Free Republic

President Biden went back to his fake White House set as the backdrop for his reaction to the disappointing September jobs report Friday, days after the mock-up was widely panned on social media. Despite the White House offering several venues fit for presidential remarks — including the Oval Office, the East Room, the State Dining Room and even the Brady Press Briefing Room — the administration has increasingly opted to use the model set up in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, across from the executive mansion itself.

OAKLAND -- Exasperated BART union leaders announced they would shut down trains Friday morning after a breakdown at the bargaining table Thursday, setting the stage for the second Bay Area commute nightmare in three months. A wild round of back-and-forth press conferences at 4 p.m. brought to a live TV audience an outpouring of emotion from sleep-deprived negotiators and the departure of the nation's top mediator. Although union leaders have been threatening strikes for the past week, they sounded much angrier and more direct this time, and talks ended altogether. "Unfortunately, yes -- we are on strike as of midnight,"...

If you haven’t heard of Extortion 17 it’s understandable. For some reason the obama regime has been working real hard to suppress any information regarding this incident and to keep it from getting into the Mainstream Reality TV media. Thankfully, their efforts to cover their involvement in both the incident and the cover up have blown up in their faces. The usual spin, stonewalling, deception and manipulation of events that is a hallmark of the obama regime has fallen short. Congressional hearings are on the way. A fabricated outrage of synthetic racism can generate only a finite amount of distraction...

The deadly sect, Boko-Haram, on Sunday sent out a statement to the press, warning that they (sect members) will not rest until Nigerian Constitution was set aside and Sharia legal system upheld across the country. The sect members said no amount of counter-hostility from the security agencies will deter them in their “holy” mission until democracy was set aside and “all the enemies” of their mission were “annihilated across Nigeria”. The statement which was dropped at various media houses by unknown persons also frowned at the way people “mistakenly” narrow their mission

WASHINGTON – A high-tech entrepreneur unveiled plans Tuesday to launch the world's most powerful rocket since man went to the moon. Space Exploration Technology has already sent the first private rocket and capsule into Earth's orbit as a commercial venture. It is now planning a rocket that could lift twice as much cargo into orbit as the soon-to-be-retired space shuttle. The first launch is slotted for 2013 from California with follow-up launches from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Space X's new rocket called Falcon Heavy is big enough to send cargo or even people out of Earth's orbit to the moon,...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—The Republican Party is poised in the coming election to remove the vestiges of Democratic control from state governments in the heart of the South. In Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, the GOP appears likely to win every state elected office as well as take or strengthen control over legislatures. Republican sweeps in these states would give the party control over the redrawing of congressional districts after the 2010 census, and enhance its ability to raise funds and campaign for Republican candidates in the 2012 races. White conservative voters in the South have been turning to the GOP...

JULIA Gillard has arrived in Canberra and will meet Governor-General Quentin Bryce at 10.30am to set a date for a federal election. The PM's office has confirmed that the Prime Minister will hold a press conference at noon. August 21 or 28 are the anticipated dates for the election. Ms Gillard is then expected to travel to Brisbane, where Labor has to make up ground following the dumping of Kevin Rudd. Ms Gillard smiled, but said nothing to reporters outside her western Melbourne home, as she was driven away just after 7am (AEST). The media is already camped outside Government...

Former US President Jimmy Carter is planning a rare meeting with a settler leader in the West Bank this weekend. A statement from his Carter Center said he would see Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shaul Goldstein in his West Bank home on Sunday. Carter observed this week's Lebanese election and plans meetings in Israel and the West Bank over the weekend. In the past he has strongly backed Palestinian aspirations for a state and spoken out against Jewish settlements in the West Bank, calling them illegal and an obstacle to peace. The statement Wednesday said Carter would also meet...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress09/mueller032509.htm Congressional Testimony Robert S. Mueller, III Director Federal Bureau of Investigation Statement Before the Senate Judiciary Committee March 25, 2009 Good morning Chairman Leahy, Senator Specter, and Members of the Committee. I am pleased to be here today. As you know, we in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have undergone unprecedented transformation in recent years, from developing the intelligence capabilities necessary to address emerging terrorist and criminal threats, to creating the administrative and technological structure necessary to meet our new mission as a national security service. Today, the FBI is a...

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2007 – Medal of Honor recipients are heroes, despite their many humble objections to the label, and are important to the fabric of our society, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told those gathered yesterday to celebrate the official naming of March 25 as National Medal of Honor Day. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England highlights the importance of the Medal of Honor and its recipients to the nation and military while speaking at a ceremony honoring recipients and celebrating Congress’s recent designation March 25 each year as National Medal of Honor Day. Photo by Fred W. Baker...

