Free Republic

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – In a startling message delivered to the “faith-based community,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warns that once religious services resume, the potential for attacks on “houses of worship” may be increased. “Stressors caused by the pandemic may contribute to an individual’s decision to commit an attack or influence their target of choice,” wrote DHS Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security Brian Harrell in a letter obtained and published by POLITICO. “When you begin efforts to reconstitute services and welcome congregants back into your houses of worship, please also review your security plans and...

April 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The legal dispute over Texas’ inclusion of elective abortions among the non-essential procedures being suspended during the coronavirus crisis may reach the nation’s highest court sooner rather than later, with observers anticipating the United States Supreme Court may weigh in on an appeal as soon as Wednesday. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have advised healthcare facilities to reschedule non-urgent appointments and elective procedures, both to limit the spread of the coronavirus and to free up time and resources to focus on infected patients. Compliance with this guidance...

During their daily coronavirus press conference Tuesday, San Diego County officials announced that there were 50 new cases and 12 deaths in the prior 24 hours, “the largest single day jump in fatalities to date.” Despite this, Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county public health officer, said they are not recommending the use of hydroxychloroquine, a medication President Trump has mentioned numerous times during White House briefings and which a Democrat state representative from Michigan credits with saving her life. Wooten also urged county residents to avoid experimental treatments for COVID-19, stressing that there was no known cure for the illness....

If statewide lockdowns reduce deaths from COVID-19, then why is New York’s per capita death rate more than 50 times higher than Texas’s? You can see a list of U.S. states ranked in order by the number of COVID-19 deaths per 1 million population. Go to this link, and scroll down to the list of states. At the top of the list, click where it says “Deaths /1M pop.” Then click on it a second time: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/In addition, here is a map that shows which states have a statewide lockdown, and which do not. Source: https://www.indy100.com/article/coronavirus-lockdown-us-cases-map-stay-home-order-9443151Looking at these two things, we...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday threatened to cut funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Congress’ next stimulus package unless the organization changes its leadership. Graham’s remarks: Graham made the scathing remarks in an appearance on Fox News, saying he will use his position as chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing foreign operations to make sure the WHO doesn’t receive funding from the U.S.

Many Joe Biden supporters want him to tap a person of color or a woman as his running mate, which zooms former 2020 Democratic primary rival Kamala Harris to the top of the list. But the California senator's clashes with Biden during the primary process, and her poor performance in the presidential race, could limit the chances the former vice president and presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee taps her as his running mate. Not that the possibility isn't a hot topic in political and media circles. During an interview with The View on Wednesday, the California senator was asked whether she'd...

Again, not everyone in Hollywood thinks President Trump is doing a terrible job with coronavirus. Actor Dennis Quaid thinks the opposite even with alt-left, Trump-hating outlet The Daily Beast trying to sway him. Despite Daily Beast Senior Entertainment Editor Marlow Stern’s pushing and prodding, the Midway and The Right Stuff actor stuck to his guns in insisting that the current administration was handling coronavirus well. Stern prompted Quaid, saying, “I’m curious how you feel the president and federal government are handling the current pandemic? It does look like hospitals are criminally undersupplied right now.” Though, most mainstream entertainers would have...

The Green Party, a political party that prioritizes environmental issues, posted a statement Wednesday attempting to court supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who dropped out of the Democratic presidential race earlier in the day. “The Green Party will continue to build and expand on issues that Sanders raised. Join us,” the statement read. The Green Party shares many major policy stances as the Vermont independent; however, the third-party has failed to gain wide recognition, with its presidential candidates often left out of presidential debates and rarely making a dent in elections. “These transformations will benefit all who challenge the...

WASHINGTON — President Trump made an appeal for Bernie Sanders’ supporters to join the Republican Party on Wednesday after Sanders suspended his campaign — preying on tensions within the Democratic movement. In a trio of tweets, Trump repeated his claim that the Democratic Party had done wrong by Sanders and his legion of fervent supporters, and accused former candidate Elizabeth Warren of costing him victory. “Bernie Sanders is OUT! Thank you to Elizabeth Warren. If not for her, Bernie would have won almost every state on Super Tuesday!” Trump wrote to his 76 million followers. Trump has repeatedly claimed that...

