Free Republic

Daytime naps longer than a half-hour appear to nearly double a person's risk of developing an irregular heartbeat, a study reports. People who nap 30 minutes or more a day have a 90% higher risk of developing the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation (a-fib) than those who take shorter naps, according to research presented. "Our study indicates that snoozes during the day should be limited to less than 30 minutes," Dr. Jesus Diaz-Gutierrez said in a society news release. "People with disturbed night-time sleep should avoid relying on napping to make up the shortfall." A-fib causes the heart's upper chambers...

None of the rest of us could explain how an enlistee in the Air National Guard got his hands on highly classified military and diplomatic intelligence leaked over the past few months. Now it turns out that the Pentagon doesn’t have a good answer for that question, either. The Wall Street Journal refers to it as “among the most puzzling questions” of the case, and the Pentagon’s lack of explanation for it is not building much confidence in opsec: The leak was “a deliberate criminal act, a violation of those guidelines,” Pentagon press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder...

For patients undergoing cesarean delivery, prophylactic use of tranexamic acid does not lead to a lower risk for a composite of maternal death or blood transfusion, according to a study. Luis D. Pacheco, M.D. and colleagues randomly assigned patients undergoing cesarean delivery at 31 hospitals to receive tranexamic acid or placebo after umbilical cord clamping (5,529 and 5,471 participants, respectively). The primary outcome was a composite of maternal death or blood transfusion by hospital discharge or seven days postpartum. The researchers found that a primary outcome event occurred in 3.6 and 4.3 percent of participants in the tranexamic acid and...

President Biden's nominee to lead the World Bank says the twin global challenges of climate change and inequality need to be addressed simultaneously and cannot be separated. Ajay Banga, the former CEO of Mastercard, tells Morning Edition's Michel Martin that it will take the combined action of all stakeholders, from countries to the multilateral development banking system to the private sector to make a difference, particularly when it comes to climate change. "We don't have the time to play in silos," he says. Banga, who is 63, says the World Bank, which oversees billions of dollars in funding for developing...

Old blood clots in lung arteries can obstruct blood flow and lead to pressure build-up in the affected arteries. When this happens, symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and fainting spells may develop, which severely impair quality of life. While this condition, known as chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), is often effectively treated with open heart surgery, many CTEPH patients cannot undergo surgery, because of other medical problems or because blockages in their arteries are beyond the reach of surgery. Said Riyaz Bashir, MD, FACC: "CTEPH patients treated with balloon pulmonary angioplasty come away having fewer symptoms,...

One of the previously undisclosed balloons flew over a US carrier strike group in the Pacific, according to the Washington Post. Another Chinese craft, code-named Bulger-21 by US officials, circumnavigated the Earth from December 2021 until May 2022, according to top-secret documents reviewed by the news outlet. A third balloon named Accardo-21 is mentioned in the documents and a fourth is referenced to have crashed in the South China Sea, the Washington Post reports, noting that it is unclear if Bulger-21 and Accardo-21 were the same balloons that crashed and flew over the carrier strike group. Department of Defense/MegaThe documents...

Sources say Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is uninjured and has left a western Japan port after loud explosions were heard there before he was to deliver a speech...

Synodality and the Messy Separation of the North American Bishops from the Catholic Church“A word that frequently surfaced during the team’s discernment at the retreat was ‘messiness.’ Synodality is not always easy to comprehend; it can also be seen to be a complicated process.” (Final North American Synodal Document)On April 12, 2023, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops jointly issued their Synodal Document: On North American Final Document for the Continental Stage of the 2021-2024 Synod: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission. Like the other Synodal documents we have seen, the North...

An international team has examined the associations of changes in body weight and waist circumference with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. In the paper, the team highlights the startling connection between weight loss and increased risk of death. The researchers used data from a past study looking at aspirin use in 16,703 Australian participants aged 70 and above. They focused on weight recordings, waist circumference measurements and mortality information over time. The cohort consisted of 7,510 men and 9,193 women. All the individuals were without evident cardiovascular disease, dementia, physical disability, or life-limiting chronic illnesses. Using men with stable weight as...

Gillette shocked millions of viewers worldwide with their ‘We Believe: The Best Men Can Be’ commercial. The advert looks back to the brand’s ‘The Best A Man Can Get’ commercial from way back in 1989, rephrasing its tagline to ask the question: Can men do better? Touching on topics such as the #MeToo movement, the male gaze, the media’s portrayal of women and gender stereotypes, the ad encourages the audience to embrace a new age and suggests that men should hold themselves accountable for toxic masculinity. Aptly, the orchestral track amplifies the serious tone of the ad and underlines the...

