Free Republic

President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday to move South Africa off coal, its main source of energy, toward green energy sources — despite the fact that the country lacks the power to keep its electricity on 24 hours per day. Speaking to a gathering of African leaders in Washington, DC, Biden promised his administration’s joint efforts with Africa would include “$8 billion in public and private finance to help South Africa replace coal-fired power plants with renewable energy sources and develop cutting-edge energy solutions like clean hydrogen.”

A Florida man was bitten in the arm by an alligator Thursday while washing his hands in a pond, according to the City of Sanibel. Fortunately, the man was able to break free from the alligator and call 911. People on the scene of the attack applied a tourniquet until EMS workers arrived, officials said in a statement. He sustained a serious injury on his right arm and was transported to the hospital for treatment, according to officials. Florida Fish and Wildlife along with the Florida State trapper are actively attempting to capture the alligator at the pond. There have...

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is preparing to urge the Department of Justice to prosecute former President Donald Trump on criminal charges during its business meeting on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The committee has for months been debating the move, which is largely symbolic. The committee plans to include in their criminal referral the charges of obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States, according to sources. Another charge under discussion for referral is insurrection, the sources said.

Vitamin D plays an important role in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus absorption by an organism. It also helps keep the brain and immune system working. Researchers have now shown that vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of dynapenia in older people by 78%. Dynapenia is an age-associated loss of muscle strength. "Vitamin D is known to participate in various functions of the organism. It’s a hormone and roles include helping to repair muscles and releasing calcium for muscle contraction kinetics," said Tiago da Silva Alexandre. Bone and muscle tissue are interconnected not just mechanically and physically, but also...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) mistakenly released the private data of roughly 112,000 taxpayers in September and again in late November, the agency disclosed Thursday. An IRS programming error in September caused the release of 112,000 individual 990-T forms, a form used by IRA holders to report retirement account assets. The IRS is required to publicize 990-T forms filled out by nonprofit organizations but not those completed by individual taxpayers, ... The 990-T data was accidentally released again in November when a contractor uploaded an outdated file holding the private information, the IRS said in a Thursday letter to Congress....

Adults who received the updated coronavirus booster shots are better protected against severe disease than those who haven’t, cutting their risk of having to visit an emergency room or being hospitalized with covid-19 by 50 percent or more, according to new federal data.Two reports released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention give the first detailed look at how well the updated boosters from Pfizer and Moderna protect against serious illness. But uptake of the “bivalent” boosters rolled out in September has been low among vaccine-weary Americans, with only about 14 percent of those eligible — ages 5...

The impasse between House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and a small faction of House Republicans continues, as the January vote for a new House speaker draws closer. On Friday, the California congressman told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that the five Republican lawmakers who oppose McCarthy becoming House speaker still are not budging from their stances. "We're still continuing to talk, but they have not moved," said McCarthy.

In clinical practice guidelines issued by the Society for Vascular Surgery, American Venous Forum, and American Vein and Lymphatic Society, recommendations are presented for the diagnosis and treatment of lower-extremity varicose veins. Peter Gloviczki, M.D. and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic tests and treatment options for patients with lower-extremity varicose veins to develop new evidence-based recommendations on critical issues relating to care of patients. Part I of the guidelines includes recommendations for the evaluation of patients with Clinical Class, Etiology, Anatomy, Pathology class 2 varicose veins. The authors note that duplex ultrasound scanning is recommended as...

Researchers have traced a previously observed link between microscopic organisms in the digestive tract—collectively known as the gut microbiome—and multiple sclerosis (MS). Their study in genetically altered mice and people supports the belief that dietary adjustments such as increased fiber may slow MS progression. "Unhealthy dietary habits such as low fiber and high fat consumption may have contributed to the steep rise of MS in the US," said Kouichi Ito. "In nations where people still eat more fiber, MS is far less common." MS is a degenerative condition in which the body's immune system attacks the protective covering of nerves...

