Free Republic

Could things possibly get any more transparent? A June jobs report that indicates 5 million new jobs were created. Well technically that’s 5 million jobs that were hijacked and held hostage by Cootie Panic were just released. Trump’s economy is attempting to come back with a vengeance. Can’t have that in an election year so time to re-trigger the panic button: Surge! Surge! Ten  thousand new cases - in a day! A DAY! – in Florida. Alert! Alert! Stop the great recovery reopening of America!!!! NOW! We are to ignore the fact that this virus was NEVER going to abate...

In a recent interview, Dr. John Ioannidis had a harsh assessment of modelers who predicted as many as 40 million people would die and the US healthcare system would be overrun because of COVID-19. =========================================================================== Dr. John Ioannidis became a world-leading scientist by exposing bad science. But the COVID-19 pandemic could prove to be his biggest challenge yet. Ioannidis, the C.F. Rehnborg Chair in Disease Prevention at Stanford University, has come under fire in recent months for his opposition to state-ordered lockdowns, which he says could cause social harms well beyond their presumed benefits. But he doesn’t appear to be...

In various states across the nation, there’s been a noticeable trend of an increase in coronavirus cases. While this fact makes the headlines, the detail that seems to get overlooked is the fact that deaths have declined. Florida, Arizona, Texas, California, and Ohio are among the states that have experienced spikes in cases but have maintained declining death rates or no spike in deaths. How is this possible? Conventional wisdom suggests that a spike in cases should result in a spike in deaths, but that has not panned out. The protests and riots following George Floyd’s death have been going...

Fourth of July revelers have been advised to stay away from Los Angeles County beaches as coronavirus cases skyrocketed. The temporary closures affects all beaches, piers, parking lots, beach bike paths, and beach access points beginning on Friday at 12:01 a.m., and lasting through 5 a.m. on Monday, L.A. County officials announced. Fireworks displays are also off-limits over the weekend in an effort to prevent gathering.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Gov. Doug Ducey announced new measures to control the spread of COVID-19 in Arizona at a news conference Monday afternoon. First, the governor said bars, gyms, indoor movie theaters, water parks and tubing in Arizona would be forced to close for 30 days. Pools will be allowed to remain open, but can allow 10 people at a time, Ducey said. The executive order goes into effect at 8 p.m. Monday.

New Jersey will not reopen indoor dining this week as planned in the first major reversal of the state’s Phase 2 coronavirus reopening plan, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday. Indoor dining was scheduled to resume Thursday along with several other big reopening steps including Atlantic City casinos, amusement parks, boardwalk rides and arcades ahead of the busy July 4th weekend. The canceled reopening also includes wedding venues and banquet halls. But the reopening of casinos remains scheduled for Thursday. Murphy cited recent scenes from expanded outdoor bar and restaurants showing packed crowds not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing as...

One of the very biggest reasons yet for why the lockdown is a scam: A federal judge struck down Cuomo’s and de Blasio’s lockdown orders for churches because the lockdown did not apply to Black Lives Matter protests My list of reasons why the lockdown is a scam can be read at Here are 150 reasons why I’m against the COVID-19 lockdownsHere’s a new one that I’ll be adding the next time I update my list.A federal judge has ruled against the lockdown on churches and synagogues by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio,...

To combat record-breaking new cases and hospitalizations of the novel coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new executive order Friday ordering bars to close by noon and reducing restaurants’ capacity to 50%. Bars may remain open for delivery and take-out services, including for alcoholic drinks. Starting Monday, restaurants must return to 50% dine-in capacity. Previously, bars had been permitted to reopen at 50% capacity, and restaurants were allowed to operate at up to 75% occupancy. Abbott also ordered rafting and tubing businesses to close by noon, and required local government approval for most outdoor gatherings of 100 people or more....

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Thursday the state will pause its efforts to reopen the economy as the number of confirmed coronavirus infections spikes and hospitals begin to fill. Abbott has been warning of a mounting catastrophe for days, as new cases rise precipitously in Houston, the Dallas metroplex and in cities like Austin, San Antonio and El Paso. Abbott said businesses that are already allowed to operate under the current reopening phase will continue to be able to do so. "As we experience an increase in both positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we are focused on strategies that...

California counties must comply with state and federal COVID-19 rules if they want part of up to $1 billion in funding through the state budget, according to details of a budget deal expected to win approval in the Legislature.

