Free Republic

Racist plaques depicting Winnie the Pooh holding a bat with chopsticks have begun to pop up around Atlanta, and police have no leads as to who is responsible.

More than a dozen governors extended their economic shutdown orders recently into May and beyond. Those officials should have publicly addressed the following questions first: How many coronavirus deaths do you expect to avert by the shut-down extension? What will your state’s economy look like after another month of enforced stasis? How many workers will have lost their jobs? How many businesses will have closed for good? How many of your state’s young residents, seeking employment for the first time, will be unable to find it?...

A few days after he was shocked by 16-year-old chess sensation Alireza Firouzja, world champion Magnus Carlsen has enacted his revenge on the Iranian. The Norwegian was stunned last week in the final of Banter Blitz Cup by Firouzja, who won $14,000 as a result. But Carlsen, who has been world champion since 2013, reclaimed his spot on top with a 2.5-1.5 victory in Round 2 of the Magnus Carlsen Invitational. The tournament, hosted by the grandmaster and in which eight of the world's best players face off, is the world's richest online chess tournament, with a prize of $250,000.

Underage drinking, disorderly conduct and breaking the Stay Home order in an Amish barn. The party took place in Huntsburg Township, Ohio. Huntsburg is home to a very large Amish population about an hour East of Cleveland. There have been reports along with pictures of large Amish gatherings sent to police during the Stay Home order. Last weekend Geauga County Sherriff's responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a large party according to Fox 8, “When we got there, there was a barn full of people some of them ran, “ said Geauga Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand. “There was one that was...

U.S. Supreme Court Associated Press v. United States, 326 U.S. 1 (1945) Associated Press v. United States No. 57 Argued December 5, 6, 1944 Decided June 18, 1945* 326 U.S. 1 Syllabus By-laws of the Associated Press, a cooperative association engaged in gathering and distributing news in interstate and foreign commerce, prohibited service of AP news to nonmembers, prohibited members from furnishing spontaneous news to nonmembers, and empowered members to block membership applications of competitors. A contract between AP and a Canadian press association obligated both to furnish news exclusively to each other. Charging, inter alia, that the bylaws and...

...According to the pro-Beijing South China Morning Post, owned by Jack Ma (owner of the firm Alibaba and a member of the Chinese Communist Party), the first case of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, was confirmed on November 17, 2019. But according to the official website of the WHO, it first received a report from China about the virus outbreak on December 31. Before that date, did the WHO receive or discover any other information about the outbreak? If so, what was the organization’s reaction? What did Chinese authorities say in their first report to the WHO? Can the public see...

Handguns are almost always inferior to rifles in terms of accuracy and stopping power. Since defensive fighting usually happens up close, those qualities are important, but casual carrying of long guns is not socially acceptable in much of the world. The solution is to use the most powerful handgun that’s still practical for unsupported firing. Guncrafter Industries Model No. 4 Hunting pistol attempts to create exactly that kind of weapon by combining 6 inches of barrel with a .50-caliber bore, the largest legally possible without National Firearms Act paperwork. That way, the projectile already has an impressive frontal area, 23...

Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) is set to be punished by her local Democratic Party committee for meeting with President Trump and crediting him with helping to save her life from the COVID-19 Chinese coronavirus by his urging of consideration of hydroxychloroquine treatment. Whitsett went to the White House earlier this month where she met with Trump, Vice President Pence and other COVID-19 survivors. The Detroit News reported on the Democrats’ plan to punish Whitsett (excerpt): Detroit Democrats plan to vote Saturday to censure and bar any future endorsements of a Democratic lawmaker who credited President Donald Trump with...

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said during an exclusive interview on “Sunday Morning Futures” that China "cornered" the personal protective equipment (PPE) market during the coronavirus outbreak and “is profiteering.”

NOTE: Event originally planned for Thursday night April 23, but has been moved to Sunday Night, April 26. at 8:30 p.m. We’d hoped to have have our next and third speaking tour and a handful of Reader Receptions in Florida this past March. But, like the rest of the world, our plans were foiled by a Chinese lab experiment gone wrong (or right).

A little something from Neil Sedaka to help us through the current crisis. Neil has been entertaining us for more that 60 years, without a hint of scandal or controversy. God bless him.

President Trump signed an executive order slowing some green card processing, though a prior draft of the order was much more expansive and broad, Breitbart News has learned. The executive order, which can be modified in 60 days, halts a modest level of legal immigration from employment-based green card categories and extended family green card categories while exempting all visa worker programs.

President Donald J. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Second Lady Karen Pence walk with House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after participating in a tree planting ceremony in honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day Wednesday, April 22, 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday wiped her dripping nose with her bare hand, then took that same hand and wiped it all over the House floor lectern used by other members of Congress.

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis Targeting Latin Mass? Traditionalists fear Vatican will use survey to ban Old Rite VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - Catholics worshipping according to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass are deeply apprehensive after the Vatican sent bishops a questionnaire asking for "their advice" on the Latin Mass.   The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) is directing bishops to complete a survey on Pope Benedict XVI's edict Summorum Pontificum stating that "His Holiness Pope Francis wishes to be informed about the current application of the aforementioned document." Latin Mass parishes are drawing children and young people In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI clarified that the...

The COVID-19 crisis proves what many of us have argued for decades: China’s internal political system is an international problem. Like other communist governments, the PRC is an ends-justify-the-means regime that has contempt for the individual at home and disdain for norms of behavior abroad. In the aftermath of COVID-19, much of the world is finally waking up to this reality. This awakening and consequent reckoning could have a dramatic impact on China.

Upon examining a wealth of existing research dating as far back as the 1950s, the authors of the paper explain that flushing a toilet that contains fecal matter can produce bioaerosols that remain in the air for an extended period of time. Much of the research suggests the material remains in the air for up 8 minutes after the toilet was flushed.

WESTPORT, Conn. — Westport has decided against launching a pilot program to use drones in the fight against covid-19. The drones would have been equipped with technology that can determine everything from a person's heart rate to if they have a fever and if people are following social distancing guidelines. Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas announced today that, after careful consideration and in collaboration with First Selectman Jim Marpe, the Westport Police Department has chosen not to participate in the Draganfly drone “Flatten the Curve Pilot Program.” 'Dragon fly' -- the company behind the technology says their drones are not...

A Detroit, Mich., branch of the Democratic Party plans to censure state representative Karen Whitsett (D., Detroit) after she met with President Trump earlier this month and praised him for recommending the anti-viral drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus. Whitsett contracted coronavirus in March and has since recovered. The freshman lawmaker credited hydroxychloroquine, a medication touted by Trump and other U.S. officials as a possible therapeutic for coronavirus, with saving her life. “Thank you for everything that you have done,” Whitsett told Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the White House on April 14. “I did not know...

Hackers are trying to infect organizations throughout the world with a popular strain of malware by sending emails that appear to be from an Egyptian oil company. In research published Tuesday, Romanian antivirus company BitDefender noted a surge in attempted phishing attacks that try to trick users into downloading malware by masquerading as Enppi, an oil company owned by the Egyptian government. The malware, known as Agent Tesla, is a spyware tool which enables hackers to monitor keystrokes, steal data about file downloads and collect username and password credentials from internet browsers, among other capabilities. The number of attacks spiked...