Free Republic

Scientists in Iceland found 40 mutations of the coronavirus among people with the deadly bug in the country — and that seven infections came from people who attended the same soccer match in the UK, according to a report. The researchers discovered the mutations — or small changes in the genome of the virus — by analyzing swabs of COVID-19 patients in the country, where nearly 648 cases had been reported as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Iceland outlet Information. Health authorities, along with biopharmaceutical firm deCODE Genetics, tested 9,768 people, including those who had already been diagnosed, people...

Parishioners and pilgrims to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem are being called upon to take special precautions when visiting the site, including not touching or venerating any of the sacred sites or objects within it. This appeal was made by the leaders of the Christian communities represented in the various chapels of the Holy Sepulchre: His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem of the Orthodox Church; Francesco Patton, the Custos of the Holy Land (Franciscans); and Arch. Nourhan Manougian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem. The appeal was published on the site of the Custos of the Holy...

Eight alleged gay men have been arrested by Spanish authorities after being accused of having a cocaine-fueled orgy during the coronavirus lockdown. An invitee reportedly snitched on the homosexuals who were partying it up in violation of the mandates issued by law enforcement. The cops showed up and allegedly caught the individuals in the act. In addition to finding cocaine, the cops also reported that ecstasy, speed and crystal meth were found at the sinful shindig. The hosts reportedly invited up to 30 people to attend the orgy and thought the officers would be joining in the action when they...

A Queens Uber driver passed away from the coronavirus Tuesday morning — more than two weeks after he stopped driving to avoid contracting the deadly disease, according to his family. Anil Subba, a Nepalese immigrant in his 40s from Jackson Heights, died at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday morning at Elmhurst Hospital, his family told The Post. Subba checked into the hospital about two weeks ago, according to his cousin Munindra Nembang. He had been hooked up to a ventilator for about two days before he passed, with no contact with his wife and three children, ages 22, 20 and 11.

March 25, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Amid the dire messaging and drastic steps of world leaders to separate citizens to stem the spread of the coronavirus – including the shutting down of Catholic Masses throughout the western world – the president of Tanzania told the people of his nation, “We [don’t] close down churches.” President John Magufuli, leader of a country of 57 million people located on the east coast of Africa, is a Catholic. He spoke at St. Paul's Cathedral in the nation’s capital. “I insist upon you my fellow Christians and even [Muslims], do not be afraid, do not...

A unique way to have a choir sing in these days of social distancing. A short YouTube clip. Might want to have a tissue handy. Hot link: https://youtu.be/0MnxZ7h9Kao

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that Democrats will press for another wave of direct payments to Americans as Congress begins weighing the next round of emergency relief in response to the coronavirus crisis. House Democrats had proposed a $1,500 cash infusion for all Americans in their stimulus bill, up to a certain income level — a $300 increase over the Senate package, which is expected to reach the president's desk in the coming days. Pelosi suggested Wednesday that neither figure is high enough, calling for another round of checks in the next wave of stimulus — the fourth since...

Iranian regime officials stole more than $1 billion in humanitarian funds meant to be used to help the country’s people fight the spread of coronavirus, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. European countries intended for more than $1 billion cash for medical supplies to go to the Iranian people, who have been ravaged by the virus. But American officials say regime leaders instead pocketed the money and are now using it to protect themselves from the virus as it spreads throughout the population. This includes hoarding medical supplies that were meant to aid Iranian citizens...

Hopes were high after the Senate and the White House announced they had reached a deal on a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package for Americans affected by the Wuhan coronavirus. But those hopes fizzled out after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened another delay on the vote. Then four Republican senators noticed a "massive drafting error" that would result in "a strong incentive for employees to be laid off instead of going to work." But there were more issues where those came from. Sen. Bernie Sanders saw the Republicans' threat and raised them one of his own. In his eyes, the...

