Free Republic

Haskell County, Kansas, lies in the southwest corner of the state, near Oklahoma and Colorado. In 1918 sod houses were still common, barely distinguishable from the treeless, dry prairie they were dug out of. It had been cattle country—a now bankrupt ranch once handled 30,000 head—but Haskell farmers also raised hogs, which is one possible clue to the origin of the crisis that would terrorize the world that year. Another clue is that the county sits on a major migratory flyway for 17 bird species, including sand hill cranes and mallards. Scientists today understand that bird influenza viruses, like human...

President Trump used part of his CPAC speech on Saturday to criticize former Vice President Joe Biden's mental acuity, joking that he wouldn't be able to handle being president if he won in November. "How could you be easier to beat than Joe? The guy can't put two sentences together," Trump told a crowd of conservatives. He added that Biden's "not going to be running the government. He's just going to be sitting in a home someplace and people are going to be running it for him." Trump warned that while Biden was moderate compared to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.,...

Women have influenced and advanced every facet of American life and culture. The strength, ingenuity, and spirit of our female leaders, innovators, and pioneers shape our Nation’s character, government, industry, families, and communities. During Women’s History Month, we honor the women who have changed our Nation and the world, and we reaffirm our commitment to supporting the next generation of female trailblazers and dreamers as they carry forward this distinguished legacy. This year marks the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, securing the right to vote for women. This milestone in our country was...

The U.S. Coast Guard has convened a Marine Board of Investigation into the loss of crabbing vessel Scandies Rose and five of its seven crew members in the Gulf of Alaska over the New Year.

On January 31, 2020, I issued Proclamation 9984 (Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus and Other Appropriate Measures To Address This Risk). I found that the potential for widespread transmission of a novel (new) coronavirus (which has since been renamed “SARS-CoV-2” and causes the disease COVID-19) (“SARS-CoV-2” or “the virus”) by infected individuals seeking to enter the United States threatens the security of our transportation system and infrastructure and the national security. Because the outbreak of the virus was (and is) centered in the People’s Republic of China,...

There has never been a moment during the campaign when I have taken Biden seriously as a candidate for the Democratic nomination, let alone the presidency. Despite today’s win, his decrepitude seems to be accelerating. No doubt you have seen reports of his inexplicable ramblings on the stump, most notably, perhaps, his looking forward to appointing the first female black senator. Having served in the Senate since he was 30, Biden seems not to have noticed that senators are elected, not appointed by the president. And at least one long-retired female black senator campaigned for him in South Carolina. But...

Justin Flippen, the mayor of Wilton Manors, Florida, and a longtime LGBTQ advocate, died Tuesday night of a brain aneurysm. He was 41. "This is a horrible loss for our community,” Wilton Manors’ city officials said in a statement shared with NBC 6 South Florida. "We are very sad. Our hearts go out to Justin's family and friends.” Flippen had been mayor for only two years, but even prior to his election, he was a trailblazer. He was Florida’s first openly gay student body president when he studied at Florida Atlantic University. He served in multiple roles in the Democratic...

NEW YORK - The New York Stock Exchange is preparing for the possible escalation of the novel coronavirus crisis that might include closing the trading floor in Lower Manhattan, according to Fox Business. Should the outbreak of COVID-19 escalate into a global pandemic, as is expected, then markets and firms are concerned that traders and other employees might not be able to get to work. "New York Stock Exchange is beginning to prepare for the possibility that the floor might not be able to open. It's a mixture of both humans and an automated trading system, computerized trading system," Charles...

With almost eight million people riding MTA subways, buses and commuter trains every weekday--often in overcrowded conditions--the transit system has the potential to spread the coronavirus should a serious outbreak occur in New York. So what is the agency doing to prepare for the virus and help to protect public health? NY1 Transit Reporter Dan Rivoli has the details: The MTA's safety chief begins each day trying to learn the latest about the spread of the coronavirus. "Every morning--about 8:30--we bring together all of the safety and health and emergency management individuals from not only the headquarters here but all...

      ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS Most of us become familiar with the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," fairly early in our childhood days. Significant others, who happen to be adults, seem to stumble over themselves in being the historic "first" to teach the young child this bit of wisdom. Hmmmmmmm, I stumbled upon a quote for those of us who are adults with a burning desire to pass the Golden Rule on to our young children of today: "We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us...

How many different ways have the idiots of The Left found to ruin men's lives in the modern world? Australia has recently: A. Put its 2nd highest ranking catholic ever into gaol for five years on a pedophilia conviction based on the shaky testimony of one alleged victim, when the other alleged victim denied he had been abused. The abuse is supposed to have happened on a Sunday shortly after mass in a busy cathedral in a room with an open door. B. Sacked its best player in the Rugby Union football code thereby preventing him from competing in a...

How is it possible to donate a small amount to Trump (not the Republicans), and not have it recorded by the FEC?

Joseph R. Biden Jr. has won the South Carolina primary

DHS whistleblower Philip Haney was found dead last Friday in California. The whistleblower against the Obama administration died of a gunshot wound near his vehicle in California. The Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan released a video this week on Haney’s death. While the death scene made it appear a suicide, Ryan wants it known that a determination has not been made as to the cause of death.Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) spoke out on the House floor this week to remember his friend Philip Haney.Rep. Gohmert did not come right out and say Phillip Haney was murdered. But he did do...

Ten weeks into my first pregnancy, I had a miscarriage. It was really devastating. My doctor said, ‘You know, this happens all the time and there’s no reason for you to not try again when you’re ready.’ So, a month later, I was pregnant again. We made it through the first trimester with no problems. Then we started to get some concerning blood test results and my pregnancy was elevated to be high risk. I was transferred to a high risk maternal fetal medicine obstetrician in New York City and was highly monitored, getting checks every couple of weeks, and...

Whether or not they're voting for him, 65% of registered voters nationwide think President Trump will definitely or probably be reelected, including more than a third of Democrats who think so. Republicans are especially optimistic: more than 9 in 10 expect him to win. Still, potential head to head matchups with all the major Democratic candidates against Mr. Trump show a tight race no matter who the Democratic nominee is, with no more than three percentage points separating the Democratic candidates from Mr. Trump in any matchup with the six top polling Democratic contenders.

As the new human coronavirus spreads around the world, individuals and families should prepare — but are we? The Centers for Disease Control has already said that it expects community transmission in the United States, and asked families to be ready for the possibility of a "significant disruption to our lives." Be ready? But how? It seems to me that some people may be holding back from preparing because of their understandable dislike of associating such preparation with doomsday or "prepper" subcultures. Another possibility is that people may have learned that for many people the disease is mild, which is...

[Catholic Caucus] The Familia Christi Has Been Killed Francis has killed the Familia Christi, allegedly "for serious religious, educational and administrative reasons."It is evident that the “reasons” given are a pretext. The religious community was founded in 2014 by Ferrara Archbishop Luigi Negri whom Francis quickly removed once he reached his retirement age. He was replaced by the anti-Catholic Gian Carlo Perego who hated the Familia Christi.The group was put under the guardianship of the Roman auxiliary bishop Daniele Libanori SJ.In a March 2019 interview, Negri told Gloria.tv that he was “not worried” about the destiny of the Familia Christi...

To those who see no link between Lent and our failing economy, it might be the case to look again. Economics is about people. It cannot be reduced to numbers, formulae and analyses. “The subject matter of economics,” observes economic historian Odd Langholm, “is properly the habits, customs, and ways of thinking of producers, consumers, buyers, sellers, borrowers, lenders, and all who engage in economic transactions.” That means our moral habits can have a definite effect on determining if our economy grows — or fails. In my new book, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian...

Unprecedented, unprecedented. Everything is unprecedented. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Except it pretty much has. Whenever you see the word “unprecedented” in the media, you should ask yourself: Has this reporter ever read a history book? Make the case against Trump if you want to, but if you pretend the sorts of things he does are without precedent, you simply make yourself look ignorant. Virtually any presidency you examine is guilty of far worse acts than whatever you think is the worst thing Trump has ever done, from John Adams’ Alien and Sedition Acts, a breathtaking offense against...