Free Republic

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday threatened to essentially shut down a "post-nuclear Senate" as Democrats speed toward a potential vote on altering the Senate's 60-vote filibuster in the next week. "I think it's appropriate to ask: What would the Senate look like in a post-nuclear world?" McConnell said, referring to the "nuclear option" of creating a new Senate precedent with just 50 votes needed to allow passage of legislation.

Ikea has cut sick pay for unvaccinated staff who need to self-isolate because of Covid exposure and in some cases for workers who test positive. The retail giant acknowledged it was an "emotive topic" but said its policy had to evolve with changing circumstances. From this week, sick pay cuts will be implemented at Wessex Water and in the US several major companies have started penalising unjabbed workers. It comes as firms struggle with mass staff absences and rising costs. At Ikea unvaccinated workers, who do not have mitigating circumstances, who test positive will be paid in line with company...

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday that she tested positive for COVID-19. Lightfoot said on Twitter that she received the positive test early Tuesday and will continue to work from home while following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for isolation. "I am experiencing cold-like symptoms but otherwise feel fine which I credit to being vaccinated and boosted," she said. Lightfoot also called on other Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19. "This is an urgent reminder for folks to get vaccinated and boosted as it's the only way to beat this pandemic," she said. Approximately...

Former Neighbours actress Miranda Fryer has died at the age of 34, it has been confirmed. Fryer, who played Sky Mangel when she was a child on the long-running soap opera, passed away in her sleep last Thursday (6th January) at her home in Glen Iris, Melbourne. Her family said the star had some issues with her heart, but a cause of death has not yet been confirmed. “True soulmates, Miranda and [husband] Arthur were making plans to start their family, when one day last week she went to sleep and never woke up. We do not know why,” her...

The tableau of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and her father, former vice president Richard B. Cheney, standing on the floor of the House as the sole Republicans to honor the police officers who died as a result of the Jan. 6 insurrection should be seared into the minds of voters and reporters. It perfectly depicted a Republican Party utterly devoid of leadership, decency and honesty. (Apparently, Republicans no longer respect the “blue line.”) The moment was a reminder that we have one “normal,” patriotic party and one overtaken by an authoritarian cult based on lies. The notion of reforming the...

— Proposal would cover aducanumab (Aduhelm) in patients on qualifying clinical trialsMonoclonal antibodies targeting amyloid beta in Alzheimer's disease, including the newly approved drug aducanumab (Aduhelm), would be covered for people with Medicare only if they are enrolled in qualifying clinical trials, according to CMS plans announced Tuesday. The proposed CMS National Coverage Determination would cover FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies targeting amyloid in Alzheimer's disease through coverage with evidence development (CED). To date, the only such approved treatment is aducanumab. "Throughout this National Coverage Determination process, CMS has been and remains committed to providing the American public with a clear, trusted,...

We Love to Hear Rush Limbaugh Opera by Barbara Chenault Law - as heard on the EIB Network's 23rd Anniversary show August 1st, 2011.

An Instagram model has claimed a sex doll company have created a racy figurine based on her appearance and are promoting it using her name and image. Yael Cohen Aris, from Israel, claims manufacturer Irontech Dolls have modelled a sex doll on her without her consent - with almost idential features, down to the distinctive beauty mark on her bottom lip. The former programmer claims the company have been selling the doll under the name 'Yael' and promoting it on online forums using the model's own real-life images. Yael is now demanding the item be pulled off the shelves and...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly considering altering its masking guidance to recommend individuals wear “highly protective N95 or KN95 masks,” the Washington Post reported on Monday. Citing an official “close to the deliberations who was not authorized to speak publicly,” the Post reported that the federal health agency is considering the recommendation change in the wake of the highly contagious omicron variant, despite the fact that it appears to be a more mild form of the illness.

A new report by The Washington Free Beacon exposed how Amazon, whose web services division nuked the free speech platform Parler reportedly for “violent content,” has been peddling Nazi propaganda films. The Free Beacon said the Big Tech giant “sells and streams more than 30 Nazi propaganda films, according to information from a watchdog group provided to the Washington Free Beacon.” The watchdog group, Americans Against Antisemitism, “found 30 Nazi propaganda films that were available for sale or streaming in their entirety without any disclaimer or editorial content." The group told the Free Beacon that Amazon was "'presently the world's...

