Free Republic

The global economy is imploding, but it is difficult to care when there are people gasping for air. For the first time ever, the lines of worry on the faces of hedge fund managers occupy a smaller space in public consciousness than the blotchy indents on the faces of doctors and nurses shedding their surgical masks after yet another 48-hour shift. This is nothing short of radical. The virus, borderless and indiscriminate in its reach, isn't only contaminating our airways. It is unzipping our very way of life. Holding a mirror up to our bewildered faces, it dares us to...

A story in the New Orleans Advocate indicates there is reason to begin doubting the accuracy of the reporting of virus cases and deaths coming out of Louisiana’s Department of Health – something on the mind of a growing number of public officials we’ve talked to. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday said a 17-year-old New Orleans boy who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and died is proof “that everyone is at risk” from the respiratory disease the highly-contagious virus can cause. Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office spokesman Jason Melancon identified the teen as Jaquan Anderson, who died...

RUSH: I wanted to update you on my health. And the first thing to tell you is I’m fine. I’m sitting here at my official home library desk, and I am fine. Now, here’s where my problems began. The cancer I have, the lung cancer I have involves the mutation of a gene that occurs in 1 to 5% of lung cancer patients. Now, ordinarily that would be very bad news because it would be something that maybe there’s no medicine for or that there’s no targeted treatment for. It turns out it’s the exact opposite. It turns out it...

According to CDC, people around the world commonly get infected with human coronaviruses 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1. Sometimes coronaviruses that infect animals can evolve and make people sick and become a new human coronavirus. Three recent examples of this are 2019-nCoV, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV. Coronavirus treatment With coronavirus pandemic claiming over 10,000 lives with at least 250,000 reported cases, the race to find treatment for people already infected with coronavirus became critical. The good news came on March 16, when a new academic study by a group of researchers, in consultation with Stanford University School of Medicine, UAB School of Medicine,...

COLUMBIA, SC (WSPA) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued an opinion Friday saying that local governments don’t have the authority to “exercise emergency powers that are delegated to the Governor by state lawmakers.” The following is the full news release issued Friday: South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued an opinion today saying local governments do not have the authority to exercise emergency powers that are delegated to the Governor by state lawmakers. Some cities in the state have enacted “stay at home” orders to try to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. However, the attorney general’s...

A temporary mortuary site is being built at Birmingham Airport in preparation for an expected rise in coronavirus deaths, West Midlands Police have said. It comes as Birmingham's NEC and Manchester Central exhibition centres are set to be converted into temporary hospitals by mid-April if required, Sky News understands. Work has begun on the mortuary site which will initially be able to accommodate 1,500 deaths before expanding to hold more. It is expected the temporary site could ultimately accommodate all deaths across the West Midlands, including those not related to the coronavirus, as regional mortuaries may close due to staffing...

Where are her gloves?! This blond bombshell straddled the “Charging Bull” statue in the nude Thursday — brazenly ignoring all coronavirus protection measures. With quarantine in effect and the streets empty, no one was there to stop the carefree cowgirl from straddling the Financial District’s bronze icon. When she eyed a Post photographer, the bull rider took off with a pal who’d been snapping iPhone photos. Full story at NY Post…

HENDERSONVILLE, NC (WSPA) – A UPS store in Hendersonville was evacuated after a suspicious package was left, detonated and put out a white powder in the building on Friday. According to a City of Hendersonville news release, at around 11 a.m. an individual walked into the UPS store, located on Spartanburg Highway in Hendersonville, and left a suspicious package. The package then reportedly detonated and put out an unknown, white powder into the building. The UPS store was evacuated and police and fire crews responded to the scene. No injuries were reported. The North Carolina Hazardous Material Regional Response Team...

Posted on March 26, 2020March 26, 2020 by Msgr. Charles Pope A Plea From Moses for Mercy Is Needed for Us As Well. The first reading from Thursday’s Mass (of the 4thWeek of Lent) features the golden calf incident. God, likely trying to draw mercy from Moses, threatens to destroy the people for their infidelity. But as the text says,But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying, “Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? …Let...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating in Downing Street. He said he had experienced mild symptoms over the past 24 hours, including a temperature and cough, but would continue to lead the government. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he had also tested positive while England's Chief Medical Officer, Prof Chris Whitty, has shown symptoms.

