Free Republic

"Surreal" is a word people have been using a lot in the last month or so, under the new coronavirus reality. The word can be used to touch upon the terrifying and the life-endangering, as well as the merely inconvenient. Many of our lives are not what they once were. Routines are out of whack, and work and family dynamics are shifting. And, of course, there is the all-around uncertainty, and the wistful thought that maybe this is all just a bad dream we will wake up from. We need something to latch on to when we don't really have...

“It’s a great honor and I’m humbled for this endorsement from these freedom fighters (Bay of Pigs Veterans Association)…You were fighting for the values of freedom and liberty that unite us all. (Candidate Donald Trump, receiving endorsement of Bay of Pigs veterans at the Bay of Pigs Museum in Miami, Florida, Oct. 25, 2016.) 'Shameless ELECTION YEAR PANDERING!' snort liberals. Well: “I really admire toughness and courage, and I will tell you that the people of this brigade [Brigada 2506] really have that…you were let down by our country.” (Donald Trump, addressing Bay of Pigs Veterans at the Bay of...

On March 27, 1947, the press reported on the Hutchins Commission report about the media. Robert M. Hutchins, the president of the University of Chicago, served as the chair of the 1940s Commission on the Freedom of the Press. Time magazine’s Henry Luce suggested the creation of the commission and provided $200,000 in grants. They evaluated the print and broadcast media as well as motion pictures. Their final report, “A Free and Responsible Press,” concluded that freedom of the press was in danger. The commission cautioned against ownership concentration, rising costs, and the media’s preoccupation with sensational news. They felt...

What President Donald Trump says and does often flies in the face of mainstream science. Coronavirus and the idea of injecting disinfectants is only the latest episode. When a rare solar eclipse happened in 2017, astronomers and eye doctors repeatedly warned people not to stare directly at the sun without protection. Photos show Trump did anyway. He later donned protective glasses. For decades, scientists have called climate change a pressing issue, pointing to data, physics and chemistry. Trump regularly called it a hoax until recently. He also claims that noise from wind turbines - which he refers to as windmills...

Courts in Illinois are being asked to weigh in on whether Gov. JB Pritzker and his administration have the legal authority to take a range of actions to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, including whether the governor had the power to shut down businesses and other organizations for more than 30 days. In the memo, dated April 21, Robinson indicates the governor’s reliance on the state law known as the Illinois Emergency Management Act falls short under both the law and the constitution. Pritzker’s actions may violate constitutional rights. Even though those infringements may be “justified” in response to the...

TORONTO/OTTAWA - The gunman in Canada’s worst ever mass shooting began the weekend rampage that ultimately killed 22 people after his girlfriend escaped him when he assaulted her, a top police official said on Friday. Police did not give details about the nature of the assault or how she escaped and fled into the woods. Local media said she had been tied up. The woman’s name was not provided. She is currently recovering from her injuries and cooperating with police. “It was a significant assault, and this individual female did manage to escape, and that could very well have been...

The powerful United Auto Workers union on Friday criticized Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman’s call to re-open casinos despite the continued risk of coronavirus, the latest labor organization to weigh in on her remarks. UAW president Rory Gamble, whose union represents casino workers in Las Vegas along with automobile workers across the United States, called on Nevada politicians to denounce Goodman at a time when states are looking at how to re-open businesses in ways that keep workers safe. “UAW Casino employees, their families and the community are not test subjects for her irresponsible theories on public health and the...

Tackling climate change must be woven into the solution to the Covid-19 economic crisis, the UK will tell governments next week. Environment ministers from 30 countries are meeting in a two-day online conference in a bid to make progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The gathering is called the "Petersberg Climate Dialogue". It will focus on how to organise a "green" economic recovery after the acute phase of the pandemic is over. The other aim is to forge international agreement on ambitious carbon cuts despite the postponement of the key conference COP26 - previously scheduled for Glasgow in November (now...

SHERMAN OAKS (CBSLA) – A homeless woman diagnosed with coronavirus who was staying at a hotel in Sherman Oaks broke her quarantine Thursday afternoon and refused to return. The woman was staying at the Sherman Hotel in the 15000 block of Ventura Boulevard as part of a medical sheltering program through the city. Just before 2 p.m., Los Angeles police were notified by hotel staff that the woman had gone missing from the hotel. Police put out a missing person alert and officers were finally able to locate the woman. However, she refused to return to the hotel and police...

The number of coronavirus cases and fatalities continued to climb this week in Los Angeles. But Mayor Eric Garcetti says the rate of increase was slower than in recent weeks, and initial data suggests the region’s curve is flattening and beginning to bend back down. That’s why it will be especially important for Angelenos to stay indoors this weekend — even amid record-setting heat, Garcetti said in his virus briefing Friday. The mayor reminded residents that all city and county beaches, trails and recreation facilities are closed. “There is a direct correlation between what you do this weekend and how...

