Free Republic

More than 70 percent of COVID-19 vaccines are still sitting in freezers in the US — as the country’s disastrous rollout has forced desperate Florida senior citizens to camp out overnight for their shot. Hundreds braved chilly 40-degree temperatures and slept in their cars overnight in Daytona Beach in the mad rush for inoculations, NBC Miami reported.

HARRISBURG — The new session of the Pennsylvania Senate got off to a chaotic start Tuesday, with Republicans refusing to seat a Democratic senator whose election victory has been certified by state officials. Amid high emotions and partisan fingerpointing, Republicans also took the rare step of removing the Democratic lieutenant governor, John Fetterman, from presiding over the session. They apparently did so because they did not believe Fetterman was following the rules and recognizing their legislative motions.

This year's first auction of blowfish, or fugu, has been held in the western city of Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Shimonoseki is home to the largest market in Japan for the winter delicacy. Over six tons of wild and farmed torafugu were auctioned at the Haedomari fish market early on Monday morning. The auction started shortly after 3 a.m. Buyers and sellers negotiated their deals in the traditional style, by grasping each other's fingers inside a cloth sleeve hidden from other bidders. The highest bidding price was 15,000 yen, or about 145 dollars per kilogram. That's about three-quarters of last...

Ryan Grenoble·National Reporter, HuffPost Tue, January 5, 2021, 3:22 PM CST·3 min read Rusten Sheskey, the police officer in Kenosha, Wiscconsin, who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times in August, paralyzing him from the waist down and sparking protests, will not face charges for the incident, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Gravely announced Tuesday. The city of Kenosha braced for what may be a riotous few days following the decision. On Monday, the city council voted unanimously in favor of Mayor John Antaramian’s emergency declaration “regarding potential civil unrest,” granting him emergency powers for eight days.

Cindy Axne voted for the socialist Democrats’ woke rules package that includes banning gendered words like, “mother” and “father.” But—wait—look at Axne’s Twitter bio. She refers to herself as a “mother.

Tune in via Roku/AppleTV/AmazonFire with the America’s Voice App PM tennmountainman if you want On/Off this list https://pluto.tv/live-tv/americas-voice https://americasvoice.app Past episodes: https://rumble.com/c/BannonsWarRoom

We Laugh, They RuleNo columnist’s cleverness could do justice to the absurdity of Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s opening prayer for the 117th Congress on Sunday. Cleaver, a Methodist pastor, closed his prayer for national peace “in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and ‘God’ known by many names by many different faiths. Amen and awoman.” No doubt the assembled members afterward went to work on awomendments to important bills. The wisecracks write themselves. But I wonder which of two modes of laughter we are dealing with here: Do we laugh with confidence that the American people will, in time, overcome...

Wednesday’s fight over a long-shot effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election is dividing Republicans, including those from the same state, as opposition grows to the plan. Several Republican senators formally announced on Tuesday that they will oppose challenging the Electoral College results, meaning GOP senators in at least five states will split when Congress convenes its joint session on Wednesday where lawmakers will count the votes, a pro forma exercise that in previous years has taken a matter of minutes. GOP Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), James Inhofe (Okla.) and Jerry Moran (Kan.) each said Tuesday that...

Famed author Eric Jerome Dickey, beloved for modern black storytelling in best sellers such as “Sister, Sister,” “Friends and Lovers” and “Between Lovers,” died Sunday at 59. “It is with great sadness that we confirm that beloved New York Times best-selling author Eric Jerome Dickey passed away on Sunday, January 3, in Los Angeles after battling a long illness,” a rep for Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, told The Post, adding that Dickey leaves behind four daughters. A family member of his also confirmed the news on Facebook.

Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old accused of killing two people during a riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, pleaded not guilty Tuesday on all charges filed against him, numerous sources reported.Rittenhouse appeared for the virtual hearing Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to six charges, including first degree intentional homicide and attempted intentional homicide, according to the Associated Press.His pre-trial conference is scheduled for March 10, and potential jury selection is scheduled for March 29, according to Fox 6 reporter Angelica Sanchez. His lawyer has reportedly requested more time before the trial.

