Free Republic

An estimated $350 million in undisclosed royalties were paid to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and hundreds of its scientists, including the agency’s recently departed director, Dr. Francis Collins, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, according to a nonprofit government watchdog. “We estimate that up to $350 million in royalties from third parties were paid to NIH scientists during the fiscal years between 2010 and 2020,” Open the Books CEO Adam Andrzejewski told reporters in a telephone news conference on May 9.

Queen Elizabeth II is suffering from "episodic mobility problems" and will not attend the opening of Parliament, Buckingham Palace announced Monday. Instead, Prince Charles will appear in her place Tuesday and deliver a speech with his son Prince William in attendance. Elizabeth, 96, recently celebrated the 70-year mark of her time on the throne.

The Biden administration’s new disinformation chief says that parents who are upset about critical race theory (CRT) making its way into public school classrooms are “disinformers” who “weaponize” the issue “for profit.” [Let’s not forget the US Attorney General’s son makes millions selling CRT materials]Nina Jankowicz, who was appointed to lead the newly established Disinformation Governance Board at the Department of Homeland Security, dismissed the pushback against CRT indoctrination at an event in Ohio last October, when the debate over parents’ right to direct their children’s education had taken center stage in high-profile elections, including Virginia’s gubernatorial race. “Critical race...

Former Attorney General Bill Barr said Monday on FNC’s “Jesse Watters Primetime” that the protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices after a draft opinion leaked that would overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling were a violation of both federal and state law. Waters said, “You see these protesters at the homes of these justices, what goes through your mind?” Barr said, “Well, that’s not a valid form of protest because it’s a violation of the law. There is time and place for protests, and the federal statute makes it clear if you go to the house of...

After taking up a gun to lead his country’s battle against the invading Russian army, Ukraine’s Jewish Presiden, Volodymyr Zelensky, became an international hero. But recently, he has become a religious icon, with some people even lighting votive candles to “Saint Zelensky.” In an address to the Danish Parliament in late March, Zelensky tapped into a widespread and deeply ingrained Nordic tradition of lighting a candle as a symbol of hygge (domestic coziness). As a result of this tradition, Denmark uses more candles per capita than any other country in the world, and 28% of Danes light candles every day....

In recent weeks I have been canceled by Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, all without explanation. ... Long may The Epoch Times—and those few others like it—thrive. And thank you so much to the readers who keep them alive! Nevertheless, this is all starting to remind me of the Soviet Union that I visited twice on cultural exchanges during the early glasnost (in the late ’80s). In fact, the America of today has for some time. I remember visiting two apartment buildings that were named Screenwriter I and II. They housed favored writers, screenwriters or not, and were sought after because,...

New York (CNN)Former President Donald Trump said he no longer has four cell phones identified by the New York attorney general's investigation into the Trump Organization's finances but has turned over his personal phone to be searched as he tries to convince a state judge to lift a civil contempt ruling that so far has cost him $140,000. In an affidavit filed with the court Friday, Trump said he doesn't currently have any phones, computers or electronic devices issued to him by the Trump Organization and that he has authorized his attorneys to search his homes in Bedminster, New Jersey,...

Has it finally happened? Has Hillary Clinton at long last actually said something honest and accurate? In an interview with PBS Friday, the once and possibly future presidential candidate warned that the 2022 elections were shaping up to be a showdown between “authoritarianism” and “democracy,” and for the first time in Hillary Clinton’s long and distinguished political career, she is actually quite likely to be correct. As you might expect, however, she is only right by accident, and in a way that is diametrically opposite to what she intended.PBS’ Judy Woodruff asked Clinton, “The midterms: conventional wisdom is, not a...

Russia is struggling to make significant military gains in Ukraine's Donbas region because it is fighting Kyiv's forces one-on-one, a pro-Moscow reporter has said. War correspondent and Putin propagandist Aleksandr Sladkov made a rare admission of Russia's military struggles in Ukraine, speaking in a video posted to social media late on Monday. He said that Vladimir Putin's so-called special military operation was 'shamefully indecisive', that Russian troops 'can't push out Ukrainian forces', and that Moscow's armies are 'making a feat out of something that should be routine'. Sladkov, a journalist for Russia's state-run Russia-1 TV channel, has in the past...

