Free Republic

Stricter COVID-19 restrictions could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives in the states that refused to institute them, though efforts to close nursing homes and schools likely caused more harm than good, a new study has found. Between 118,000 and 248,000 more Americans would have survived the pandemic if all states had followed some restrictions practiced in Northeastern states, according to findings published Friday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The most effective responses were mask mandates and vaccine requirements, the JAMA study found. “COVID-19 restrictions saved lives,” the researchers wrote. “The death toll was probably...

Earth’s land lost much of their ability to absorb the carbon dioxide humans pumped into the air last year, according to a new study that is causing concern among climate scientists that a crucial damper on climate change underwent an unprecedented deterioration. Temperatures in 2023 were so high — and the droughts and wildfires that came with them were so severe — that forests in various parts of the world wilted and burned enough to have degraded the ability of the land to lock away carbon dioxide and act as a check on global warming, the study said. The scientists...

An ex-adviser to former President Bill Clinton has predicted that former President Donald Trump will remove Senator JD Vance as his vice presidential pick. Rumors of Trump suffering buyer's remorse after choosing Vance as his 2024 running mate have been rampant since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the likely Democratic presidential nominee. While Trump has publicly insisted that he is happy with Vance, saying the senator is "doing a fantastic job" and has been "very well received" by the public during a Fox News interview on Thursday, worries remain about...

The world recorded its hottest ever day, as many parts of the Mediterranean face extreme wildfire risks. Sunday witnessed the highest average temperature on Earth, breaching a previous record set a year ago, according to provisional data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Global average temperatures have already hit or exceeded a key climate threshold for 12 months, highlighting the challenge in limiting global warming to below 1.5C above the pre-industrial era. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves, bringing extreme weather events from flooding to wildfires. Extreme heat has wreaked havoc across many...

[H/T Mewzilla]So let me see if I have this Crowdstrike story straight….When Hillary Clinton was Sec. of State, she was illegally funneling sophisticated weapons through Libya to terrorists in the MidEast in an effort to take out Assad in Syria for Israel. When the weapons transfer went sideways and the US Ambassador was killed in Benghazi, it was discovered she was using an illegal private server for secret communications. She destroyed the server, but not before its contents were leaked by Wikileaks, including communications about bizarre occult rituals and inexplicable code words involving children and pizza. Instead of investigating the...

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - Green groups are split over whether President Joe Biden should step aside for another Democrat in the U.S. election, with some concerned his weakening polling against fossil fuel booster Donald Trump could hamper turnout and jeopardize his climate wins. Biden, 81, is under pressure and scrutiny from some lawmakers, donors and activists to drop his reelection campaign in the wake of a disastrous presidential debate performance this month that renewed questions about his mental fitness. Environmental groups are anxious at a potential second Trump administration, after his 2017-2021 term brought sweeping roll-backs of environmental regulation...

Leftists reach voters a new way. Ways to sponsor the news on a local level. Get the facts: Verifying claims made in videos at the Republican National Convention on the economy Local news spewing national lies about the Republican convention. A new way to reach local voters. I have not this before. This is a very left slanting local Maine station.

Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine continues to claim lives, as the Kremlin’s military leadership resorts to increasingly brutal tactics against civilians—including a ghastly attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv and other sites across Ukraine. In their comments on state television, prominent propagandists often reiterate that Moscow’s campaign of senseless brutality is designed to prompt Ukrainians to overthrow their government. Russian talking heads also resort to nuclear threats, which is always a sign that things on the battlefront are not going well. Indeed, Russian propagandists and military experts are tacitly acknowledging sinking morale and widespread lying in their military. Despite...

The dramatic pictures showed blood-covered mothers cradling their terrified children as they tried to escape the hospital after the strike. Horrifying pictures have captured the aftermath of a devastating Russian missile strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv that caused widespread damage and killed at least two people. Vladimir Putin's army launched a massive assault on Ukraine, targeting five Ukrainian cities with more than 40 missiles - at least 33 people have been killed and more than 150 injured across the country. The onslaught hit apartment buildings and public infrastructure, including the newly reconstructed ward at Kyiv's Okhmatdyt Hospital. Windows...

Coming soon to a country near you!....................

Ancient philosophers and tragedians would have understood the human folly—from the media, the president, and his party—that led to last week’s debate debacle. A day before Thursday’s presidential debate, the New York Times ran a front-page story in its print edition railing against the posting of unflattering videos of Joe Biden. Among the president’s many “adversaries,” observed the Times, was the “distorted, online version of himself, a product of often misleading videos that play into and reinforce voters’ longstanding concerns about his age and abilities.” Such voter concerns were misguided, according to the Times and its sources. Former Illinois representative...

