Free Republic

U.S. Attorney John Durham has expanded his team as his review of the Trump-Russia investigators ramps up during the coronavirus pandemic, which has gripped the country and swept the globe. The top federal prosecutor for Connecticut selected additional team members for his investigative effort in recent weeks, adding agents from the FBI, as well as the chief of the violent crimes and narcotics trafficking section for the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., Anthony Scarpelli, according to sources cited by CNN. Durham, who has been running the operation out of Connecticut and D.C., drove down to Washington a few weeks...

When historians write the book on the COVID-19 pandemic, what we’ve lived through so far will probably take up only the first third or so. The bulk of the story will be what happens next. The world will change a lot and for some reason, our best guess is that the Bill Of Rights will be erased. Our basic human rights are being destroyed every day and the majority of the American people don’t see this as a threat to our Country and our Constitution. New technologies are being created to prevent people from getting closer during their work hours...

The evening was already surreal, what with President Donald Trump throwing Brian Kemp under the bus and disavowing the governor’s plans to begin allowing small businesses to open doors closed by the pandemic. “Would I do that? No,” Trump had said from the White House. “I want to protect people’s lives. But I’m going to let him make his decision. But I told him I totally disagree.” Back in Atlanta,at 10 p.m., with her 9-year-old daughter looking over her shoulder, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms received a text on her phone: “[N-word], just shut up and RE-OPEN ATLANTA!” Seven minutes later,...

We’ve seen plenty of examples of quarterbacks being overdrafted. The Minnesota Vikings picked Christian Ponder way before they should have. EJ Manuel became Buffalo’s first-round pick. And so on. That happens when teams are desperate. There aren’t many franchises clamoring for a quarterback now. Former MVP Cam Newton is unsigned, as is 2019 passing leader Jameis Winston. They’re both former No. 1 overall picks. The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t traded Andy Dalton yet, and he’s a three-time Pro Bowler. Scoff at them if you wish, but a few years ago they’d have been in demand. The NFL quarterback field has never...

"This cat will never eat 'Chicken of the Sea' LOL"

You have to hand it to CNN. They’ve managed to find the “silver lining” in the Wuhan coronavirus. According to CNN’s Bill Weir, there’s the perception that the pandemic “has helped humanity buy some time when it comes to global warming.” Tom Elliott @tomselliott CNN’s @BillWeirCNN says Coronavirus “has helped humanity buy some time against global warming”; claims the virus came from too much deforestation Embedded video Yeah, you just had to have a world pandemic with 2,661,518 cases and 185,504 deaths officially reported according to Worldometers (which doesn’t include the undercounts of places like China, Iran and North Korea),...

John 3:31-36 Friends, today’s Gospel promises eternal life to those who believe in the Son of God. In almost every religion, the life of faith has something to do with a creature’s relationship to the Creator; nearly all religions speak of the creature’s dependency upon God, of his subjection to the divine providence, and of his need for grace and forgiveness. Christianity, too, articulates these basic relationships, but it pushes beyond them because it speaks of the Incarnation and the gifts associated with it.We hear in the third chapter of John’s Gospel that "God so loved the world that he...

Earlier today US health official Dr. Rick Bright told reporters he was ousted because he insisted on limiting the use of a drug President Donald Trump has pushed as a Covid-19 treatment despite little clinical evidence it works. Rick Bright was abruptly pushed out of his position as the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority on Tuesday and given a smaller role at the National Institutes of Health. Bright told reporters when leaving the drugs Trump has touted, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, “clearly lack scientific merit” Dr. Bright was very upset about the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat...

During World War II, nylon stockings disappeared from store shelves as the valuable synthetic material was diverted to make critical wartime supplies such as parachutes, flak jackets and aircraft fuel tanks. Now, new research suggests that nylon stockings could once again play a critical role in a national battle — this time by making homemade cloth masks significantly more protective. Researchers at Northeastern University have found that adding an outer layer made from nylon stockings to a homemade face covering can boost its ability to filter out small particles in the air by creating a tighter seal between the mask...

I don’t have time to transcribe this entire Tucker Carlson monologue from last night, but wanted to be sure readers of the Campaign Update saw it, because it’s important. The monologue is filled with facts demonstrating pretty clearly that stay-at-home policies have had little if any real impact on slowing the spread of this virus. These of course are facts that your government and corrupt news media are ignoring. Here’s a link to the clip: Carlson Monologue Here are some of the key quotes from it: Carlson: The whims of our political leaders are no unquestioned law: Dissent has been...

