Free Republic

Harry Baker's parents' pain and anguish was laid bare in moving impact statementsThe killers sat in court as 17-year-old Harry's mother and father described in heartbreaking details the impact her son's vicious murder on the family. Mum Emma Baker said she had taken the brave decision to read out her victim impact statement in front of the seven people who had taken her son's life because it was "one of the last things I can do for Harry". She had had to listen in court about how her son was found bloodied, stripped, and covered in stab wounds after being...

It was around 8:30 CDT and a hispanic guy with tatoos all over him and a tattooed cross on the temple of his head walks in at the hotel, I work at, and he states in very good english, that he needed "accomodation" for him and seven children. It was creepy, why was there no mother and why didn't he say "my children?" Well the front desk person said that he would have to get two rooms and he balked at that and left in a white Chrysler minivan. I did not have time to get a licence plate.

CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) Tweeted: NYPD says 65-year-old Asian American woman was walking to church this morning when suspect assaulted her and said “f*** you, you don’t belong here.” Happened in front of 360 W. 43rd St. 11:40am. Sources say building security guard not only failed to render her aid... He closed door on helpless victim. She was punched and kicked causing her to fall. He then kicked her multiple times in the head before fleeing. Victim is currently hospitalized with swelling to the face, pain in left leg. @NYPDHateCrimes investigating. Here’s the suspect. 2/2 https://t.co/2fJ5bEGwXU

A ancient monastery of cheesemaking French monks left with nearly 3 tons of overstock because of COVID-19 lockdowns cleared its cupboards with some modern help. The Cîteaux Abbey, just south of Dijon in the heart of Burgundy, France, normally sells its raw-milk, semi-soft cheese wheels to restaurants and visitors to the monastery, which was founded in 1098. But with restaurants in France closed since October and tourism limited, the abbey’s 19 Trappist monks saw sales drop by half. “We need to clear out our stock,” brother Jean-Claude, in charge of marketing at the monastery, told The Guardian. The abbey had...

Seattle residents said they were ‘sad’ and ‘depressed’ over encampments that have sprung up across city parks and fields in the past year as the numbers of homeless people soared. The homeless population in Washington State rose in 2020 by more than six per cent - or about three times the national average, according to the latest data. That increase is being felt in the Puget Sound region. Parents say they have had to resort to conducting ‘sweeps’ of public parks to make sure there are no needles on the ground before allowing their kids to play on swing sets,...

Iran will not stop its 20% uranium enrichment before the US lifts all sanctions, Iranian state TV quoted an unnamed official as saying on Tuesday in reaction to a US media report that Washington would offer a new proposal to jumpstart talks. The Biden administration has been seeking to engage Iran in talks about both sides resuming compliance with the deal, under which economic sanctions on Tehran were removed in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme to make it harder to develop a nuclear weapon – an ambition Tehran denies. “A senior Iranian official tells Press TV that Tehran...

A top state physician who was tasked with solving coronavirus-testing issues at New York nursing homes made several hours-long visits to CNN host Chris Cuomo’s Hamptons house to test him for the virus, according to a new report. Around the same time, Kenneth Cole — the fashion designer who is married to the Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sister — received preferential coronavirus testing at a state-run facility. Those stories were among a number of new details revealed by the Washington Post about the VIP treatment for coronavirus testing overseen by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Flexing their political muscle, Republican lawmakers on Monday swept aside the Democratic governor’s vetoes of bills to change retirement benefits for new teachers and potentially shield legislative records from public scrutiny. Shortly after gaveling in after a nearly two-week break, the GOP-dominated legislature turned to sweeping aside a stack of vetoes by Gov. Andy Beshear. The override votes spanned hours, from early afternoon and continuing into the late night. Some of the overrides stripped away parts of the governor’s executive authority, shifting the power to statewide Republican officeholders. It continued a theme throughout the contentious legislative...

When former President Donald Trump was asked to list those he considers the future leaders of the Republican Party, he quickly rattled off a list of names, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz. Conspicuously absent from the list: Mike Pence. The former vice president is steadily reentering public life as he eyes a potential run for the White House in 2024. He’s joining conservative organizations, writing op-eds, delivering speeches and launching an advocacy group that will focus on promoting the Trump administration’s accomplishments.

“Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain” (Proverbs 30:7-9 KJV).

Chauvin Defense Lawyer Blames George Floyd’s Death on Bystanders: They Caused Officers to ‘Divert Their Attention’ MARISA SARNOFF MAR 29, 2021 1:35 PM Eric Nelson, the defense attorney for Derek Chauvin, blamed bystanders for distracting officers from properly caring for George Floyd as Chauvin pinned Floyd to the ground and knelt on his neck, as Chauvin’s trial got underway Monday. In his opening statement, Nelson implied that bystanders, who were pleading for Chauvin to remove his knee from Floyd’s neck as Floyd himself said he couldn’t breathe, were at least in part to blame for Floyd’s death. “As the crowd...

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)- Xlear has filed a Pre-Emergency Use Authorization (Pre-EUA) Request with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to make claims that the nasal spray is approved for use in preventing SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) transmission and infection. The Pre-EUA is a first step in seeking formal authorization of Xlear Nasal Spray as tool to help in combatting COVID-19. Xlear previously filed a pre-EUA seeking approval for use of the nasal spray as a medical device in combatting COVID-19. However, because the FDA determined that Xlear “works against the virus,” the FDA told Xlear it would need to be...

Much of America’s recent progress against Covid-19 has been erased as new infections jump nationwide. Now the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said she’s afraid of what will happen next. “What we’ve seen over the last week or so is a steady rise of cases,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Monday. “I know that travel is up, and I just worry that we will see the surges that we saw over the summer and over the winter again.” Maryland reported 1,031 new Covid-19 cases on Monday as hospitalizations and positivity rate increased, according to...

The American Civil Liberties Union said it plans to take legal action to block the treatments ban if it’s signed into law. If signed, the ban would take effect later this summer.

Boris Johnson has announced a new partnership with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, to provide 60 million doses of the new Novavax vaccination in the fight against Covid-19. BORIS JOHNSON: And at the same time as we push forward with our program to offer a vaccination to all adults by the end of July, we're building up our own long term UK manufacturing capabilities. I've already told you that Novavax, a potentially significant new weapon in our armory against COVID, is going to be made at Fujifilm in the northeast. And I can today announce that the vaccine taskforce has reached an...

Four officers in Mexican resort city charged with femicide after autopsy concluded that Victoria Salazar’s neck was broken Guardian staff and agencies in Mexico City Mon 29 Mar 2021 Four police officers in the Mexican resort city of Tulum have been charged with femicide after a Salvadoran woman died while being restrained. Andrés Manuel López Obrador flatly described the incident as “murder”, telling reporters on Monday. Mexico’s president said: “She was brutally treated and murdered … It is an event that fills us with pain and shame.”

Steve Jobs, the driving force behind Apple, uttered this about 3 hours before his death as reported by his sister Mona Simpson: “OH WOW, OH WOW, OH WOW.” Was he in pain? Did he reflect on his life? Did he see a vision? We’ll never know.President George Washington: “Doctor, I am dying, but I am not afraid to die.” He folded his hands over his chest and said: “It is well,” (As related by his wife Martha).Clarence Darrow, the Scopes Trial lawyer in the famous 1925 debate, while on his deathbed asked several clergymen to “please intercede for me with...

The 1,100 foot-long 9943 Apophis will fly by the Earth on April 13, 2029, at just under 20,000 miles above the surface, and will be visible without binoculars or telescopes.Earth is safe from a potential calamity-causing asteroid for the next 100 years, NASA announced on Friday.The announcement clears up fears that had lingered since 2004, when the asteroid 9942 Apophis was identified as one of the most hazardous potential asteroids that could strike the planet. However, this has now been ruled out thanks to a growing understanding of the asteroid and its orbit by astronomers, as well as new radar...

Mar 21 @StandWithUS WATCH: Thank you @MeghanMcCain for highlighting that Antisemitism is the ‘last form of passable bigotry in America’. Anti-Jewish hatred should not be treated any differently to other forms of racism.