Free Republic

For the first time, top beauty pageants — Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss America and now, Miss Universe — have crowned black women as their winners at the same time. And that's a big deal if you know pageant history. Beauty pageants early in their histories, some dating back to the 1920s, barred women of color from participating. Even after organizations began changing their rules to accept women of all races, there was still a lingering frustration and opposition to join. Only in the last 50 years have black women become more prevalent in these competitions. Janelle Commissiong was...

In Campaign To Stop Teen Vaping, States Turn To Tried-And-True Remedy: TaxesCarmen Heredia Rodriguez, Kaiser Health NewsKathleen Hambleton once used to spend $100 a week on Marlboro Reds.The 43-year-old nurse from Saxtons River, Vt., paid a high price for her addiction to smoking, undergoing multiple throat surgeries. The financial hit was also a big burden.After lozenges, patches and hypnosis failed to help Hambleton quit, she tried vaping. She is convinced she is healthier now and spends less than $40 per month on her vaping supplies.But Vermont recently passed a 92% wholesale tax on vaping and e-cigarette products. Hambleton believes the...

Clips tagged #Swamp MUST WATCH: Barr thinks FBI may have acted in bad faith in probing Trump campaign"I think our nation was turned on its head for three years based on a bogus narrative," the attorney general said in an exclusive interview with Pete Williams. UPDATE: Full interview below: … Analysis: IG’s FISA Report Undercuts ‘Schiff Memo,’ Which Defended FBI And Steele DossierThe Justice Department inspector general’s report undercut many of the claims in a memo that Rep. Adam Schiff released in February 2018 defending the FBI and the Steele dossier, according to an analysis by The Daily Caller News...

A flesh-eating bacteria associated with black-tar heroin has taken the lives of seven people in San Diego within the last two months. Now, the San Diego County Health and Human Services is warning health officials to stay cautious. According to the health department, these seven people died from myonecrosis, a severe infection that destroys muscle tissue. All of them were between the ages of 19 to 57, and five were male. According to the New York Times, the seven deceased victims were "among nine people admitted between Oct. 2 and Nov. 24 to county hospitals with the condition after injecting...

A one year-old boy was viciously tortured and beaten to death by his own mother at their home, police say. Viston Stevenson was rushed to the Children’s Hospital of Detroit suffering from horrific injuries Friday, and died there the next day. The 20 month-old youngster is believed to have suffered a fractured skull, swelling on the brain, a broken collarbone, multiple broken ribs, a broken pelvis and internal bleeding. His 20 year-old mother Rhionna Nichols, 20, was charged with his murder Monday and is due to appear in court this afternoon. She also faces counts of torture and first-degree child...

A patient’s access to stable housing, transportation, and nutritious food options greatly impacts their long-term health. In fact, these factors, known as social determinants of health (SDOH), can drive as much as 80% of health outcomes. Because of the outsized role of SDOHs in healthcare, strategies and tactics for addressing social determinants are getting more attention and moving further upstream compared to downstream efforts like medical intervention and clinical care. This matters: For some patients, social and mental health intervention is the only way to successfully manage their medical conditions over the long term. Screening patients about social and economic...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2LZ9cVRkDw

The new Disney+ streaming service is spotlighting the activism of a 12-year-old transgender girl as part of the new Marvel unscripted series Hero Project, which profiles young individuals who are trying to make a difference in their communities. Hero Project‘s episode “Mighty Rebekah” introduces Rebekah Bruesehoff, a transgender girl from New Jersey who transitioned at the age of eight. Bruesehoff was born male but now identifies as a girl with the support of her parents. The episode follows Bruesehoff’s path toward activism, which began around the time the group Garden State Equality started agitating for statewide guidelines regarding transgender kids in schools. It...

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on the hilariously misnamed Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would “modernize” agricultural labor right back to the 17th century. At the core of the bill are several indentured-labor schemes intended to tie current illegal aliens and future “temporary” workers to farm jobs for four to ten years before giving them Green Cards.

BIDEN OUTLINES HIS UKRAINE DEFENSE AHEAD OF SENATE TRIAL.

