Free Republic

Robert Bork really, truly wanted to be remembered as a great judge. And in 1987, he reached the apex of his career: President Ronald Reagan nominated him to succeed Justice Lewis Powell on the Supreme Court. He was so close! Alas, after his bitter, divisive (and ultimately unsuccessful) confirmation hearing, he became known for something else:/bôrk/ (verb): To obstruct or oppose someone, particularly a candidate for public office by systematically defaming or vilifying them. “We must Bork that guy!” said the Democrat.It’s unusual for a person’s name to be given the anthimeria treatment. (South Park’s “Faith Hilling” episode notwithstanding.) It’s...

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham wrote to President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday offering him 1,402 acres of land in Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley sector near the southern border for his mass deportation operation of violent criminals who are illegally residing in the U.S.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher suggested no one is scared anymore to show their support for President-elect Donald Trump and that is what is being seen across the sports world. Several athletes, especially in the NFL and UFC, have been seen doing Trump’s dance in celebration. It really took off over the weekend at UFC 309 with the president-elect present for the night of fights along with Dana White and some of his Cabinet nominees. "People were scared for a while. You don’t want people to talk bad about you, how we’ve been talked about the last four...

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley raised major concerns with President-elect Trump’s decision to appoint former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to his Cabinet. Haley criticized both picks on SiriusXM’s “Nikki Haley Live.” She condemned Gabbard’s comments on Russia’s war on Ukraine and her support of a pardon for Edward Snowden, who leaked U.S. intelligence. “After Russia invaded Ukraine, Tulsi Gabbard literally blamed NATO, our Western alliance that’s responsible for countering Russia,” Haley said. “She blamed NATO for the attack on Ukraine, and the Russians and the Chinese echoed her talking points and her interviews on Russian...

As Donald Trump assembles his economic team, a tension seems to have emerged between his desire to reassure Wall Street and his promise to push back against globalization by enacting sweeping tariff policies.Despite calling himself “a tariff man,” Mr. Trump has influential backers who would apparently like to see him forget his trade priorities. Elon Musk recently cheered tariff-cutting moves by President Javier Milei of Argentina. Some leading candidates for top economic posts in the new administration, such as the hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, as well as Mr. Trump’s pick for secretary of commerce, the Wall Street executive Howard...

Kemp argued that border policies under President Biden are 'outrageous'Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says justice was served after a judge gave the 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela who was convicted of murdering Laken Riley a life sentence. "I'm glad that justice was served, and it was swift and severe," the governor said in a Fox News Digital interview on Wednesday soon after a judge in Athens County, Georgia, convicted and then sentenced Jose Antonio Ibarra, a migrant who had entered the U.S. illegally. Kemp said the conviction and sentencing were "no surprise" and emphasized that Riley's murder was "a really tragic...

Midas is running a racist ad called "No More BS". See the image here. If you've seen enough recent TV ads, you should know which group is which. If you want to *do* something about this, take out a few minutes and call or email your local Midas shop. Let them know that you saw their ad and you won't be doing business with them anymore. Obviously, local outlets don't have any control over the ads Midas HQ runs, but enough of them will communicate back to Midas HQ that they might get the message.

People infected with the COVID-19 virus in 2020 may have double the risk for future heart attacks, strokes or premature death from any cause up to three years later – even if they never showed signs of severe illness, according to new research. The risk may be considerably higher in people hospitalized for COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic. The findings suggest that being hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2020 was a "coronary artery disease risk equivalent," conferring a higher risk for future heart attacks, strokes or death in people without a history of cardiovascular disease than the risk...

Daniel Alman from Squirrel Hill @DanielAlmanPGH Three people were murdered because #NewYorkCity gave concurrent sentences, instead of consecutive sentences, to a serial criminal named #RamonRivera. https://nypost.com/2024/11/18/us-news/suspected-madman-stabber-has-long-criminal-history-and-was-released-from-nyc-jail-just-one-month-before-deadly-spree/ #AlvinBragg #EricAdams #NYC #Trump #Biden #KamalaHarris #SoftOnCrime #Crime #Murder #News #Politics

I was not going to write any more election post-mortems based on the current data. California is still counting votes, and it will take months for the whole picture of the electorate to come into focus.But that hasn’t stopped chatter from strategists and politicians about the ways Democrats should change their candidates and messaging. There has been heavy emphasis on appealing to young men specifically, with many advising that the left should go about manufacturing its own Joe Rogan. One articulation of this viewpoint comes from Richard Reeves, who writes in an op-ed in The Boston Globe that Democrats shouldn’t...

