Free Republic

Gov. J.B. Pritzker says health experts are comfortable with patio dining Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday that the state will now allow dine-in restaurants to serve customers on back patios as early as May 29. This represents a victory for the Illinois Restaurant Association, which has been lobbying Pritzker to allow restaurants to reopen earlier than the previously announced June 26 target date set by the government (dine-in restaurants have been closed in Illinois since March 17). Pritzker said any open patio seating will have to be away from sidewalks. Rooftop patios may also benefit.These dates are subject to health...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump · 39m Mitch, I love you, but this is 100% true. Time is running out. Get tough and move quickly, or it will be too late. The Dems are vicious, but got caught. They MUST pay a big price for what they have done to our Country. Don’t let them get away with this! @LindseyGrahamSC

Thunderstorms are in the forecast for Harrisburg on Friday, but a storm of another sort will hit the state Capitol at noon. For the second time in less than a month, ReOpen PA and other groups from in and outside Pennsylvania that oppose Gov. Tom Wolf’s virtual lockdown of the state over the coronavirus pandemic will rally on and around the Capitol grounds. It is part of a nationwide phenomenon, a backlash against virus-related business shutdowns and stay-at-home orders that locally is receiving more than tacit support from elected officials, including county commissioners and law enforcement leaders, usually of a...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) has decided "against returning to Washington for the foreseeable future. With so many of our members being in the decrepit geezers cohort of the population, it's just too dangerous. We're going to follow Dr. Fauci's advice and shelter at home until a COVID vaccine is developed." The Speaker hastened to reassure concerned citizens "not to worry about us. We'll be okay. As essential government workers our full salaries continue to be paid. So even the poorest among us will be able to survive for the duration. On top of this, we'll be saving taxpayers the...

As reported in Table IV of the Daily Treasury Statement, the U.S. Treasury collected approximately $21.672 billion in taxes on Christmas Eve, the first business day of the partial federal “shutdown” that began at midnight last Friday. Those Christmas Eve tax collections brought total federal tax revenues for fiscal 2019, which began on Oct. 1, to approximately $666.482 billion. On Friday, Dec. 21, the last day before the partial government shutdown, the Treasury collected approximately $10.876 billion in tax revenues, according to the Treasury statement for that day. That brought total tax collections for fiscal 2019 to approximately $644.811 billion—at...