Free Republic

Cannabis users who contracted Covid-19 had better outcomes and reduced mortality compared to people who do not use marijuana, according to new research presented at a conference in Hawaii this week. A presentation on the study, which was conducted through a review of the medical records of more than 320,000 individuals, was delivered on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in Honolulu. “Marijuana smokers had better outcomes and mortality compared to non-users,” the authors of the study wrote in their conclusion. “The beneficial effect of marijuana use may be attributed to its potential...

Less than one month before Mike Johnson’s sudden ascent to the speakership, the Louisiana Republican, then a little-known member, joined with most GOP lawmakers to vote against $300 million in U.S. security assistance for Ukraine. Now, as speaker, Johnson has surprised many on Capitol Hill by publicly and repeatedly calling Ukraine aid a critical priority for the House. Where Johnson stands on Ukraine and how hard he plans to push for tens of billions of dollars in new aid could shape the future of the embattled country, just as the U.S. is facing questions about its commitment to Kyiv and...

A new study from the Pentagon shows that 77% of young Americans would not qualify for military service without a waiver due to being overweight, using drugs or having mental and physical health problems. A slide detailing the findings from the Pentagon's 2020 Qualified Military Available Study shared with Military.com shows a 6% increase from the latest 2017 Department of Defense research that showed 71% of Americans would be ineligible for service. "When considering youth disqualified for one reason alone, the most prevalent disqualification rates are overweight (11%), drug and alcohol abuse (8%), and medical/physical health (7%)," the study, which...

Following the disappearance of a Canadian child last month, a 40-year-old Portland-area man and radio host on the left-wing station, KBOO, has been arrested for child trafficking and child rape. Following the disappearance of a Canadian child last month, a 40-year-old Portland-area man and radio host on the left-wing station, KBOO, has been arrested for child trafficking and child rape. Noah Whitefield Madrano, of Gladstone, Ore., allegedly kidnapped a 13-year-old girl from Edmonton, Alberta. She was reported missing by her family on June 24 after never showing up for school and was finally discovered in an Oregon City hotel room...

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) said he was just "acting foolish, and joking" with "a friend" in response to a video he characterized as the latest hit piece meant to destroy his political career. The 26-year-old congressman, who has been ensnared in a string of controversies in recent weeks, released a statement Wednesday appearing to confirm the authenticity of a short clip showing him naked in bed atop another man, getting physical and making noises.

A California surfing school owner who was charged with killing his two children in Mexico is a follower of QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories who thought the children "were going to grow into monsters so he had to kill them," federal officials alleged. Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, was charged Wednesday with foreign murder of U.S. nationals in connection with the death of his 2-year-old son and his 10-month-old daughter, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Authorities said Coleman confessed to the killings and told the FBI that he used a spear fishing gun to...

People living near George Floyd Square are reportedly asking when Minneapolis police officers will answer their calls for assistance, according to WCCO. “Early Thursday morning, a domestic assault victim called 911 for help. Even though she had been cut and was bleeding, she was told to relocate a block away so police could respond,” the outlet said. Other residents have also reportedly been wondering when police will get inside the “no-go zone” to provide assistance. “George Floyd Square has been a place for mourning and healing for the thousands who pay a visit. But for the people who live there,...

Hundreds of officials who worked for former Republican President George W. Bush are set to endorse Democratic White House hopeful Joe Biden, people involved in the effort said, the latest Republican-led group coming out to oppose the re-election of Donald Trump. The officials, who include Cabinet secretaries and other senior people in the Bush administration, have formed a political action committee - 43 Alumni for Biden - to support the former vice president in his Nov. 3 race, three organizers of the group told Reuters. Bush was the country's 43rd president.

Donald Trump and some mainstream Republicans are engaged in a long-distance flirtation. Both sides are coming to the realization that they'll need each other if the billionaire businessman becomes the party's presidential nominee. The GOP establishment is no fonder of Trump than when he first roiled the campaign last summer with his controversial comments about immigrants and women. But with voting beginning in just over a week, his durability atop preference polls has pushed some donors, strategists and party elders to grudgingly accept the prospect of his winning the nomination. "We'd better stop hoping for something else and accept the...

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin's Democratic state senators will have votes they cast in committee counted and other penalties imposed against them will be rescinded after they returned to the state on Saturday. Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said Tuesday that assurances he received from Democrats that they will participate in future Senate sessions and votes allowed him to rescind finding the Democrats in contempt.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, who won re-election as an independent, has a message for his Senate colleagues in the next Congress: Call me a Democrat. The three-term Connecticut lawmaker defied party leaders when he launched his independent bid after losing to Democrat Ned Lamont in the August primary. During the campaign, he vowed to be an "independent-minded Democrat" if he were re-elected. In Tuesday's election, Lieberman won strong GOP support and given the closely divided Senate, Republicans are expected to court him. So will he count as a Democrat or an independent who caucuses with the majority Democrats? In an e-mail...

RUSH Limbaugh put out a statement yesterday that he and his third wife, Marta, had separated — but only after PAGE SIX called to confirm what we'd learned exclusively. Sources in Palm Beach say Marta dumped the burly blowhard and vacated the couple's home on North Ocean Boulevard. The two are quietly working out a divorce agreement. Limbaugh met Marta on the Internet and they married in 1994. Since