Russia has begun serial production of mobile bomb shelters that can protect against a variety of threats including shockwaves and radiation from a nuclear blast. The emergency ministry's research institute said the "KUB-M" shelter could offer protection for 48 hours against these and other natural and man-made hazards. Among those it listed were: explosions and shrapnel from conventional weapons; falling debris from buildings; dangerous chemicals and fires. The "KUB-M" looks like a reinforced shipping container and consists of two modules - a room for 54 people and a technical block. More modules can be added if needed, the institute said.

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi have moved to rural England, put their Montecito estate on the market and plan to never return to the United States, telling friends the election of Donald Trump was their primary motivation, a person close to the former TV host told TheWrap. Though the incoming Republican administration was the cited catalyst, a fresh start couldn’t hurt: DeGeneres has been open about being “kicked out of show business” after reports of toxic workplace behavior at the syndicated “Ellen” show in 2002. DeGeneres has already moved to the Cotswolds, a rural area in south-central England,...

The meltdowns I’ve seen by Kamala Harris supporters since Donald Trump exceeded all expectations and trounced her in the polls has been epic. They cannot fathom why over 73 million people flipped the lever for Trump over their savior. They are so out of touch with regular Americans that this election cycle should aptly be called their Bud Light moment. On April 1, 2023, Dylan Mulvaney, a man who calls himself transgender and dresses in women’s clothing, wears makeup, and had nearly 11 million social media followers, posted a clip advertising his partnership with Bud Light in conjunction with March...

There have been repeated clashes between the left and the center of the Democratic Party over the past 50-plus years, especially in the presidential nomination contests of 1968, 1972, 1984, 1992, 2016 and 2020. The post-election debate is now in full flower, with left-wing and centrist Democrats blaming each other for the loss.The selection of Kamala Harris, a woman of Black and South Asian ancestry as the nominee, might have accentuated the perception of the Democratic Party as more progressive on race and gender and made some voters feel alienated or concerned about the direction of the party.As my Times...

Asevered horse’s head has been left on the property of a businessman in Sicily in an act of mafia intimidation reminiscent of a scene from The Godfather. The bloodied head was left on the seat of a digger belonging to the construction contractor in the town of Altofonte near Palermo, the regional capital of Sicily. The incident happened in Altofonte, a town near Palermo in Sicily The bloodied head was left on the seat of a digger belonging to the construction contractor in the town of Altofonte near Palermo, the regional capital of Sicily. The body of a pregnant cow...

VIENTIANE, Laos — Women and racial diversity are vital to the strength of U.S. armed forces, outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an exclusive interview with NBC News as he prepares to shortly exit the top military post after four years. “I have spent 41 years in uniform, three long tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, and everywhere I went on a battlefield, there were women in our formation,” Austin said. “I would tell you that, you know, our women are the finest troops in the world. Quite frankly, some of the finest in the world.” President-elect Donald Trump’s...

Richard V. Allen, who as President Ronald Reagan’s first national security adviser supported tougher Cold War military strategies and helped guide U.S. policies on Iran after the release of American hostages, but who soon stepped down amid fallout from an ethics probe, died Nov. 16 at a hospital in Denver. He was 88. His son Michael Allen confirmed the death but did not provide a specific cause. Mr. Allen’s influence on the Reagan era — and future Republican Party politics — also apparently unfolded over a tense few hours in July 1980 during the Republican National Convention in Detroit. Reagan...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration has moved to forgive about $4.7 billion in U.S. loans to Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday, as outgoing officials seek to do what they can before leaving office to bolster Ukraine in its war against Russia. A funding bill passed by the U.S. Congress in April included just over $9.4 billion of forgivable loans for economic and budgetary support to Ukraine's government, half of which the president could cancel after Nov. 15. The bill appropriated a total of $61 billion to help Ukraine fight the full-scale invasion Moscow launched in...

Beijing, China - China called for Russia to exercise "calm" and "restraint" after President Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine. * * * Beijing weighed in on Wednesday, urging "calm" and "restraint" during foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian's regular press conference. China also vowed to play a "constructive role" in ending the conflict. "Under the current situation, all relevant parties need to remain calm and restrained and jointly seek deescalation and lower strategic risks through dialogue and consultation," spokesperson Lin said.

Sephora is in damage control mode after social media rumors that it supported President-elect Donald J. Trump’s campaign sparked calls to boycott the beauty products retailer. Leftists are reacting in the only way they know how to after Trump’s clubbing of Kamala Harris, by lashing out and threatening to punish any who may have assisted with his victory, including Sephora which strongly denied that it had made “big big big donations” to his campaign. Some TikTok users called for the company to be put on the naughty list for the holiday shopping season for the alleged donations, including one video...