Free Republic

The latest numbers from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show that the U.S. economy grew by 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, and 2.1 percent for 2022. While the White House was quick to take credit for the state of the nation’s economy, they might want to think twice. This latest report should have alarm bells ringing, not trumpets sounding. That’s because economic growth is slowing down. Even the areas which contributed positively to gross domestic product (GDP) are not necessarily signs of prosperity. For example, business investment grew at only 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter,...

US President Joe Biden has ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, despite renewed calls from Ukrainian officials for air support.Asked by a reporter on Monday if the US would be providing the planes, Mr Biden replied simply "no".His comment comes a day after Germany's leader also ruled out sending fighter jets.Ukraine has said it needs the jets to take control of its airspace in its ongoing war with Russia.F-16 Fighting Falcons are widely considered one of the world's most reliable fighter jets and are used by other countries, such as Belgium and Pakistan.They would be a significant upgrade...

CLARKSBURG, Md. - Fentanyl overdoses among young people across the country are on the rise, and Montgomery County is no exception. So county school official hosted a community forum on Saturday to talk to parents about the deadly drug… During the community call to action, packed cafeteria of parents learned about the dangers of Fentanyl and harm reduction techniques for Fentanyl users. The parents were also given Naxolone kits, also known as Narcan, and they trained on how to use the life-saving medication that can reverse or reduce the effects of an overdose. The meeting comes after a reported spike...

The Patriarchs of Moscow and Constantinople spoke about one another’s Churches this week, exchanging views about the poor state of inter-Orthodox relations and the geopolitical influence in the Church. Yesterday, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia gave a presentation in the State Kremlin Palace as part of the 21st International Christmas Educational Readings, on the theme of “Global Challenges of Modernity and Human Spiritual Choice.”Among a number of other topics, the Patriarch tied the poor state of inter-Orthodox relations today to the creation and partial recognition of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”According to the Russian primate,...

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Red River Army Depot, TexasThe Red River Army Depot (RRAD) is an 15,375-acre (24 sq. mi) depot-level maintenance facility 18 miles west of Texarkana, Texas, in Bowie County. A dedicated workforce of more than 3,500 people are engaged in work ranging from producing timber to remanufacturing the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle. Over 8 million sq. ft. of floor space provide employees at Red River the capability to rebuild a large variety of vehicle systems and components for the Army. Red River is the Army’s Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence (CITE) for...

Omicron, which emerged in late 2021, has since splintered into hundreds of subvariants — amounting to what's been described as a "variant soup" — and will likely keep splintering into more. "The virus has still got the capacity to evolve and it will evolve … there's no evolutionary dead-end," Professor Holmes said. "We'll definitely see more immune escape variants … but when, where and what they'll be is very hard to say." Splintering virus reflects 'immunologically complex' population While Omicron continues to dominate globally, the current spread of SARS-CoV-2 looks different depending on where you are. "We're seeing this complicated...

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that operating profit plunged in the fourth quarter of last year, as global economic headwinds snuffed out demand for semiconductors and smartphones -- the company's two key revenue sources. The South Korean tech company said that its operating profit came in at 4.3 trillion won ($3.5 billion) for the three months through December, a decline of 69% from the same period the year before and the worst result since the third quarter of 2014. Revenue stood at 70.5 trillion won for the same period, marking a fall of 8%. The figures were in line...

Secretary of State Blinken, said that: "Just as we know that Iran supports terrorism against Israel, Iran has been providing drones to Russia targeting innocent civilians." "Russia's ongoing atrocities underscore the importance of providing support for all of Ukraine's needs: humanitarian, economic and security...

Many cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries," correlate to mitochondrial dysfunction and endothelial impairment in the tissues of the heart and blood vessels. Despite a significant improvement in therapies to treat cardiovascular disease, there is an unmet need to investigate mitochondria as a therapeutic target. A review published recently in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences explores the existing literature on relevant studies and makes recommendations for further study. The authors of the paper propose a closer examination of this relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction, endothelial impairment, and atherosclerosis is necessary in order to identify new precision...

