Free Republic

The Coronavirus epidemic affecting Iran has spread even to the government as Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi has announced that he has tested positive for the disease. In addition, Iranian MP Mahmud Sadagi also announced that he had contracted the Coronavirus. In a self-published video, Deputy Health Minister Harirchi said he had contracted the virus. Iranian media reported that the infection occurred after he was apparently exposed to direct contact with local citizens who were hospitalized on suspicion of being infected with the Coronavirus. Following the infection, Harirchi was found in solitary confinement at Tehran Hospital. The suspicion that...

This Wednesday marks "Ash Wednesday," the day that starts the 40-day period (Lent) leading to Easter. Though my wife, Gena, and I are devoted Christians, we respect all people's First Amendment rights to choose their religious preferences. Unfortunately, that isn't the sentiment of our world or even a large majority in our country anymore. Fox News reported this past year that: "The truth is, [religious] persecution is more prevalent and geographically dispersed than any other time in history. Approximately 215 million Christians worldwide experience very high to extreme persecution. Newsweek reported in January 2018 that 'the persecution and genocide of...

As the reality begins to set in that Bernie Sanders is likely to be the Democratic nominee, some loyal progressives are coming around on the Vermont Senator. It is interesting to watch the grand reconciliation and we are largely in the “baby steps” phase of the conversion but it is nevertheless noticeable. Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate and opinion writer for The New York Times worked through the new reality in real time, tweeting after Sanders’ win in the Nevada Caucuses: “Well, Bernie Sanders is now the clear favorite for the Democratic nomination. Lots of things to say about that, but...

Columbia, S.C. (CNN)Some conservatives in South Carolina want to disrupt the state's upcoming Democratic primary and inject chaos into the race for the nomination. How? By getting Republicans to vote in the Democratic primary.

Bloomberg shares polling with Dems showing Sanders would jeopardize House majority © Getty Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s campaign says it has been sharing internal polling data with vulnerable House Democrats about how nominating Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would jeopardize their majority. The Bloomberg campaign polled voter sentiments in the 42 districts where members are in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) “Frontline” program that defends incumbents in tough reelection bids. According to Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey, the poll found Trump’s favorability at 47 percent positive and 49 percent negative, against 38 percent positive and 53 percent...

You’ve heard this question. Since I write a lot about Christianity and economics, I’ve been asked it dozens of times. Was the early Church communist?It’s not a crazy query. In the book of Acts, just after Pentecost, members of the new Church sold their belongings and shared their wealth. That sounds like communism to some folks. And if Christians are to live up to their origins, the argument goes, then they should be communists too.Makes perfect sense, as long as you misread the text, ignore the details, and forget the meaning of words.Still, lots of people have that impression. So...

Elizabeth Warren was hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail in central Washington with her husband last fall and texting nature photos back and forth with Jay Inslee, the state's governor, who at that moment happened to be hiking in the San Juan Islands with his wife. Inslee had recently dropped out of the 2020 presidential race, while Warren was fresh off a sizable rally under Seattle's Space Needle, making them a part of a very small club of people on planet Earth who know what it's like to be put through the peculiar wringer of trying to become leader of...

President Trump and CNN’s Jim Acosta had a testy exchange Tuesday over the issue of truthfulness during a news conference in India. Acosta first asked the president if he could “pledge to the American people that you will not accept any foreign assistance in the upcoming election?”“First of all, I want no help from any country,” Trump responded. “And I haven’t been given help from any country and if you see what CNN, your wonderful network, said, I guess they apologized in a way for — didn’t they apologize for the fact that they said certain things that weren’t...

President Trump scolded CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta on Tuesday during a press conference in India, telling the reporter he should be “ashamed” and blasting the liberal network. Acosta asked Trump if he would accept foreign interference in the upcoming election and how he could justify replacing Joseph Maguire as acting director of national intelligence. The president didn’t appreciate the two-part question. “First of all, I want no help from any country, and I haven’t been given help from any country,” Trump answered before referencing a report that CNN had to walk back on Sunday. “If you see what...

A senior adviser to Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign criticized Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday over a 1972 essay he wrote that mentioned women fantasizing about rape, describing it as "loopy stuff." “We have a candidate who has risen in the polls because of this track record,” Bloomberg senior adviser Tim O’Brien told CNN's "New Day" co-anchor Alisyn Camerota. “[But] Bernie has loopy stuff in his background, saying women get cancer from having too many orgasms or toddlers should run around naked and touch each other’s genitals to insulate themselves from porn.” "Sir, what?!” an incredulous Camerota replied. "He's written about...