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican and the governor of one of just a handful of states that has not issued a statewide lockdown order, told Breitbart News exclusively on Wednesday her state is winning the war against the coronavirus without the extreme and draconian measures some other states have implemented. Noem said that despite earlier projections of a surge on the hospitals in South Dakota and nationwide, “no, we haven’t” seen such a surge. In fact, South Dakota has—again, without a lockdown—cut that number down by 75 percent of the projections, with much less than a hundred people...

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dozens of United States lawmakers are demanding more information on which long-term care facilities have confirmed COVID-19 cases, claiming health officials are “failing to collect and publicly report” that data. “Without understanding the scope and impact of the pandemic within long-term care facilities, the Administration and the Congress lack essential information to adequately respond and protect older Americans and individuals with disabilities who rely on these facilities to survive and are particularly at risk for COVID-19,” the letter reads. The letter calls on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,...

We are bombarded by images and newstories of the heroes in all of this. Nurses, doctors, grocery store workers, truckers. To me, what makes a hero is sacrifice. The people I've named above are no doubt making a sacrifice in time and work load, and yes, a greater risk of contracting the virus. They have been knighted by the media and society with unprecedented 'Hero' status. We are reminded everyday of their sacrifice. We are told that our existence depends on them. Replace the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan with nurses and doctors wearing face masks instead of camo...

Instead of respecting and worshiping fragility, anxiety, and vulnerability, it is time to reconsider stoicism and fortitude. In the last week, a 99-year-old World War II veteran from Yorkshire, England, raised more than 31 million British pounds for the National Health Service by walking around his yard in a challenge that then went viral. He is a member of a certain generation regularly taught that when the bugle calls, one should rally around the tattered banner regardless of who is leading the nation to battle.This sentiment was once ingrained in the bloodstream of every civic-minded individual all over the world:...

Today's Quotefall Puzzle features a quote by Ronald Reagan. Click puzzle (or click here) for full size rendition, then use your browser's print command to print puzzle. Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of the 20th Century, whose tenure ended the Cold War and initiated the resurgence of individual liberty in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland and Romania. All hints, along with the answer, are provided in the first reply comment below, using filtered font to prevent accidental spoilers. Please refrain from disclosing the full answer in comments to prevent spoilers.To solve the puzzle: Enter the letters in the top half (letter...

The Gateway Pundit reported back on March 21st that based on the data at that time the coronavirus had reacted negatively to heat. This indicates the virus would behave like strains of the flu and die out in the summer months. We added more to this yesterday and today we have additional information to support this claim. In a post on March 21st we reported that there were a number of anomalies with the data related to the China coronavirus. We listed the following observations:1. The current charts (by entities like John Hopkins) were not helpful as they instill fear...

A group of protesters showed up at a law enforcement officer’s home on Tuesday evening shortly after a woman was hauled off in handcuffs and arrested for taking her children to a playground. Two uniformed law enforcement officials can be seen outside of the home and interacting with protesters who are outraged with the lockdown tyranny that has arisen as a result of the coronavirus panic. The home belongs to one of the officers responsible for carrying out the brazenly tyrannical order. “They need to know this is not okay,” one concerned citizen told police. “We the people are not...

Its neighbors closed borders, schools, bars and businesses as the coronavirus pandemic swept through Europe, but Sweden went against the grain by keeping public life as unrestricted as possible. The strategy — aimed at allowing some exposure to the virus in order to build immunity among the general population while protecting high-risk groups like the elderly — has been controversial. Some health experts liken it to playing Russian roulette with public health. But now, the country’s chief epidemiologist said the strategy appears to be working and that “herd immunity” could be reached in the capital Stockholm in a matter of...

The so-called “experts” rarely mention this but the fact is coronavirus kills seniors and compromised individuals. We see this in country after country. New York leads the nation with 20,354 coronavirus deaths.In New York State the law required officials to bring COVID-19 patients back to nursing homes. Official New York policy encouraged infectious COVID-19 patients to be sent back to nursing homesReminder: about half of COVID-19 deaths have been nursing home patientsh/t @Marshmall0wpeep https://t.co/wlfqZwGawo— Bachman (@ElonBachman) April 22, 2020 43% of New Jersey deaths also involve nursing homes. 43% of NJ deaths involve nursing homes. In my county, 20% of...

The tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be entering the containment phase. Tens of thousands of Americans have died, and Americans are now desperate for sensible policymakers who have the courage to ignore the panic and rely on facts. Leaders must examine accumulated data to see what has actually happened, rather than keep emphasizing hypothetical projections; combine that empirical evidence with fundamental principles of biology established for decades; and then thoughtfully restore the country to function. Five key facts are being ignored by those calling for continuing the near-total lockdown. Fact 1: The overwhelming majority of people do not...