Free Republic

CHICAGO (AP) - Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday announced an end to his 10-week-old stay-at-home order, declaring that every region of the state has met conditions necessary to allow more social interaction amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic. The state will move into the third phase of the Democrat's five-stage “Restore Illinois” plan, a step that will see reopening of manufacturing and retail, outdoor dining at restaurants and small social gatherings. Restless residents have agitated for more freedom to leave their houses and resume some sense of normalcy. In loosening the restrictions, Pritzker cited more favorable conditions, including decreased hospitalizations and...

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday that outdoor stadiums will be allowed to open to fans next month at limited capacity for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. While many state leaders have discussed the possibility of reopening stadiums to professional sports teams, most have said welcoming fans inside to watch competitions will not be possible until the country achieves better containment of the virus. Abbott signed the proclamation as an expansion of another he announced last week that approved more businesses and services to reopen. While the original proclamation last Friday allowed professional sports teams to resume...

Gov. Phil Murphy warned Thursday that it’s still too early for indoor businesses like gyms and salons to reopen as the coronavirus outbreak continues to slow in New Jersey. Murphy was asked to respond to social media groups attempting to organize businesses for a coordinated defiance of the coronavirus closures on Monday, June 1. “I would just say to folks: You’re playing with fire,” he said at his daily coronavirus briefing in Trenton. “It has to be done the right way and at the right time,” Murphy added. “And I think we’re going to, if you bear with us over...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Joe Biden will close out Texas Democrats' virtual convention next month that was moved online over fears of the coronavirus. The announcement Thursday rounds out an unusual slate of big names that Texas Democrats have rounded up for their state convention. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts will also speak at the weeklong event via video. Democrats are redoubling efforts in Texas this year after gaining ground in the nation's biggest red state in 2018. A major target for them is the Texas House, where Democrats need...

For years, WRAL Investigates chronicled troubles inside North Carolina’s Employment Security Commission, now called the Division of Employment Security. Those troubles became even more noticeable with a flood of new unemployment claims because of the coronavirus pandemic. Since mid-March, the system has been swamped by 1.3 million claims, representing 955,000 people out of work. Some had to file twice based on the type of coverage they qualified for. Of those 955,000, about two thirds have received payments. "I’m sorry," said Lockhart Taylor, Assistant Secretary and head of Employment Security, as complaints piled up from people who couldn’t get into the...

The already delayed run of The Boston Marathon will not happen this year over coronavirus concerns, Mayor Martin Walsh and Boston Athletic Association officials said on Thursday. The marathon, a huge and important annual event, had been postponed until Sept. 14 from its normal April run in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Walsh said officials have decided that running it in September “is just not feasible” to be done in a safe way.

Chicago, IL – An ambulance was called on April 22, 2020, for a woman who had returned to the Near North Planned Parenthood, located on North LaSalle Drive in Chicago, Illinois, for a follow-up appointment after suffering serious complications to an abortion. According to 911 records provided to Operation Rescue by the Pro-Life Action League, the 28-year old woman was in extreme pain, which was classified as a “seven” on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most severe. The Planned Parenthood caller told the 911 dispatcher, “We have a patient here and we are concerned she may be...

Aurora, IL — As the State of Illinois was enduring a full lockdown, Planned Parenthood in Aurora, Illinois, was open for business and conducting elective abortions in a facility packed with twice the number of people allowed under COVID-19 orders issued by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. In the midst of the pandemic, on April 22, 2020, an ambulance was called to the Planned Parenthood abortion facility after something went wrong with an elective surgical abortion. According to 911 records provided to Operation Rescue by the Pro-Life Action League, one abortion client suffered excessive bleeding (hemorrhaging) and required emergency medical transport to...

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a law on May 21 that will allow family members to sue a doctor who commits an abortion fraudulently. The Unborn Person Wrongful Death Act seeks to protect a woman from being coerced into abortion, and it also allows the parents, grandparents, or other third parties to seek wrongful death damages against a physician if it is determined that the physician gained consent for the abortion through fraudulent means. The bill also mandates that physicians cannot waive liability before committing an abortion. Sen. David Bullard sponsored the new law, Senate Bill 1728, after learning that...

Even if one has been infected with the virus, it should show you how limited masks are in protecting yourself.

Have you noticed We have a new religion that has somehow infiltrated the world. It came overnight and crept into the populace. It was spread far and wide by the disciples in the media/politics and drumbeat into the minds worldwide by a barrage of doom reporting. That new religion is Covidism and its symbol is not a cross but a mask. That symbol is now being used to force those nonbelievers into submission in every venue. The symbol of Covidism has become an instrument of power for those both in power and those who wish to attain a level of...

