Free Republic

A new Texas poll shows that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's lead over President Donald Trump is closing, as Democrats work towards winning the Lone Star State for the first time since 1976. A blue Texas would mean almost certain defeat for Trump, who is already struggling to boost his poll numbers amid the coronavirus pandemic, economic turmoil and nationwide unrest over institutionalized racism and inequality. Democrats are eyeing Texas's 38 Electoral College votes and Sen. John Cornyn's seat, which is also up for grabs on November 3. If challenger Mary Jennings Hegar can unseat Cornyn, it would be a...

President Trump said hydroxychloroquine "would be the hottest thing" had he not endorsed the anti-malaria drug as a treatment for COVID-19. "If I would have said, 'I don't believe in it. It doesn't work,' it would be the hottest thing going right now," he said Tuesday morning. In an interview on sports radio show Outkick, Trump told host Clay Travis that the drug "causes no problem," citing his own use of hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure against the virus in May. "As soon as I came out with it, they said 'Oh, it doesn't work.' They went crazy," Trump added,...

A descendant of Confederate General Robert E. Lee argued in favor of removing a statue of his ancestor at the Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland during a House subcommittee hearing Tuesday morning. Reverend Robert Wright Lee, who identified himself as a distant nephew of the Confederate general, said the statue at Antietam and others "must be removed for a more perfect Union." He spoke before the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands to weigh in on the proposed Robert E. Lee Statue Removal Act, a bill Rep. Anthony Brown of Maryland introduced nearly three years ago.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis came under fire this weekend after he called state residents who do not wear masks to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, "selfish bastards." On Sunday, Polis posted on his campaign Facebook account to remind Colorado residents that scientific studies supported the use of face coverings and face masks in public places to help reduce the spread of the virus, adding: "So if you're a selfish bastard and wearing a mask to protect others isn't enough of reason to do so, then maybe protecting yourself is?"

Just hours before the incident, Love had taken to Facebook and revealed in a post on Friday that she was "scared af" of going out to protest because of "death threats from various hate groups."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell flatly rejected on Tuesday the idea of Russia rejoining the Group of Seven (G7). President Donald Trump has suggested allowing Russia to be readmitted to the group of world leaders after it was ousted in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea.

Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney continued offering his support for the George Floyd-inspired protests against racism and police brutality Saturday, highlighting his father's own backing of 1960s U.S. civil rights campaigns. ... "No Americans should fear enmity and harm from those sworn to protect us. The death of George Floyd must not be in vain: Our shock and outrage must grow into collective determination to extinguish forever such racist abuse."

President Donald Trump praised his "great keyboard warriors" on Thursday night as pro-Trump meme makers and social media personalities have prepared for the 2020 presidential election. The commander-in-chief said his army of online supporters were "far more brilliant" than anyone working in the advertising industry. Posting on social media, the president said: "Thank you to all of my great Keyboard Warriors. You are better, and far more brilliant, than anyone on Madison Avenue (Ad Agencies). There is nobody like you!" At the time of writing, his late-night tweet has been liked and retweeted more than 150,000 times. Responding to the...

Dr. Anthony Fauci is an adviser to President Donald Trump and something of an American folk hero for his steady, calm leadership during the pandemic crisis. At least one poll shows that Americans trust Fauci more than Trump on the coronavirus pandemic—and few scientists are portrayed on TV by Brad Pitt...

This thread summarizes the major-media investigative reporting on the TRUMP-CHINA SCANDAL, a bribery scandal involving Trump's hunt for dirt on Joe Biden in China, his debts to the Chinese government, and his decision to ignore life-saving COVID-19 intel. 1/ We begin with the context: Trump's history of viewing his endeavors as entwined and mutually reinforcing. For instance, despite contest-rigging being a felony, Trump has been accused of picking Miss Universe finalists based on where his businesses are. [SNIP] 23/ We don't have to *wonder* what the connection is between Trump's trade war and Biden—Trump told us in October 2019. In...

Several hospitals in Sweden have reportedly stopped administering chloroquine to coronavirus patients following reports the drug was causing adverse side effects. According to the national paper Expressen, hospitals in the Västra Götaland region are no longer offering the antimalarial medication, with side effects reported to include cramps and the loss of peripheral vision. One of the patients affected was Carl Sydenhag, a 40-year-old Stockholm resident. According to Expressen, Sydenhag was prescribed two tablets of chloroquine to take daily after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 23. But instead of making him feel better, the medication produced unpleasant side effects....

