Free Republic

All 14 black Mississippi state senators, all Democrats, walked out before a vote on a bill that forbids teaching students at public schools and colleges that 'that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.' The bill later passed passed 32-2, with only two Democratic legislators - David Blount and Hob Bryan, both white - voting against it. It now heads to the Mississippi state House for approval. The unprecedented walkout on Friday followed a two-hour debate when Democratic lawmakers asked whether or not Critical Race Theory (CRT), which centers on the idea that racism...

Herpes zoster reactivation -- a.k.a. shingles -- following COVID-19 vaccination in six patients with comorbid autoimmune/inflammatory diseases may be a new adverse event associated with the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine, suggested a new report. At two centers in Israel, there have been six cases of herpes zoster developing shortly after administration of the Pfizer vaccine in patients with disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis since December 2020, according to Victoria Furer, MD, of Tel Aviv University, and colleagues. Little has been known about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines among patients with rheumatic diseases, because immunosuppressed individuals were not included...

Hello! Adele fans who bought tickets to her 13 week run Vegas run on Stub Hub are pretty much sunk for now. It’s not exactly Stub Huh’s fault. It’s unclear when they knew she was going to throw in the towel. But I’ve talked to their people and this is what they have to say: Adele didn’t cancel, she postponed. The wording — through tears — was very specific. The shows are supposed to be re-scheduled. Until that happens, holders of tickets bought on Stub Hub can’t do anything. They can’t re-sell. They can’t get refunds. This includes everyone who...

President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2024 rematch, a McLaughlin & Associates survey released this week found. The survey, which found 81 percent of Republican primary voters indicating that they would support Trump for the Republican nomination, asked respondents across the board, “If the 2024 Presidential election were held today, which one of the following best describes how you would vote in the general election for President between Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, and Joe Biden, the Democrat candidate, for whom would you vote?” According to the survey, 49 percent say they would vote for Trump...

The breakdown of global supply chains is well-known by now. Whether it’s finding groceries in your supermarket, buying a new car or buying appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators, goods are scarce. Also, deliveries take forever and choices are limited. Many people wonder why the problem isn’t going away. Here’s the answer: The supply chain is a complex dynamic system. When any complex system collapses, you can look for specific causes but that’s usually a waste of time. Systems collapse internally because they are too large and too interconnected and require too many energy inputs to keep going. Any specific cause...

The week’s crypto crash has hit an astonishing round number, Bloomberg points out: it’s now lost more than $1 trillion — that’s trillion with “t,” a staggering sum — in value since late last year. Bitcoin alone lost more than 12 percent of its value on Friday and dropped to its lowest level since July of 2021, bottoming out at a wretched $34,000 at press time. That means that since a peak in November, it’s lost more than 45 percent of its value. Other coins have lost the same, if not more, value in the same time period. Bloomberg reports...

July, 12 1994: Meat Loaf sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh

The corpse of a 66-year-old man was carried to a post office by two fraudsters in an alleged bid to claim his pension, in scenes reminiscent of the 1989 film Weekend At Bernie's. In the dark comedy movie, a pair of insurance salesmen lug around the body of their murdered boss - pretending he's still alive - and lose and recover his corpse, which is clothed and wearing tinted glasses, several times. Irish police are investigating whether the elderly man, named locally as Peadar Doyle, may have been dead for up to two days when yesterday morning's incident took place....

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, announced on Saturday that part of a $200 million “security assistance” package for Ukraine’s military had arrived in the country early that morning. “The donation, which includes close to 200,000 pounds of lethal security assistance, including ammunition for the front line defenders of Ukraine, demonstrates the United States’ strong commitment to Ukraine’s sovereign right to self-defense,” the U.S. embassy said in a post on Facebook. The embassy noted that more than $650 million of security assistance had been committed to Ukraine by the United States in the last year, and more than $2.7 billion...

President Biden on Friday reacted to news of two New York Police Department officers shot on Friday evening while responding to a domestic dispute. Suspect Lashawn McNeil, 47, is accused of shooting NYPD officers Jason Rivera, 22, and Wilbert Mora, 27, in Harlem on Friday. Rivera succumbed to his wounds while Mora was gravely injured and hospitalized. "Jill and I are saddened to hear two NYPD officers were shot last night — one fatally," Biden said in a Saturday afternoon tweet. "We’re keeping them and their families in our prayers. Officers put on the badge and head into harm’s way...

