Free Republic

Why not just conduct a randomized controlled trial to test whether masks work against COVID-19? Why assume such a draconian and dehumanizing mandate works as if it's an article of faith and create such division when we can discover which side is correct? That's what a group of Danish researchers felt, which is why, over the spring, they conducted such a study. So why have the results not been published, three months later? According to one Danish newspaper, the study has been rejected by three medical journals because the results are too controversial. Berlingske, Denmark's oldest operating daily newspaper, published...

In an effort to encourage people to get to the polls, Michelle Obama teamed up with LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells brand for a special voting playlist. Filled with old-school hip-hop tracks aimed at getting people excited to cast their ballots, Michelle’s Voting Soundtrack features classics by The Roots, Public Enemy, and more. Michelle shared the playlist Friday, one day after she took advantage of early voting and cast her own ballot. Along with The Roots and Public Enemy, her Voting Soundtrack features Queen Latifah’s “U.N.I.T.Y,” Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s “Respiration” with Common, Black Sheep’s “The Choice Is...

Fox Business host Lou Dobbs sent a message to South Carolinians on Friday: Feel free to vote Sen. Lindsey Graham out of office in November. Dobbs, a veteran TV host and staunch supporter of President Trump, criticized the South Carolina Republican over his decision not to subpoena the CEOs of Facebook and Twitter after concerns were raised about potential liberal bias in their fact-checking and social media monitoring of news articles and comments. Graham had announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, was close to getting a voluntary appearance by the heads of the companies, and he would...

A Seattle man pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud for carrying out a scheme to defraud several COVID-19 relief programs.Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran of the Western District of Washington, Special Agent in Charge Weston King of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General’s (SBA-OIG) Western Region, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) J. Russell George, and Special Agent in Charge Raymond Duda of the FBI’s Seattle Field Office made the announcement.Baoke Zhang, 35, of Issaquah, Washington, pleaded guilty to...

"It's easy to justify standing aside," he said. "This is a genuine effort just to make the world a better place using the tools at our disposal." David Barrett is afraid. Afraid that President Trump is unraveling democracy before his eyes. Afraid for his business that depends on having a functioning economy. Afraid for the future and what comes next. What he's not afraid of is speaking up and telling his customers that they should vote for Joe Biden. Barrett spoke to Protocol Thursday night to explain how he made the unusual decision, just 12 days before the election,...

In a recent study comparing the outcomes of different states that enforced lockdowns to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, researchers found that "[m]andated lockdowns had little effect on the spread of the coronavirus." Whether it was California, which enforced strict lockdowns that including beaches and skate parks, or South Dakota, which essentially left itself open for business, the patterns of outbreak and case numbers were practically the same. In another study from the AAPS that evaluated the effectiveness of face masks, the writers concluded that "[w]earing masks (other than N95) will not be effective at preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, whether worn...

We have asked voters here (please, you must have early voted or are definitely going to vote to participate) to tell us what they think about CNN versus a reliable news source elsewhere. Comments will be unedited (by me). Just don't use profanity, which is the rule here, and try to be as coherent as possible.

A Riverside man was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to commit terrorist attacks in the Inland Empire and for providing assault rifles later used in the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack that killed 14 people.Enrique Marquez Jr., 28, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal.Today’s sentencing concludes a case in which Marquez pleaded guilty in 2017 to conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339A. In the plea agreement and in open court, Marquez admitted that he conspired with Syed Rizwan Farook in 2011...

The United States promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific region where likeminded nations uphold the international rules-based order. The United States is a Pacific power. The People’s Republic of China’s illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and harassment of vessels operating in the exclusive economic zones of other countries in the Indo-Pacific, threatens our sovereignty, as well as the sovereignty of our Pacific neighbors and endangers regional stability. Efforts of the United States Government, including the United States Coast Guard (USCG) are critical to countering these destabilizing and malign actions. The USCG continues to modernize and enhance the capabilities of its...

Hospitalized coronavirus patients who took daily aspirin for cardiovascular health had a lower death risk than those who did not take aspirin, according to the findings of a new study conducted by researchers with the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Patients who took aspirin also had a lower risk of complications, while their chances of requiring admission into the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) and being ventilated also fell, according to a news release regarding the findings, which were published Wednesday in the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia.

