Free Republic

As the US approaches the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths, the New York Times has filled the entire front page of Sunday’s paper with the death notices of victims from across the country. In a decision the paper said was intended to convey the vastness and variety of the tragedy, the front page is a simple list of names and personal details taken from obituaries around the US. The headline is “US deaths near 100,000, an incalculable loss”, with a sub-heading that reads: “They were not simply names on a list. They were us.”

The broader picture of this complex civil war. Many hands are stirring the pot in the Syrian quagmire, each party with its own interests and goals. In the meantime, nine years of civil war has practically destroyed Syria’s economy. It has killed approximately between 400,000 to 600,000 Syrian civilians, and it created the largest refugee problem the world is facing today. Almost 12 million Syrians have become refugees, 5.6 million fled the country, and 6.2  million were internally displaced. To understand what’s going on in the chaos that is Syria, one has to distinguish between actual facts, and “fake news” regularly released by...

The novel coronavirus outbreak has starkly exposed inequalities worldwide and could set back human development for the first time since 1990, the United Nations said on Wednesday. It said the crisis had, though, revealed the strength of collective action in the face of a common threat and urged the world to show the same force on climate change. “The Covid-19 pandemic is unleashing a human development crisis,” the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report. Other shocks – such as the financial crisis of 2007-2009 or the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2016 – have dealt a blow...

Paris (AFP) -- The International Energy Agency on Wednesday called on governments to put clean energy at the heart of their coronavirus economic recovery plans, as it forecast the first slowdown in new renewable power installations worldwide in two decades. The IEA warned that lockdown measures -- which at their peak affected more than half the world’s population -- would have "far-reaching" consequences, as the world grapples with a crisis that has sent energy demand plummeting and threatens a deep economic contraction. The agency, which had expected 2020 to be a bumper year for green energy, slashed its two-year forecast...

“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) frequently pressures and coerces U.S. companies to conform to its political values and foreign policy. Because of China’s market size, individual companies often feel as though they have no option but to comply with CCP demands.” The following list was originally released by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, compiled by ranking member Michael McCaul (R-TX) and his team. It is reproduced with permission. 1. Tiffany & Co. (October 8, 2019) Tiffany & Co. removed a tweeted advertisement featuring a Chinese model wearing a Tiffany ring and covering her right eye with her right hand,...

The National Pulse can reveal that major Western news outlets have been participating in a Chinese Communist Party-run ‘Global Media Summit’ for years, lending the legitimacy of their outlets to CCP propaganda. The organization behind the summit was recently listed as a “foreign agent” by the U.S. government... ...CGTN has existed as a foreign propaganda outlet since 1997, while its parent company CCTV has been around since the 1970s. Even YouTube, owned by Google, demarcates CGTN clips with a disclaimer that reads: “CGTN is funded in whole or in part by the Chinese government”. But that didn’t stop Western media...

It's all about protecting others ... We asked Steven Gordon, MD, Chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Infectious Disease, and pulmonologist Raed Dweik, MD, Chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Respiratory Institute, about the science around these masks and why wearing them is important. ''' “There is evidence that such masks reduce the exhaled aerosols from infectious, but asymptomatic, individuals.” he says. By blocking the exhale of virus particles in to the air around you, your mask is keeping the virus from spreading. Additionally, the masks serve as a really helpful physical barrier when you cough or sneeze. “Those actions can propel...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed budget cuts include canceling billions of dollars in climate change spending, a blow to environmental advocates who look to the state as a stopgap for the Trump administration's weakening of federal protections. In January, Newsom proposed a $12 billion “climate budget” that, over the next five years, would offer incentives for companies to convert to electric vehicles, give low-interest loans to businesses to clean up their practices and spend billions on projects preparing for floods, droughts and wildfires. But Thursday, Newsom proposed eliminating most of the foundation for those programs to balance...

Dozens of Chinese “propaganda” centers still operate across the United States, even as U.S. lawmakers debate how to hold the communist country accountable for withholding information about the coronavirus, which originated in China’s Wuhan province.For years, Campus Reform has reported on the number of Confucius Institutes on U.S. college campuses. Funded by the communist regime, these centers are marketed as Chinese language and culture centers. However, U.S. intelligence officials have warned that these centers are little more than “propaganda” arms of the communist country.Even the former Chinese propaganda minister,  Liu Yushan, wrote in a 2010 article for Chinese-state media:“With regard to key...

As journalists have come under attack for accepting and forwarding Chinese propaganda about the coronavirus they unleashed from Wuhan, the National Association of Black Journalists was forced on Tuesday to cancel a panel discussion with CNN host Van Jones and former CNN analyst Roland Martin on the "rise of misinformation" on the virus when it became controversial due to its financial backer -- Huawei, a telecom giant connected to the Chinese communist government that's been indicted for racketerring and conspiracy to steal trade secrets. In a statement, the NABJ explained/complained: "It had come under attack because controversial technology giant Huawei...