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite The Senate’s two-week recess ends on Monday. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will be back to work then. He made the announcement on Twitter, a nod to recent gossiping and speculation that he would retire after treatment for a concussion suffered when McConnell took a fall at a dinner event. McConnell is 81 years old so talk of retirement after his long career in public service is not out of the ordinary. McConnell fell during a dinner event in early March. He was hospitalized and treated for a concussion. He was moved to an inpatient...

Donald Trump Jr has called for an end to the boycott of Bud Light for their partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, emphasizing their conservative credentials and saying it was wrong to 'blame the whole company for the inaction or the stupidity of someone in a marketing campaign that got woke as hell.' Bud Light has been engulfed in a firestorm since Mulvaney on April 1 revealed that the beer company had made a special commemorative can to celebrate her year since transitioning. Kid Rock used Bud Light cans for target practice, country singers announced boycotts and factories owned by...

A California man has been sentenced to a year in prison for threats made against the dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster. He made what is described as violent anti-LGBTQ-related threats against the publisher over its updated gender definitions. He threatened to shoot and bomb Merriam-Webster’s HQ. Jeremy Hanson, 35, was sentenced in federal court in Massachusetts Thursday. Last year, he pleaded guilty to the interstate transmission of threatening communications in connection with threats made to Merriam-Webster and the University of North Texas president. In addition to a year in prison, he was sentenced to 30 days of home confinement, three years of...

Demonstrably anti-woke 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was back in the news on Friday, and unlike some other presidential candidates, when the 37-year-old multibillionaire entrepreneur makes news, it’s good news — for the Republican Party, that is, assuming the GOP pays attention.As I suggested in a Wednesday article titled This Beat-Down’s for You, Bud: Vivek Ramaswamy Blasts Dylan Mulvaney Madness and ‘Gender Insanity Cult’, Ramaswamy is already turning heads.Obviously brilliant, Ramaswamy’s crisp articulation of the issues and ability to incisively communicate his positions has gained national attention for one simple reason: He means what he says, he’s not afraid...

An Obama-appointed federal judge ordered two Missouri teachers opposing a school district's mandatory diversity training to shell out over $300,000 in legal fees. Teachers opposed the training that allegedly contained content forcing them to place themselves on an "oppression matrix." The material also allegedly called for socio-economic changes and asked teachers to share information they wished to keep private. Brooke Henderson was one of the two fighting back against the training she said encouraged her to believe that America is systemically racist. "If we believed in a colorblind America, [it told us] that we are White supremacists, and it really...

Mike Pompeo—who has served as a soldier, House Representative, Secretary of State, and CIA director—issued a statement Friday that he is not going to run in the race to become president in 2024. The decision puts to rest discussions on whether he’d run against his former boss, Donald Trump.Pompeo announced the decision on Twitter:[My wife] Susan and I have concluded, after much consideration and prayer, that I will not present myself as a candidate to become President of the United States in the 2024 election.Susan and I have concluded, after much consideration and prayer, that I will not present myself...

A transgender activist engaged in a furious and aggressive confrontation with members of Turning Point USA on the campus of the University of Washington on Wednesday. The transgender activist is heard saying on video, "Yeah, no, you just support the genocide of trans kids and anyone who supported that." A member of TPUSA calmly responds, "No. That is such an assumption." The LGBTQ activist – who was not identified – claims that the TPUSA member is lying. Pointing to the conservative pamphlets with the faces of the Founding Fathers on the Turning Point USA table, the transgender activist asserts, "Such...

In Argentina the price of food rose by 9.3 percent in February 28 percent for the first three months of this year and... Late this afternoon the Moody's rating service downgrading Israel's economic outlook. The move was expected as a response to Prime Minister... Russia imposing a 10 percent tax on sales of foreign owned businesses... A bill to ban TikTok approved 54-43 in the Montana State House... The government in the Netherlands planning for 47,500 more Ukrainians... Former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying he will not run for President... US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito...

Sen. Hawley has demanded 'immediat[e]' responses from AG Merrick Garland disclosing 'how many undercover informants' in Catholic parishes or religious organizations the DOJ is working with.(LifeSiteNews) — Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) urged Attorney General Merrick Garland in a Tuesday letter to reveal the extent to which the Department of Justice (DOJ) is working with “undercover informants” in Catholic parishes and other religious groups. Hawley’s demands follow the FBI’s disclosure to the House Judiciary Committee that, “relying on information derived from at least one undercover employee,” it planned to “engage in outreach” to leaders of the traditional Catholic Society of St....

The South African government has elected to consider allowing Vladimir Putin's remote attendance to the 2023 BRICS summit ion an effort to navigate the bureaucratic headache that the Russian leader's presence risks due to the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his capture, News24 reports. According to City Press, a hybrid sitting is under consideration for the summit which would allow multiple leaders, including Putin, to attend the event virtually. A government official said: "The Ramaphosa administration is the one that revoked the earlier decision to leave the ICC and decided the country would stay....