(CNN)Stacey Abrams, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, is about to enter the animated world of the Johnson family. Abrams, a former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate and chair of the voting rights advocacy group Fair Fight, is set to lend her voice to the upcoming animated episode of ABC's 'black-ish,' CNN has learned exclusively. In the episode, which is the the second of two new episodes scheduled to air back-to-back on October 4, Dre (Anthony Anderson) begins to explore local politics and, at one point, seeks some advice from Abrams, the network said. The two episodes...

A 23-year-old accused of lighting and throwing a large firework at Portland police and state troopers during a protest in Northeast Portland last month pleaded not guilty Friday to federal civil disorder. Ty John Fox was caught on video walking behind a line of protesters on Sept. 6, turning toward the camera and using a torch to ignite a large, cylindrical firework and then throwing it over protesters toward the officers, causing a large explosion, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Radcliffe told a magistrate judge. He was arrested within a couple of hours near Northeast 122nd Avenue and East Burnside Street....

    ***** Tunes For Our Troops ~ Brought To You By The Letter "B" ~ ***** ~ Support The Artists You Hear Throughout The Canteen ! ~   ***** Warning: Not all music may be appropriate for children! Please click with caution. Thank you! Tunes For The Troops     This music is provided for the entertainment of our Troops, Veterans, Allies & their families! Enjoy the variety of musical selections that the Canteen DJs provide throughout the thread. Please ping any DJ with your requests for the Troops! All music is removed on Monday.Thanks to all the...

Larissa LaMay, a lesbian Michigan State Police sergeant, has sued the department alleging that officials discriminated against her because she’s white. Her proof is that a Black fellow officer got a promotion that she wanted. Her lawyer says the force – which is 90% white and 91% male – is “drunk on diversity.” LaMay also alleges that her supervisor was openly homophobic. In a federal lawsuit, she claims that a Black woman who had been “disciplined for failing to show up for work” get the promotion when she didn’t deserve it. Three similar lawsuits have been filed by other officers....

Convalescent plasma generated great enthusiasm in the earliest days of the coronavirus disease The PLACID Trial was a rigorous randomized controlled study on a topic of enormous global importance In prespecified, intention-to-treat analyses, the PLACID Trial investigators found no net benefit associated with convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with moderate covid-19 there was no net clinical benefit to patients

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The two people arrested Wednesday while protesting at Memphis Police Department’s Ridgeway Station said police were out of line for arresting them. The cameras were rolling when activists lined up outside protesting U.S. Attorney General William Barr’s visit. FOX13 spoke exclusively with the woman arrested. She accused Memphis Police of using excessive force. Quevonna Davis who goes by the name Bluu got out of Jail East around 11:30 Wednesday night. Davis was charged with Disorderly Conduct and Obedience to police officers, and Inciting a Riot. “Why you had to tackle me down so hard and have an...

Two people were killed and ten others were injured in shootings Thursday in Chicago. In the latest fatal shooting, a 32-year-old man was killed in Roseland on the South Side. Vincent Blackmon was shot in the abdomen about 5:41 p.m. in the 10900 block of South Wentworth Avenue, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. Blackmon, who lived in Gresham, was dead at the scene. Earlier Thursday, a 53-year-old man was killed in a shooting in Chatham on the South Side. Dewayne Winfrey was found in an alley with a gunshot wound to the chest about 11:55...

Thinking about the vote-by-mail strategy of the DemoKKKrats, I began to wonder about the sociology/behavior of people who have already voted. Laying aside the whole issue of whether we should have it---I doubt there is any going back---my question is: *Does a person who voted by mail early continue to donate? *Does such a voter still encourage others to go to the polls? *Does such a voter work for the party making calls or take the attitude of "I already voted. Out of my hands."? I have been polled three times in the past 3 weeks, none (that I could...

BOTHELL, Wash.—An unidentified woman who is seen on video struggling with an officer was arrested in a grocery store for criminal trespassing, not violating the statewide mask mandate, Bothell police said in response to a viral video which has drawn strong reactions on social media. But the man who recorded and published the video claims the woman’s arrest was political and heavy-handed, because the woman claimed to have a medical exemption to the state mask mandate. The video shows a woman--who had been participating in a rally protesting lockdown restrictions like the mask mandate--resisting being handcuffed while being arrested (snip)...

We are expecting over 1,000 cars already and we'd luv for you to join us in demonstrating our support President Donald J Trump the GOAT!!! Where: Stoneridge Mall - Pleasanton, CA Time: 10am departure Show up early so you are in que properly Don't question if you should, just do it