The controversy surrounding Richard Jewell is heating up. Warner Bros. has released a statement responding to the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s demand for a disclaimer saying the late journalist Kathy Scruggs (portrayed in the film by Olivia Wilde) did not sleep with an FBI source for information in real life. “The film is based on a wide range of highly credible source material,” the studio’s statement, obtained by EW, says. “There is no disputing that Richard Jewell was an innocent man whose reputation and life were shredded by a miscarriage of justice. It is unfortunate and the ultimate irony that the...

Posted on December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 by Brian Koberlein LIGO Will Squeeze Light To Overcome The Quantum Noise Of Empty Space When two black holes merge, they release a tremendous amount of energy. When LIGO detected the first black hole merger in 2015, we found that three solar masses worth of energy was released as gravitational waves. But gravitational waves don’t interact strongly with matter. The effects of gravitational waves are so small that you’d need to be extremely close to a merger to feel them. So how can we possibly observe the gravitational waves of merging black...

Regarding his book: "By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission" .....

“‘The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away’” (Matthew 13:20–21). Shallow acceptance of the gospel can be encouraged by shallow evangelism that promises blessings of salvation but ignores the costs of discipleship. If people just “make a decision” for Jesus Christ without accepting all His claims on their lives, they can become insulated from genuine salvation. When...

Cardinal Burke: ‘diabolical forces’ entered St. Peter’s Basilica through Pachamama idolatry December 10, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinal Raymond Burke is backing a France-originated call to prayer and reparation on Dec. 12 for the Pachamama idolatry that took place at the Vatican during the Amazon Synod, saying that “diabolical forces” have entered St. Peter’s Basilica that need to be “vanquished.” “Something very grave happened during the special assembly of the Bishops’ Synod for the Amazon region. An idol was introduced into St Peter's Basilica – the figure of a demonic force,” said Cardinal Burke during a short Dec. 8 interview...

Top Republicans in the House are vowing to use every procedural tool available to them to strong-arm Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee and get them to hold a minority hearing on impeachment. In a letter led by House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), sent to Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday, the conservative members noted Republicans had previously requested a minority hearing be held before articles of impeachment were introduced. The group argued that while Democrats did not comply with their requested timeline, under current rules they are entitled to a hearing. “During the open hearing on...

In his inaugural address, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he will file an executive order this week restoring the voting rights of many convicted felons who are currently disenfranchised under state law. “My faith teaches me to treat others with dignity and respect,” the new Democratic governor told his audience outside the state Capitol. “My faith also teachers forgiveness.” “That’s why on Thursday I will sign an executive order restoring voting rights to over a hundred thousand men and women who have done wrong in the past but are doing right now. They deserve to participate in our great democracy,”...

Democrats released their two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, and they are a complete joke. Not only did the Democrats back away from charging Trump with bribery, obstruction of justice in the Mueller investigation, campaign finance violations, treason, or any of the other wild claims they floated, but the two articles themselves are fraudulent, based on blatantly false claims of law and fact. Line by line, here they are: ARTICLE I: ABUSE OF POWER The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives shall have the sole Power of Impeachment and that the President “shall be removed...

German bishops proclaim homosexuality ‘normal,’ adultery ‘not grave’ BERLIN, December 9, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) ― The Commission for Marriage and Family of the German Bishops’ Conference has come to a consensus that homosexuality is a “normal form of sexual predisposition.” Two German prelates have also claimed that Amoris Laetitia teaches that sexual relationships formed after a divorce are neither gravely sinful nor a bar to the reception of Holy Communion. On December 5, the German Bishops’ Conference published a press release detailing the results of an “expert consultation on the topic ‘The sexuality of man: how to discuss it scientifically-theologically,...

Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced Monday his “assault weapons” ban will mean AR-15 owners can either register their guns with the government or hand them over. The Virginia Mercury reported Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky used a statement to say, “The governor’s assault weapons ban will include a grandfather clause for individuals who already own assault weapons, with the requirement they register their weapons before the end of a designated grace period.” Yarmosky made clear details on other gun controls will be made known before the start of the 2020 session in which Democrats take charge.