Free Republic

Lord, we are true believers. You have been our refuge for all of our lives. We have waited on you with holy fear and sacred awe. And now, with the Holy Spirit to help us, we open our mouths. Like David, we have marshaled our thoughts like men of war and, like arrows, we make straight aim with our prayers. We direct our prayers with all of our strength, we let our arrows fly. When the arrows and our prayers, have left our hands, only then, Lord, will we look up. We expect, Oh, Lord, according to Your Word, to...

Coronavirus patients who are obese are reportedly at higher risk of becoming critically ill with the disease. Dr. Stefan de Hert, a former president of the European Society of Anaesthesiology, determined that obesity was one of the more common risk factors among patients admitted to the intensive care units in Italy, Metro UK reported. “The mean age of all COVID-19 patients is 70 years, and one of the major risk factors for admission to intensive care is obesity,” he told the outlet.

The coronavirus story later but first... An interesting sidebar to this evening's White House coronavirus news conference is the annoucement of US military and law enforcement operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea said to be aimed at drug trafficking..... President Trump saying on Twitter that Iran is planning to attack US troops in Iraq..... Efforts to form a unity government in Israel are stalling.... Turkish forces shelling Syrian army positions in northwestern Syria late Tuesday.... Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussing the situation in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin.... The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today...

"We are writing to inform you that the WHCA Board has voted this evening to remove a news outlet from the rotation for a seat in the briefing room. We did this because a report for this outlet twice attended press briefings in contravention of this policy. ... We do not take this action lightly. This is a matter of public safety."

Several U.S. states are blocking health clinics from providing abortions, declaring the procedure to be “nonessential” during coronavirus business closures. Other services deemed medically unnecessary during the crisis include dental exams, colonoscopies and cataract surgeries. The inclusion of abortion on this list is controversial and legally contested. Judges in recent days struck down such abortion bans in Texas, Ohio and Alabama, allowing abortions to continue. However, on March 31, a Texas appeals court overturned the district court’s ruling. Abortions that are not “immediately medically necessary” may now be prohibited in the state. Officials in these states argue restricting abortions will...

My aunt was upset this morning, she says that the media is giving Trump too much credit. She despises the President and says that if Peter Jennings, former ABC anchorman was still alive, the coverage would have been more soothing and she believes that Jennings and ABC would have been more combative towards Trump. My aunt is very anti-Trump. She served in the U.S. Army. Very, very militaristic and angry woman. What do you think?

Did anyone catch Laura's show tonight? She had a Dr Stephan Smith on as a guest. First he discussed that his serious condition patients were all over BMT 30 and pre-diabetic or diabetic. Then he said that his experience using chloroquine was similar to the French study. None of his patients who had at least 4 daily doses had to be intubated. Then he said something really extraordinary insinuating that this was a real game changer (not his words but similar). I was shocked to see a doctor talking so positively about this treatment without all the caveats. He is...

Malaria drug hydroxychloroquine continues to dominate the headlines after many success stories from doctors in the front line. This evening, a renowned infectious disease specialist Dr. Stephen Smith, said he and his team have treated over the 50 patients with hydroxychloroquine. Dr. Smith is the founder of the Smith Center for Infectious Diseases in New Jersey. Tonight, Dr. Smith shared his findings among COVID-19 patients in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham. Dr. Smith pointed out that not a single patient, COVID-19 patient, that has been under hydroxychloroquine regimen has had to to be intubated. Dr. Smith said...

Here We Go Again: China Puts Entire County On Lockdown After New Corona Cluster Emerges China is no longer fixed.Having lied for the past month that it has the coronavirus crisis “under control” just so people return to work, full of hope and enthusiasm, rejoicing at the surge in China’s just as fabricated PMI numbers, and willing to work their asses off (with Beijing so generously willing to risk everyone’s lives as the alternative is a complete collapse in China’s economy), earlier today the US finally cracked down on the relentless barage of Chinese lies, when US intelligence accused China...

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WKBN) – A Pittsburgh area pastor says he plans to organize a large, Woodstock-like outdoor Easter service to protest the stay-at-home orders amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Conservative Christian Pastor Jonathan Shuttlesworth made the announcement on social media after the arrests of pastors in the U.S. for failing to comply with state-at-home orders. “How do you lay hands on people online? How do you baptize people online? How do you anoint with oil and lay hands on the sick?” he asked. He said the government is infringing on the rights of people to assemble for religion. He said the...

