Free Republic

The U.S. government may have made duplicate payments for projects at labs in Wuhan, China, through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), according to records reviewed by CBS News. "What I've found so far is evidence that points to double billing, potential theft of government funds. It is concerning, especially since it involves dangerous pathogens and risky research," said Diane Cutler, a former federal investigator with over two decades of experience combating white-collar crime and healthcare fraud. Cutler found evidence of possible double payments as she investigated U.S. government grants that supported high...

Washington state is debating legislation that would attempt to force priests to break the secrecy of the confessional for cases of child abuse.SPOKANE, Washington (LifeSiteNews) — While two state legislatures debate bills that would attempt to force priests to break the secrecy of the confessional for cases of child abuse, a Catholic bishop affirmed that priests and bishops would rather suffer imprisonment than comply with such a law. The state legislatures of Washington and Vermont are discussing bills on mandatory reporting of sexual abuse involving children. The bills would remove the clergy-penitent privilege, by which civil law acknowledges the absolute...