Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Texas GOP Leader Who Promoted Mask-Burning Dies Of Virus Just Days After Mocking It

Texas GOP Leader Who Promoted Mask-Burning Dies Of Virus Just Days After Mocking It
H Scott Apley/Facebook

H. Scott Apley, a member of the Galveston County Republican Party, died of Covid-19 on Wednesday, August 4. He was 45 years old.

Apley's death symbolizes yet another life lost to the consequences of disinformation about the virus; he died just a few days after uploading a Facebook post in which he shared a screenshot of a Twitter post mocking Covid-19.


The post read:

"In 6 months, we've gone from the vax ending the pandemic, to you can still get Covid even if vaxxed, to you can pass Covid onto others even if vaxxed, to you can still die of Covid even if vaxxed, to the unvaxxed are killing the vaxxed."

Apley was admitted to a Galveston hospital two days after that post with pneumonia-like symptoms. He tested positive for Covid-19 and was placed on a ventilator, dying soon afterward. A report from local news affiliate KTRK notes that his wife and child have also tested positive for the virus.

Apley had shared other Facebook posts expressing support for burning masks.


He also criticized vaccine incentives, referring to them as "disgusting."

The Galveston County Republican Party wrote a tribute to Apley on Facebook, calling his death a "tragedy." The organization made no mention of Covid-19, Apley's penchant for sharing Covid-19 disinformation, or of the role that same disinformation played in his death.

The organization wrote, in part:

"It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the news of the death of H Scott Apley, our friend, our Patriot in Arms, our State Republican Executive Committeeman, Precinct Chair, Dickinson City Council Member. A tragedy. Please pray for Melissa and Reid and their family. God remains in control although this is yet another tough one to swallow."

The circumstances behind Apley's death soon went viral.

With that came a slew of criticism. Apley's death was, by and large, totally preventable.

His passing did not inspire much sympathy for him or the Republican Party, which many hold responsible for parroting outright false and misleading information about the pandemic.

In fact, Apley's death served as an opportunity for critics to call for people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.







There is overwhelming evidence that vaccines save lives. Despite the risk posed by the highly contagious Delta variant, Covid-19 vaccines prevent severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. In the last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued updated guidance for fully vaccinated people based on new evidence on the Delta variant.

While we know that infections happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant, the longer others remain unvaccinated, the longer we can expect this public health crisis to continue.

Don't be like Apley: By championing vaccines, some good can come out of a preventable tragedy.

More from News

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less