Free Republic

In New Mexico, a taxpayer funded hotline is referring women to Satanic Temple Health (STH) for abortions. Gov. Lujan-Grisham (D) defended this arrangement, calling it "synergistic. One of the unusual difficulties in securing the abortions many women need for their reproductive health is the aversion some medical professionals have to performing the procedure since, in their opinion, it involves the taking of a human life. Rather than become ensnarled in a fruitless debate over this topic, why not cooperate with an organization that considers abortion a sacred right?" "There is no risk that any of the personnel at STH will...

The London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat is reporting that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has informed the United States, Egypt and Jordan that he will implement the PLO's central council decision to sever ties with Israel in lieu of the Jerusalem Day events. According to the report, Abbas' move came after Jordanian and Egyptian efforts failed to persuade the US administration to adopt a plan to open a political process towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Abbas yesterday. According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, the two discussed "the importance of...

Russia will no longer cooperate with Western nations on the International Space Station (ISS) until sanctions due to its invasion of Ukraine are removed, the head of its space agency announced. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin declared the move on Twitter, saying that Russia will end its partnership with NASA and the European Space Agency on the space station, which launched in 1998. The announcement came after weeks of speculation and threats on Russia's part to pull out of the cooperative space venture. At the beginning of March, retired NASA astronaut Terry Virts said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in...

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emphasizing cooperation between the two countries, according to state media in North Korea. Xi said that China was ready to work with North Korea to realize the two sides’ "common understanding" and promote friendly and supportive relations under "a new situation," state media outlet KCNA reported Saturday.

Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY), the vice-chair of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot, said Thursday on NBC’s “The Today Show” that former Vice President Mike Pence was a “hero” for his role in certifying the 2020 presidential election at the January 6, 2021 joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes. Host Savannah Guthrie asked, “How does former Vice President Pence fit into this case? Are you willing to subpoena him to get his testimony? Do you think he’ll cooperate?”

Kazimierz Woycicki, a specialist on Eastern Europe at the University of Warsaw, says that there are six possible scenarios for Russia’s future. From Moscow’s perspective, four are disastrous; and two are more hopeful although apparently in the Polish scholar’s view less likely. The four negative scenarios, he suggests, include “the territorial disintegration of the Russian Federation,” “the gradual but peaceful falling apart of Russia,” “the Balkanization of Russia,” and “the fall of Russia under the influence of China” (k-politika.ru/mrachnye-prognozy-v-polshe-raspisali-shest-scenariev-budushhego-rossii). The two more positive ones at least from the perspective of the Russian leadership at the present time, Woycicki argues, are...

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows will no longer be cooperating with a committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, despite previous efforts to work with them. Meadows and his attorney George Terwilliger notified the committee Tuesday morning, after the senior Trump administration official could not come to terms with lawmakers on an arrangement to work with them. Terwilliger said Meadows was looking to appear voluntarily before the committee and answer questions that Meadows believed were not protected by executive privilege. Meadows is set to appear on "Hannity" Tuesday evening.

Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has reached an initial deal to cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, providing documents and agreeing to testify before the panel. “Mr. Meadows has been engaging with the Select Committee through his attorney. He has produced records to the committee and will soon appear for an initial deposition,” Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said Tuesday. “The Select Committee expects all witnesses, including Mr. Meadows, to provide all information requested and that the Select Committee is lawfully entitled to receive. The committee will continue to assess...

Michael Cohen was released from home confinement restrictions Monday morning — as he vowed to continue to hand over information about “dirty deeds,” he said outside Manhattan federal court. Former President Donald Trump’s ex-personal attorney was released from federal prison on furlough in May 2020 after serving more than a year of a three-year sentence for tax evasion, bank fraud and lying to Congress. He was placed on home confinement after being cut loose from Otisville Correctional Facility as part of an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 behind bars. Speaking to reporters outside the federal courthouse in Lower...

News AnalysisThe relationship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin is largely predicated on a common interest in countering the United States, but this does not actually make China and Russia allies. In the long term, it is unlikely that Russia desires to become a junior power in a global axis, dominated by China.Chinese state-run media Global Times ran an article headlined, “China does not have allies, but has friends with partnership diplomacy.” China’s only official ally is North Korea. There are other countries that support the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) when it suits their interests—such as Iran, Cambodia, Pakistan, and...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic scholars resist push for taking abortion-tainted vaccines in ‘Statement of Conscience’Among the signers is Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas.Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas.March 11, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — In a newly released “Statement of Conscience,” five prominent Catholics in the U.S. (including Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas) have argued for refusing to receive any vaccine derived from abortion in good conscience. They also pushed back against attempts to qualify taking such vaccines as morally binding.Among those who penned the statement are Catherine Pakaluk, Ph.D., and Michael Pakaluk, Ph.D., both of the Catholic University of America;...

