Free Republic

His face showing the strains of office, President Trump has obviously been on the job in the coronavirus pandemic. Apparently the voters have noticed, and Fox News reports that Trump is rising with voters: President Trump’s job approval soared 6 points in the last two weeks, according to the latest Gallup poll. The new survey found 49 percent approve of the president’s job in office and 47 percent disapprove, a personal best with Gallup for Trump. Two weeks ago, 43 percent approved of the president’s job, according to the pollster. Trump also had a 49 percent approval rating in mid-March, according...

Take one celebrity chef with a paranoid streak. Sprinkle in a host who encourages people to believe the absolute worst about President Trump. And you've got yourself the perfect recipe for a conspiracy theory regarding the coronavirus. Joy Reid had celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern as a guest on her MSNBC show today. Back in February, our Brad Wilmouth caught Zimmern engaging in the worst kind of warmist fear-mongering regarding food supply and production. Today, Zimmern was discussing the alleged lack of anti-virus protective gear on US farms, and said: "is it ineptitude, or is it a cabal of conspiracy? And...

When you think of the average critical COVID-19 patient, someone like Ben King may not come to mind. King is a 39-year old former professional athlete, healthy, with no pre-existing conditions. But after returning from a family cruise in early March, Ben King began to experience many of the symptoms of the coronavirus. In a video shared with 95.5 WSB, King and his wife, nurse Kristen, shared his experience. “My husband woke up and was running a 102.9 temperature, he was coughing his head off. He was really, really sick,” Kristen explained. “We work out, we run. We’re in pretty...

The United States just had its deadliest day on record due to the coronavirus as states across the country begin to ease restrictions meant to curb the spread of the virus, according to data published by the World Health Organization. The U.S. saw 2,909 people die of Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the data, which was collected as of 4 a.m. ET on Friday. That’s the highest daily Covid-19 death toll in the U.S. yet, based on a CNBC analysis of the WHO’s daily Covid-19 situation reports. Before May 1, the next highest U.S. daily death toll was 2,471...

India has ordered all public and private sector employees use a government-backed contact tracing app and maintain social distancing in offices as it begins easing some of its lockdown measures in districts less affected by the coronavirus. . . . The app has been downloaded around 83 million times in total in a country with a smartphone user base of about 500 million, according to the technology ministry. The app’s compulsory use is raising concerns among privacy advocates, who say it is unclear how the data will be used and who stress that India lacks privacy laws to govern the...

...The students in the chemistry class suspected of cheating are suspected of using a website to gain an advantage. In a letter to students obtained by NBC10 Boston, the professor of the course wrote, “we have learned that some of you have used various means, including websites such as Chegg, to get help during the quizzes given remotely...Chegg is a website that offers online tutoring and homework help with a monthly membership, but some students can use it to scheme by posting questions -- like from a test -- that they need answered...

Here's 5-week old Coco, a white British Shorthair, cuddling and playing with her human mom. Video, 3 minutes & 16 seconds

In late February, nearly a month after Presient Trump banned travel from China to the United States in January, the CDC terrorized Americans by claiming the Wuhan coronavirus had a mortality rate of 2.3% at its epicenter.The CDC compared the coronavirus mortality rate of 2.3% to the seasonal flu mortality rate of 0.1%. Two weeks later WHO leader, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, sparked a global panic when he claimed the COVID-19 had a 3.4% mortality rate and then compared that number to the annual estimated seasonal flu mortality rate of 0.1%.These irresponsible and completely inaccurate statements led to the greatest...

By letting the Rats be Rats, Trump shows us how really ratty the Rats can be in a crisis! Before mid-March, we lived in Trump World. Despite a lot of Rat shenanigans, we were winning bigly with the roaring economy and acquital after impeachment. Afterwards, when the ‘rona reared its ugly head, Trump listened to experts and followed recommendations for “flattening” the curve with stay-in-place orders. This lead to an economic shut-down, prompted the stimulus and explosion in debt, and opened the hospitals to ‘rona patients while _closing_ them to patients that were scheduled for other treatments and surgeries. We...

