Free Republic

New York, N.Y., January 27, 2023 – Allegations have recently been made related to gain of function and directed evolution research at Pfizer and the company would like to set the record straight. In the ongoing development of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer has not conducted gain of function or directed evolution research. Working with collaborators, we have conducted research where the original SARS-CoV-2 virus has been used to express the spike protein from new variants of concern. This work is undertaken once a new variant of concern has been identified by public health authorities. This research provides a way...

The manufacture of “green steel” moved one step closer to reality Friday as Massachusetts-based Boston Metal announced a $120 million investment from the world’s second-largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal. Boston Metal will use the injection of funds to expand production at a pilot plant in Woburn, near Boston, and help launch commercial production in Brazil. The company uses renewable electricity to convert iron ore into steel. Steel is one of the world’s dirtiest heavy industries. Three-quarters of world production uses a traditional method that burns through train loads of coal to heat the furnaces and drive the reaction that releases pure iron...

When women are beautiful and have brains its a heady combination. In the 1921 photo in the above link (red type below the headline) mystic philosopher Simone Weil looks like she could have done very well in pre-code Hollywood to me. Another celebrated French writer was Colette. Apart from her writings, perhaps Colette's greatest claim to fame was discovering Audrey Hepburn. Colette was being pushed along the Monaco seafront in a wheel-chair when she saw Audrey wearing a one-piece black swimsuit. Colette exclaimed, “Voilà ma Gigi!” because what she saw in Hepburn was exactly what was needed for the role...

Former US President Donald Trump's call for "ending the crazy Ukraine-Russia war before it leads to nukes" drew scoffs from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Why should I negotiate with a nobody like Putin? I am Time Magazine's 'Man-of-the-Year.' His threat to use nukes is just a bluff." Zelensky went on to mock "Trump is just a sissy worrying that his hotels in Washington and Moscow will be destroyed by nuclear missiles. We are not afraid. President Biden has said he will do whatever it takes for us to win this war. He has previously sent $100 billion in aid and...

Join with fellow FREEPERS across the world to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) IF GOD IS ALL YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE ALL YOU NEED

For the fifth time, Jussie Smollett’s attorneys are asking for more time to file a brief with the state appellate court that is reviewing the actor’s 2021 conviction for faking a hate crime. Smollett’s attorneys had previously said their arguments in the actor’s appeal would be submitted to the three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeals by Wednesday. Instead, they asked for a fifth extension. The attorneys said their brief is ready for the judges’ review, but they are still waiting on a ruling from the court over whether they can submit a longer filing than is typically...

Massive protests have begun in across the country Friday night following the release of the Tyre Nichols bodycam footage, as cities around the country brace for violent riots. In New York City, a man was photographed standing atop a smashed in police vehicle windshield. NYPD officers were soon after seen trying to drag him down from atop the vehicle and eventually arrested him. At least three have been taken into custody in the Big Apple Friday evening as part of the protests, according to NBC New York. Another stood over a cop car with a tattered American flag. Antifa has...

ditor’s Note: Most Saturdays we will feature this “Editor’s Notebook” column. MinistryWatch President Warren Smith will comment on one or more stories in the week’s news, adding an additional perspective or, sometimes, a behind-the-scenes look at how the story came to be. What’s Going On At The Salvation Army? The Salvation Army is a huge organization that does much good in the world. A quick Google search revealed that The Salvation Army was providing essential supplies to the homeless and others during a snowstorm in Detroit. It was providing assistance to tornado victims in Texas. And it launched three preschools...

A family recently filed a lawsuit against an assisted living center in Louisville, Colorado, after a 97-year-old woman froze to death outside the facility last year. Surveillance footage caught Mary Jo Staub wandering unsupervised outside the Balfour at Lavender Farms assisted-living facility, in below-freezing temperatures in the middle of the night in late February 2022, according to the complaint filed by the Staub family that was obtained by the Washington Post. She was wearing only pajamas, a robe, boots, and gloves while using a walker that night. At some point, she injured her ankle and abandoned her walker before crawling...

A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025--most likely over Taiwan--and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, the head of the Air Force Mobility Command, General Mike Minihan, said the main goal should be to deter "and if required, defeat" China. "I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025," Minihan said. Laying out his reasoning,...

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy wants to give Ilhan Omar the boot from her committee assignments, but it’s looking like roadblocks might be in place that stop him from doing so.There’s one roadblock in particular that McCarthy is facing: he might not have the votes necessary to give Rep. Omar the same boot he gave Swalwell and Schiff, as The Hill reported, saying that Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina have both indicated that they won’t back the move.Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy wants to give Ilhan Omar the boot from her...

