Free Republic

The COVID-19 outbreak is giving new meaning to those “sustainable” shopping bags that politicians and environmentalists have been so eager to impose on the public. These reusable tote bags can sustain the COVID-19 and flu viruses—and spread the viruses throughout the store. Researchers have been warning for years about the risks of these bags spreading deadly viral and bacterial diseases, but public officials have ignored their concerns, determined to eliminate single-use bags and other plastic products despite their obvious advantages in reducing the spread of pathogens. In New York State, a new law took effect this month banning single-use plastic...

Michael Osterholm is an internationally recognized expert in infectious disease epidemiology. He is Regents Professor, McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, a professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, all at the University of Minnesota .

Appearing Friday on CNBC, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Trump administration could provide temporary student loan suspensions to help Americans amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) points out how much coronavirus testing could cost the average American and that the administration has the power to make it free. (snip) PORTER: Great, so you are familiar. Dr. Redfield will you commit to the CDC right now using that existing authority to pay for diagnostic testing free to every American regardless of insurance? REDFIELD: Well, I can say that we are going to do everything to make sure everybody can get the care they need. PORTER: Nope, not good enough. Reclaiming my time. Dr. Redfield you have the existing authority. Will you commit right...

Two senior district government officials in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, were fired on Wednesday after they used a garbage truck to deliver 1,000 portions of plastic-wrapped pork to a community in their district.

On Tuesday night, Joe Biden's campaign was celebrating his latest primary night triumph. By Wednesday morning, #NeverBiden, #WriteinBernie and #DemExit2020 hashtags began trending on Twitter.

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem (Music in The Bible) Psalms Psalm 123 A song of ascents. 1 I lift up my eyes to you,     to you who sit enthroned in heaven. 2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,     as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God,     till he shows us his mercy. 3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,     for we have endured no end of contempt. 4 We have endured no end     of ridicule from the arrogant,...

Once Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for COVID-19, it was only a matter of time. Fewer than 24 hours after the English Premier League announced it would move ahead with matches this weekend, the league backtracked and announced it would suspend its season indefinitely. The shareholders unanimously decided to halt play with the intention of returning April 4 and rescheduling missed matches. It impacts the FA Cup, second through fourth divisions and and Women’s Super League as well.

BRAZILIAN President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for coronavirus, according to a report from major daily newspaper O Dia in Rio de Janeiro. Earlier this week, the Brazilian met Donad Trump and attended a joint press conference in thew Rose Garden of the White House, where he shook the hand of the US President. The news comes just hours after his press secretary Fabio Wajngarten tested positive for COVID-19 - days after he also met Mr Trump. The US President was believed to be in close physical proximity with both on Saturday night. They attended the dinner hosted by Mr...

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, KFC has suspended advertisements using the brand’s classic “Finger Lickin’ Good” slogan in the U.K. after the Advertising Standards Authority reportedly received multiple complaints concerning a new ad that launched two weeks ago. The ASA received 163 complaints from viewers after the ad debuted on television, a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News. The commercial, called "Piano," showed multiple people licking their fingers while eating in public places.

The Masters announced that this year’s tournament has been postponed due to the coronavirus, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley announced Friday. No rescheduled date was announced.

In yet another shocking twist, it's over between The Bachelor's Peter Weber and Madison Prewett. The couple, who had a dramatic reunion on the live finale of the ABC series earlier this week (after Weber's abrupt split from Hannah Ann Sluss) has broken up, both confirmed on Instagram Thursday. 'Madi and I have mutually decided to not pursue our relationship any further,' the star of season 24 of the ABC show said on the site. 'Believe me this was not easy for either of us to be ok with, but after a lot of honest conversations, we have agreed that...

Woo hoo!! Less than $2.4k to reach the yellow, then we're off to the green!! Please get your donation in today and help us get 'er done!! Thank you very much!! God bless.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Police in St. Petersburg and several other Russian cities have detained activists during and ahead of protests against sweeping constitutional amendments that open the possibility for President Vladimir Putin to remain in power for another 16 years. The March 12 demonstrations were held while local lawmakers discussed the amendments, a day after parliament's two chambers both overwhelmingly approved the changes. In St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, an RFE/RL correspondent reported that police had detained two activists of the Peaceful Resistance group. Dmitry Negodin and Yevgeny Musin rallied in front of the Legislative Assembly with posters urging...

Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and epidemic experts from universities around the world conferred last month... Between 160 million and 214 million people in the U.S. could be infected over the course of the epidemic, according to one projection. That could last months or even over a year, with infections concentrated in shorter periods, staggered across time in different communities, experts said. As many as 200,000 to 1.7 million people could die. And, the calculations based on the C.D.C.’s scenarios suggested, 2.4 million to 21 million people in the U.S. could require hospitalization, potentially crushing...

"On Wednesday, March 4, we issued a memo stating that our plans to host the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals had not changed. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing risks associated with the widespread Coronavirus COVID-19 have led us to a decision that undoubtedly will be disappointing to many, although I am confident is appropriate under these unique circumstances. "Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals."

What just happened? The Democratic presidential nomination race, which gave signs of lasting months, is now basically over. Sen. Bernie Sanders won North Dakota and lost Washington after carrying a lead on Wednesday. In Michigan and Missouri, where he won 50% and 49%, respectively, against Hillary Clinton in 2016, he carried 36% and 35% against former Vice President Joe Biden in Tuesday's primaries. He was wiped out even worse in Mississippi and lost in Idaho. It turns out that the apparent similarity between the Republican contest in 2016 and Democrats' contest in 2020 was only apparent. Bernie Sanders is not...

#Breaking: President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, tests positive for Coronavirus

White House coronavirus expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Friday morning that the current state of crisis in the US would last for two months and that 'it's all on the table' in terms of how much more severe things may become. In a series of interviews with Good Morning America and CBS This Morning, Fauci gave his bleak assessment of what is still to come. 'It's certainly going to get worse before it gets better...there's no doubt we have not peaked yet,' he said. Asked directly if America was heading towards a complete shutdown like China and Italy, he...

The story of this carbine goes back to 1997, when Kel-Tec introduced the Sub-9 carbine. In general, it was a conventional blow-back gun with the magazine inserted through the hand grip. Designed during the high-capacity-magazine-ban years, it used popular and available pistol magazines, but the Sub-9's claim to fame was its unusual folding form. When folding or collapsible stocks were not legal, the Sub-9 worked around that concept by creating a carbine that folded in half at the chamber, halving its overall length for storage and transport. The folding is initiated by pulling down on the back of the trigger...