Free Republic

Wonders never cease – nor historic lessons for applying to the present. As we endure this coronavirus quarantine, a certain hard-to-define comfort comes from knowing crews of Apollo 11, 12 and 14 went through this, too – 50 years ago. They are teaching us, even today. On return, the first three crews that walked on the moon got quarantined for three weeks – in order to protect the world against spread of moon bacteria. In the process, they recalled recent events, helped each other process the novel experience, thought about the future. While we have not recently been to the...

Istanbul — Turkey has the biggest coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, with more than 117,000 confirmed infections. More than 3,000 people have died. But the government claims to have a lower fatality rate than the global average estimated by the World Health Organization at over 3%. The Turkish government imposed weekend-only lockdowns and banned only those under the age of 20 and over 65 from leaving their homes during the week, in an effort to limit the economic impact of the pandemic. Turkey's Ministry of Health says the relatively low death toll is thanks to treatment protocols in the...

... The acting director of national intelligence (Richard Grenell) has decided that it's time for America to stop sharing information with countries who aren't as pro-LGBT as he is -- a view that's eerily similar to Hillary Clinton's State Department, where ideological blackmail was the order of every day. Instead, reverting to the cultural imperialism of the Obama years, he'd rather strong-arm countries -- putting national security on the line in the process... ..."I am not a seat warmer," Grenell warned. "The president asked me to do a job, and I am going to do the job to the best...

The next global pandemic may very well be a hunger pandemic as a result of the fallout from coronavirus. While the World Health Organization warns that stringent guidelines need to stay in place to combat the spread of COVID-19, fellow United Nations agency World Food Program (WFP) believes that it will lead to an uptick in global poverty and starvation, and the response to the virus itself may end up killing more people by the end of 2020. Last week, WFP cautioned the UN Security Council that the risk of large-scale famine in much of the developing world was now...

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Wednesday ordered that all New York City subway cars be cleaned every night by Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) workers to ensure the safety of essential personnel during the coronavirus pandemic. “Any essential worker who shows up and gets on a train should know that that train was disinfected the night before,” Cuomo told reporters at his daily coronavirus press briefing. “Letting them endanger their own life and endanger the lives of others is not helping anyone,” Cuomo said. The governor said that he wants the MTA to present to him a plan for...

House Democrats eager to limit White House spending authority introduced a bill Wednesday intended to increase transparency and heavily penalize violations. House budget committee Chair Rep. John Yarmouth, appropriations committee Chair Rep. Nita Lowey and oversight committee Chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney sponsored the 59-page Congressional Power of the Purse Act. Similar Senate legislation is expected from Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy. The House bill, in preparation for months, addresses what Democrats in Congress see as a series of abuses by the executive branch of President Donald Trump in withholding or redirecting funding to benefit his personal and political agenda. Trump's disputed...

The ReopenNC rally had largely disbanded by 2 p.m., but about 100 protesters blocked Blount Street in front of the governor’s mansion. State Capitol Police closed the sidewalk, so protesters shouted from the street, demanding that Cooper reopen the state’s businesses. They also took issue with the empty flagpoles in front of the mansion, asking why there were no flags flying. First Sgt. Michael Baker, spokesman for the N.C. Highway Patrol, said the flags were taken down as a precautionary measure due to a previous protest in which both the American and state flags were desecrated. “The state Highway Patrol...

A British women’s studies professor at the University of Oxford implied in a new op-ed that she does not want scientists at the renowned university to be the first to create a vaccine against coronavirus because she claims it would be used as “proof of British excellence” and that if the drug is in short supply, it wouldn’t be made immediately available to people outside the U.K. The op-ed: Dr. Emily Cousens notes in an opinion piece for the HuffPost that if Oxford researchers see the development of a coronavirus vaccine “as a race to be won” then “patriotism will...

@RepThomasMassie Big multinational meat processors are shutting down, animals are being wasted, and shortages are coming. Our bill, the PRIME Act, stands for: P-rocessor R-evival I-ntrastate M-eat E-xemption It would help with this problem now by empowering small US processors. Call your rep.

What I am about to say may surprise some people, especially considering that I am the president and founder of the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). Despite the fact that I have been pleasantly surprised by the large swath of Americans who are working to improve their preparedness in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic — indeed, the last two months have seen record firearms sales — I want to emphasize that going out and purchasing a gun is not the sole requirement of actually being prepared. Rather, it's a small step at the beginning of a lifelong and...

