Free Republic

Tesla got a carve-out. It’s a good day for auto dealers in the Sunshine State, and not so great for motorists who’d prefer a more direct route for buying a new coupe, sedan or SUV. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure (HB 637) banning most direct-to-consumer vehicle sales, solidifying the future viability of car-selling operations across the Sunshine State. The measure, championed and authored by lobbyists representing the Florida Automobile Dealers Association (FADA), prohibits automakers from selling vehicles directly to buyers.That restriction, which goes into effect July 1, was considered a direct threat to the business model of Tesla, an...

The First Amendment Defense Act has been justly promoted as a means to protect religious people, as well as other conscientious objectors, against those who might wish to retaliate against proponents of male-female marriage through the federal bureaucracy (complaints, charges, lawsuits, claims of damages, etc.; see this article by Roger Severino). As a Southern Baptist and vocal opponent of same-sex couples attempting to marry, I wholeheartedly support this legislation. My own recent experience being driven out of a tenured university position forces me to see FADA in urgent terms. There is another angle, however, that I fear will get lost...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. researchers said Wednesday they have discovered how a common oral bacterium can trigger a cascade of changes leading to colorectal cancer. The microorganism called fusobacteria, which are found in the mouth, may stimulate bad immune responses and turn on cancer growth genes to generate colorectal tumors, two studies published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe revealed. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Recent studies have shown that fusobacteria from the mouth are also abundant in tissues from colorectal cancer patients but it was not known...