Free Republic

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a quick about-face, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, responding to criticism from Gov. Mike DeWine, has granted expanded approval for a new device developed by an Ohio research firm that sterilizes the protective masks used by health-care workers. The FDA on Sunday night issued an amended approval order, revoking a Saturday order that only permitted Battelle to use the device at its headquarters in Columbus, and only to clean 10,000 masks per day. The limited order angered DeWine, leading him to rebuke the agency publicly Sunday morning and seek intervention from President Donald Trump. Before...

Boom. Will we actually get a little justice from the Department of Justice? – Ok, the report is from CNN, so don’t get your hopes up overly-much, but still: CNN reported Monday morning that the DOJ is coordinating with the SEC to investigate the suspicious stock trades made by RINO North Carolina Senator Richard Burr: The Justice Department has started to probe a series of stock transactions made by lawmakers ahead of the sharp market downturn stemming from the spread of coronavirus, according to two people familiar with the matter. The inquiry, which is still in its early stages and...

The overwhelming number of coronavirus patients flooding hospitals across the U.S. has resulted in a shortage of ventilators for those experiencing difficulty breathing. But while President Trump has faced criticism from states, like New York, for the short supply, federal agencies have been predicting the need for more ventilators for nearly two decades. Reports from various government offices have been sounding the alarm over the course of at least three successive presidencies dating back to the George W. Bush administration. “GAO found that most hospitals lack the capacity to respond to large-scale infectious disease outbreaks,” concluded the U.S. Government Accountability...

Gov. Andrew Cuomo continued to push for additional help from the federal government as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread. There are now 66,497 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York, Cuomo said Monday, including 9,517 hospitalized, 2,352 ICU patients and 4,204 patients who have been hospitalized and discharged. The death toll climbed to 1,218. “Big picture is the situation is painfully clear now. There’s no question as to what we’re dealing with. There’s no question as to the consequences. There’s no question as to the grief and loss of life. And there’s no question about what we must do. There...

RUSH: I mentioned that these are dire circumstances. This is such a narrow channel to navigate here because I have so many conflicting thoughts on this. On the one hand, there is no doubt, there is no question how serious this is. In fact, I’ll tell you, I think that the medical experts are scared to death. ‘Cause I don’t think they have a handle on it yet. For example, they told us that the primary, the number one most vulnerable group of people were people that have pre-existing conditions, lung disorders, lung issues, elderly, infirm. And now we see...

Subtitle: Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin continue to show results for patients. In the fight against Covid-19 though we might look forward in doom, one day we will look backward in awe. In an article last week, I discussed a promising drug combination to treat the disease. There is now new data supporting this treatment. Since then, Kansas City area physicians, including Joe Brewer, Dan Hinthorn and me, continue to treat many patients, and some have shown improvement. Major medical centers including the University of Washington and Mass General have added hydroxychloroquine to treatment options. So here’s an update, a response to...

Workers say they will strike Tuesday because the Amazon subsidiary has failed to prioritize their safety during a period of record sales. Whole Foods employees are planning to strike on Tuesday to protest the lack of protections offered to workers during the coronavirus pandemic—the first national collective action led by workers at the company since it was founded in 1980. On March 31, Whole Foods employees will call in sick to demand paid leave for all workers who stay home or self-quarantine during the crisis, free coronavirus testing for all employees, and hazard pay of double the current hourly wage...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new decontamination system that enables health providers to reuse industrial face masks that have become scarce during the coronavirus outbreak. The FDA on Sunday issued an emergency-use authorization under which the Battelle Decontamination System, built by the Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, will be sent to critical facilities around the United States. Battelle says the system is capable of decontaminating 80,000 N95 respirator masks each day, which would provide relief to front-line healthcare providers who are seeing severe shortages of personal protection equipment. The FDA also did an about-face on an...

Andorra la Vella (Andorra) (AFP) - Thirty-nine Cuban doctors and nurses arrived on Monday in the tiny Pyrenean principality of Andorra to help it battle the coronavirus, the Andorran health ministry said, part of an international drive by Havana that has sparked controversy. Andorra is now the second European state after Italy to have received help from Cuba, whose export of medical services has long been one of the motors of its socialist economy. Andorra has asked for the help from 12 doctors and 27 nurses from Cuba to relieve its own medical staff, 60 of whom have had to...

FIRE’s K-12 Free Speech Curriculum modules help educators enrich and supplement their existing instruction on First Amendment and freedom of expression issues in middle and high school classrooms. FIRE’s curriculum draws on our 20 years of experience in actively defending free speech in academia, as well as our legal expertise and extensive scholar/educator network. These resources equip educators to foster appreciation and respect among students for freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the free exchange of diverse ideas. Students will learn why their free speech rights are so valuable, how they are essential to learning and to democracy, and...