SAN ANTONIO — The FBI raid at U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar's home is part of an ongoing investigation into possible crimes involving American businessmen and Azerbaijan, a source tells CBS News. Agents took boxes and a computer from the south Texas congressman's Laredo home and office Wednesday, reportedly collecting evidence for a grand jury impaneled in Washington, D.C. Cuellar, considered one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, co-chairs the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus. The oil-rich country, once a member of the Soviet Union, is known for its "caviar diplomacy." As a lobbying strategy, local business leaders and politicians often...

Sitting on 3.8 acres of land with scenic views, the home at 944 Airole Way was listed for sale on Jan. 7 for $295 million with bidding through Concierge Auctions scheduled to take place from Feb. 28 to March 3. The so-called “once-in-a-lifetime gargantuan estate” features 21 bedrooms, 42 full and seven half bathrooms, a private two-story library and a nightclub with a VIP area, the listing shows. For all the luxury features inside, it’s even more of the same outdoors. It features five separate pools, a 10,000-square-foot sky deck, a putting green and a 400-foot long glass-walled jogging track....

President Biden and Vice President Harris released a statement Saturday commemorating the 49th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which gave women the constitutional right to abortion. The Biden-Harris administration said that the decision is under attack like “never before” amid several states' attempts to pass restrictions on the practice.

Former President Donald Trump continues to lead the field of potential Republican presidential candidates in a hypothetical GOP primary, a McLaughlin & Associates survey released this week found. “Thinking ahead to the 2024 Republican primary election for President, if that election were held today among the following candidates, for whom would you vote?” the survey, taken January 13-18, asked Republican voters.

Donald Trump would crush Hillary Clinton by double digits in a potential 2024 presidential rematch, a McLaughlin poll on Friday found. As the establishment media and Democrat insiders are “excited by the prospects” of Hillary returning to political life, the failed presidential candidate lost by ten points to Donald Trump in a 2024 hypothetical election poll.

“[The devil] said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me’” (Matthew 4:9). Satan’s promises for better things, obtained more quickly and in a “preferred” manner to God’s plan, are actually counterfeit offers. He always wraps them in claims that seem easier, less expensive, and far less burdensome. After all, that’s the savvy way to success, he reasons. Our adversary’s argument is essentially just a form of the old “end justifies the means” concept. But Satan has been a liar from the beginning of redemptive history. With his third temptation of Jesus...

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Mark 3:20-21 Friends, in today’s Gospel, relatives of Jesus claim that he is mad, and scribes blaspheme him, charging that he is possessed by Beelzebul. You know, in cases like this, the basic problem is always the fearful ego. Ego-addicts know that sometimes the best defense is a good offense. If you want to protect the ego and its prerogatives, you must oppress and demoralize those around you. There is a very unsubtle version of this method: you attack, put down, insult, and undermine those around you. This is the...

Parody of press conference, Loony Toons Shorts mix

At year end I was asked for predictions of what 2022 might see? My #1 prediction was that 2022 would see several narratives collapse. It did not take long to begin! Yesterday, Boris Johnson ended ALL Covid protocols in Britain and was followed by WHO backing off boosters for youngsters. While still trying to discern what prompted BJ to do a 180 (other than trying to retain power?), we will wait to see if others follow suit? We will also wait to see further actuary numbers of deaths from the insurance industry. Raw numbers will be hard to spin …...

“What Jesus Has Been Anointed and Sent to Do” (Luke 4:16-30) Here’s a question: What did Jesus come to do? Today Jesus himself tells us. He’s at church, and he stands up to read the Old Testament Reading--well, actually, they were all Old Testament readings at that point. He reads it, and then he says, “This is about me.” Boom! Mic drop. Jesus’ ministry, described in a few short lines. Oh, and you’re included in this text. So listen now, as we hear “What Jesus Has Been Anointed and Sent to Do.” The situation is this: Jesus has been baptized...