Free Republic

The procurement from Lockheed, including weapons as well as service and maintenance until 2030, is estimated to cost 8.378 billion euros ($9.44 billion), the government said. The construction of hangars and other equipment will add a further 777 million euros, and 824 million euros will be reserved for the final optimised weapons package and to control future contract amendments, it added. Finland is the 14th nation to opt for the F-35. It will begin phasing in the F-35 from 2027 onwards, said Airforce Commander Pasi Jokinen. Boeing said it still sees significant international interest in its F/A-18 Block III Super...

No evidence has come to light yet that indicates the Omicron virus variant causes more severe illness when compared to other strains, South African officials said Friday.South Africa scientists were the first to identify Omicron, a variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.Science on Omicron’s severity “is not yet clear,” South African Health Minister Joe Paahla told reporters in a virtual briefing.COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have jumped in South Africa in recent weeks, driving fears that Omicron could cause more severe illness than earlier strains like Delta.The country reported 22,391 new cases on Thursday, up from...

Immunity people enjoy after recovering from COVID-19 is better than the protection bestowed from vaccination, according to a new study from Israel.Researchers analyzing data from the county’s health database from August to September found both COVID-19 infections and severe disease were higher among the vaccinated than those who recovered from the illness, also known as people with natural immunity.For instance, the naturally immune had a 10.5 per 100,000 infection rate four to six months following their recovery, versus a 69.2 per 100,000 rate among the vaccinated.The number of severe cases was also higher among the vaccinated: 0.9 percent of all...

Amtrak will be cutting some services because of staff shortages due to the COVID-19 federal vaccine mandate, according to testimony given to Congress on Thursday.Amtrak President Stephen Gardner told the House Transportation subcommittee in a written testimony (pdf) that 94 percent of the company’s staff members have been fully vaccinated while 96 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine.“However, because many engineers, conductors and on-board service employees retired or left Amtrak during the pandemic, and we temporarily halted hiring due to funding uncertainty and covid-related distancing requirements that inhibited training, we anticipate that we will not initially...

The activist made the comments in June 2020, amid racial justice protests around the country sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A criminal complaint against Burns cited his on-air remarks, as well as others he made around the same time while rapping on Facebook Live. Burns was cuffed after he went on the conservative news network and threatened to burn down the Diamond District if Mayor de Blasio and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo didn’t speak to a crowd gathered at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. “If they don’t, then [the] next stop is the Diamond District,” he said....

section class="post-body"> The US Supreme Court handed down a long-anticipated decision called Whole Woman’s Health vs. Jackson this morning.By way of background, on September 1, S.B. 8, the so-called “heartbeat bill” went into effect in Texas. The law had some unique features. First and foremost, it outlawed abortion after the point of a detectable fetal heartbeat. This was a clear challenge to the whole inhumane sham structure of abortion jurisprudence brought into existence by Roe vs. Wade. However, the most interesting feature was creating a private right to action to enforce the law. That means anyone can bring a lawsuit...

“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself” (Proverbs 11:25).

For many months now, the White House and Democrats at large have repeated the obvious falsehood that Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda will cost “zero dollars.” In fact, the Treasury Department, led by Janet Yellen, has actually asserted that the bill lowers the deficit over the long term.Then some weeks back, initial CBO estimates exposed that foolishness for exactly what it was. Contrary to the claims of the administration, the BBB bill would actually raise the deficit by some $160 billion. And to even get to that number, the CBO had to estimate future tax receipts based on provisions...

Election investigations currently taking place in Wisconsin have yielded some shocking results. A conservative law firm based out of Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, conducted the investigation. According to their findings, precisely 54,259 ballots were “cast by individuals who have never shown a voter ID in any election.” “While we cannot infer any malignant intent on the part of these voters, this means that many votes were cast without the requirement of photo identification. 54,259 ballots were cast by individuals who have never shown a voter ID in any election. 3,718 were cast from addresses that were...