[Catholic Caucus] Fr. Claude Barthe: “What is at stake here is the continuation of the lex orandi and the salvation of many souls” Salus animarum, suprema lex [the salvation of souls is the highest law].Following Francis’ motu proprio of 16 July 2021, the Congregation for Divine Worship issued on 18 December a response to the dubia concerning Traditionis custodes in answer to questions they had allegedly received. This widely discussed text1 clarifies the intention of the motu proprio, viz., eventually to abolish the traditional liturgy by maintaining a transitory tolerance with strictly set limits for the use of the...

President Biden on Tuesday described the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters as an attempted “coup.” “The violent mob of January 6, 2021, empowered and encouraged by a defeated former president, sought to win through violence what he had lost at the ballot box,” Biden said during a speech in Atlanta pushing for the passage of voting rights legislation. “To impose the will of the mob, to overturn free and fair election, and for the first time, the first time in American history, to stop the peaceful transfer of power. They failed,...

The verdict is the first of its kind to be issued by a court in the KingdomA man who was convicted of sexual harassment in Saudi Arabia has been named and shamed in public. This is the first such verdict to be issued by a Saudi court, local media reported. The Criminal Court in Medina has also sentenced Yasser Muslim Al Arawi to eight months in prison and a fine of SR5,000 for harassing a woman using obscene remarks. This verdict comes after the Council of Ministers approved a law allowing authorities to publicly reveal the identity of individuals found...

CNN anchor Jake Tapper pointed out Tuesday on his show “The Lead” that Democrats were only complaining about voting restrictions in red states, while blue states like New Jersey and Delaware did not allow ballot harvesting. After both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris gave speeches on the Democrats voting legislation in Georgia today, Tapper said, “Look, I genuinely as an American feel that in addition to guarding against fraud, which is very little of in the United States, it should be as easy as possible for Americans to vote.”

As of January 11, 2022, confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached 10,123,764 while over 197,836,917 vaccinations have been administered across the continent. Reported deaths in Africa reached 231,696 and 8,956,721 people have recovered. South Africa has the most reported cases 3,528,463 and 92,530 people died. Other most-affected countries are Morocco ( 1,004,706 ), Tunisia ( 744,967 ), Ethiopia ( 446,268 ), Libya ( 393,983 ) Egypt ( 393,808 ) and Kenya ( 312,572 ) For the latest totals, see the AllAfrica interactive map with per-country numbers. The numbers are compiled by the Center for Systems Science and...

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday told reporters he will run for the Republican Senate leadership position again after the 2022 midterms. McConnell’s announcement comes as he is the longest-serving Republican Senate leader, first elected in 2006 and for eight consecutive times thereafter.

I got a call from my wife a short while ago. She got a phone call from the principal at my son's elementary school. He got into a "fight". All I know so far is that during recess he was playing basketball with some other kids and something happened. Evidently one kid kept swiping the ball from my son and he got frustrated and he shoved the other kid. I doubt this was an actual fight with punches thrown. My son is a good kid but I know he sometimes gets frustrated easily. He's competitive when it comes to sports....

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has tested positive for COVID-19 and says she will be working from home during her isolation period after experiencing mild symptoms. The mayor's breakthrough case comes one day after she struck a deal with the Chicago Teachers' Union (CTU), which kept schools closed for four days as they demanded better COVID-19 safety policies amid the Omicron surge. In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Lightfoot revealed she had tested positive and will be in quarantine until she tests negative. 'I am experiencing cold-like symptoms but otherwise feel fine which I credit to being vaccinated and boosted,' Lightfoot wrote...

I’m on a mission to rebuild a 109-year old English sailing yacht called Tally Ho. Designed by Albert Strange in 1909, she is a well-known and important historic vessel – but after many adventures she was left in a remote port in Oregon to rot for decades, despite some valiant attempts to rescue her. I bought her and moved her to the Olympic Peninsular earlier this year, and am now starting to rebuild her from the keel up. Eventually I hope to sail her back to the UK.

The Canadian province of Quebec will charge a health tax to residents who are not vaccinated against Covid-19. Quebec, which has seen the highest number of Covid-related deaths in Canada, is currently struggling with a surge in cases. On Tuesday, the premier announced that it would be the first in the nation to financially penalise the unvaccinated. Only about 12.8% of Quebec residents are not vaccinated, but they make up nearly half of all hospital cases. According to federal data, just over 85% of Quebec residents had received at least one vaccine dose by 1 January. Premier Francois Legault said...