Press conference begins at 5 pm Eastern.

In a survey released 18 months ago, 86 percent of hospital administrators reported they were prepared for an infectious outbreak. They were not. As a new flu season was approaching in fall 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general issued a report telling the Trump administration there was good news on the pandemic front: Long-struggling hospitals had fortified their preparedness for an infectious disease outbreak. Just a few short years after 71% of American hospital executives warned they were ill-prepared for a disease outbreak like the 2014 Ebola virus, 86% were reporting they were prepared and...

Hooters of America LLC has eliminated 416 jobs at 14 corporate-owned North Carolina restaurants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes 30 employees each at its 3031 High Point Road restaurant in Greensboro and 3122 Garden Road in Burlington. The restaurant chain made the employee reduction decision March 23. A WARN Act notice to the N.C. Commerce Department was received Monday. Hooters officials stressed Wednesday that despite the language it used in the WARN notice, the restaurants remain open for takeout meals with limited staff.{snip} Among those affected are 255 “Hooters girls” servers and 84 kitchen staff. All affected...

Linda Tripp, whose secret conversations with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998, died on Wednesday, according to a report. She was 70. Tripp has been seriously ill and on her deathbed Tuesday night, according to a Facebook posting by her daughter. The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday afternoon that she had passed........."

Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards used his news conference today to blame society for the large proportion of black people who die from COVID-19. He gave the podium to a black doctor from New Orleans to give this announcement.

A Labour mayor who was expelled from the party after saying Boris Johnson 'completely deserves' his intensive care battle with coronavirus has now been suspended from her job and faces a disciplinary hearing. Councillor Sheila Oakes, who is currently mayor of Heanor in Derbyshire works as a paralegal for Nottingham law firm VHS Fletchers who were quick to distance themselves from her hard-hitting comments, revealing that she is now under investigation. In response to several complaints from members of the public, VHS Fletchers revealed in an email and via social media: ‘The views expressed by Ms Oakes are not shared...

In 2018 Cardinal George Pell was found guilty in the State of Victoria of raping two choir boys just after leading a mass in a busy cathedral. One of the boys denied being raped but the Cardinal was found guilty. Witnesses said the Cardinal was at the front of the church when the alleged rape was supposed to have taken place but the Cardinal was found guilty. He was imprisoned mostly in solitary confinement for 404 days in his late 70’s. Two days ago (Australian time) the seven Justices of the High Court Of Australia unanimously overturned the conviction. The...

Researchers at Stanford Medicine are working to find out what proportion of Californians have already had COVID-19. The new study could help policymakers make more informed decisions during the coronavirus pandemic. The team tested 3,200 people at three Bay Area locations on Saturday using an antibody test for COVID-19 and expect to release results in the coming weeks. The data could help to prove COVID-19 arrived undetected in California much earlier than previously thought. The hypothesis that COVID-19 first started spreading in California in the fall of 2019 is one explanation for the state's lower than expected case numbers.

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday addressed the ongoing fight to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci shared in that at this time, the White House coronavirus task force is seeing “glimmers of hope” because, as bad as this week will predictably be for deaths, the American public should start to see “the beginning of a turnaround” soon.

Seven people were killed and 14 more were wounded Tuesday in shootings across Chicago, making it the most violent day of 2020 so far as temperatures reached summer-like levels for the first time this year.

A slate of progressive youth groups have issued a list of demands they want to see presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden adopt ahead of the general election. Eight progressive groups said in a joint letter released Wednesday that they feared Biden’s centrist policies would alienate younger voters, who trend more liberal, and hinder Democrats’s efforts to unseat President Trump in November. The groups noted that while Biden racked up delegates with a March winning spree, he consistently ceded voters under 45 years old to Sanders in the primaries. SNIP While Sanders, who had garnered the endorsements of all eight...