The Labor Department on Friday reported jobless rates in May for the 50 states, and the news is the greater than usual variation. Some state economies are recovering much faster than others, and the worst performing tend to be those that have imposed the most severe lockdowns. The national jobless rate was 13.3 percent in May, but 10 states still have unemployment rates above 15 percent. From highest down, they are: Nevada (25.3 percent), Hawaii (22.6 percent), Michigan (21.2 percent), California, Rhode Island and Massachusetts (16.3 percent), Delaware (15.8 percent), Illinois and New Jersey (15.2 percent), and Washington state (15.1...

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in a Michigan federal court in support of a lawsuit filed by seven businesses challenging the restrictions imposed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.The statement of interest is part of Attorney General William P. Barr’s April 27, 2020 initiative directing Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Matthew Schneider, to review state and local policies to ensure that civil liberties are protected during the COVID-19 pandemic.In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the...

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in a Washington State federal court supporting the First Amendment religious freedom claims of a Pierce County church, explaining how a recent Supreme Court decision, South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom (May 29, 2020), supports the church’s claim. The statement of interest explains that Washington’s preferable treatment of secular gatherings such as restaurants, taverns, and outdoor protests compared to the restrictions imposed on indoor and outdoor religious services triggers heightened scrutiny under the Constitution.The statement of interest is part of Attorney General William P. Barr's April 27, 2020 initiative...

OXFORD (CBS) – An escalating standoff with the town of Oxford and a local gym owner came to a head as the town moved in and changed the locks and ordered any members inside to leave. This week a judge ruled the town could use whatever means necessary to close the facility and took the first step overnight by turning off the water and electricity. In the afternoon, a constable posted a copy of the court order and soon after the locks were being changed. “I understand shutdown laws and rules but enough is enough,” said Prime Fitness owner David...

Potential Democratic vice presidential nominee Stacey Abrams called on the restaurant industry Thursday to do better for its employees of all backgrounds as dining establishments begin to more fully re-open following the easing of coronavirus-related lockdowns. Notably, she pressed the issue of “right to return,” an idea that in this context would encourage or require hiring managers to give employees furloughed or laid off during COVID closures the right of refusal to reclaim their jobs before they get offered to anyone else.

An Ohio barbecue joint just across the border from Erie named Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf its employee of the month for bringing so much business to the lakefront eatery over the past weeks. The Facebook post from Breakwall BBQ owner Mike Morgan is a wink and a nod to Pennsylvania’s slow, gradual reopening process — a process that has nearby Erie County still in the yellow phase, which prohibits restaurants from offering dine-in services. Ohio restaurants have been open for full-but-socially-distant business since last month. “Also want to give a shout-out to our employee of the month, Pennsylvania’s very own...

Dan Wu, an immigrant chef and owner of Atomic Ramen in Lexington, Kentucky, operated his restaurant for two and a half years before COVID hit. The location’s closure turned from temporary to indefinite as the government instituted stay-at-home orders and dining room restrictions. To-go and delivery weren’t feasible lifelines. Eventually it became clear the restaurant wasn’t going to hang on, so Atomic Ramen closed permanently about three weeks ago. Wu’s situation is an example of what numerous independent operators are facing nationwide. According to a report released by Compass Lexecon in conjunction with the Independent Restaurant Coalition, 85 percent of...

Ohio's COVID-19 lockdown violates due process and the separation of powers, a state judge concluded today, ruling in favor of a company that sought to reopen a water park without suffering criminal penalties. "This unbridled and unfettered consolidation of authority in one unelected official is dangerous grounds to tread on," writes Erie County Court of Common Pleas Judge Roger Binette, referring to Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton's orders requiring "nonessential" businesses to close. "If one unelected, unaccountable to the public official is allowed to invoke unfettered Orders [that] criminalize an otherwise non-criminal activity only for disobedience to her...

'I'm getting all sorts of excuses of why I can't give my brother the honorable service and burial that he is is entitled to. He was promised that in the event of death, this country will take care of you.' Master Sgt. Joseph Wynne Velasquez served his country in the U. S. Army for more than 20 years. He deployed once to Macedonia, twice to Iraq, and then to Afghanistan. He has six children, a grandson, and a wife of 19 years. Between him and his brother Phillip James Velasquez, Jr., their mother Wilma Maria endured a son in a...

Thousands of ‘black trans lives matter’ protesters gathered outside of the Brooklyn museum on Sunday. The protesters were shoulder-to-shoulder and not practicing social distancing. Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo threatened restaurant/bar owners, police officers and party goers in Manhattan and the Hamptons who were violating the Communist ‘social distancing’ orders...Crooked Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. recently announced the DA’s office will not prosecute protest-related arrests “in the interest of justice.”...