The United Nations’ World Health Organization on Jan. 9 announced an outbreak of a new—or novel—coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, China. In the three weeks since the announcement, the virus has intensified in China, infecting thousands there and is now spreading across the globe, far beyond its origin in Hubei province. Indeed, this new coronavirus has taken nearly 200 lives in China. As Chinese public health officials strive to contain the virus, it’s important to identify three early lessons that can be drawn from the outbreak and the initial response to it to prevent this Chinese epidemic—and others that will undoubtedly...

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced the cessation of operations in a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, but it does not mean that we will agree to the existing situation or surrender to the course of the occupation." "We will never surrender or agree to live with the occupation, nor will we bargain for the deal of the century, because Palestine and Al-Quds are not for sale or bargaining, and they are not real estate transactions. There will be no peace, security and stability in the region and the world if the Palestinian people does not fully realize their rights,"...

Palm Beach, Florida - Derrick Broze interviews attorney Bradley Edwards, the lawyer representing the victims of Jeffrey Epstein.  Edwards, regarding President Trump:  ... no indication whatsoever that he was involved in anything untoward whatsoever, but had good information that checked out and that helped us ... (4:57)REPORTER:  This goes to the more salacious rumors but I would like you to just, whatever you can say on this.  Obviously, our current president has had a relationship with Epstein in the past and there are those - Katy Johnson and maybe other victims -  who accuse Trump of being involved in things...

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested that the US may be forced to downgrade its intelligence cooperation with Israel over the Jewish State's growing ties with China. Pompeo was asked about the the Israel-China ties, a rare sore spot in US-Israel relations under the Trump Administration, during an interview with Barak Ravid on Channel 13 News. "China broadly presents a real opportunity," he acknowledged. "They’re an economic powerhouse and there are lots of opportunities that countries have to do business with China. When China behaves transparently, when China is engaged in real economic transactions, we are untroubled. When China...

Philadelphia will stop giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to a real-time arrest database, saying the agency is misusing the information to conduct sweeps in which otherwise law-abiding immigrants are also being caught up. Federal officials said the decision puts U.S. citizens in danger. “We’re not going to provide them with information so they can go out and round people up,” Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney said Friday as he announced his decision to let a decade-old contract with ICE expire at the end of next month. Kenney said immigration officers are wrongly using the database to go to homes...

Democrats vowed on Monday to slow work in the Senate to a crawl to protest the secrecy surrounding the Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, as Republican leaders raced to prepare a bill for a vote as soon as next week. Without the votes to stop the majority party from passing a bill, Democrats can only draw attention to the way Republicans are creating their bill — behind closed doors without a single hearing or public bill-drafting session. Senate Republican leaders hope for a showdown vote before lawmakers leave town at the end of next week,...

Indonesia has suspended all military cooperation with Australia, the ABC reports. The move was reportedly made over 'offensive' training materials on display at an Australian SAS base in Perth. Major General Wuryanto has not confirmed the reason for the suspension, saying it was for technical matters, and that there were "ups and downs in every cooperation between two national forces". According to Indonesian newspaper, Kompas, an Indonesian Special Forces instructor took offence to some “laminated material” at the Perth base.

Former Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner is cooperating with authorities in the FBI investigation of his laptop that contains emails that prompted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to reopen its probe into Hillary Clinton's use of an unauthorized email server. The news that Weiner is cooperating, reported by Fox News' Bret Baier on Sunday, would help law enforcement with the investigation, since officials didn't yet have a warrant to read through the material found on the device. Though FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers Friday his agency found emails related to Hillary Clinton's private email server, he didn't yet have a...

I, Pencil A Simple Instrument Teaches a Profound Lesson Leonard E. Read I am a lead pencil—the ordinary wooden pencil familiar to all boys and girls and adults who can read and write.* * My official name is “Mongol 482.” My many ingredients are assembled, fabricated, and finished by Eberhard Faber Pencil Company. Writing is both my vocation and my avocation; that’s all I do. You may wonder why I should write a genealogy. Well, to begin with, my story is interesting. And, next, I am a mystery— more so than a tree or a sunset or even a flash...