Free Republic

Dr. Scott Jensen, a Minnesota physician and Republican state senator said he received a 7-page document coaching him to fill out death certificates with a COVID-19 diagnosis without a lab test to confirm the patient actually had the virus. “Last Friday I received a 7-page document that told me if I had an 86-year-old patient that had pneumonia but was never tested for COVID-19 but some time after she came down with pneumonia we learned that she had been exposed to her son who had no symptoms but later on was identified with COVID-19, then it would be appropriate to...

The political and legal chaos that engulfed Wisconsin’s primary Tuesday marked the beginning of a national battle over how democracy will function in the middle of a pandemic — a months-long struggle that could tip the balance of power between the major political parties. At stake is the most basic function of a democracy — the ability to hold elections that partisans on both sides regard as valid. That consensus, already eroded in the Trump era, is now being further undermined. Prompted by Republicans' refusal to postpone the state's primary, the Wisconsin meltdown whipsawed voters with on-again, off-again election plans,...

Conservative activist David Benham was arrested Saturday for providing counseling outside a North Carolina abortion clinic despite a stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic. Benham, who made national headlines after getting dropped by HGTV allegedly for his Christian beliefs, posted a video of the arrest outside the offices of A Preferred Women's Health Center of Charlotte. He alleges officials are using the virus as cover for discriminating against pro-life groups. "It's government overreach. It's viewpoint discrimination. It's selective enforcement of the COVID law. It's the suppressing of religious expression. It's all those things," Benham told Fox News. "It's just a...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mayor Greg Fischer announced drive-in, parking lot Easter services are not allowed in Louisville due to the high number of coronavirus cases in Jefferson County. Gov. Andy Beshear had left it up to local officials to decide. At his daily briefing, Fischer said the decision was tough but it was not practical to let hundred of thousands of people leave their homes. "I am reluctant to do that but I am at the same I am emphatic at doing that because I want to save the lives of people in our community," Fischer said. The Dixie Valley...

San Francisco’s Green Apple Books struggles for survival, adapts to change The Richmond District institution Green Apple Books has been around for more than 50 years. They have closed their doors to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions, but are still taking orders and are adapting by holding an author's book release through an online Zoom meeting. SAN FRANCISCO - Many would consider Green Apple Books on busy Clement Street in San Francisco's Richmond District an institution. After all it opened its doors in 1967. Now, the owners of the bookstore have turned to online sales to comply with the coronavirus shelter-in-place...

It’s hard enough being a doctor in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. But Sanjibani Panigrahi, a psychiatrist at a government hospital in western India, now finds her own neighbors turning against her. We are sure you have corona,” one woman recently shrieked at her, she says, — part of a torrent of abuse from residents at her apartment complex. “We will not allow you in the building.” In some cities, health-care workers are earning standing ovations for the long, life-risking hours they’re putting in to battle the coronavirus. But in others, they’re facing discrimination and even attacks. In Mexico,...

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — With Easter Sunday just three days away, some area pastors are asking whether ‘drive-in’ services are allowed under Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Orders and local Declarations. These Orders and Declarations prohibit any event or convening that brings together more than ten individuals in one place (indoor or outdoor) at one time. Wilmington Police say this prohibition includes “drive-in” services. “We thank churches and all houses of worship for doing their part in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and believe that their participation is critical in our community-wide success,” said Daniel Thurston, City of Wilmington Police Attorney....

The mild spring weather was perfect for basketball, and residents of West Philadelphia’s Mill Creek neighborhood went outside. Adults and kids gathered on the concrete court and nearby on the sidelines Monday evening, playing games and sitting shoulder to shoulder. Neighbors said they counted more than three dozen people at the West Mill Creek playground that day — and few were taking precautions to ward off the spread of COVID-19. “They were chest-bumping, popping fist bumps. They were living like there was nothing happening,” said Reatha Wilson, whose Reno Street house faces the courts.

Seven miles in to our do-it-yourself wilderness elk hunt, I was growing discouraged with the number of hunters my buddies and I were seeing. Then, at about the 13-mile mark, camps began to dwindle. Leading our pack string of horses five more miles, we found the isolation we desired. That night – two days before opening day of Wyoming's archery season – the mountains were alive with bugling bulls. On opening morning, the three of us hiked four more miles, to over 9,000 feet in elevation. By 9 a.m., two of us had big bulls down, with the third member...

NEW YORK, April 7, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — An LGBT activist shouted his hatred for evangelical Christians as he was led away by police in Central Park on Sunday afternoon. Professional activist William Talen, 69, was arrested at the COVID-19 field hospital set up in New York’s iconic park by Samaritan’s Purse, an international evangelical disaster relief organization. Talen, who has made a career of mocking Christian clergymen, was in character as “Reverend Billy,” sporting a blond bouffant hairdo, a shocking pink suit, and a clerical collar as he planted an LGBT rainbow flag outside the 68-bed hospital. A statement from...

Long Island resident Anna Fortunato, a 90-year-old survivor of COVID-19, has a message for the rest of us: Do not be afraid. Do not despair. "Keep on fighting, have that positive a JERICHO, N.Y. -- Anna Fortunato, a 90-year-old survivor of COVID-19, has a message for the rest of us: Do not be afraid. Do not despair. "Keep on fighting, have that positive attitude, and pray," she says. "And get out of bed. Don't stay in bed all the time. ... And I want to say to them, 'If I did it, you can do it.'" That she is here...

WICHITA, Kansas, April 3, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Pro-life activists in Witchita, Kansas are calling on state health officials to suspend operations of Trust Women Wichita Clinic (TWWC) over reports that the abortion facility is taking in both patients and abortionists from states currently quarantined by the Kansas government. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) currently requires travelers who have recently been in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, or Washington, or recently been out of the country, to quarantine for 14 days due to concerns of spreading the coronavirus. Yet the Kansas Coalition for Life...

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) edited a headline from the New York Post that slammed her and other members of the "Squad." The headline, which reads, "'Squad' members want to make illegal immigrants eligible for coronavirus aid," was edited by Omar on Twitter, who swapped the words "illegal immigrants" to "American taxpayers." "There, fixed it for you," Omar said in her tweet. The New York Post report highlights components that progressive members of the so-called "squad," including Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Omar, want to add to the next coronavirus aid and relief package. The article highlighted that...

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...