The U.S. marriage rate is lower than at any point in over a century, with only 6.5 unions per 1,000 people, a government statistics agency reported Wednesday. The National Center for Health Statistics' National Vital Statistics System, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said data for 2018, the most recent year analyzed, showed a decline from 6.9 marriages per 1,000 people in 2017. The 2018 figure is the lowest rate since the federal government began collecting data in 1867. "Millennials [referring to those born between roughly 1980 and 1996] are in peak marriage years, their 20s...

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Gaston County leaders announced their plan to reopen businesses in the county at 5 p.m. Wednesday, going against Governor Roy Cooper's stay home order. Even though Cooper extended his order for another two weeks through May 8, Gaston officials openly said they're contradicting him with their reopening order. The county plans to "reopen for business" and is giving business owners the option to reopen as long as they practice social distancing. For example, large venues like sit-down dining and move theaters can operate under strict protocols. Gyms can reopen if they adhere to strict physical distancing...

A man was arrested in Brooklyn on federal charges after he allegedly stole nine coronavirus stimulus checks from the mail. The US Postal Inspection Service arrested 31-year-old Feng Chen on Tuesday. Chen was seen rummaging through mail at four different buildings in Sunset Park on Friday, April 24, according to federal prosecutors. At the time of his arrest authorities said Feng had multiple credit cards, mail and checks bearing different names. He was charged with possession of stolen property and criminal trespass. In a bulletin obtained by ABC News, the Postal Inspection Service warned about the potential theft of stimulus...

[Catholic Caucus] Viganò: Pope’s call for ‘obedience’ to Italy’s ongoing Mass ban ‘undue…harmful’ In a wide-ranging interview, Archbishop Viganò called on bishops to be obedient to God first. April 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Amid the coronavirus pandemic and massive restrictions on Mass attendance, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has encouraged the bishops in Italy “to decide how to act, with prudence and wisdom, in order to guarantee the Sacraments and the celebration of the Mass to the faithful.” The Pope’s call for “obedience” to Italian “phase 2” restrictions that continue a ban on Mass is not only “undue, but is also...

Does anyone know if it is possible to donate to Donald Trump’s campaign, the Republican Party, Republican candidates or associated PACs anonymously? If I donate under a certain amount (e.g. $200) do I have to make all my info public? Do they check if it is fake info? It is sad that we have to do this, but The Left has become so brutal, we are forced to do it. Donations to Trump and the Republican Party would skyrocket if they allowed supporters to donate anonymously.

A coalition of doctors and Minnesota residents have sued the state’s abortion providers to stop them from performing surgical abortions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The complaint names Governor Tim Walz, Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Health Jan Malcolm, and each of Minnesota’s five abortion clinics as defendants. The plaintiffs include doctors, nurses, the AALFA Family Clinic, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Pro-Life Action Ministries, and several concerned individuals. The complaint notes that Governor Walz has ordered a halt to all “non-essential or elective” surgeries and procedures that use personal protective equipment (such as masks, gloves, and...

Good Afternoon And WELCOME To The Howie Carr Show!

Data collected at the county level shows that COVID-19 is more prevalent among black and Hispanic populations, revealing significant racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. County-level data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed staggering racial and ethnic disparities in care, with the virus disproportionately impacting black and Hispanic populations. For more coronavirus updates, visit our resource page, updated twice daily by Xtelligent Healthcare Media. A new report from the Commonwealth Fund shows that COVID-19 is more prevalent and deadly in US counties with higher black populations. While African Americans make up about 30 percent of the population in Chicago,...

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed millions of dollars to research treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 as the pandemic continues to spread across the globe. Those endeavors are now fueling a conspiracy theory that claims Bill Gates has plans to use the eventual vaccine to “track people.” That claim has circulated in conspiracy theory groups online over the last few weeks, but it recently graduated to a more mainstream audience. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and his “messianic conviction that he is ordained to save the world with technology.” If Bill Gates delivers a...

Fox News political commentator Tomi Lahren has called time on her relationship with fiancé Brandon Fricke - and she gave her $50,000 engagement ring back, DailyMail.com can reveal. Lahren, 27, and Fricke, 30, announced they were engaged in June last year, with Lahren showing off her glittering pear-shaped ring with a diamond encrusted band. But DailyMail.com has learned the pair called it off in mid-February after dating for two-and-a-half years. It's understood the decision to end the engagement was mutual and the pair - both fervent conservative pro-Trump supporters - remain firm friends. But those close to Lahren say the...