Free Republic

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will appeal directly to U.S. senators on Tuesday as he seeks assurances on approval for delivery of the next tranche of aid and lethal military equipment to his embattled country. The personal entreaty will take place via secure video as part of a closed, classified briefing on the war in Europe, UPI reports. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer announced he extended the Biden administration’s invitation to Zelensky on Monday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in the Finnish capital for a surprise visit, and talks with Nordic prime ministers. The visit is hosted by Finland's President Sauli Niinistö, who takes the lead on foreign policy issues, and talks will include "Ukraine's defence struggle," as well as Finnish support for Ukraine and bilateral relations, according to a statement from the president's office. Zelenskyy will attend a working lunch with outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, and he'll also meet the incoming prime minister, Petteri Orpo who is currently holding talks on forming a new government after April's...

Superintendents Paint Dire Picture If California's Prop. 30 Fails As Gov. Jerry Brown's revenue-raising proposition loses support, school superintendents say class sizes could grow, cherished programs could die and jobs will be lost. What we face is the biggest challenge in public education since the state of California was founded," said state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson By Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles Times October 26 As children peered at them through an elementary school fence in Cerritos on Friday, about a dozen school superintendents explained the consequences they will face if California voters fail to approve Proposition 30. In...

Haiti's premier is begging foreign donors to back the reconstruction of his quake-hit country as looting and chaotic food handouts show the grim conditions facing survivors. Nearly two weeks after the disaster, which killed around 150,000 people and left a million homeless, international powers meeting in Montreal heard that it would take at least a decade to rebuild the stricken Caribbean nation. Haitian police shot two people in the head as scavengers plundered the debris in the ruined heart of Port-au-Prince, while thousands more people joined a mass exodus from squalid tent camps in the capital. "The country is ravaged,...