Iran has requested Interpol arrest President Donald Trump and 47 other Americans it said played a role in the death of top general Qassem Soleimani. The U.S. killed Soleimani, leader of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, in Iraq on Jan. 3, 2020. Washington had accused him of masterminding attacks by Iranian-aligned militias on U.S. forces in the region. The request for Trump’s arrest was announced by Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili on Tuesday, according to Al-Jazeera.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) on Tuesday announced that he will not oppose certification of Electoral College results cementing President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory during Wednesday’s Joint Session of Congress. Scott is breaking with many House republicans and a few Senate republicans who plan to object to the results in some states where Biden won. However, Scott understands that “in nearly every election across this great country, there is some modicum of error. Some errors are merely mistakes, while some are intentional, and therefore fraud.” In the case of Trump’s opposition to the results, “Thus far, no justice,...

Scientists have developed a machine-learning method that crunches massive amounts of data to help determine which existing medications could improve outcomes in diseases for which they are not prescribed. The intent of this work is to speed up drug repurposing, which is not a new concept -- think Botox injections, first approved to treat crossed eyes and now a migraine treatment and top cosmetic strategy to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. But getting to those new uses typically involves a mix of serendipity and time-consuming and expensive randomized clinical trials to ensure that a drug deemed effective for one disorder...

An anonymous Instagram account exposing gay men for partying during a pandemic raises questions about class, race, and privilege

The question of Mr Trump visiting Scotland comes after an anonymous source from Prestwick Airport said that an American military version of the Boeing 757, an aircraft often used by the Vice-President and the First Lady, is scheduled to arrive at the airport on January 19, the day before Joe Biden takes over the presidency. Mr Trump owns the Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire as well as another course in Aberdeenshire. Speaking at Tuesday’s daily coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said that she “has no idea what Donald Trump’s travel plans are” but that she hopes that the only immediate plans...

Stacey Abrams, the failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate (who still hasn’t conceded her 2018 defeat to Brian Kemp) expects Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock to win both Georgia Senate runoff elections. “I think we’re ready to get it done,” Abrams told Stephen Colbert Monday night. “I put my money on blue.” Why is she so confident? I have a hunch. Abrams was also on MSNBC Monday night, and couldn’t help patting herself on the back for getting rid of exact-match signature verification on ballots—a provision meant to verify that the voters who cast the ballots are actually the individuals...

Authorities threaten to revoke licences of pair who assisted group of 12 that tried to flee to Taiwan Chinese authorities have threatened to end the careers of two lawyers who assisted 12 activists who tried to flee Hong Kong for Taiwan last August, 10 of whom were given jail terms by a Chinese court last week. Ren Quanniu – who also represented the Wuhan citizen journalist Zhang Zhan – and Lu Siwei received notices from local departments of justice on Monday that authorities intended to revoke their licences and they had three days to arrange for a defence hearing. Accusing...

State's Department of Natural Resources said details need to be finalized Wolf hunting is coming back to Wisconsin. While all of the details are still being figured out, it was recently announced that Wisconsin will be holding its first wolf hunting season in over a half-decade. The season is scheduled to begin in November. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced that it is planning a wolf harvest season for the fall of 2021. According to the announcement, the decision was made after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed gray wolves from the federal endangered species list on Jan....

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors.

The move is designed to further isolate Iran Saudi Arabia and its allies are expected to sign a deal Tuesday officially ending a feud with Qatar in an agreement negotiated by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, a government official confirmed Monday. The détente — designed to further isolate Iran — follows a slew of historic Middle East peace deals brokered by the Trump White House in recent months normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors. Tuesday’s deal will set in motion the end of a four-year-old blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,...