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic poses two threats: public health and economic. ... As I write: All schools are closed in all of Italy.All churches are closed (including St. Peter's Basilica).All weddings and funerals are postponed.All restaurants are closed.In fact, all stores except grocery stores and pharmacies are closed.People are urged to work from home unless they work in special designated factories The streets are almost empty. These steps are not an overreaction. The coronavirus is out of control of in Northern Italy. As of 6 p.m. local/1 p.m. EST on March 10, there were 15,113 total cases in Italy, with...

I am living in Italy, where my wife, Callista, is the ambassador to the Holy See.I have watched first-hand as the Italian government has worked hard to contain the coronavirus by imposing strong public health measures to try to get the epidemic under control. These measures will lead to significant economic challenges.As I write: All schools are closed in all of Italy.All churches are closed (including St. Peter's Basilica).All weddings and funerals are postponed.All restaurants are closed.In fact, all stores except grocery stores and pharmacies are closed.People are urged to work from home unless they work in special designated factories...

During the height of tensions with Iran last year, the United States conducted an unprecedented series of war games. Over five months, from May until the end of September, 93 separate military exercises were held, with forces operating continuously in, above and around 29 countries.

In my last column, “Newsweek Hits a New Low,” I wrote about Newsweek’s dishonest description of what I had said on one of my weekly PragerU “Fireside Chats.” A viewer had asked me to respond to a statement Anne Frank made in her epic Holocaust diary. Frank said, “Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.” The Newsweek headline, “Conservative Radio Host Ridicules Anne Frank,” was simply a lie. In order for readers to appreciate the level of mendacity, I had my entire response transcribed and placed it in the column. A few days later I received...

In my last column, "Newsweek Hits a New Low," I wrote about Newsweek's dishonest description of what I had said on one of my weekly PragerU "Fireside Chats." A viewer had asked me to respond to a statement Anne Frank made in her epic Holocaust diary. Frank said, "Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart." The Newsweek headline, "Conservative Radio Host Ridicules Anne Frank," was simply a lie. In order for readers to appreciate the level of mendacity, I had my entire response transcribed and placed it in the column.A few days later I received a...

Hotter weather thanks to climate change could cause a spike in deaths related to injuries—including suicides, assaults, and drownings—according to a study. One expert described the problem to Newsweek as the looming "hidden public health burden" of global warming. Deaths by suicides, assaults, transport accidents, drownings and falls were forecast to be on the up if temperatures rose on average by 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the authors of the paper published in the journal Nature Medicine found. The researchers analyzed data on deaths and temperatures between 1980 to 2017 in mainland United States, excluding Alaska and...

U.S. Representative Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) claimed Thursday that President Donald Trump could be to blame for the fatal crash of a Ukraine passenger jet in Iran on Wednesday, due to "collateral damage" caused by his "provocative" killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Speier made the remarks during an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, on the Thursday edition of his show The Situation Room. The congresswoman confirmed that she had heard classified details concerning the claim by U.S. officials that the plane was accidentally brought down by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile strike. She insisted Trump would be responsible for the crash...

Since his arrest last July -- he was accused of helping to plan the post-election uprisings -- Kian's family and friends have made countless appeals for clemency to the Iranian government, written letters to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pleading his innocence, and signed dozens of petitions. All to no avail. I've come now to realize that the regime probably thinks we're obtuse. Indeed, they know better than anyone that Kian is an innocent man. As the expression goes in Persian, "da'va sar-e een neest," i.e. that's not what this fight is about.

If decent people working in mainstream American media want to know why many Americans do not trust them and are willing to use the term "fake news" to describe the mainstream media, I offer one of the most glaring examples of a lie in my lifetime. Last week, Newsweek headlined the following: "Conservative Radio Host Ridicules Anne Frank: 'I Don't Get My Wisdom From Teenagers.'" Now, imagine how that must have struck any reader not familiar with the "conservative radio host" or with what he actually said. "Ridicule Anne Frank" -- what kind of terrible human being would do that?...