OLYMPIA, Wash. - As the coronavirus pandemic knocks primary election after primary election off schedule, Democrats argue the outbreak shows the country needs to move toward one of their longtime goals - widespread voting by mail - to protect the November election. But Democrats’ hopes for using the crisis to expand voting by mail face firm Republican opposition, as well as significant logistical challenges. In some states, it would amount to a major revamp of their voting system just eight months before an election. Vote-by-mail boosters already lost the first round of the fight. Democrats tried and failed to insert...

The coronavirus outbreak has made a recession in Europe’s largest economy inevitable in the first half of this year, Germany’s council of economic advisers said on Monday, predicting that output could shrink by up to 5.4% this year. The panel, which advises the government on economic policy, said its baseline scenario — in which the economic situation would normalize over the summer — was for the economy to contract by 2.8% this year before potentially growing by 3.7% next year. But a more marked “V-shaped” recession curve with widespread halts to production or longer-lasting public health measures, could lead to...

The New York doctor who branded “slaves” in the Nxivm cult could now lose her medical license. Dr. Danielle Roberts is accused of searing the initials of Nxivm founder Keith Raniere and/or “Smallville” actress Allison Mack into the “pelvis region” of 13 women, according to charges filed against her by the state Board for Professional Medical Conduct. Six of the women were naked when Roberts wielded a cauterizing pen to brand them as they were restrained by other nude followers, while one filmed the procedure on a cellphone, the state alleges. The women were told to take daily pictures of...

TEL AVIV - Israel’s defense ministry plans to use software that analyses data gathered from mobile phones - produced, according to Israeli media, by the spyware firm NSO - to help locate likely carriers of the coronavirus in order to test them. Defense Minister Naftali Bennett told reporters that the “coronameter” would need approval from the cabinet - likely to be given - as well as an assessment of privacy issues from the attorney general, who has the power to block it. But it could be operational within 48 hours of getting the go-ahead. Israel already tests around 5,000 people...

If you have been spooked by the coronavirus and are looking at purchasing your first firearm, but do not want to break the bank, there are several things that you should keep in mind. Aside from choosing a handgun that is going to be affordable on your wallet, you will want to think of caliber. The Top 5 BEST Budget Handguns we are about to name are all chambered in 9mm. For someone who is a 1st time handgun buyer, it goes without debating that they should purchase a 9mm. The ammunition is typically the cheapest you can get among...

The Federal Reserve has offered more than $3 trillion in loans and asset purchases in recent weeks to stop the U.S. financial system from seizing up, but it has not yet directly helped large swaths of the real economy: companies, municipalities and other borrowers with less than perfect credit. That is partly because America’s central bank is not allowed to take much credit risk itself, and loans to lower-rated borrowers have a higher chance of losses. The risk is exacerbated by the spread of coronavirus which have brought economic activity to a screeching halt. To alleviate that constraint, the U.S....

VIDEO The current Trump Derangement Syndrome pandemic can be traced back to June 2015 but it exploded exponentially after November 8, 2016. Unfortunately, its rate of growth has not slowed since then but scientists now estimate it could reach its peak on the Bell Curve on November 3, 2020. These are a few recent scenes of the more severe cases of TDS. There is now no known treatment for this ailment other than tying the victims down to a gurney and placing a leather strap into their mouths to keep them from biting off their own tongues while ranting...

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued a “stay at home” order for Maryland residents on Monday — further curtailing daily life in the Free State in hopes of slowing the spread of the new coronavirus. “Every Marylander can be a hero, just by staying home,” Hogan, a Republican, said in a news conference outside the State House in Annapolis Monday morning. Here’s what the order, which will be in effect starting 8 p.m. on Monday, means for state residents. You can only go out for “essential activities."

My cousin lives in Madrid. His wife was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week and admitted to Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre. (I know, a crazy name for a hospital) They put her on hydroxychloroquine (200 mg, 3× day), an HIV anti-viral, and an antibiotic drip. Her viral load has now dropped to zero and she will be released and allowed to go home tomorrow (she just sent me a Facebook Messenger text). FIVE days after diagnosis. Sure, it's anecdotal, but it hits close to home. My cousin is now showing symptoms - it looks like he's next. I also have...

Nafamostat mesylate (brand name: Fusan), which is the drug used to treat acute pancreatitis, may effectively block the requisite viral entry process the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) uses to spread and cause disease (COVID-19). The University of Tokyo announced these new findings on March 18, 2020. According to the new research, Nafamostat can prevent the fusion of the envelope of the virus with host cell surface membranes, the first step in infection with the causative virus SARS-CoV-2. Nafamostat can inhibit the membrane fusion at a concentration less than one-tenth that of Camostat mesylate (brand name: Foypan)