representatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia continue to falsely suggest people are being forced to take the vaccine. Greene has repeatedly compared vaccine efforts to Nazi occupation during World War II.

Then, there's the abundance of vaccine disinformation in conservative media. Far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson, whose primetime show broadcasts to millions of viewers per night, has eagerly encouraged his audience not to get the vaccine, even absurdly claiming that the government secretly knows it doesn't work.

Carlson is but one of hundreds of anti-vaxxers across the spectrum of conservative media.

People told McConnell to look no further than his own party if he was so "perplexed."







They got bad vibes from McConnell's comments.



As a result of this constant disinformation, vaccination rates have begun to correlate with political leanings, with white Republicans far less likely to be vaccinated.

More from News

Pete Hegseth; Ainsley Earhardt
Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images; Fox News

Fox News Host's Story About Pete Hegseth Eating Food Off The Floor Has People Grossed All The Way Out

Republican President Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is having his secrets exposed by his former Fox News coworkers. After stories of his excessive drinking were shared by Fox personnel, now his food safety practices are being shared.

On Wednesday, during Fox News' Outnumbered, the hosts discussed the so-called "five-second rule" for food. The "rule" relates to eating food after it's been dropped on the floor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Azealia Banks; Donald Trump
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

MAGA Rapper Azealia Banks Admits Trump's Presidency Is An 'Absolute Disaster' In Blunt Tweets

Controversial rapper Azealia Banks has buyer's remorse, making it clear she regrets her vote for President Donald Trump in a series of tweets, describing him as an "absolute disaster" who exhibits "crazy old white man anger."

Banks, who had previously attended a Trump rally and initially declared support for then-Vice President Kamala Harris—citing Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump campaign as a dealbreaker—ultimately reversed course.

Keep ReadingShow less
ICE agent smashes car window
Marilu Domingo Ortiz via Ondine Galvez-Sniffin

ICE Agent Smashes Immigrant's Car Window While He Waits For Lawyer In Harrowing Video

A Guatemalan family—in the United States under legal asylum status—is seeking answers from the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a violent interaction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

On Monday, ICE agents pulled over a Toyota driven by Juan Francisco Méndez, 29, as he and his wife, Marilu Domingo Ortiz, traveled to a dental appointment in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The couple called their lawyer, Ondine Galvez-Sniffin, who advised they stay in their vehicle with the windows closed until she could get to them.

Keep ReadingShow less
Close-up shot of a beautiful young woman looking coyly into the camera. She wears a large black and white beach hat.
Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash

Women Describe The Times A Man Stood Out To Them For A Positive Reason

Guys can be a lot.

I attest to that as one.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump after assassination attempt
Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images

White House Slammed After Replacing Obama Portrait With Painting Of Trump's Assassination Attempt

The White House is facing heavy criticism after it posted a video on X showing off a new painting of President Donald Trump's assassination attempt last summer—that is now hanging where an official portrait of former President Barack Obama was once displayed.

The portrait of Obama, unveiled in 2022 during former President Joe Biden’s administration, remains on display in the White House but has been relocated. Originally hung near the staircase to the presidential residence on the State Floor, it has been moved to the opposite wall—where a portrait of former President George W. Bush once hung.

Keep ReadingShow less