Free Republic

MELBOURNE, Australia — If the United States had the same COVID death rate as Australia, about 900,000 lives would have been saved. The Texas grandmother who made the perfect pumpkin pie might still be baking. The Red Sox-loving husband who ran marathons before COVID might still be cheering at Fenway Park. For many Americans, imagining what might have been will be painful. But especially now, at the milestone of 1 million deaths in the United States, the nations that did a better job of keeping people alive show what Americans could have done differently and what might still need to...

The US Federal Trade Commission is reportedly reviewing Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter buyout for potential antitrust concerns. The FTC now has 30 days to consider the deal and decide whether to issue a second request to probe the matter further, although most experts believe there are no antitrust concerns that could block the takeover, according to Bloomberg. However, the anti-monopoly activist group Open Markets Initiative, where Democratic FTC Chair Lina Khan used to work, has urged the agency to block the deal, saying that it 'poses immediate and direct threats to American democracy and free speech.'

Sheltering from air raid sirens in Kyiv last month, Ukrainian meteorologist Svitlana Krakovska said what we all know: climate change and the war on Ukraine are both rooted in fossil fuels, and our dependence on them. This conflict is hastening a difficult but crucial transition for Germany. In recent years, it has made significant strides in recognizing climate's links with national security. This alone has not freed the country from the tether of Russian oil and gas. The shocking force of Russia's invasion, financed by its grip on the world fossil fuel market, shows that Germany's national security depends on...

Mercedes-Benz EQXX 1,000 km Mercedes-Benz raised eyebrows with the design of the EQXX, a study that closely previews a production model whose main traits are its low weight, aerodynamic efficiency, as well as taking energy from the sun to go further than comparable EVs. When the automaker revealed the concept, it announced that it could do over 621 miles (1,000 km) on one charge. Well, now it has demonstrated that it can actually achieve the number by driving exactly 626 miles (1,008 km), averaging a truly remarkable 8.7 kWh/100km, which equates to 7.14 miles/kWh. However, there is more to this,...

Climate change made the record-smashing deadly 2020 Atlantic hurricane season noticeably wetter, a new study says. And it will likely make this season rainier, too, scientists said. Human-caused climate change made the entire season -- 30 named storms -- drop 5% more rain. During the 14 storms that reached hurricane status the rainfall was 8% heavier, according to the study in Tuesday’s Nature Communications. “It doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you’re near a threshold, a little bit can push you over the top,” said Lawrence Berkeley National Lab climate scientist Michael Wehner, co-author of the paper. “The implication...

RENO, Nev. (AP) — In a rare emergency move, the U.S government temporarily declared a northern Nevada toad endangered Monday, saying a geothermal power plant in the works could result in its extinction. The Fish and Wildlife Service announced it is formally proposing a rule to list the Dixie Valley toad as an endangered species subject to 60 days of public comment under the Endangered Species Act’s normal rulemaking process. But it said the emergency listing goes into effect immediately and will continue for eight months while more permanent protections are considered for the toad at the only place it...

The human body has an amazing system of cell surface recognition molecules called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which is designed to allow our immune cells to recognize our own healthy cells from pathogens like bacteria or other invading micro-organisms. With the genetic vaccines, particularly mRNA, for the first-time human cells are forced to produce a highly abnormal, pathogenic Spike protein. The body reacts to this almost immediately with an attack on any cell that has taken up mRNA and expressing the Spike protein. In this week’s show, we have Dr. Panagis Polykretis from Florence, Italy, who explains how this...

When did this happen? When did science cease to become absorbed into the minds of liberals? By default, they’re idiots, but this is different. This is now a mental defect that prevents them from determining things that are grounded; things that are true on its face. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson had difficulty defining what is a woman. She wouldn’t say. Her answer was that she’s not a biologist. So, she doesn’t know herself? Is her daughter a female? C’mon, judge. You know the answer. Yet, this is ‘woke’ America. It’s the supplantation of facts for feelings. This...

In about half of people, mental illnesses arise before age 18 - add climate change fears and the outlook is grim Suppose you wake up in the night and you notice flames coming from downstairs. You ring for the fire brigade and they say you’re probably imagining it. Anyway, they add, by the time they could get there it would be too late anyway. As you watch your house burn, your feelings might include anger, a sense of betrayal and grief. Is that an extreme metaphor for the feelings of young people towards older generations and governments in regard to...

With the influx of competition derived from the initiatives of various automakers, the market offers more electric cars than ever. Range is all the rage when it comes to electric cars and today's EVs don't disappoint. There are numerous choices out there with ample range and this all-important metric continues to rise over time. Disclaimer: the metrics used for this list are from the EPA’s official tests. Due to the variability in electric vehicle range figures, intermingling EPA and third-party tests would convolute this list. Some vehicles, especially the Porsche Taycan, can achieve far better range figures in certain real-world...