HOLY $HIT!! Biden documents scandal includes 1850 Boxes, enough to fill a tractor trailer, plus 415 GB of electronic records! The Senate Intelligence Committee is demanding Biden turn these documents over, but they are refusing to do so!! 38 Second Video in link below https://twitter.com/mattclarkreport/status/1619925493666684928

Strong -- who passed away Sunday, Jan. 29, at the age of 81 in Detroit -- co-wrote some of Motown's most enduring hits.More than 73 years ago, Barrett Strong, as a singer, declared “Money (That’s What I Want)” — for the first hit single from the Motown empire. What he actually wound up getting was musical immortality. As a songwriter. Strong — who passed away Sunday, Jan. 29, at the age of 81 in Detroit — co-wrote some of Motown’s most enduring hits, with a variety of collaborators but primarily the late Norman Whitfield. Those included “I Heard It Through...

Update from Ukraine | Biden Says NO to F-16 Jets supply for Ukraine | Ruzzia celebrates too early https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EflFnHcQzdo Follow on Instagram up to date uploads. https://www.instagram.com/denys_pilot/ SUMMARY Military MAPS & COMMENTS here: https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-340-summary/ https://militaryland.net/maps/deployment-map

Catholic pro-life activist Mark Houck was found not guilty Monday of federal charges alleging he violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. A Pennsylvania federal grand jury indicted Houck for allegations that he assaulted an abortion clinic volunteer, Bruce Love, in Philadelphia in September 2022. Federal officials claimed that Houck violated the FACE Act by using “force with the intent to injure, intimidate, and interfere with anyone because that person is a provider of reproductive health care.” Following a jury deadlock that delayed its decision, Houck was acquitted of both charges of violations of the FACE Act....

The Tesla driver believed to have been terrorizing California drivers in multiple road rage incidents is now in custody. Nathaniel Walter Radimak, 36, was arrested Sunday by officers with the California High Patrol (CHP), according to a statement on Facebook. “On Sunday, January 29, 2023, Mr. Nathaniel Walter Radimak was arrested by the California Highway Patrol’s Southern Division Major Crimes Unit in connection with assaults he is believed to have committed on January 11, 2023, while driving a Tesla, Model X, on State Route 2 near York Blvd, in the city of Los Angeles,” the statement says. “The assaults were...

The engine of the U.S. economy—consumer spending—is starting to sputter. Retail purchases have fallen in three of the past four months. Spending on services, including rent, haircuts and the bulk of bills, was flat in December, after adjusting for inflation, the worst monthly reading in nearly a year. Sales of existing homes in the U.S. fell last year to their lowest level since 2014 as mortgage rates rose. The auto industry posted its worst sales year in more than a decade.

German Bishops’ President Rebukes Pope Francis for Criticism of Synodal WayBishop Bätzing was referring to comments Pope Francis made about the Synodal Way, among other subjects, in a wide-ranging interview last week with the Associated Press. Bishop Georg Bätzing has criticized Pope Francis and dismissed the Pope’s recent words that the controversial German Synodal Way is unhelpful, damaging, and ideologically poisoned, saying the Germans had “fundamentally different views of synodality” than Rome. In an interview published Jan. 27, the president of Germany’s Bishops’ Conference said he considered the Pope’s “way of leading the Church by way of interviews” as “extremely...

Inland border patrol checkpoints vital for stemming the tide of drugs and illegal migrants into the country have been closed for months as officers are diverted to admin duties, sources told The Post. The checkpoints are stationed 25 to 100 miles north of the US-Mexico border and act as a second line of defense. Sources explained how once people smugglers or drug runners make it past the international border they start to let their guard slip and an extra checkpoint can often catch them out. Drugs are flowing through Arizona. In October 2022, an Arizona Department of Public Safety traffic...

President Joe Biden on Monday delivered remarks in Baltimore, Maryland, where he touted a tunnel project being addressed with funds from the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act he signed in 2021. At the same time, he continues to refuse spending cut negotiations with Republican lawmakers over the $31.3 trillion debt ceiling breached on January 19, even though he has admitted Washington politicians need to rein in the national debt. Biden visited Baltimore to discuss a renovation to the Baltimore-Patomic Tunnel, a rail tunnel he claimed to have passed through “a thousand times” as an Amtrak passenger.

A member of Arizona’s men’s swim team has unexpectedly passed away.

Oral mucositis is a mucosal alteration that usually arises from oncological treatments, such as chemotherapy, and it is characterized as an inflammatory process. In this study, researchers aimed to demonstrate the chromatographic constitution of Andiroba oil, while comparing and evaluating andiroba oil and laser scarring efficiency in treatments of oral mucositis (OM) in hamsters. The researchers write, "The low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is the best standard treatment and the most efficient method in treating OM. Similarly, the andiroba oil presents great potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases." The animals were submitted to 5-Fluorouracil. Included in the study were 122...