Free Republic

For 14 months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended draconian restrictions on Americans’ daily lives to combat the spread of COVID-19. The CDC disregarded the psychological hardships and economic losses the restrictions inflicted. Now the evidence is emerging that the restrictions were based on flimsy science or sheer guesswork.

The left and its media allies are warning Americans not to expect a winner on Election Night. If President Trump leads on Nov. 3, the victory will be nothing more than a “red mirage,” says Josh Mendelsohn, whose firm consults for the Democratic National Committee. In the days or weeks afterward, a Trump victory will be beaten back and undone as mail-in ballots tip the election for Joe Biden, predicts New York Times columnist David Brooks. “Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances,” warns Hillary Clinton. This is shameless propaganda, aiming to paint Election Night victories as a thing...

President Donald Trump is hinting at a second task force responsible for getting Americans back to work. Appoint it now, Mr. President. Don't wait until the virus peaks. This second task force should prepare the country to reopen, with new tools to fight the virus. The president's top epidemiologist, the esteemed Anthony Fauci, insists "the best tool we have" is "physical separation." But mandating that people stay home is costing Americans their jobs and will force businesses into bankruptcy. The nation needs an alternative strategy. A chorus of government health officials and academics, like Harvard's Marc Lipsitch, want the shutdown...

The first nine coronavirus deaths in the U.S. show the biggest risks are not traveling internationally, riding mass transit or attending a crowded event. The most dangerous place to be is in a rehab or nursing home. The second-most dangerous is a hospital. Five residents of the Life Care Center, a nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, have died, and some 50 other residents and staff members there reportedly have coronavirus symptoms. Be on the alert for more deadly outbreaks in nursing homes wherever coronavirus, now dubbed COVID-19, spreads. Nursing homes are infection cauldrons. Most nursing facilities ignore precautions like separating...

There's good news and bad news about Coronavirus. First, there's reason for optimism. The virus struck only four months ago, yet we already know its genetic features. It took scientists years to get that far with HIV/AIDS. Antiviral drugs are in development, and a vaccine could be available within 18 months. The pace of scientific progress is breathtaking. So is human ingenuity. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will soon offer home coronavirus testing kits, starting in the hard-hit Seattle area. Anyone who's worried can fill out an online questionnaire, receive a nasal swab kit in the mail, use it...

With outbreaks raging in Italy, Iran, South Korea and other countries, U.S. authorities now predict coronavirus will strike Americans here, causing "significant disruptions to our lives." The warning came from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Nancy Messonnier at a Tuesday briefing. If the virus -- now dubbed COVID-19 -- starts to infect large numbers of people inside the U.S., here's what you need to know. Is the virus spreading here now? The only known U.S. cases are travelers to China, their spouses and cruise ship passengers. But people carrying the virus entered the U.S. before the Trump administration...

I know several people, including myself, who are unable to post any Betsy Ross flags on Facebook. Trying to find out if this is a "thing" or not. If it is - then the jaundiced Magogs at Facebook are really looking to have very bad things happen to them.

It's official. Democratic Party Chair Tom Perez confirms the Party fully endorses free health care for illegal immigrants. That puts illegals ahead of veterans struggling to qualify for civilian care, middle-class working stiffs priced out of Obamacare, and baby boomers facing the likelihood of Medicare cuts. At last Thursday's Democratic presidential debate, all 10 candidates on the stage flung up their hands when asked whether they'd cover illegal aliens. Not one of the debate moderators went on to ask the obvious: How much will it cost, and who will pay for it? Why spoil a Kumbaya moment? The costs would...

In an uh-oh episode of historic proportions, hand grenades from the last major battle of the Revolutionary War recently and repeatedly scrambled bomb squads in Virginia’s capital city. Wait – they had hand grenades in the Revolutionary War? Indeed. Hollow iron balls, filled with black powder, outfitted with a fuse, then lit and thrown. And more than two dozen have been sitting in cardboard boxes at the Department of Historic Resources, undetected for 30 years. Encrusted and corroded, no one realized what the grenades were when they were excavated in the 1980s along with 5,000 other relics from The Betsy,...

Under President Obama, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent money and staff to distant parts of the globe while neglecting life-threatening health crises under our noses. Dr. Thomas Frieden, who headed the CDC then, is joining a chorus of globalists bashing President Trump's decision to end funding for the CDC's overseas projects in dozens of countries. Frieden charges the cuts will "endanger lives in our country." Sounds scary, but the facts prove otherwise. Trump will spend the money here instead, where it's urgently needed. As Trump searches for a new CDC director, it's time to put America first...

The DemonRats have become UNHINGED. Total disrespect and disdain for Betsy DeVos, especially Al Franken. DISGUSTING RATS!

President-elect Donald Trump is set to nominate Betsy DeVos, a billionaire and school choice advocate, as his secretary of education. "Betsy DeVos is a brilliant and passionate education advocate," Trump said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. "Under her leadership, we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families." Official @realDonaldTrump statement re @BetsyDeVos for Education Secretary: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cx92-bUWIAA6XDr.jpg:large DeVos is the former chair of the Michigan Republican Party and currently heads the American Federation for Children, which aggressively pushes for...

President Obama is using the Internal Revenue Service to silence employers unhappy about Obamacare. That’s the hidden purpose behind the employer mandate delay announced on February 10th. The administration released 227 pages of mind-numbing regulations ridiculously billed as making “ the compliance process simpler and easier” for employers. Hidden in the gobbledy-gook (on pages 125-6) is a requirement that employers sign a statement to the IRS, meaning under penalty of perjury, that they have not reduced the number of employees or cut hours to shield themselves from the costs of Obamacare. Democrats running for re-election this fall are desperate to...

Hi, I just tried to call your office in D.C., but your message box was full, and no one was answering the phone. (Surprise, Surprise, as Gomer Pyle use to say!) I just wanted to urge you to vote for the Senate health care bill so President Obama can sign it into law, as I wish to see the total destruction of the Democrat party for at least a generation. Since there's no chance of significant changes being made via budget reconciliation in the Senate, this will be the law of the land. Any promises to the contrary by Obama...

Betsy Newmark, one of my favorite bloggers who I've been honored to have guest-blog here, is down. I asked her what happened. She e-mails about her nightmare: Evil Blogger has lost the page - server problems. They are the most unhelpful organization. You can't reach any human being and all I get are form letters saying that all the problems have been resolved. I'm just hoping that they fix their problem and I get back on. I don't have time to hassle with setting up a new page. She adds: All I get are their automated messages that are of...

Hours after Hurricane Katrina (search) passed, New Orleans was underwater. Some experts say the flooding could have been stopped a quarter-century ago — had environmentalists not interfered. In 1965, after Hurricane Betsy (search), President Lyndon Johnson authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to build two floodgates at the mouth of Lake Pontchartrain (search). Simulations showed a Category 3 hurricane could raise the water level in the lake by as many as 12 feet, potentially overwhelming the levees and flooding the city — just as Katrina did more than two weeks ago. The Army spent millions planning the project — until...