Admit it, you would tune in Sunday sermons every week if this was the norm.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Five of the nation's largest banks agreed to temporarily suspend residential mortgage payments for people affected by the coronavirus, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. The announcement came as Newsom provided yet another grim statistic about the economic devastation from the virus: 1 million Californians have filed for unemployment benefits since March 13 as businesses shut down or dramatically scaled back because of a statewide “stay-at-home” order to prevent the spread of the virus. Meantime, Newsom said California is rapidly expanding its supply of equipment for health care workers and hospital beds in anticipation of the...

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: Retired soldiers with medical experience are being asked to volunteer to return to duty because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with emails suggesting they "re-join the team" being sent directly to former military members. Calling it a "voluntary recall," the U.S. Army "is reaching out to gauge the interest of our retired officers, noncommissioned officers and soldiers who would be willing to assist with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic response effort should their skills and expertise be required," said the email, which was first reported by TucsonSentinel.com.--snip--

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the high-profile freshman from New York, is leaving open the option of forcing House members to return to Washington to cast a vote on the $2 trillion stimulus package barreling through Congress. The New York Democrat has expressed her frustration with reports of the stimulus deal, suggesting it's too tilted towards corporations. The deal was reached between senators from both parties -- including the senior Democratic senator from her state, Chuck Schumer, and the White House. On Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez told CNN she is not ruling out asking for a recorded vote, which would force lawmakers to return...

...The data on the 1Point3Acres are sorted by the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19. The site places the state of New York at the top of the list, but as we all know, that could be misleading because the populations of each state are different. If we normalize the data by the population, the resulting number of cases per million of the state population will allow us to compare all the states correctly. Finally, to look into the data from the political point of view, we'll add each governor's party (R or D) to the data. Also, we'll list...

A 30-year-old Brooklyn charter school teacher is clinging to life at Brookdale Hospital after contracting coronavirus — and her desperate family is calling for help from a pharmaceutical giant. “My sister Rana Zoe Mungin has COVID-19 and is fighting for her life, and she is currently on life support,” wrote Rana’s sibling, Mia Mungin in a Twitter post late Tuesday. mia mungin @MiaMungin My sister Rana Zoe Mungin has COVID-19 and is fighting for her life, and she is currently on life support. She’s only 30 years old and has such a bright future ahead of her. I’m begging for...

In several hours on Tuesday, Dr. Ashley Bray performed chest compressions at Elmhurst Hospital Center on a woman in her 80s, a man in his 60s and a 38-year-old who reminded the doctor of her fiancé. All had tested positive for the coronavirus and had gone into cardiac arrest. All eventually died. Elmhurst, a 545-bed public hospital in Queens, has begun transferring patients not suffering from coronavirus to other facilities as it moves toward becoming one dedicated entirely to the outbreak. Doctors and nurses have struggled to make do with a few dozen ventilators. Calls over a loudspeaker of “Team...

One of the all time great break up songs by Weird Al.

Oil prices continued to rise for the third day in a row, recovering earlier losses as U.S. lawmakers pressure Saudi Arabia to end the oil war. The ongoing oil war, in which Saudi Arabia and Russia are the key players, has exacerbated the already tremendous glut in oil markets, and demand destruction could end up reaching 15-20 million bpd in April. According to Russell Hardy, Vitol’s chief executive, the supply overhang could end up filling storage tanks at a very high pace as India, with the world’s fastest-growing oil consumer now facing a nationwide lockdown. Oilprice.com’s Julianne Geiger wrote yesterday...

After checking into a hospital with "unbearably painful" symptoms, comedian Kathy Griffin has spoken out against Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus outbreak. In a quote tweet replying to the president, Griffin accused Trump of lying about how many coronavirus tests the United States has performed amid the ongoing pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives as it continues to spread around the world. "I was sent to the #COVID19 isolation ward room in a major hospital ER from a separate urgent care facility," Griffin tweeted Wednesday, going on to criticize the vice president's leadership of the White House Coronavirus...

Advertising agency DPZ&T teamed with McDonald’s Brazil to remake the Golden Arches in pulled-apart form to encourage consumers to keep each other safe through social distancing. According to the agency, the move is meant to convey the idea that we are "separated for a moment so that we can always be together."