Free Republic

A bipartisan group of governors from seven states announced on April 16 that they would form a Midwest regional partnership to coordinate efforts to reopen their states’ economies amid the CCP virus pandemic. The partnership will see the governors exchanging expert data and advice to reopen their economies in a way that “prioritizes our workers’ health,” the governors said in a statement Thursday. It includes Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Gov. Eric Holcomb (R-Ind.), Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.), Gov. Tony Evers (D-Wis.) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.). “We look forward to working with...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday endorsed Joe Biden for president, more than a month after ending her own presidential bid. "In this moment of crisis, it’s more important than ever that the next president restores Americans’ faith in good, effective government—and I’ve seen Joe Biden help our nation rebuild. Today, I’m proud to endorse," she tweeted, along with a video. The Massachusetts senator had withheld an endorsement ever since ending her campaign in early March, even as the race narrowed to essentially a contest between Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders. But with Sanders dropping out last week, Biden became the...

Illinois’ financial outlook was changed from ‘stable’ to ‘negative’ by two major ratings firms, raising the risk the state’s credit rating will formally fall to non-investment grade status.. ... the state is actually paying higher interest on its debt today than it was in June 2017, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. When investors demand higher interest it generally reflects a higher risk that borrowers will default. Illinois was the least prepared to weather a recession heading into the coronavirus crisis, with only about 15 minutes of state spending saved in a rainy day fund. Lower credit ratings mean investors will...

Governor Eric Holcomb today issued the following directive during his daily press conference: “To continue safely serving their communities, faith institutions are directed as follows: Church buildings and other physical locations for worship should be closed. Livestream or other virtual services are best. The minimum number of necessary personnel should be used at all times for any services. Staff and volunteers who are not speaking should wear masks. Drive-in services may be conducted only under these conditions: -Attendees must be inside vehicles at all times. -Attendees should not interact physically with clergy, staff or participants in other vehicles. -Vehicles should...

An executive order signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb calls for abortion clinics to cancel or postpone elective and non-invasive procedures that is mostly being praised by anti-abortion groups and legislators and viewed with some caution by pro-choice advocates. The executive order, signed March 30, relates to managing Indiana’s health care response during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to conserve personal protective equipment, the order calls for health care facilities, including abortion clinics, to cancel or postpone elective and non-urgent procedures beginning April 1, according to the order. In the order, Holcomb defines an elective and non-urgent procedure as including...

At least one Indiana abortion facility is continuing “business as usual” despite Gov. Eric Holcomb’s order halting all non-essential medical procedures during the coronavirus crisis. Whole Woman’s Health in South Bend, which already has a poor reputation with state health authorities, told WSBT 22 News that it is not stopping elective abortions. Earlier this week, the pro-life Republican governor ordered “all health care providers, whether medical, dental or other, and health care facilities, whether hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, dental facilities, plastic surgery centers, dermatology offices and abortion clinics” to cancel or postpone elective and non-urgent surgical or invasive procedures. The...

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has banned abortions in the state in order to preserve medical resources to help fight the coronavirus. Governor Holcomb has issued orders calling for a halt to all elective and non-urgent surgical procedures in Indiana and he included abortion clinics in the new emergency orders related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Gov. Eric Holcomb in the order called on “all health care providers, whether medical, dental or other, and health care facilities, whether hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, dental facilities, plastic surgery centers, dermatology offices and abortion clinics” to cancel or postpone elective and non-urgent surgical or invasive...

KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — The Howard County commissioners on Friday approved a ban on the sale of nonessential goods from stores remaining open because they were deemed essential during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The commissioners’ order says the sale of nonessential goods at essential stores was “not fair” to the businesses selling only nonessential goods that have closed in compliance with the county’s public health emergency ordinance. The ban will begin at noon Saturday, the order says. Signs in the stores must notify shoppers of the ban. The nonessential goods include jewelry, furniture, home and lawn decor, toys/games, carpet/rugs/flooring, nonemergency...

INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric Holcomb has ordered Hoosiers to stay home as the state and country continue to try and fight the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. “The next two weeks are critical if we are to slow the spread of COVID-19, and we must slow the spread. You must be part of the solution, not the problem,” said Gov. Holcomb.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has no intention of dropping out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and as the July convention draws closer, his decision to keep his campaign alive may mean chaos for the Democratic party. Five more states have suspended their Democratic primaries amid concerns about coronavirus, and it may soon be impossible for any candidate to win a majority of delegates. The New York Times reports that Indiana, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Maryland have now joined Ohio in postponing their presidential contests, leaving the future of the Democratic presidential nomination uncertain. Ohio, of...

Authorities said a 911 call was placed at around 5 a.m. after high waters from overnight storms caused the bridge, located at the intersection of Sanes Creek Road and Tee Hill Road, to collapse. Authorities said the bridge was not well lit. Four bodies were initially recovered, and deputies spent the day actively searching for two more people. The fifth body was recovered around 3 p.m. Friday, according to officials. Authorities stopped their search when the sun went down and resumed their search for the sixth person Saturday morning.

An employee of the biotech company at the center of the COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts is being criminally investigated after she defied the president’s travel ban and went to China. Of the 328 confirmed cases of the disease in Massachusetts, 30 percent of them are linked back to Cambridge-based Biogen after several employees at a conference held by the company at the Marriott Long Wharf tested positive for the virus and traveled across the country, further spreading the disease. Belmont native Jie Li is being accused of knowing she was sick and of taking medication to bring down her fever...

“Gray Death” is a particularly dangerous mixture of heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil and other synthetic opioids, and it has made its way to Indiana. Carfentanil, which is used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals, is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. They say a persistent increase in opioid overdoses tied to carfentanil have been seen around the country. Carfentanil and other fentanyl-related compounds can be absorbed through the skin or accidentally inhaled, making them dangerous to first responders and other medical personnel....

"And we have got to come to moment we put all that behind us and come together.”

WASHINGTON—Republican Senators Joni Ernst of Iowa and Mike Braun of Indiana are proposing to limit the federal tax credit for electric vehicles (EVs) to those costing $45,000 or less and end the subsidy entirely for affluent buyers. Depending on the price of the EV purchased, the tax credit allows buyers to deduct between $2,500 and $7,500 from their federal taxes. The credit first went into effect in 2011. “Iowa taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill for millionaires to get a discount on luxury cars. That’s why I’ve been working hard to get the EV tax credit off the books,” Ernst...

Pete Buttigieg is dropping out of the Democratic presidential race, two aides confirmed to NBC News on Sunday, ending a campaign that enjoyed a meteoric rise and outshone more experienced competitors but ultimately fell short after being dogged by a lack of minority support. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was supposed to travel to Texas but will instead return to Indiana, where he planned to make an announcement later Sunday night. It isn't clear who Buttigieg's supporters will now back or whether he will endorse one of the remaining candidates. Representatives of both the Buttigieg and Biden campaigns...

Pete Buttigieg is dropping out of the 2020 presidential primary race, a senior campaign aide told CNBC. He is flying to South Bend, Indiana to make the announcement, where he served as mayor for two terms. The Indiana Democrat waged an unlikely campaign that saw a little-known mayor overpower governors and U.S. senators in the race for the party nomination. Along the way, Buttigieg assembled a substantial war chest and a vast national operation. A two-term mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg was the first openly gay major presidential contender. He scored a narrow delegate edge over Sen. Bernie Sanders...

Multiple sources breaking out on the Twitter. Beto seems happy.

In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, newly crowned coronavirus point man Mike Pence spun the facts in claiming he moved decisively when confronted with a disturbing HIV outbreak in a rural Indiana county when he was governor of the state. “We worked the problem early in the year from a law enforcement standpoint, from a health standpoint,” the vice president told Hannity on Feb. 27. “I don’t believe in needle exchanges as a way to combat drug abuse, but in this case, we came to the conclusion that we had a public health emergency, and so, I took...

For people who are neither leftists nor caught in the grip of Trump Derangement Syndrome, Vice President Mike Pence is an intelligent, principled, competent man. When President Trump announced on Wednesday that he was putting Pence in charge of coordinating the federal government’s response to the coronavirus, it seemed like an eminently sensible decision. For Democrats, though, Pence is the man who caused an HIV outbreak in Indiana. This, of course, is a lie. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a woman so desperate to drive Trump from the White House that she seemed unconcerned that Mike Pence would become president, summed up...