Free Republic

he Trump administration is concerned that China could be trying to squeeze U.S. allies with a recent diplomatic salvo of coronavirus-related medical aid and humanitarian assistance, R. Clarke Cooper, the State Department’s assistant secretary for political-military affairs, said in an interview with Foreign Policy.

Last summer, in the middle of what struck me as an otherwise very full life, I went to my first Weird Al Yankovic concert. Weird Al, for anyone reading this through a golden monocle, is the most renowned comedy musician in the history of the multiverse — a force of irrepressible wackiness who, back in the 1980s, built a preposterous career out of song parodies and then, somehow, never went away. After 40 years, Yankovic is now no longer a novelty, but an institution — a garish bright patch in the middle of America’s pop-cultural wallpaper, a completely ridiculous national...

Famed anthropologist Jane Goodall is blaming humans’ abuse of Mother Nature for the global coronavirus crisis. “It is our disregard for nature and our disrespect of the animals we should share the planet with that has caused this pandemic, that was predicted long ago,” the 86-year-old animal expert told Agence France-Presse (AFP). The British scientist, best known for her lifelong study of chimpanzees, argued that destroying habitats has forced animals into closer proximity, spreading diseases — and ultimately infecting humans. She said the deadly crisis also highlights the dangers of “meat markets for wild animals in Asia, especially China, and...

The secret of Jodi Huisentruit's disappearance could die with the execution of a notorious Iowa drug kingpin. Dustin Honken is up for execution for the murder of five people in the 1990s -- and supposedly knows who abducted the television news anchor back in June of 1995. Steve Ridge is an investigative journalist who's dedicated the last 19 months looking into Jodi's case. Ridge says an accomplice of Honken's, Angela Johnson -- who is also serving time in prison for her part in the murders-- claims that Honken knows who abducted Jodi. Honken was set to be executed in January,...

President Trump won’t fire White House coronavirus task force member Anthony Fauci despite sharing a tweet with the hashtag #FireFauci, a spokesman said on Monday. “This media chatter is ridiculous – President Trump is not firing Dr. Fauci,” said White House principal deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley. “The President’s tweet clearly exposed media attempts to maliciously push a falsehood about his China decision in an attempt to rewrite history,” Gidley said. “It was Democrats and the media who ignored Coronavirus choosing to focus on impeachment instead, and when they finally did comment on the virus it was to attack President...

The far left often likes to claim it’s the ultimate bastion of tolerance. But we all know that that’s hardly the case, especially if those four dreaded letters — MAGA — somehow become involved. You would, however, think that given how much the left likes to accuse conservatives and the right of being homophobic, leftists would be nicer to gay conservatives. Straka’s grass-roots movement is encouraging other liberals to do the same. Straka’s mission to walk away was only emboldened after an incident involving a model, Hanna Blanchette, at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Straka is currently filming a video...

A Florida police chief was placed on paid leave for allegedly suggesting that a sheriff’s deputy died from the coronavirus because he was gay, according to reports. Davie Police Chief Dale Engle, 56, was put on leave as of Saturday “pending further review” of accusations made a day earlier by the state’s Fraternal Order of Police, the town announced in a statement. A Florida police chief was placed on paid leave for allegedly suggesting that a sheriff’s deputy died from the coronavirus because he was gay, according to reports. Davie Police Chief Dale Engle, 56, was put on leave as of...

South Dakota will be the first state to hold a statewide trial for hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment of the coronavirus. Gov. Kristi Noem announced on Monday that the state health department and every major hospital would take part in a clinical trial to treat COVID-19 patients and those who have been exposed to individuals who tested positive for the coronavirus. The trial, which will be led by Sanford Health, was given approval by federal authorities to be the first statewide trial of the drug. "We are going to be the first state in the nation to run a statewide...

AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than a dozen workers at Planned Parenthood clinics across Austin are now without a job. They say they believe it’s direct retaliation for both voicing complaints to the CEO and their ongoing efforts to unionize within the past year. Planned Parenthood management confirmed it made staff cuts, but it says it’s a business decision it had to make because of COVID-19. For nearly two years, Ella Nonni has worked for Planned Parenthood. She most recently served as the senior medical assistant at the North Austin location. She was distraught to learn that she and around 20...

While it looks like everyone is taking seriously the average worker’s needs, no one at the decision-making level has thought of the small business owner. If you’re a small business owner like I am, you’ve been closely following the stimulus efforts of the federal government, looking for a lifeline out of the mess of delayed payments, lost revenue, and furloughed employees. Unfortunately, while it looks as though everyone is taking seriously the average worker’s needs, no one at the decision-making level has thought of the small business owner. Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on March 18, providing...