Washington, D.C. - The Package Coalition has launched a $2M-plus national television and radio campaign airing a 30-second spot warning Americans of the threat of a package tax proposal circulating in Washington. The package tax would raise rates to ship a package with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for small businesses and other brick-and-mortar and online retailers by 400 percent. A 60 second radio spot will also start airing nationally on May 7th, running initially for two weeks. The package tax would raise rates 400 percent to ship a package with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for families, seniors, small...

As the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic continues to cause misery across the globe, it’s important to know how China spreads its propaganda. American universities have continued to ignore warnings by U.S. intelligence officials about Confucius Institutes. These centers, funded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), continue to operate on dozens of campuses across the United States, despite Congressional actions to block domestic funding to them. Intelligence officials say they are little more than propaganda centers operating to produce positive news about the CCP. Campus Reform published a report and interactive map showing where the Confucius Institutes still operate: CIA reports obtained...

A prominent Chinese-Canadian activist says she is shocked, disappointed and angry about an Instagram post from Canadian singer Bryan Adams' official account that she and others say is racist. The post contains a snippet of Adams singing his hit song Cuts Like a Knife. An accompanying description expresses his frustration that COVID-19-related restrictions have led to the postponing of three shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. "Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of a tenancy of gigs at the @royalalberthall, but thanks to some f--king bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards, the...

A video showcasing baseless arguments by Dr. Judy Mikovits, including attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci, has been viewed more than eight million times in the past week. In a YouTubevideo, a woman animatedly described an unsubstantiated secret plot by global elites like Bill Gates and Dr. Anthony Fauci to use the coronavirus pandemic to profit and grab political power. In the video, the woman asserted how Dr. Fauci had buried her research about how vaccines can damage people’s immune systems. It is those weakened immune systems, she declared, that have made people susceptible to illnesses like Covid-19. The video, a...

Former Rep. Trey Gowdy accused reporters from CNN, Politico and The New York Times on Sunday of helping House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff “peddle” the now-debunked conspiracy theory of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government. Gowdy was asked in an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” to identify reporters he believed took leaks from Schiff for stories related to the Intelligence panel’s Russia investigation. “Well, I hope you have a three hour show,” Gowdy quipped.

If Belleville, New Jersey, Mayor Michael Melham had COVID-19 in November of 2019 and the only place he had recently traveled to was Atlantic City, approximately 125 miles south, would that absolve Wuhan, China, of being the center of origin of the coronavirus? The answer depends on the legitimacy of the facts surrounding his illness and if China is or is not propagandizing whatever ailment the mayor claims to have contracted. The best way to get to the bottom of such a dilemma starts with the known facts. Mayor Melham told Fox News on Thursday (May 7) that he fell...

U.S. Special Operation Forces led a Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) operation against an Islamic State cell in Syria in response to increased ISIS attacks in the region. The combined operation resulted in the capturing of an ISIS leader responsible for the recent attacks in the Deir el-Zour countryside. Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), the U.S.-led coalition in Syria and Iraq, released a statement by spokesman Colonel Myles Caggins on Thursday highlighting the missionÂ’s success and announcing the capture of the unnamed ISIS leader. Yet, he didnÂ’t add much more regarding the operation in the Deir el-Zor region....

European Union lawmakers are considering toughening the bloc’s planned climate law, with stricter near-term emission goals and a binding commitment for every member state to decarbonize by 2050, according to a draft document seen by Reuters. Such goals are required if the world is to stick within limits scientists say are needed to avoid devastating fallout from global warming, the lead author of the document, Swedish lawmaker Jytte Guteland, said. The European Commission, the EU’s executive, proposed the law in March - weeks before the coronavirus pandemic prompted an economic crisis that the bloc has pledged to tackle with “green”...

The UK must avoid lurching from the coronavirus crisis into a deeper climate crisis, the government’s advisers have warned. They recommend that ministers ensure funds earmarked for a post-Covid-19 economic recovery go to firms that will reduce carbon emissions. They say the public should work from home if possible; and to walk or cycle. And investment should prioritise broadband over road-building, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) says. People should also be encouraged to save emissions by continuing to consult GPs online. The government will reply later, although the Energy Secretary Alok Sharma has already spoken in favour of a...

This is a research article published as information for health care professionals and public officials, and for an open peer review. It is not medical advice. Summary I reviewed the scientific literature on hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), azithromycin (AZ), and their use for COVID-19. My conclusions: HCQ-based treatments are effective in treating COVID-19, unless started too late. Studies, cited in opposition, have been misinterpreted, invalid, or worse. HCQ and AZ are some of the most tested and safest prescription drugs. Severe COVID-19 frequently causes cardiac effects, including heart arrhythmia. QTc prolonging drugs might amplify this tendency. Millions of people regularly take drugs...