Free Republic

The first reported fatality of the Alaskapox virus was recently revealed by Alaska public health officials after an elderly man in Alaska succumbed to it in January. According to a bulletin released by the state’s public health officials, the elderly man lived in the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska before being hospitalized in November and dying from the virus toward the end of January. While health officials could not make a final determination regarding how the elderly man contracted the Alaskapox virus, health officials suggested that he could have contracted the virus from a stray cat that he was taking care...

President Joe Biden delivered his sternest warning yet to congressional Republicans balking at approving more aid to Ukraine: Pay up now or you'll pay more later, forced to send U.S. troops to fight Russian soldiers when an emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin moves in on a NATO member country. "Congress needs to pass supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday. It's as simple as that," Biden said at the White House as the GOP-led House mulled Biden's request for $106 billion in emergency spending, including foreign aid. "Frankly, I think It's stunning we have gotten to this...

(NEXSTAR) — As lawmakers continue to try to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month, many are growing concerned about how it could affect them, especially when it comes to federal monthly payments they receive. The government could shut down by the end of next week, if Congress isn’t able to pass a spending bill. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed Wednesday he would not give up trying to persuade his colleagues to pass a temporary funding bill. So what would that mean for your Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, or Veterans Affairs payments? In short, they will not...

A deadly bacteria that kills up to 50 percent of people it infects has now been listed as endemic along the US gulf coast. Dr Julia Petras, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who made the warning, said Burkholderia pseudomallei was now likely lurking in soil and stagnant water across the 1,600 miles from Texas to Florida. People infected with the bacteria suffer melioidosis, a severe condition that can trigger pneumonia and sepsis and can be fatal. Doctors are now on alert for the disease, which can initially be misdiagnosed as another infection. The CDC...

A new COVID-19 variant fueling a rise in cases is causing a new symptom that has not been associated with the virus during the three-plus years of the pandemic.The so-called Arcturus strain — officially known as XBB.1.16 — is believed to be one of the most infectious versions of the Omicron variant to date. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) variant tracker, XBB.1.16 United States cases have doubled in the last week.Itchy, red eyes not seen in earlier waves "are symptoms of the new Omicron variant," according to a brand-new report by the Mayo Clinic."One new...

FAIRPORT, N.Y. (WHEC) — While making a campaign speech Thursday night at a VFW in Fairport, Congressman Lee Zeldin was attacked by a disgruntled man in the crowd. After a brief tussle, members of the audience took matters into their own hands—by disarming and apprehending the attacker with zip-ties pulled from campaign posters...

EW YORK (AP) — New York City residents are accustomed to warnings about all kinds of potential threats — severe weather, public health, mass shootings. But a new PSA on surviving a nuclear attack has rattled some cages. Released this week by the city’s emergency management agency, the 90-second video advises citizens to stay indoors and wash off any radioactive dust or ash. It opens on a computer-generated street, devoid of life. Damaged skyscrapers can be seen in the background.

Stock futures tumbled Monday and global shares dropped amid a surge in Covid-19 cases and as President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion tax-and-spending package looked dead after Sen. Joe Manchin said he wouldn’t support the plan. Contracts linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 350 points, or 1%, S&P 500 futures declined 1.1% and Nasdaq futures were down 1.23%. Futures came off earlier lows after Moderna (ticker: MRNA) said a booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine increased neutralizing antibody levels against the Omicron variant. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was at 1.385% after falling Friday to 1.401%, the...

It’s been a year of sacrifice, social distancing and skyrocketing stress. Can we at least enjoy holidays? In terms of risk, the timing of the holiday season couldn’t be worse. The coronavirus is raging across the country, setting new daily infection records. More than 300,000 Americans have died of Covid-19, and small gatherings are believed to be fueling much of the spread. While public health officials caution against family and friends gathering in each other’s homes, they know many people plan to spend the holiday together anyway. The solution? A scaled-back holiday celebration — with open windows, fewer people and...

British media reported that China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August, and its performance caught U.S. intelligence services by surprise. However, a military expert raises questions on the authenticity of the sources.The Financial Times, a British media, on Oct. 17 exclusively cited five anonymous sources as saying that the Chinese Communist military launched a rocket carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle that flew in low orbital space and then cruised to its target. “The test showed that China had made astounding progress on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than U.S. officials realized.”Xia Luoshan, a military commentator and host...