After a near three year absence on the social media giant Twitter, General Michael Flynn returned late on Friday night. The General, who sparked outrage from the left by going after key political figures in 2016 while being the President’s top National Security Adviser, had grown silent since he was set up by the F.B.I. Flynn returned sharing the declaration filed by his attorney Sydney Powell on January 29th, 2020. It’s a stunning recollection of how his former legal team was dishonest in representing him, and it also pulls his plea deal with the US government off the table. Flynn’s...

I received a call from my brother this evening with an interesting quandary. Our mother passed at age 92 in April of 2018. Today he received a check for $1,200. The check clearly states: (My Mothers Name) DECD % (My brothers name) (My brothers address) It is also labeled as: "Economic impact payment" My brother, the executor of the very modest 'estate', was asking my advice. I suggested, depositing it, while we seek further information or consultation from an attorney (my BIL). Neither of us need the $600 bucks (after the split), nor do we feel it should have been...

...While it may be tempting to imagine that President Trump’s reelection hinges on the public’s assessment of his pandemic leadership and on the degree to which the country has recovered from the virus-related recession, I would like to propose another critical theme that could tip the scales: China...[A] recent Pew Research Center poll reveals that attitudes to China have grown dramatically more negative across the board. Even rank-and-file Democrats see China as a bad actor in the global tragedy of COVID-19. In short, 72 percent of Republicans view China negatively, as do fully 62 percent of Democrats.

Conservatives should stop helping ultraconservative Democrats lie by agreeing with the Democrats' false claim that Democrats are liberals instead of ultraconservatives. Conservatives should also stop calling outdated Democratic ideas "progressive". Conservatives, like many Americans, falsely believe there are only two political "attitudes" in the United States. One attitude is called "liberal". The other is called "conservative". There is a third attitude called "ultraconservative" which has at times adversely affected American society. Real liberals are open-minded and sometimes overly optimistic about the positive impact of change. Democrats are closed-minded True Believers who tend to believe they are Right about everything and...

Tucker Carlson said rural America is being punished by coronavirus lockdowns, calling the restrictions in some states "mindless and cruel" in light of infection numbers. In a monologue on Thursday's edition of Tucker Carlson Tonight, the Fox News Host argued that COVID-19 posed a "miniscule" threat to people in rural states as he highlighted the dire state of unemployment across the country.

An NYPD cop is in hot water after the brand-new Cadillac she was driving ended up in the drink near Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, police and sources told The Post on Friday. Officer Halima Hadire, 39, is now on modified duty and had her gun and badge taken from her while the department probes the incident. The officer told cops she was with a 42-year-old man in his glitzy new ride near a boat ramp around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday when the vehicle had a mechanical issue, sources said. The policewoman was off-duty at the time. Hadire said she mistakenly...

On this date in 1683,* Yaoya Oshichi gave her life for her red-hot love … and the want of a little white lie. The greengrocer’s daughter Oshichi (English Wikipedia page | Japanese) legendarily fell in love with a priest of the nearby temple while taking refuge there during one of Edo’s many fires (Japanese link), and in a truly adolescent outburst proceeded to start another fire in the hopes of meeting him again. (Alternate version: it was Oshichi’s gesture that actually started the linked conflagration.) As a 16-year-old, Oshichi was just barely eligible to suffer the full weight of the...

Harold Reid, a member of the Statler Brothers, died on Friday (April 24) following a long battle with kidney failure. He was 80. A statement on the band’s website reads, “He is and will always be loved by his family, friends and millions of fans. His singing, his songwriting and his comedy made generations happy. He has taken a piece of our hearts with him.”

A very interesting development that could prove to be quite important. Today Michael Flynn’s counsel received a letter from the DOJ notifying his defense the Missouri U.S. Attorney, who was brought in to review all of the evidence in the case, has delivered new evidence and information on the case filed under seal. Here’s the letter: https://theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/flynn-case-april-24-2020.jpg Further reporting from Sean Davis at the Federalist gives some background on the sealed evidence that indicates the provided information is exculpatory. According to Davis’s sources the internal investigative documents “will reflect poorly on the FBI.” […] The new documents, which were filed...

In a profile about Abrams's quest to join the Democratic ticket, the Atlantic reported: "According to several people familiar with the campaign’s running-mate selection process, Abrams is not currently a likely choice." It is not clear whether Abrams meets what Biden is looking for in a nominee: someone who is capable of quickly assuming duties as president and someone who meshes with his policy priorities and style. When confronted with questions about her foreign policy experience, Abrams said that she has spent the last 20 years 'thinking about' international issues independently. Abrams has talked to Biden in a recent phone...