Free Republic

... The former president wasted little time in reopening attacks on Judge Engoron, calling his actions "Radical and Unprecedented". "His Ridiculous and Unconstitutional Gag Order, not allowing me to defend myself against him and his politically biased and out of control, Trump Hating Clerk, who is sinking him and his Court to new levels of LOW, is a disgrace," the 77-year-old wrote in a lengthy post on social media.

Germany has said it will stop importing oil from Russia by the end of the year. "We will halve oil by the summer and will be at zero by the end of the year, and then gas will follow," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Germany currently buys a quarter of its oil and 40% of its gas from Russia and has warned that it could face a recession if supplies suddenly stopped. The US has already banned Russian oil imports, while the UK plans to phase them out by the end of the year. The EU has said it...

More than a million people in the UK are suffering from long Covid, with fears the number could rise due to the Omicron variant. Many patients say they only had a mild initial infection but it went on to ruin their health, social lives and finances.

Perhaps it's no surprise, but when it comes time to vote, Canadians are very good about doing it politely, and in queues. While Americans are still embroiled in a bitter feud over voting rights and the outcome of the 2020 election, their neighbours to the north are hardly breaking a sweat as they head to the polls to vote in their country's general election on 20 September. Things like widespread advanced voting, mail-in ballots, and federally-run elections seem to make it easier for Canadians to show up at the polls - voter turnout in Canada was higher (62%) than in...

Standing in front of the library of the University of Michigan on Sunday, Bernie Sanders could be excused if he paused a moment to reflect on the estimated ten thousands of cheering supporters. It was 60 years ago at the University of Chicago that Sanders began what he later described as "the major period of intellectual ferment in my life". Sanders joined the Young People's Socialist League and other organisations and organised his first protest. He could only marshal a force of 32 students to occupy the administration building, but he ultimately prevailed. Sanders spent much of his life fighting...

In May the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed sweeping new civil rights protections for LGBT Americans. The Republican-controlled Senate has yet to act, however, and supporters of the legislation - including pop star Taylor Swift - are getting frustrated. The Equality Act, as it's called, expands workplace, education and public accommodation protections that currently prohibit discrimination based on race, gender and disability to include sexual preference and gender identity. The federal law would nationalise legal safeguards that are currently afforded to varying extent in only 22 states and the District of Columbia. In the remaining states, it is legal for...

Scientists in Cambridge plan to set up a research centre to develop new ways to repair the Earth's climate. It will investigate radical approaches such as refreezing the Earth's poles and removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The centre is being created because of fears that current approaches will not on their own stop dangerous and irreversible damage to the planet. The initiative is the first of its kind in the world and could lead to dramatic reductions in carbon emissions.~~~SNIP~~~Refreezing the polesOne of the most promising ideas for refreezing the poles is to "brighten" the clouds above them. The idea...

... Despite President Donald Trump saying "our country is full" earlier this month during a visit to the US southern border, if Vermont wants to improve its economy, it needs to bring in more people. But the New England state has two problems. It doesn't have enough people to do the jobs it already has, and it doesn't know how to attract people of a different demographic from Vermont's current population, which is nearly 95% white. Under the Trump administration's policies, there are fewer refugees, immigrants and temporary visa workers coming into the state. Joan Goldstein - commissioner of the...

When America's powerful pro-gun group told doctors to mind their own business, the response was swift, furious and viral. "Unless you've had someone's heart stop beating in your hands, you don't get to tell those of us who have what is and is not our 'lane'," trauma surgeon David Morris, 42, told the BBC. The National Rifle Association's tweet on Wednesday sparked anger. It came just hours before a gunman killed 12 people in a California bar. "Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane," the NRA tweeted.