Free Republic

Spotify’s market cap increased by billions of dollars on Monday, following a controversial week that has seen the streaming platform at the center of a culture war between the folk-rock star Neil Young and leading podcast host Joe Rogan over allegations that the latter has used his platform to spread misinformation concerning the CCP virus.The incident began last week, when Young issued an ultimatum to Spotify demanding they censor The Joe Rogan Experience, lest Young remove his music from the platform altogether.“I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines—potentially causing death to those who believe the...

A Japanese conglomerate has found that the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin is effective and safe for the treatment of the coronavirus Omicron variant, according to a phase III clinical trial.Kowa Co. Ltd., a conglomerate with interests in trading, hospitality, and electronics, along with health and medical applications, issued a press release (pdf) on Jan. 31 stating that ivermectin has been found to be effective against Omicron.Kowa representatives didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.The company, working with Kitasato University based in Tokyo, said that ivermectin has the “same antiviral effect” on all “mutant strains,” including Alpha, Delta, and...

Breitbart News senior contributor and Government Accountability Institute (GAI) President Peter Schweizer’s latest investigative exposé, Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win, reveals how 23 former U.S. senators and congressman have lobbied for Chinese military or intelligence-linked companies after leaving office. Many lawmakers cash in after leaving office by becoming lobbyists for corporations and other special interests. But one would hope that they would not become advocates for America’s primary economic and political adversary — communist China — by lobbying for outcomes that run counter to the United States’ long-term interests. However, Schweizer’s book reveals that many former...

Former South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint weighed in on pandemic-related government mandates, saying citizens should be allowed to make an informed decision as to whether they want to be vaccinated, instead of being subject to mandates from the federal government.“I think what we should do as a nation, (doctors, politicians, media) is give people the best information we have. Let doctors express different opinions, and let people make informed decisions about it,” DeMint told “Capitol Report” host Steve Lance in a Jan. 29 interview.DeMint’s comments come after the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on Jan. 25 that...

Pluto is a dwarf planet. A dwarf planet travels around, or orbits, the sun just like other planets. But it is much smaller. Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930. He was an astronomer from the United States. An astronomer is a scientist who studies stars and other objects in space. Venetia Burney named Pluto that same year. She was an 11-year-old girl from England. Pluto is not very big. It is only half as wide as the United States. Pluto is smaller than Earth's moon. This dwarf planet takes 248 Earth years to go around the sun. If you lived...

Five months after the end of the US airlift stranded them in Afghanistan, some 156 dogs and 133 cats are finally on board an Il-76 chartered from a Russian transport company Aviacon Zitotrans, which departed Kabul on Sunday and is bound for Vancouver, Canada. “The plane is a total beast, an [Ilyushin] 76-TD, basically built for flying into Siberia in the middle of winter, so we do not expect winter weather to cause any delays or disruptions,” said Charlotte Maxwell-Jones of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR), the charity organizing the airlift. The plane, tail number RA-76502, took off from...

Actor Moses J. Moseley, who played a zombie on the hit show The Walking Dead, was found dead from a gunshot wound on Wednesday in what authorities are investigating as a possible suicide. Moseley, 31, was found in the Hudson Bridge area of Stockbridge, a city on the outskirts of Atlanta, his family told TMZ, adding that he died of a gunshot wound. Law enforcement sources told TMZ they're investigating his death as a possible suicide. The Henry County Police Department did not immediately respond to questions from DailyMail.com. Relatives said they hadn't heard from the actor since January 23....

One of the most disconcerting experiences you can have is to be blocked from entering the United States at the border. Some inadequately prepared travellers have been known to be detained for many hours, questioned—sometimes by multiple U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) officers covering the same areas pf concern—had their suitcases and electronic equipment opened and ransacked, and even physically searched. Anyone who has ever endured such an experience will remember it for a long time. So what can you do to best prepare for your entry inspection, whether it is through a USCBP preclearance facility abroad, at a...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—First Lady Jill Biden has announced that the White House has welcomed a new pet, a cat named Willow. Initial reports indicate that things are not going quite as planned from Willow’s perspective, as she is blamed for all the messes on the Oval Office carpet. “What on Earth is that foul odor in here?!” said Chief Of Staff Ronald Klain walking into the Oval Office. “It smells absolutely horrific!” “Oh um, well see, that's just our uh new cat Willow,” said Biden nervously trying to cover up the considerably large stain for a young kitten. “We’ve been trying...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A bill that would have created the nation's only government-funded universal health care system died in the California Assembly on Monday as Democrats could not gather enough support to bring it for a vote ahead of a legislative deadline. The bill had to pass by midnight on Monday to have a chance at becoming law this year. Democrats needed 41 votes for that to happen, a threshold that did not seem impossible given that they control 56 of the 80 seats in the state Assembly and universal health care has long been a priority for the party.