EXCLUSIVE: The father of Kamiyah Mobley, who was snatched from her mother's arms while a baby, has sent a message to the parents of Madeleine McCann telling them not to give up hopeEight hours after her birth in 1998, Kamiyah Mobley was taken from her mother’s arms by a woman posing as a nurse in a sickening kidnap which sparked one of America’s longest-running missing person’s cases. Kamiyah grew up not knowing that her “mother” was her kidnapper – until three years ago, when she was 18, a series of tip-offs led police to her home and DNA tests proved...

The D.C. government today released the number of positive coronavirus cases broken down by Ward and it shows no hotspots in the city. The most cases were in and around Capitol Hill with the fewest east of the river in Ward 8. This as we’re also hearing of more frustrations for people applying for unemployment in D.C. (Video at the link)

EXCLUSIVE: The adoptive mum of Tony Hudgell has urged prison officials to keep his parents who abused him locked up in jail and not released early to ease pressures during the coronavirus pandemicThe adoptive mum of a boy, 5, whose legs were amputated after vile abuse by his parents has begged the prison service not to release them early due to the coronavirus pandemic. At just 41 days old, Tony Hudgell was left with numerous fractures, multiple organ failure and sepsis after he was tortured by parents Jody Simpson, 24, and Tony Smith, 47. The medics did not expect the...

A one-eyed dog saved from the meat trade in China is now supporting her disabled owner through a gruelling 12 weeks of coronavirus isolation. Mary Garland, 50, who lives in Maida Vale, North London is severely disabled and confined to a wheelchair. She takes immunosuppressant medication and is classed in the 'high-risk' category. Normally Mary has a busy social life and fills her days seeing friends and attending events in support of the No To Dog Meat charity, which rescued Annabel, her beloved chow-chow. A constant companion Annabel was found in a terrible state - partially skinned and had an...

Shenzhen has passed a law prohibiting the consumption and production of dog and cat flesh, with the city's government pointing to the close relationship that has developed between humans and these animals A Chinese city has banned the dog and cat meat trade amid the coronavirus crisis. Shenzhen passed the law prohibiting the consumption and production of dog and cat flesh. The city went further than the Government's temporary closure of 'wet markets', where animals are sold, by permanently stopping the brutal trade. The Covid-19 outbreak is believed to have started at the a 'wet market' in Wuhan, China. The...

Xerox has dropped its bid to merge with HP, citing the current global health crisis related to the COVID-19 coronavirus, Xerox said. The news was previously reported by the Wall Street Journal. “The current global health crisis and resulting macroeconomic and market turmoil caused by COVID-19 have created an environment that is not conducive to Xerox continuing to pursue an acquisition of HP Inc,” Xerox said in a statement on Tuesday. Xerox will not nominate candidates to HP’s board, and has withdrawn its offer. “We have a healthy cash position and balance sheet that enable us to navigate unanticipated challenges...

Grocery retailer Kroger announced that it would be giving its employees a “hero bonus” for hours worked between Sunday and April 18. The bonus is an added $2 per hour on top of the employees’ base rate of pay, WMAZ reported. The announcement follows the grocery store chain’s previous statement that it would give employees a one-time appreciation bonus, giving full-time workers $300 and part-time workers $150, to be paid out on Thursday.

4 little baby kittens being hand-raised by humans. Video, 5 minutes, 29 seconds

A handful of experienced cooks on which pantry staples they turn to again and again, and their favourite isolation meals Pantry staplesShelf-stable. Even the name is comforting, the antithesis of a viral threat. Contrary to the pillars of contemporary food culture — fresh, seasonal and inherently fleeting — it’s the canned, dried, jarred and otherwise hardy that we can rely on in a pinch. Forming the unsung foundation of so many meals when times are good, social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic has given these foods new meaning. Staples hum in the background during days of plenty. Some of them...

Some right-wing supporters of President Trump have labeled Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as a member of the “deep state” trying to undermine Trump’s reelection. In the past, Trump has supported measures to re-open the economy by Easter. Fauci on occasion has stepped to the podium to correct or amend statements from Trump on the virus, related timelines and potential cures. Fauci declined to comment Wednesday as to whether he’s been given added security — but Trump jumped in. “He doesn’t need security. Everybody loves him,” Trump said. “Besides that, they’d be in big...