Free Republic

Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday the country needs a “national solution” to address the critical shortage of masks, gloves and other protective equipment.

Layoffs, stay-at-home mandates and the closing of non-essential businesses as a result of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus roil the nation. Not surprisingly, the automotive industry faces its own upheaval. Production is suspended as companies and states order workers and the public to stay at home. And while there are still plenty of vehicles for sale on dealer lots, many showrooms are closed. For those remaining open, sales suffer as potential car buyers heed warnings of social distancing by distancing themselves from car dealerships. ........................SNIP........................ If you’re in the market for a car or plan to be soon, there...

Commentary on these uncommon times. COVID-19 Blues . To save myself from the virus condition I’m on the hunt for toilet paper and ammunition Before all the stores are stripped bare… But the only thing I could buy there… Was the last old bottle of booze Don’t know if I can lose… these COVID-19 blues. . Everyone’s in a panic, running around all frantic To keep away the manic, got my semi-automatic… that I hope… I’ll never have to use. No matter what channel you choose… It’s the only thing on the news… Don’t know if I can lose… these...

sanctuary area map

Officials are working out final details in plans to begin clinical trials next week for a malaria drug combination that appears to hold some promise for confronting the coronavirus pandemic. New York state Health Department officials are making arrangements to determine what patients at which hospitals will be allowed to participate in trials with hydroxychloroquine, Zithromax and chloroquine, a senior official at the department with knowledge of the plan told ABC News. The bulk of the patients are expected to be in the New York City metro area because the region has the biggest cluster of cases. [snip] New York...

The economy isn’t helped by rushing back to work in the face of a pandemic, according to a new study by Federal Reserve researchers. At a time when the lieutenant governor of Texas has said senior citizens would be willing to sacrifice their lives for a better economy and when President Trump has fretted that the cure may be worse than the disease, a new research paper looked at the impact of the 1918 Spanish flu on the U.S. economy. Far from hurting the economy, what are called nonpharmaceutical interventions — for example, shutting schools, establishing quarantines and restricting business...

If there's one thing the coronavirus experience has taught us, it's that bureaucracies don't function as well as they're supposed to. In New York, the bureaucracy opted to spend $500 million on illegal aliens instead of on ventilators. Likewise, during the Obama administration, after the 2009 H1N1 epidemic, the Obama administration, despite warnings, never bothered to replenish stockpiles of N95. It turns out now that the NIH was also doing the bureaucratic equivalent of twiddling its thumbs when it should have been acting to prepare America for the next pandemic. It's sheer luck — mixed in with Trump's foresight about...

BEIJING—President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping made a surprise announcement to a few invited members of the press. “Everything is great here!” he said. “In fact... um... we’ve completely eradicated Coronavirus here -- cured it even. Yep, cured it. We found a cure. But it... um... only works on the Chinese so we can’t give it to you. Yeah, that’s the ticket. China-only cure; can’t share it. But, uh, everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?" During the press conference, a lot of commotion was heard outside,...

[Catholic Caucus] Analysis: The sacramental shutdown, coronavirus, and canon law Washington D.C., Mar 26, 2020 / 02:01 pm (CNA).- The coronavirus pandemic has caused disruption around the world. To politics, economics, and to the life of the Church: most especially to the steady regularity of her sacramental life, which many Catholics see as the anchor of consistency amid a world of chaos.“Stat crux dum volvitur orbis,” the Carthusians say— The cross is steady while the world turns.But while the cross remains steady, restrictions on public liturgies and access to church buildings have made the sacramental life of the Church less...

LYNCHBURG, Va (WDBJ7)-- Liberty University released a statement after Governor Ralph Northam urged the university to uphold rules about social-distancing and public gatherings. During the Governor’s address he quoted scripture saying “It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” He then encouraged the university to provide clear and consistent guidance and respecting its duty to its students, staff, the Lynchburg community and the commonwealth. Liberty responded saying it has been tirelessly working to protect its students the last couple of weeks. “We really think it's un-Christian to turn students away and push any problems...

On Wednesday, they were upset that President Trump called her "Deborah" after calling her male counterpart "Dr. Fauci." By Thursday, they started turning on her because she decided to use some of her screen time at the daily Coronavirus task force briefing -- which, astoundingly, many of them want partially censored -- to caution against hysteria based on worst-case-scenario modeling and projections. In case you missed it, this is what raised hackles and generated misplaced rage: Dr Birx Reality on the GroundOn Wednesday, they were upset that President Trump called her "Deborah" after calling her male counterpart "Dr. Fauci."  By...

Indian authorities in the northern state of Punjab have quarantined around 40,000 residents from 20 villages following a Covid-19 outbreak linked to just one man. The 70-year-old died of coronavirus - a fact found out only after his death. The man, a preacher, had ignored advice to self quarantine after returning from a trip to Italy and Germany, officials told BBC Punjabi's Arvind Chhabra. India has 640 confirmed cases of the virus, of which 30 are in Punjab. However, experts worry that the real number of positive cases could be far higher. India has one of the lowest testing rates...

President Donald J. Trump announced today that he will travel to Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday, March 28 to bid bon voyage to the hospital ship USNS COMFORT (T-AH-20) as it leaves for New York City to the frontlines of the COVID-19 virus response. The USNS COMFORT will sail well ahead of its originally scheduled departure time to answer America’s call to battle against the global pandemic here at home. At the President’s direction, the Administration announced last week that the USNS COMFORT would be activated and sail to the metropolitan New York area to ease the burden of area hospitals...

This is the most elitist, close minded article I've read about a liberal journalist trying to figure out why Trump's approval rating is high right now. It's pretty ridiculous, so I thought I'd share.

Statements & ReleasesPresident Donald J. Trump Approves Missouri Disaster Declaration Healthcare Mar 26, 2020 Statements & ReleasesPresident Donald J. Trump Approves Maryland’s Disaster Declaration Healthcare Mar 26, 2020   Statements & ReleasesPresident Donald J. Trump Approves Illinois Disaster Declaration Healthcare Mar 26, 2020   Statements & ReleasesPresident Donald J. Trump Approves New Jersey Disaster Declaration Healthcare Mar 26, 2020

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room5:26 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  Hello.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  Beautiful day.  Very good what you’re doing.  Look at all those empty seats.  Never seen it like that.  Oh, boy.  Well, how the world has changed.  How the world has changed, right?  But it’s going to end up being better than ever.I want to thank you very much for being here.  And I’d like to update you on the steps we’re taking on our ongoing fight to defeat the virus.This morning at 7:55, I spoke to the leaders of the G20. ...

"The Republic of North Macedonia is officially the new, 30th NATO member," the government in Skopje said in a statement. "We have fulfilled the dream of generations." From NATO headquarters, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared: "North Macedonia is now part of the NATO family.” It was a family of 30 nations and almost 1 billion people "based on the certainty that, no matter what challenges we face, we are all stronger and safer together,” Stoltenberg added. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said a long journey had finally come to an end. "North Macedona's NATO accession increases security and stability across...

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room5:54 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  So, nice to be with you.  America continues to gain ground in the war against the virus.I want to thank the American people for answering the call, following our guidelines, and making the sacrifices required to overcome this terrible threat.  More aggressively we commit to social distancing — so important.  Social distancing — such an important phrase.  And we do it right now.  The more lives we can save and the sooner we can eventually get people back to work, back to school, and back to...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg53uhd-dk0