Summary * Trump Media & Technology Group's paid subscription offer, TMTG+, offers massive upside. * $1.0B PIPE deal shows strong demand for a rival social network. * If Trump Media & Technology Group gets the same valuation as Twitter or Meta Platforms, based on sales, Digital World Acquisition Corp.'s market cap could rise by a factor of 3X. Blank check company Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC) is merging with Trump Media & Technology Group. The announcement initially created a frenzy for shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp. but shares have started to surge again. TRUTH Social could become a major...

AbstractBackground Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most predominant primary malignant tumor among worldwide, especially in China. To date, the successful treatment remains a mainly clinical challenge, it is imperative to develop successful therapeutic agents. Methods The anti-proliferative effect of ivermectin on ESCC is investigated in cell model and in nude mice model. Cell apoptosis was assessed using flow cytometry, TUNEL assay and western blotting. Mitochondrial dysfunction was determined by reactive oxygen species accumulation, mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels. ResultsOur results determined that ivermectin significantly inhibited the proliferation of ESCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Tuesday rejected a bid from a bipartisan group of lawmakers to stop President Joe Biden’s administration from selling more than $650 million worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, allowing the deal to proceed despite the gulf nation’s dismal record on human rights. A procedural motion by Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, was rejected on a 30-67 vote, in just the latest skirmish in Congress over U.S. sales of weapons to the country. Saudi Arabia is one of the U.S.’s most steadfast allies in an unstable region of the globe. But the country’s leading...

ALBERT LEA, Minnesota – The owner of the Interchange Wine and Coffee Bistro began her 90-day jail sentence Thursday after a jury found her guilty of violating COVID-19 emergency orders from Democrat Gov. Timothy J. “Tim” Walz at her Freeborn County District Court trial.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A California man charged with assaulting police in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and using a metal barricade as a battering ram has fled the United States and is believed to have taken refuge in Belarus, federal prosecutors said on Friday. Evan Neumann, 49, was indicted on Friday on 14 criminal counts stemming from the deadly Capitol siege by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, expanding on charges originally contained in a criminal complaint filed against Neumann in March. Neumann, of Mill Valley, California, near San Francisco, was seen in video footage donning a gas...

The blaze began when members of a band performing at the Kiss nightclub, in the southern city of Santa Maria, lit flares which set light to the ceiling. There was a stampede and most of the victims died through smoke inhalation. The two owners of the club and two band members were found guilty of murder and attempted murder. A police investigation said sparks from a flare lit by the Gurizada Fandangueira band on stage had set alight the insulation material in the nightclub which in turn produced the toxic fumes. According to the findings, the venue had no functioning...

What’s Going On? [Spate of Athlete Deaths - 4 Non blondes

U.S. DOJ Wins Court Case Seeking Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange ExtraditionDecember 10, 2021 | Sundance | 64 CommentsThe United States government (specifically the Fourth Branch) has won an appellate level legal case in the U.K. as they seek to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for crimes against U.S. national security interests.However, Assange’s lawyers have a few more avenues left to block the extradition.As much as I would like to see a Julian Assange trial reveal all of the corruption inside the dark parts of the U.S. political and intelligence system, I can also see how our government would have a...

A baby whose mother received two COVID vaccine shots during her last trimester of pregnancy was born bleeding from his mouth and nose, and died the day after his birth, according to a recent report to the U.S. government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System from a foreign “regulatory authority.”The baby boy was born on the morning of October 6, 2021, after his mother received two experimental mRNA Moderna shots on July 19 and August 13. He was expected on October 15 but was delivered weighing 2,800 grams (just over six pounds, two ounces) in hospital after a labor marked by...

Join together with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

Noncitizens in New York City would gain the right to vote in municipal elections under a measure approved Thursday by the City Council that would give access to the ballot box to 800,000 green card holders and so-called Dreamers. More than a dozen communities across the United States already allow noncitizens to cast ballots in local elections, including 11 towns in Maryland and two in Vermont. But New York City is the largest place by far to give voting rights to noncitizens. Noncitizens still wouldn’t be able to vote for president or members of Congress in federal races, or in...