VIDEO. The declaration comes from Biden himself. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ERj3iTuWAAA7xhh?format=jpg&name=small

Sen. Bernie Sanders's rise, his supporters, and the national mood he is running in mirror the president's circumstances four years ago, and the primary is an early tell. Bernie Sanders has the lead in the Democratic primary and, while far from over, his supporters’ enthusiasm greatly outpaces any of the rival campaigns and he is poised to continue winning contests and delegates. Party leaders and a good deal of their supporters in the media are in a full panic, struggling to derail the socialist insurgent’s campaign before he leads the party to what they predict is electoral ruin and four...

Mirroring other Western countries, the nation of Sweden has documented an astronomical rise in gender dysphoria diagnoses among teenagers in the past decade.Between 2008 and 2018, the rate of teen girls ages 13 to 17 being diagnosed with gender dysphoria grew by approximately 1,500 percent, a report from Sweden's Board of Health and Welfare said, according to The Guardian.The report follows backlash, which began in March, in the Scandinavian country after the government, heavily swayed by the Swedish LGBT group RFSL, proposed a new law in the fall of 2018 that would have lowered the age for medicalized gender treatments,...

Today the Supreme Court will hear oral argument on whether a federal statute that criminalizes any person who encourages a non-citizen to come to, or reside in, the United States, should be struck down. If the court holds that the law can stand, the impact could be devastating and far-reaching — potentially criminalizing legal advice by immigration attorneys and the written and spoken words of immigrant advocates and activists. The chilling effect it would have on non-citizens and their allies would be profound and especially insidious in this political moment of increasing, and increasingly nefarious, anti-immigrant sentiment. This case centers...

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Trump administration can enforce a rule denying Title X funds to family planning clinics that promote abortion.In an opinion released Monday and authored by Circuit Judge Sandra Ikuta, the Ninth Circuit vacated multiple injunctions from lower courts against the Protect Life Rule and sent it back to the lower courts for further proceedings “consistent with this opinion.”“Regulations issued in 1988, and upheld by the Supreme Court in 1991, completely prohibited the use of Title X funds in projects where clients received counseling or referrals for abortion as a...

7-Eleven’s plan to demolish one of its east Santa Rosa stores and several surrounding buildings to build a sleek new convenience store and add gas pumps has sparked opposition from activists who oppose new fossil fuel outlets in Sonoma County. Texas-based 7-Eleven aims to replace the existing shop at Highway 12 and Middle Rincon Road with a new 24-hour convenience store and at least six gas pumps, according to an application filed with Santa Rosa planning officials. Designs call for demolishing the store, a martial arts studio and at least one adjacent home, forcing longtime tenants to find another place...

For the last forty years, at least, conservative media and thinkers have lamented the absolutely ridiculous rulings that have come out of the "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Many of those rulings targeted Christians, maliciously removing religious symbols and forcing pro-life crisis pregnancy centers to advertise for abortion clinics. More recently, the 9th Circuit tried to stop Trump's travel ban, a ruling that was slapped down by the Supreme Court (a common occurrence). But the long reign of terror by the fruits and nuts on the California court appears to be finally over, thanks to...

Big Horn Armory's Model 89 Chambers The .500 S&W Magnum For Really Big Game - Ever since the .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum came on the scene in 2003, there have been a bunch of folks trying to figure out how to cram this über-powered revolver cartridge into a rifle – especially a lever-action rifle. It's been an American obsession ever since the cowboy days: A guy "needs" to have a lever-action rifle chambered for his handgun cartridge. Whether that need is real or not can be debated elsewhere, but the perception remains steadfast. Most of the popular revolver cartridges...

A hotel in Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands has been locked down after a visiting Italian doctor tested positive for coronavirus. Hundreds of guests at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel were initially told to stay in their rooms as medical tests were carried out. The doctor is reportedly from the Lombardy region, where Italian authorities are battling an outbreak. Global cases of the virus have passed 80,000, the vast majority in China. Iran, one of the worst-affected nations outside China, on Tuesday said its deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, had tested positive for the virus. Agence France-Presse quoted a...

The first national poll from CBS/YouGov after the dumpster fire debate showed Warren surging into second place behind noted Fidel Castro fanboy Bernie Sanders, but that one may turn out to be an outlier. We now have a new Morning Consult survey with a significantly larger sample size that shows something closer to the previous status quo. Bernie Sanders is still in the lead with 32 percent and Michael Bloomberg is still somehow in second at 19. Joe Biden is just behind Mike at 18% while both Warren and Mayor Pete are trailing at 11%. So that Survey only...