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that President Biden has no plans to visit Ukraine despite first lady Jill Biden’s recent trip to the country. When asked in a press conference if the first lady’s trip would “change the calculations” for President Biden, Psaki said he would “love” to go to Ukraine but has no current plans to do so.

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) – With a week to go in the Pennsylvania Senate race, the leading candidates are pulling out all the stops and bringing in their biggest endorsements to help swing undecided voters. Dave McCormick, who finished third but within the margin of error of leading a new Trafalgar Poll, will be joined by Texas Senator Ted Cruz in Lancaster on May 13. McCormick and Cruz will be at the Listrak Headquarters in Lititz from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., according to an event invite. Attendees must register to attend the event. McCormick and Cruz will also have...

Things going on these days just do not make sense. One just can't understand why Mr. Biden and his Deep State do the things they do. Biden and his cabal are acting in a way that is totally against the American heritage and, even more perilously, against America's future. So here are some sincere, honest questions for the placeholder in the White House. Why are you leaving the southern border wide open with no troops, no army, and no border security? It leaves children exposed to human-trafficking and our countrymen vulnerable to terrorism. Why do you allow a porous border,...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope to LGBT Catholics: 'God is Father who does not disown any of his children'Pope Francis answers three questions put to him by Jesuit Father James Martin whose pastoral ministry involves the LGBT community.By Linda Bordoni“God’s style is closeness, mercy and tenderness” Pope Francis said answering three questions put to him by Jesuit Father James Martin who ministers to LGBT Catholics.On 5 May Father Martin had written to the Pope in Spanish asking him to answer some questions that he is most commonly asked by LGBT Catholics and their families.He received a hand-written response a couple of days...

Thankfully, it will still be well over 3.5 million miles away, so there’s nothing to panic about. Experts believe the asteroid is somewhere between 240 and 535 yards wide. At the maximum possible length, that would make it bigger than the Empire State Building, the Shard and the Eiffel Tower. It would dwarf the Statue of Liberty too. The space rock — officially known as 388945 (2008 TZ3) — is expected to make its closest approach on Sunday, May 15. Last time it paid a visit was in May 2020. Back then it came even closer, at 1.7 million miles...

While budgets should have been getting tighter for years now, some states, at least, are finally awakening to the need to watch their spending. Well, better late than never, right? One example of this newfound awareness is the effort of some to reconsider our generous subsidies for solar panels, particularly the rooftop panels that one sees high atop single family homes across otherwise reasonable suburbs. Mississippi, Florida, and other states are in the news right now as they debate the question of rethinking the levels at which the taxpayer ought to subsidize the homeowner for this choice of dubious economic...

Former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Monday on MSNBC’s “The Beat” that Democrats are the party of hope and Republicans were the party of fear, anger, and pessimism. When asked why Democrats are not good at demonizing people, Dean said, “It’s one of the problems with the Democrats. It’s essentially a problem because we are optimistic. The Republicans are pessimistic. The Republicans don’t have values that are encouraging to humanity. They don’t believe humanity is any good.”

Conservative commentator Kathy Barnette has made a meteoric rise into a statistical tie atop the leaderboard according to the latest Trafalgar Group poll of 1,080 likely Republican voters. While Oz received the most support at 24.5 percent and McCormick was not far off the pace at 21.6, Barnette slid into the second position at 23.2 percent and with a margin of error at +/-2.99%, the race is a statistical dead heat. (snip) “I think Barnette’s rise is based on two factors,” said Stephen Medvic, Director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College. “The first...

A mother-of-two has gone viral on social media after writing a memoir about leaving her husband of 14 years to pursue a stranger who she thought could be her 'soulmate'. Amanda Trenfield, from Sydney, explained that she spent 20 years building a 'somewhat predictable life' with a career in the financial services alongside caring for two young children and her marriage. In an extract from her new book, published by The Sydney Morning Herald, Amanda said that she was hoping to reconnect with her husband during a three-day conference in Margaret River but found herself drawn to another man, Jason,...

WARNING! This thread contains spoilers for: Better Call Saul Breaking Bad and El Camino Proceed at your own risk.