Russian and Kazakhstan oil exports via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) from the Black Sea may fall by up to 1 million barrels per day (bpd), or 1% of global oil production, due to storm-damaged berths, a Russian official said on Tuesday. Pavel Sorokin, a Deputy Energy Minister, said the second berth could also turn out to be damaged after initial information about one of the three being damaged by a storm. Major global trading houses such as Vitol and Trafigura said on Tuesday they estimated the current Russian oil disruption at 2 million to 3 million bpd and added...

A man submerged up to his chin in brown, murky floodwaters and a group of miners covered head to toe in black soot -- these are a few of the images featured at a new climate-inspired photography exhibit at the Kennedy Center called Coal + Ice. The display, running through April 22, features a spread of photos and videos taken across the globe and documents the harmful effects of human activity on the planet. It showcases the work of more than 50 photographers and videographers from around the world and the varying ways climate change manifests. Coal + Ice comes...

The future of a major liquified natural gas facility proposed for northeastern Pennsylvania was thrown into question Monday after its developer settled a legal challenge brought by environmental activists. A subsidiary of New Fortress Energy Inc. agreed to pull the plug on its proposed LNG plant in Wyalusing — at least for now — in an agreement with a coalition of environmental groups that filed suit seeking to overturn the company’s air emissions permit. The $800 million plant was intended to liquify million of gallons of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale gas field per day, with the liquified gas...

Discussion on the potential deescalation of the war in Ukraine with all security implications it has illustrates the difference between the goal- oriented and the system-oriented thinkingFor example if you want to deescalate the war in Ukraine, what would your best strategy be? Goal-oriented people understand that the only person who could stop the war immediately is Putin himself. Thus they suggest focusing on negotiations with him and persuading him to back offSounds reasonable. And yet, this approach ignores the factor of human will. And goal-oriented people lowkey admit it. For example, when justifying Putin's actions they often point out...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Officials at Walt Disney World said Friday that a performance by a visiting Texas high school drill team that used American Indian stereotypes, including chants of “scalp them,” doesn’t reflect the Florida resort’s values. The performance this week in the Magic Kingdom by the “Indianettes” drill team from Port Neches-Grove High School “did not reflect our core values, and we regret it took place,” Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said in an emailed statement. An audition tape that the school had provided in order to be selected to perform at the theme park resort was...

Some are accusing Twitter of applying its policy on hateful conduct unequally after it allowed a tweet from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that intentionally misgendered Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine to remain on its platform. On Sunday, USA Today honored Levine, the first openly transgender Senate-confirmed federal official, as one of its “women of the year.” In a tweet Thursday, Paxton shared an image of Levine from the USA Today feature and called her “a man.” Intentionally misgendering a transgender person, meaning referring to them with the wrong pronouns or by their birth gender, is offensive, and research has...

ATLANTA — Lia Thomas took control in the final 100 yards of the 500-yard freestyle to make history Thursday as the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming championship. Thomas, the University of Pennsylvania senior who entered the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships as the top seed, had a season-best time of 4 minutes, 33.24 seconds. “I didn’t have a whole lot of expectation for this meet,” said Thomas, a former male swimmer for Penn State. “I was just happy to be here and race and compete the best I could.” Virginia’s Emma Weyant was second at 4:34.99....

The International Energy Agency said Friday that a shortage of oil supply worldwide tied to Russia's invasion of Ukraine can be countered with specific actions to reduce consumption that governments and citizens can take immediately. A report issued by the IEA on Friday includes a 10-point plan that it says "could lower oil demand by 2.7 million barrels a day within four months -- equivalent to the oil demand for all the cars in China." "As a result of Russia's appalling aggression against Ukraine, the world may well be facing its biggest oil supply shock in decades, with huge implications...

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — High energy costs are stoking unrest in parts of Europe, with Spain deploying more than 23,000 police officers amid a truckers’ strike Friday and farmers in France and Greece snarling traffic with their protests. Russia’s war in Ukraine has further pushed up costs for oil and natural gas in Europe, driving record inflation and making it ever more expensive for farmers and truckers to fuel their equipment and vehicles, afford fertilizer or keep up with other costs. In Europe, which is dependent on Russian oil and natural gas, the war worsened an energy supply crunch that...

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said European nations that are “much more reliant upon Russia for natural gas and for oil,” are “doubling down” on becoming energy independent through green energy, “and we should be doing the same.” Co-host Brianna Keilar asked, “[W]e’ve seen these reports, the administration’s reaching out to Saudi Arabia and to Venezuela. I think folks that many Americans might consider unsavory characters, in this search for energy, to kind of fill this Russian energy void. How should Americans view this?”