Santiago, Jan 31 (EFE).- The northern Chilean city of Iquique was the scene of roadblocks, store closures and a truck drivers’ strike on Monday, with protesters demanding action to address rising crime and an illegal immigration crisis in that region. Trucks and other heavy equipment were used to block multiple roads leading into and out of the city and prevent workers from reaching the airport, according to different local reports. The airport suspended operations early Monday and urged passengers to contact their airline for updates on the status of their flights. “Retail establishments and the duty-free zone decided not to...

Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson voiced his support for Joe Rogan after the famed podcaster said he will change his coronavirus messaging strategy after Spotify announced its new “content advisory” rule. In a statement on Sunday, Spotify CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek said the company will do more to “provide balance and access to widely-accepted information” for the coronavirus by adding a content advisory notice to any program that discusses issues with the pandemic. “These are rules of the road to guide all of our creators — from those we work with exclusively to those whose work is shared...

The myth of white privilege says blacks are arrested and incarcerated at a higher rate due to systemic racism that exists in the law enforcement and court systems. However white privilege isn’t real, and we’re going to prove that institutional racism isn’t the cause, but the breakdown in the family unit and uneducated people who make bad life choices are the real causes of the problem

Novavax announced Monday that it has formally submitted a request for the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize its coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the United States. The request is based on data that includes the results of two large clinical trials that demonstrated an overall efficacy of about 90% and a "reassuring safety profile," according to the company. "We believe our vaccine offers a differentiated option built on a well-understood protein-based vaccine platform that can be an alternative to the portfolio of available vaccines to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic," Stanley Erck, Novavax's president and chief executive...

Archdiocese backs the Kerala priest's comments about halal food and love jihadPolice have registered a case against a Catholic priest for allegedly provocative statements about Muslims in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Muslim groups objected to his comments in a homily at St. Thomas Church in Manikkadavu during a recent feast. Father Antony Tharakkadavil of Tellicherry Archdiocese was charged at Ulikkal police station in Kannur district on Jan. 25 with wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot. “Yes, we have registered a case against the priest for his alleged provocative speech. However, he was not arrested,” a police...

[Catholic Caucus] 2,800 Catholics sign Traditional Latin Mass petition delivered to Arlington bishopNearly 2,800 supporters of the Traditional Latin Mass have signed a petition addressed to Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington. The organizer tells CNA he delivered that petition to the bishop’s office on Monday. The document asks Burbidge to lift restrictions he recently imposed on the celebration of the sacraments in the Extraordinary Form. “In the spirit of the Synodal Path that the church has embarked upon, we humbly ask that you engage in consultations with the faithful of each parish church potentially affected by restrictions on the Traditional...

A Catholic adoption agency in Michigan reached a settlement with the state on Tuesday which will allow the agency to continue to place children in homes in a manner consistent with its Catholic identity. A 2019 requirement imposed by Michigan that adoption agencies must match children with same-sex couples in order to receive state funding had meant the possible closure of St. Vincent Catholic Charities, one of the oldest adoption and foster care agencies in the state. “The teaching of the Catholic Church and, hence, the adoption policy of Saint Vincent is rooted in both faith and reason: That children,...

INGLEWOOD, Calif.—Several California officials are under fire after they were photographed without masks at a Jan. 30 National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The Los Angeles Rams earned their spot in the Superbowl LVI when they beat the San Francisco 49ers 20–17, and the high-profile football match drew high-profile guests—including Gov. Gavin Newsom, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed—who each posed maskless for a photo with NBA legend Magic Johnson. The photos circulated widely on social media in the face of the governor’s extended state of emergency and mask mandate through...

The man police say sped through a red light which led to a "mass casualty" crash that killed nine people, including himself, has an extensive criminal history dating back to the 1990s, including multiple cases in courts across the Las Vegas Valley. Officials identified the driver as 59-year-old Gary Dean Robinson.

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