CNN — In the first week of a new Trump administration, President Joe Biden’s climate wins would get put through the shredder. First to go could be the executive orders, including the one protecting 13 million acres in Alaska from oil drilling and another aiming to dramatically increase the number of EVs on the road. He would pull America out of the Paris Climate Agreement (again) and could even nix the country’s participation in the global climate treaty itself – a promise among countries to prevent “dangerous human interference with the climate system.” Over the weeks and months that follow,...

A network of Russia-based websites masquerading as local American newspapers is pumping out fake stories as part of an AI-powered operation that is increasingly targeting the US election, a BBC investigation can reveal. A former Florida police officer who relocated to Moscow is one of the key figures behind it. It would have been a bombshell report - if it were true. Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, allegedly bought a rare Bugatti Tourbillon sports car for 4.5m euros ($4.8m; £3.8m) while visiting Paris for D-Day commemorations in June. The source of the funds was supposedly American military aid...

However, the recent reports alleging that Olena Zelensky purchased a Bugatti Tourbillon have been debunked. The claims, which included a fake purchase bill and an AI-generated video, were found to be false.Several reports on social media claimed Olena Zelensky, the wife of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, purchased a Bugatti Tourbillon worth 4.5 million euros in Paris. However, the recent reports alleging that Olena Zelensky purchased a Bugatti Tourbillon have been debunked. The claims, which included a fake purchase bill and an AI-generated video, were found to be false. It was found that the "Bugatti dealer" video is an AI deepfake....

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Republican senators Wednesday to expect the House to send them legislation to help Ukraine, but cautioned that what comes out of the House will look substantially different than the $95 billion foreign aid package the Senate passed last month. Johnson tried to reassure frustrated GOP senators who asked him about funding for Ukraine during a question-and-answer session at the annual Senate Republican retreat, which was held at the Library of Congress. Johnson told senators that the House will send a Ukraine aid package to the Senate but floated the idea of making it a loan...

RIYADH, June 27 (Reuters) - Hundreds of the pilgrims who died in fierce heat at this year's haj were not officially registered with the Saudi authorities, with the result that many had no access to vital services like air-conditioned buses and cool-off tents. The deaths highlight a looming challenge for organisers as climate change takes hold in the region: the practice of requiring official permits for such services is stirring concern that unregistered pilgrims could increasingly be exposed to life-threatening temperatures. Almost two million pilgrims made their way to Mecca this year to perform haj rites as taught by the...

Climate change is not only harming the planet - it's also ruining our sleep. A new report from Climate Central says rising nighttime temperatures are chipping away at human sleep across the globe. Nighttime temperatures have increased even more rapidly than daytime temperatures as the world heats up, the study said. Those hot and sleepless nights make it harder for people to recover from the heat of the day. And the effects could be deadly. Hot nights led to a 50% increased mortality risk, the report said. Sleep deprived nights also lead to an increase risk of both physical and...

Millionaire Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen appeared out of touch when asked about inflation under President Biden — insisting she goes to the grocery store “every week” and isn’t shocked by the skyrocketing prices. Yellen was quick to shoot down a question about grocery prices, which are up 20% from before the COVID-19 pandemic, during an interview with Yahoo Finance’s Jennifer Schonberger on Monday. “Have you been to the grocery store lately?” Schonberger asked Yellen in the interview. “I sure have — I go every week,” Yellen replied. “It’s sticker shock, isn’t it? Just when you look at shipping costs, those...

Twice failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has her sights set on your children — for more climate change messaging. Hillary Clinton is putting pressure on Hollywood studios to develop movies and TV shows that dramatize how climate change is putting kids in danger. “There’s now research on this topic, but most people are not aware at all,” Clinton said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “Our hope is that we can help people make the connections between children’s mental and physical health and the impact of climate change.”

Ukraine DESTROYS 3 Major Russian Oil Facilities; Putin LASHES Out | Breaking News With The Enforcer The Enforcer Jun 20, 2024 4:00 p.m. EDT 11:21 Minutes Today, we learn that Ukraine hit three oil depot/refineries in Russia overnight. Ukrainian attack drones successfully struck a Russian Lukoil oil depot in Krasnodar Krai this morning, setting the facility ablaze. We also learn that South Korea has begun considering sending arms and military aid to Ukraine in an unprecedented move. As a result of North Korea's new defensive pact, the South Koreans are becoming concerned of the possibility of war breaking out on...