Azores set for Hurricane Gordon The Azores islands in the mid-Atlantic have been placed on high alert for Hurricane Gordon, which is due to hit the Portuguese territory shortly. People and livestock have been told to stay indoors as forecasters warn the hurricane will bring heavy rain and winds of 170km/h (105mph). Waves as high as 12 metres (40ft) are also predicted and the region's ports are expected to be the most exposed. Some 240,000 people live in the nine Azores islands. Farming and fishing are the mainstay of the economy of the islands, which lie about 1,500 km (930...

Germany's far-Right set for poll gains By Kate Connolly in Berlin (Filed: 15/09/2006) Germany's far-Right is set to increase its power base in state elections this weekend, securing a historic foothold in a regional parliament for the third time in two years. The leading candidates for the National Democratic Party (NPD), Germany's oldest neo-Nazi party, have swapped their skinheads and combat boots for smart suits and gelled hair, in their attempt to attract a wider vote by shedding their thug-like image. A supporter of Germany's far-Right NPD holds a flag in Berlin Some of their campaign slogans, such as "working...

Philippine volcano 'set to erupt' Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines The Philippine authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 35,000 people living near a volcano, saying an eruption could take place soon. The alert was raised to four - the second highest level - following increased activity at Mount Mayon, in the centre of the country. It has been rumbling since February and started emitting lava in mid-July. Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines, having erupted about 50 times in the past 400 years. People living in the region watched with alarm early...

7/12/2006 - SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- Political freedom is something the military has defended since the founding of the United States. But, while free to participate in the political process, there are some rules military members need to know. "Our main job is to follow the orders that come down our chain of command, which has an elected official at the top," said Maj. Frank Minogue, chief of civil law for Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. "It would undermine our whole command structure if it appeared that the Air Force was supporting one side,...

EU set to host Iran nuclear talks By Emma Jane Kirby BBC News, Brussels Ali Larijani has ruled out a swift Iranian response Iran's top nuclear negotiator and the EU's foreign policy chief are meeting to try to diffuse a row over Tehran's contested nuclear plans. The EU presented Iran with a package of incentives designed to make it suspend controversial uranium enrichment. So far Iran has failed to give a response to the offer. Iran says it needs nuclear power for electricity but some countries fear it could be covertly trying to develop nuclear weapons. The talks in Brussels...

HANOI, Vietnam - Disgraced British glam rocker Gary Glitter will have his appeal heard next month against a 3-year sentence for child molestation, a court official said. "His appeals trial is set for June 15," said Bui Ngoc Hoa, head of the People's Supreme Court of Appeals in Ho Chi Minh City. The trial would last one day, he added. Glitter, 62, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison by a Vietnamese court on March 3 for committing obscene acts with girls aged 10 and 11 at his rented seaside villa...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - After spending half his life in a Pakistani jail, Tahir Mirza Hussain is scheduled to hang on his 36th birthday for killing a taxi driver _ even though a court acquitted him 10 years ago. Hussain, a British-Pakistani, claims he is innocent. He was cleared by a secular court but retried and found guilty in an Islamic one. He now faces execution June 1 unless President Gen. Pervez Musharraf intervenes. His muddled case, spanning two decades, is emblematic of Pakistan's corrupt and bifurcated legal system, described by a leading rights activist as "flawed" and in desperate need...

Taiwan storm set to get louder By Chris Hogg BBC News, Hong Kong Tensions between the two sides are running high It is 12 months since China passed a law authorising the use of force against Taiwan if the self-governing island moved towards formal independence. On the face of it, it looks like nothing much has changed since then. Both sides are still flinging insults at each other. China is still refusing to talk to Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian. The "status quo", as people call it, remains in place. But conversations with the leading players and analysts who monitor their...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2006 – With "the greatest force for freedom in the history of the world on their side," Americans should feel confident in efforts to combat terrorism and spread democracy, President Bush said today in praise of the nation's armed forces. Speaking at the 88th Annual American Legion Convention here, the president thanked the organization for its long-time support of U.S. troops and told veterans in the group they've set an example for today's servicemembers. "Our men and women on the front lines are taking inspiration from the valor and courage that you've shown in the field of...

2/9/2006 - U.S. MILITARY GROUP QUITO, Ecuador (AFPN) -- It was a busy day for the 21st Medical Group -- 1,501 patients seen in eight hours during a medical readiness exercise here. The constant stream of Ecuadorians moved through the treatment areas like a quiet, but strong steam engine. There was a sense of calm and orderliness as the Ecuadorian Army security team kept the crowds in control, which helped facilitate the number of people seen Feb. 7 in the small village of Otavalo. U.S. and Ecuadorian Air Force doctors worked side-by-side to treat Ecuadorian patients. In four isolated towns,...