Free Republic

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said during a press conference on Tuesday that the “number one priority” for Republicans is to provide more aid to Ukraine. “Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now according to most Republicans. That’s sort of how we see the challenges confronting the country at the moment,” McConnell said during a press conference with Senate Republican leadership. The Kentucky Republican said he was “proud” that Republicans were able to achieve all of their priorities in the omnibus.

AUSTIN (AP) -- Gov. Rick Perry ordered Friday that schoolgirls in Texas must be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, making Texas the first state to require the shots. The girls will have to get Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass laws in state legislatures across the country mandating it Gardasil vaccine for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in...