National File has obtained a recording of a Zoom video conference call between physicians and a marketing director at Novant Heath New Hanover Regional Medical Center, a group of 20 hospitals, clinics, and offices that treat patients in North Carolina and South Carolina.In the recording, Mary Rudyk, MD tells Director of Marketing Carolyn Fisher and another hospital employee that she wants the hospitals to become more “scary to the public” by inflating the number of COVID-19 patients, and by using messaging that falsely tells individuals “If you don’t get vaccinated, you know you’re going to die.”In the clip, Fisher seems...

Federal authorities are deeply concerned about the possibility of domestic terror and violence, including mass shootings, as the July Fourth holiday approaches and the summer season gets fully underway. A new Homeland Security bulletin obtained exclusively by ABC News warns that "violent extremists might seek to exploit easing COVID-19 restrictions, increased access to mass gatherings, and possible changes in levels of violence during the summer months to conduct attacks against a range of potential targets with little or no warning.” ..... Snip..... "In recent weeks, domestic violent extremists (DVEs) motivated by various violent ideologies have continued to advocate violence and...

The COVID-19 vaccines will never be perfect; fully vaccinated people can still get infected, though they’re much less likely to be hospitalized or die from the disease. Yet, the Delta coronavirus variant first discovered in India has some experts concerned. The World Health Organization suggested on Friday that fully vaccinated people still wear face masks whenever possible, citing the Delta variant’s increased transmissibility and risk of serious COVID-19 across the globe. “People cannot feel safe just because they had the two doses. They still need to protect themselves… vaccines alone won’t stop community transmission,” Dr. Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant director-general...

Star Wars star Mark Hamill on Monday touted his involvement in a Green Eggs and Ham-styled cartoon parodying conservatives who oppose wearing masks during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Hamill — who is also famous for his voice acting work, particularly as the Joker in several Batman animated series — performed the narration for “Will You Wear A Mask? I Ask,” a video adaptation of a children’s book by writer Tom Ruegger, published in August of last year. The actor, who frequently riffs on politics from his social media accounts, linked the project to President Joe Biden’s mandate to wear a...

Multiple air traffic controllers in New York heard a chilling threat Monday in audio obtained exclusively by CBS News: "We are flying a plane into the Capitol on Wednesday. Soleimani will be avenged." The threat refers to Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed last year in a U.S. drone strike ordered by President Trump. It was made on the one-year anniversary of Soleimani's death, for which Iranian officials have long vowed revenge. It's unclear who sent the threat. While the government does not believe the warning of an attack is credible, it is being investigated as a breach of aviation...

Dr. Anthony Fauci is strongly urging everyone to follow the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended guidance during Labor Day Weekend. While the entire country is at risk of repeating the surge of cases following previous holiday weekends such as Memorial Day and July 4th, residents of seven states in particular, which are currently experiencing upticks in cases, need to be extremely vigilant. “There are several states that are at risk for surging, namely North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in...

I am not familiar with the author or the site but this came from a family member who is a high level academic physician. It is the most compelling assessment I have yet seen. We are about a week behind Italy. Public Health Authorities are dithering behind platitudes. President Trump should lock the country down now.

WASHINGTON – A man from Ohio who attended the AIPAC policy conference in Washington last week has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement released Monday, bringing to total of cases linked to the event to four. The three previous cases at the pro-Israel lobby's conference were diagnosed in New York and Los Angeles.

ROME–When Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg was 11 years old, her body had started to shut down due to severe self-starvation tied to debilitating depression. She spoke to almost no one but her immediate family. She was afraid of crowds. She was lost in her own world, and the world very nearly lost her. But thanks to the formal diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome coupled with high-functioning autism and obsessive compulsive disorder, the now-16-year-old Swede has become quite literally the poster child for the generation that will have to deal with the destruction of our planet. Once she started receiving...

From grasslands to seashores to forests and backyards, birds are disappearing at an alarming rate in the United States and Canada, with a 29% population drop since 1970 and a net loss of about 2.9 billion birds, scientists said on Thursday.