In light of continuing skyrocketing interest rates and declining home values, Goldman Sachs predicts that home values will decline through the end of 2023. A report published by the firm earlier this month predicted that four U.S. cities would suffer the most catastrophic drops, comparing the situation to the 2008 housing collapse. The cities of San Jose, California; San Diego, California; Austin, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona, are expected to experience noticeable increases before experiencing precipitous decreases of more than 25%.This would be similar to the declines witnessed during the Great Recession of 2008. According to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index,...

Are movies still relevant? ... Even as Hollywood rebounds a bit at the box office (up 21 percent in 2022), critics rightly observe that innovation is suffering. Sequels, reboots, and franchises rule the day and artsy “prestige films” can’t find audiences. Part of the problem: audiences have a growing (and justifiable) sense that Hollywood is increasingly less interested in entertaining them than in force-feeding them progressive ideals.As I put together my list, I focused on films that didn’t pit entertainment against artistry or confuse the difference between having something to say and telling audiences what to think. The best movies...

The Minnesota House passed legislation after seven hours of debate late Thursday night that would require the state’s electricity grid to be 100% carbon-free in 17 years.This is an unrealistic timeline that could endanger the lives of Minnesotans if it fails while causing their electricity bills to skyrocket, Republicans argued throughout the night.They unsuccessfully offered several amendments to the bill, including lifting the state’s moratorium on new nuclear power plants, allowing for the use of carbon sequestration technologies, and delaying the standard to consider its impact on child and slave labor in the green energy supply chain.Rep. Kaela Berg says...

Shannon Carpenter and her boyfriend John Grandberry were getting ready for the day on Nov. 16 when there was a knock on the door of their Greece home shortly after 8 a.m. Outside were six officers from the state Division of Parole who announced they were there to search the house. Grandberry was on parole after serving prison time for a criminal possession of a weapon conviction. Officers from the Greece Police Department would arrive later to assist. Four officers entered, and when they made their way to the bedroom, Carpenter switched on a phone-activated web camera, aimed at the...

The latest data from the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse reveals that drug use among commercial drivers may be at its highest level since the federal repository was set up in 2019 — but more are being cleared to drive again as well.Total drug violations reported into the clearinghouse in 2022, including positive tests and refusals to take a drug test, increased 18% to 69,668 compared with last year’s 59,011, according to the most recent statistics released this week by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. That rate almost doubled the 9.2% annual increase in drug violations reported in 2021.Much of...

Mississippi residents are consistently told that renewable energy sources, like solar panels, are now the lowest-cost ways to generate electricity, but these claims are based on creative accounting gimmicks that only examine a small portion of the expenses incurred to integrate solar onto the grid while excluding many others.When these hidden expenses are accounted for, it becomes obvious that solar is much more expensive than Mississippi’s existing coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants and that adding more solar will increase electricity prices for the families and businesses that rely upon it. One of the most common ways of estimating...

RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney Mcdaniel, who is seeking reelection in today’s election, ran away from TGP correspondent Jordan Conradson this morning when confronted about her scandalous spending of donor money on private jets, luxury items, and clothing for herself. An RNC Staffer then got physical with Conradson to prevent him from questioning Ronna further and asked security to have Conradson removed.

On Friday evening, Memphis Police released the video showing police officers beating Tyre Nichols to death.WARNING: GraphicBREAKING: Tyre Nichols video released in Memphis pic.twitter.com/CUKx0PXJUC— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 28, 2023Earlier on Friday, PJ Media’s Kevin Downey Jr. mused whether Nichols’ death would be “George Floyd 2.0,” and it appears that may be the case.Naturally, the left is blaming “white supremacy,” even though the police officers who beat Nichols to death are also black.So Joy Reid’s guest says it white supremacy is the cause of the death of a young man!!! If ⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩ was still in office we would be...

Conservative Colorado Republican Ken Buck (R-CO) told NBC News’s Chuck Todd on Friday he is opposed to removing members from committees based on political retaliation. “Do you think? You know, this is something that should be done? And do you think the tit for tat is healthy?” Todd asked on Meet the Press NOW. “I don’t. I think that Nancy Pelosi ruined this institution. I think she ruined it in a lot of different ways. And one of the ways was kicking members off of committees, which hadn’t been done in the past,” replied Buck. “Certainly, their own party has...