Pfizer, BioNTech ‘Pressured’ Twitter To Censor Activists Demanding Generic COVID Vaccine: Report

A new installment of The Twitter Files released Monday alleges that a coronavirus vaccine manufacturer pressured Twitter into censoring accounts that were pushing companies to share the intellectual property and patents associated with the vaccines so low-cost generic versions could be made.

The Intercept reported that BioNTech, which developed Pfizer’s vaccine, and the German government allegedly warned the social media company of upcoming pressure campaigns targeting the companies.

“The authorities are warning about ‘serious consequences’ of the action, i.e. posts and a flood of comments ‘that may violate TOS’ as well as the ‘takeover of user accounts’ are to be expected,” Nina Morschhaeuser, a lobbyist for Twitter, said in an email. “Especially the personal accounts of the management of the vaccine manufacturers are said to be targeted. Accordingly, fake accounts could also be set up.”

Pfizer and Moderna’s lobbying group, BIO, did flag tweets that contained genuine misinformation, like claiming that vaccines contained microchips. BIO also provided $1,275,000 to establish a campaign called “Stronger” that helped Twitter create content moderation bots and select which public health accounts got verification. Some content that was targeted did appear to be misinformation, according to The Intercept reporter Lee Fang, who covered the latest installment of the Twitter Files.

“But others Stronger lobbied Twitter on were more of a grey area, like vaccine passports & vaccine mandates, policies that coerce vaccination,” Fang wrote.

11. Many of the tweets the BIO-funded campaign focused on were truly unhinged misinfo, like claims that vaccines include microchips. But others Stronger lobbied Twitter on were more of a grey area, like vaccine passports & vaccine mandates, policies that coerce vaccination. pic.twitter.com/Xb9gcMxOLL

— Lee Fang (@lhfang) January 16, 2023

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Idaho Murder Victim Had Moved Out Of House Before Slayings, Was Just Visiting For Weekend

In a tragic reveal over the weekend, the parents of University of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves said their daughter had already moved out of the house where she and three other students were killed and had been only visiting for the weekend.

Steve and Kristi Goncalves told Dateline that their daughter no longer resided in the home where she, along with her best friend Madison Mogen, 21; Ethan Chapin, 20; and Xana Kernodle, 20, were all murdered in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. The Goncalves said their daughter was preparing to graduate and move to Austin, Texas, where she had accepted a job with an IT firm. That weekend, however, Kaylee returned to the house to visit Mogen.

“These girls were best friends since sixth grade, like inseparable,” Kristi Goncalves said on Dateline.

Kristi added that the girls “were true, ultimate best friends” and “Maddie had been a huge part of our life.”

Goncalves had just purchased a Range Rover and had wanted to show it off to Mogen and attend a party with her best friend.

“That was the last time that I saw Kaylee,” Kristi told Dateline.

The man suspected of killing the four students appeared in court again on Thursday, where he waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing and vowed through his attorney to challenge the evidence against him.

The 28-year-old suspect, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He was ordered held without bail for the foreseeable future, with his next court date scheduled for June 26.

Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall announced at the hearing that there would be “no bail at this point in time pending further proceedings.” She also asked the suspect if he understood the charges against him and that waiving his right to a speedy preliminary hearing meant he couldn’t challenge the delay at a future date.

The reason for the delay is so his attorneys can gather evidence to challenge the charges against him, Fox News reported.

The suspect still has not entered a plea, waiting to see whether the state of Idaho will pursue the death penalty against him. Statements from his attorneys, however, indicate he is likely to plead not guilty, Law & Crime reported.

Latah County Sheriff Richard Skiles told NewsNation that he hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary about the suspect’s behavior in jail. He did say, however, that jail officials are trying to accommodate the suspect’s vegan diet, “but we are not going to buy new pots and pans or anything like that.”

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