On Easter Sunday, a federal judge ruled that Alabama cannot stop abortion facilities from killing unborn babies in elective abortions during the coronavirus outbreak. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled that abortion facilities should be the ones to decide if an abortion is essential, and the state cannot close them – even during a national health crisis, the AP reports. Thompson issued a preliminary injunction, which expands his earlier ruling blocking the state from enforcing health care restrictions on abortion facilities. His initial ruling expired Monday. Similar to most states, Alabama is restricting all non-essential medical care during the pandemic....

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday the state is “controlling the spread” of the coronavirus, and it appears that “the worst is over ... if we continue to be smart going forward.” But he pointed to a flattening of the daily death toll, the flattening in the net number of hospitalizations and a drop in the number of people on ventilators as evidence that radical measures such as the shuttering of nonessential businesses have helped to contain the virus. Cuomo said he will make an announcement later Monday about plans for reopening the state in conjunction with some other...

Editor’s Note: This article is the second in an ongoing series about controversial South Korean religious leader David Jang and a business empire that includes Olivet University and The Christian Post newspaper. To read Part 1 in this series, click here. It examines the money-laundering scheme to which former Christian Post CEO William Anderson pled guilty. Part 2 examined The Christian Post’s influence in the Christian world, and its coverage of the misdeeds of its current and former leaders. This article examines the “hear-no-evil, see-no-evil approach” embraced by many evangelical leaders who bask in the glow of Jang’s influential...

** Fauci went on CNN on Easter Sunday and suggested that President Trump should have shut down the country in February! ** Fauci later went on with Al Sharpton on MSNBC and and told Al Sharpton that he warned President Trump that “we were in real trouble” from the coronavirus. Earlier today we reported on a list of several contradictory statements made by the good doctor. Now there’s more… Back on March 9 Dr. Fauci told Americans cruises were OK. And back in February Fauci said malls, gyms and movie theaters were OK.

Some Bay Area residents are learning the hard way - violating the stay at home order can be costly. But it really depends on where you are in the Bay Area. Different cities and counties are enforcing the orders in their own way. At Sea Cliff beach in Santa Cruz County, a San Jose woman who wished to remain anonymous was cited Thursday after snapping a photo during what she called a "mental break" from the confines of home.

Anthony Scaramucci’s SkyBridge Capital LLC was hit by heavy losses in March from a big bet on debt investments and now is considering possible steps after some of its hedge-fund managers prevented SkyBridge and other clients from withdrawing their money. New York-based SkyBridge invests billions of dollars in hedge funds for wealthy clients. The firm lost 22.5% in March in its flagship fund, according to an investor document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. For the year, the fund is down 21.9% through March. Some of those hedge funds have blocked SkyBridge and other investors from withdrawing money as they...

A federal judge granted a restraining order against a Kentucky mayor who promised to record the license plates of Easter church goers, calling the order “unconstitutional.” U.S. District Court Judge Justin Walker granted the temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer from blocking Easter drive-in-services at On Fire Church, the non-profit public interest law firm First Liberty Institute announced in a Saturday press release. According to First Liberty, the Louisville church had been hosting drive-in-church services for several weeks consistent with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coronavirus guidelines. The order prevents Louisville from “enforcing; attempting...

The coronavirus outbreak has fueled attempts to ban abortions in some states, but providers where the procedure remains available report increased demand, often from women distraught over economic stress and health concerns linked to the pandemic. “The calls we’ve been getting are frantic,” said Julie Burkhart, who manages clinics in Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City. “We’ve seen more women coming sooner than they would have because they’re scared they won’t be able to access the services later.” Some clinics are seeing patients who traveled hundreds of miles from states such as Texas, which has banned abortions during much of the...

Actor Kevin Sorbo slammed the mixed-up priorities of American politics Thursday, noting how abortion facilities are still allowed to kill unborn babies but Christians are being punished for going to church. Sorbo is a rare pro-life voice in Hollywood. The 61-year-old actor is known for his roles in the “Hercules” TV series, “God’s Not Dead” and various other Christian films. On Thursday, Sorbo, a Christian, commented on the drastic measures politicians are taking to protect Americans from the coronavirus. He said America is in a “morbid condition” when it allows unborn babies to be killed in abortions but bans church...

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has accused the U.S. State Department of spreading disinformation by not mentioning Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in a Facebook post about the International Day of Human Space Flight. […] “Not noting this is disinformation and a base trick of the post-truth epoch,” the Russian ministry said on its own page. …