WASHINGTON - U.S. election officials looking to construct a safe voting system in a worsening coronavirus pandemic are confronting a grim reality: there may not be enough time, money or political will to make it happen by the November election. The possibility the pandemic could last into the fall, or flare again as millions of voters are set to choose the nation’s next president, has state and local officials scrambling for alternatives to help keep voters safe. The most-discussed proposals are to make mail-in voting available to all eligible voters nationwide, and to expand early in-person voting to limit the...

Hillary Clinton may be angling for a spot on Joe Biden's presidential ticket, Fox News contributor John Sununu said Monday. "I think as almost everything the Clintons do, there is a bigger purpose behind what's going on," Sununu told "America's Newsroom." "I think she is actually angling to be the vice presidential nominee hoping the party will understand that if Biden is the nominee, they have to have a backup there that the public has confidence in."

The CARES Act, the $2 trillion coronavirus emergency relief bill that serves as Phase Three of Congress's coronavirus relief efforts, has passed the House of Representatives. It is the largest stimulus package in U.S. history and aims to provide funding for hospitals, and targeted relief for small businesses. The successful vote comes after hours of cantankerous debate, in which one unhinged Democratic representative was ruled " out of order " on the House floor. Once the measure finally passed, the entire House erupted - in a positive way. Lisa Desjardins ✔@LisaDNews WOW and just like that, the motion is adopted....

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – The Myrtle Beach City Council passed an ordinance at an emergency meeting Thursday that calls for hotels along the Grand Strand to stop taking new reservations for more than a month. Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said the city had hoped that Gov. Henry McMaster would enact a statewide order restricting tourism. But since the governor has not made one, city leaders called an emergency meeting and took action to protect those who call Myrtle Beach home. “Our priority is our own community. That’s what we did today, we put our community first because we...

During one of the many FaceTime chats that fill my evening calendar, my best friend Andy remarked, "You have to watch 'Tiger King.' You lived in Florida, so you will love it." Tigers? Florida? I was intrigued. What is "Tiger King?" Having literally no idea what it was about, I watched the trailer later that night. This tweet perfectly sums up my reaction:

Yet, it has now become clear that our grant-making agencies and law enforcement authorities have allowed our direct competitors, particularly China, to effectively leapfrog America by stealing this research for their own gain. There is no federal requirement for universities and research institutions that sponsor foreign researchers to put policies in place to safeguard federally funded research and sensitive technologies from being stolen. And we’re already seeing the consequences. Most recently, Charles Lieber, chair of the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department at Harvard University, was accused of lying to U.S. authorities about his participation in the Chinese government-run “Thousand Talents...

DETROIT – Take a moment away from coronavirus craziness to remember one of the most memorable sports moments in Detroit history. On March 26, 1997, the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche dropped many, many gloves, and set one of the best rivalries in sports ablaze. Hockey, along with every other sport, is cancelled right now as the world deals with a pandemic. But for a moment, let’s relive this iconic Joe Louis moment: Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings ''Brawl in Hockeytown'' March 26, 1997 NHL Classic

The death toll in Spain has soared over 4,800 after 769 people died in 24 hours, in what was a record one-day figure for fatalities in the country, the government said. Spain has the world's second-highest death toll after Italy, and has so far suffered 4,858 deaths, while the number of cases jumped to 64,059. Italy today announced announced 919 deaths in one day. It was the highest daily tally since the outbreak began.

It did not take long for the Cuban regime to bring up the embargo in the context of the coronavirus. This is from an NBC News report: The island faces chronic shortages in basic goods that have worsened with the Trump administration's tightening of the embargo, citing Cuba's human rights record and its support for Venezuela’s government. Long lines and crowds outside stores are a normal way of life here. Soap and detergent are difficult to find right now in ration stores, which are those that sell by the “libreta” or ration book. But they are available in dollar stores...

The only real question here is, why? – Readers will be thrilled to know that the country of [checks notes] North Macedonia is now a proud member of the NATO Alliance: Secretary Pompeo ✔ @SecPompeo Today, we welcome North Macedonia into the @NATO Alliance as our 30th Ally and celebrate their commitment to the North Atlantic Alliance. We reaffirm our commitment to collective defense under Article 5, the cornerstone of the Transatlantic Alliance. Now, God bless Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – he’s just doing his job here. But let’s be real: The reason why NATO exists is as a...