ABSTRACT Recently, a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), officially known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in China. Despite drastic containment measures, the spread of this virus is ongoing. SARS-CoV-2 is the aetiological agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) characterised by pulmonary infection in humans. The efforts of international health authorities have since focused on rapid diagnosis and isolation of patients as well as the search for therapies able to counter the most severe effects of the disease. In the absence of a known efficient therapy and because of the situation of a public-health emergency, it made sense to...

Antibody Test There are significant differences in the accuracy of antibody tests based on their "sensitivity," or their ability to identify those with antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (true positive rate), and their "specificity," or their ability to identify those without antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (true negative rate). Agencies within the U.S. government, such as the NIH, have been evaluating the FDA-allowed antibody tests. An evaluation of the 11 currently allowed tests (see table below) showed that sensitivity ranges from 83.3% to 100% and specificity ranges from 94.4% to 100%. None of the diagnostic products provide 100% on both measures. The best performing...

It’s just the flu, bro. Seems as though the media, and now the social media, will not tolerate Trump saying anything about CV. They criticize his wanting to end the lockdown and his promotion HCQ. I think media is entitled to be biased against conservatives and republicans. It is their constitutional right. But I am confused about social media companies...apparently they have some sort of legal immunity against lawsuits that has been put into law. I really don’t understand this issue. Twitter puts disclaimers and fact checks on Trump tweets about CV. Does that mean that the immunity to lawsuits...

At a blood donation bank in Cologne, western Germany, empty bags sit ready to be filled. A few forms, a quick measure of blood pressure, a scratch on the arm, and seven minutes later donors have made their 500-ml contribution to the 15,000 blood donations needed every day in Germany. The footfall of donors, now wearing face masks due to the coronavirus pandemic, is steady, but not fast enough. Germany’s blood reserves are running low. Under usual circumstances, the German Red Cross (DRK) — which covers two-thirds of Germany’s blood supplies — would aim to have enough blood reserves for...

(Right to Life UK) – A Chinese biotech firm has declared “screening out” babies with Down syndrome is a “cash cow” funding the growth of the whole business. The admission comes from a spokesperson for BGI Group – a Chinese genetics conglomerate whose main business is offering non-invasive prenatal tests, primarily used to diagnose Down syndrome. In a segment from an Aljazeera documentary titled Genesis 2.0, the spokesperson gestures towards a digital map of the world and says: “You can see clearly, especially for Down’s syndrome, we have nearly two million samples all over the world. This part is, what...

Beverly Hills, CA – Josepha Seletz is one of a handful of abortionists that openly conduct abortions throughout all nine months of pregnancy. Her high-end abortion clinic, located on North La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills, has earned her the moniker “Abortionist to the Stars.” In the past three years, Operation Rescue has documented ten medical emergencies at her Pro-Choice Medical Center — which also goes by the name Sinai Surgical Center — that required emergency ambulance transport – primarily to Mt. Sinai Medical Center, where Seletz holds hospital privileges. Recently obtained 911 records revealed an unusual incident that occurred...

My long-time doctor friends who have treated COVID-19 patients have been disappointed recently in some of the national and regional media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. They point out the over-emphasis often given to statistical information without proper understanding. For example, emphasizing the volume of reported cases without equally emphasizing increased testing and positivity ratios is misleading. Governors, doctors and hospitals seriously consider positivity ratios, and the media should not bury the lead here. It isn’t all about case volume. Also, some in the media and Democratic leaders, like Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden have recently been critical of President...

A Texas tavern said this week it will not serve customers who wear coronavirus protective face masks, according to a report. The Liberty Tree Tavern, located in Elgin -- about 25 miles east of Austin -- posted a sign that read: “Due to our concern for customers, if they FEEL (not think), that they need to wear a mask, they should stay home until they FEEL that it’s safe to be in public without one. Sorry, No Mask Allowed.” The city has a population of around 10,000 residents, according to the 2018 census. Only 52 residents have tested positive for...

After patient volumes sink up to 90% in some areas, the Dallas hospital system ‘must re-examine everything,’ says CEO. Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit hospital system in Texas, will lay off roughly 1,200 employees, or almost 3% of its workforce, due to fallout from the coronavirus. Baylor said it would also furlough an unspecified number of workers, leave open positions unfilled and cut the pay of about 300 senior leaders. Furloughed employees, who are generally eligible for unemployment insurance, will continue to get company benefits and may be asked to return to the job eventually. Like many...