A new pilot study by researchers investigates the mechanisms that underlie a treatment for patients with amblyopia, also known as "lazy eye." Amblyopia is a condition where the brain cannot recognize sight from one eye and favors the other eye. One therapy that shows promise for addressing the condition in adult patients is transient dark exposure, in which a patient has an occlusion that caused their amblyopia removed and lives in darkness for a few days. Researchers found evidence that a week after transient dark exposure, the brain's neural networks adjust the way they process visual information thereby improving vision....

Scientists have come up with an amazing new plant-based meat product that tastes exactly like the real thing! Our on-site reporter gets the scoop on exactly how they produce this incredible product.

BEIJING — China's President Xi issued a stern warning to American politicians this week, vowing that any members of Congress who dare to vote for a ban on TikTok will be fired from their jobs. "We hired all you American legislators to do one job: weaken and destroy America from within," said Xi gravely. "If you can't prove your fealty to the glorious CCP who graciously put you in your position, it will go on your performance review, and trust me — you don't want that to happen." Already, lawmakers in Washington are backing away from supporting legislation that would...

A serious condition that can cause the kidneys to suddenly stop working could be treated with existing medicines, a new study shows. In a study in mice, scientists found that medicines usually used to treat angina and high blood pressure prevented much of the long-term damage to the kidney and cardiovascular system caused by acute kidney injury (AKI). The condition is usually caused by other illnesses that reduce blood flow to the kidney, or due to toxicity arising from some medicines. AKI must be treated quickly to prevent death. Even if the kidneys recover, AKI can cause long lasting damage...

Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid and 100 times more powerful than fentanyl. It is also deadly. ”I don’t want people to die. I mean everybody in Eastern Kentucky, and I would say in the United States, has been touched by drug addiction in some way,” said Perry County Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Blair. Blair said was made aware of the drug in the county at a court proceeding late last week. ”One speck the size of one grain of salt can kill a grizzly bear they say,” he added. “It’s used as an animal tranquilizer for elephants and things like that.”...

Alexander: I think the most important news is in fact this interview in the Economist. Three people involved; Zelensky himself; he gave his own version of the events which is exactly the same as he always gives...and then the two military leaders, Zaluzhny, the overall military commander and Syrskyi who is the commander of the Ukrainian army. You read these things and it all looks like on that one hand on the surface that they have had a triumphant autumn. They have won a whole load of victories. They've regained territory, but it doesn't take much reading below the surface...

Researchers hope the vaccine, which blocked the drug from entering rats’ brains, could help reduce overdoses in humansDrug overdose fatalities soared to a record high during the early Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, deaths from overdoses in the United States rose to 91,799, a 30 percent spike from the previous year. Researchers say synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are partially responsible. These drugs were involved in more than half all fatal overdoses in 2020. More than 150 people die every day from synthetic opioids. “Fentanyl is killing Americans at an unprecedented rate,” Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said...

On the backs of several lame-duck Republican members, the House on Wednesday passed a resolution to keep the federal government running until Dec. 23 in the hope of passing a massive budget bill by then.Although the official House Republican position was to oppose the bill, nine GOP representatives supported the package, which passed 224-201, according to The Hill.Republican Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Chris Jacobs and John Katko of New York, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, Fred Upton of Michigan, Steve Womack of Arkansas and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania supported moving the...

"Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall...

As a kid, you don't have much say in what you eat, so it's hard to stray from the pack. Here's how one fine-dining veteran formed his own tastes and what salt water taffy had to do with it.I don’t eat a lot of candy. That’s not to say I don’t eat any candy at all — I could maybe murder a couple pieces of licorice right now, or some toffee — but I didn’t eat a lot of candy in my younger days either. I wasn’t exposed to really good candy when I was growing up. There wasn’t...

It’s a concept that’s been circulating around TikTok as of late — users claim that using Diet Coke as a mixer can make you drunk faster than sipping on spiked regular cola. Taylor Swift had also famously cited vodka Diet Coke her favorite drink in a 2016 interview. But does the mixer truly make Tay feel tipsier? Turns out that the theory is indeed supported by science. Here’s why, according to a recent article by The Mirror. Tiktok creator Loryn Powell (@lorynpowell) tested out the rumor in a video, utilizing a breathalyzer to clock her blood alcohol content (BAC). She...