Wood is the resource the world is relying on for its low carbon future. It’s touted as a replacement for concrete and steel, fossil fuels, power and plastics. But is there enough of it to go around? […] According to the latest figures from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global forest production hit record levels in 2018. Up 11% on the year before. “We see an increasing demand for almost all of our products,” says Göran Örlander, strategist at Södra, Sweden’s largest association of forest owners. “The most obvious demand is for biofuels at the moment. Everybody wants...

A newly introduced bill aims to force colleges and universities with endowments valued at $10 billion or more to spend some of their own money on coronavirus-related financial assistance for students before they accept federal aid. Introduced April 22 by Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, the bill has gained steam, picking up Republican cosponsors in recent days, including Tennessee’s Marsha Blackburn, Florida’s Marco Rubio and Arizona’s Martha McSally.

What is going on? The reporting in the media of the China coronavirus is just plain horrible. The media is reporting massive death counts from the China coronavirus. These counts are coming from a couple of sources, one of which is the Worldometer coronavirus website. The death counts on these sites and in the media are over reporting the number of China coronavirus deaths by 62% when compared to the data at the CDC website.As of April 25, 2020, the CDC reported that 33,513 Americans died from the China coronavirus. Note that their number includes confirmed or presumed to be...

The Philadelphia Police Department on Friday announced that it would immediately end the controversial scale-back of arrests for some nonviolent crimes that was put in place in March in response to the pandemic. Police will now arrest people for certain property crimes, such as retail theft and burglary, officials said. Previously officers were instructed to detain suspects at the scene to be fingerprinted and identified, and then submit paperwork for charges to be filed later.

A struggling family faces many challenges with Social Service Agencies, while residing in America and in Israel. The Grandparents at some point come to the rescue of their Granddaughters.

...The problems began before COVID-19 restrictions took effect. Although donors had pledged or provided most of the $153 million requested by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to help governments fight the outbreak, supplies purchased by the agency did not start to arrive until mid-March, when a second generation of the ravenous insects was beginning to hatch. Coronavirus-related travel restrictions have since reduced the number of cargo flights, causing delays in the supply of pesticides and helicopters. Kenya was just four days away from running out of the chemicals altogether earlier this month, while Somalia has been in short...

Requesting FReeper feedback. Thank you.

An organization called We Have Rights is in downtown Los Angeles and Huntington Beach, where beaches were closed by order of Gov. Gavin Newsom after large crowds descended last weekend. In Huntington Beach, the demonstrators were shoulder-to-shoulder with beachgoers defying the beach closure orders. Several people were spotted riding bicycles and carrying surfboards to the water in defiance of the governor’s orders. “I’m here because I want our salon open,” said protestor Tami Avants. “I think everybody is essential.” An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people were just feet from the shores, calling for the governor to end shutdown orders. “The...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More than 1,300 individuals at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center have tested positive for COVID-19. In response, Gov. Bill Lee’s Unified Command Group has announced that a mass testing initiative will begin next week for all staff and inmates. The Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed the positive cases on Friday. Out of the 2,450 total tests, more than 1,300 staff and inmates tested positive. According to the state, analysis of the test results confirmed that 98% of those who tested positive are asymptomatic.

Four tons of cocaine worth more than $165 million seized off of the Spanish coast last week has been linked to Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, US authorities said. Spanish, Colombian and UK police working in conjunction with the US Drug Enforcement Administration intercepted a ship carrying the drugs 300 miles off the coast of Galicia, in northern Spain.

Former President Barack Obama violated Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's stay-at-home order by sneaking out to play golf. He also embarrassed his wife whose broadcast message urged folks to "remember, we urge you to stay home except if you need essential health care, essential food or supplies, or to go to your essential job." Barack defended his golf outing contending "it was essential health care. Michelle's great and I love her, but being cooped up at home day after day is very stressful. Besides, what activity could be more socially distancing than golf. I can't understand why Gov. Northam banned it....