Free Republic

Senator Marco Rubio, who announced Monday he is running for president in 2016, withdrew his amendment that would have required Iran to recognize Israel's right to exist. Some lawmakers warned extraneous elements could upend the bill, and Rubio acknowledged the importance of a securing congressional review of the Iran agreement. Washington's powerful pro-Israel lobby AIPAC voiced approval of the measure, saying: "Congress should review any agreement to ensure it meets US objectives, and object if it fails to do so." A final deal, the group said, "must be subjected to the constitutional system of checks and balances that is the...

BRIGHTON, Mich. (WXYZ) - Is Proposal 1 the right solution for our crumbling roads? It has the support of Republicans in Lansing, but one local GOP group is breaking with their party on this vote. Three weeks from today, voters across the state will have the final say on Proposal 1. In the meantime, there's no shortage of opinions on this proposed "fix" for Michigan's crumbling roads. "I'm like everyone, I'm for getting the roads fixed and I don't want taxes to increase," says voter Jim Johnson. "I want it to go to what they actually are saying it's supposed...

The Russian government under Putin just put a ban on internet pornography, just another indication as to the Christian influence that is dominating Russian society (and rightfully so). According to the report: A Russian court has instructed Roskomnadzor, the country’s state-controlled Internet watchdog, to block 136 websites hosting “pornographic material” under the terms of international conventions signed in 1910 and 1923. Vague language in the ruling, first reported by the newspaper Izvestia, means all Internet pornography could soon be illegal in Russia. The ruling comes after a district attorney in Tartarstan’s Apastovksy district cited the regulations put in place in...

[SNIP]...Historically, somewhat less than half of the 400 police homicides reported to the FBI each year have black subjects. This is consistent with the black crime rate. Blacks make up over half of all homicide perpetrators in the country; in 2013, they were 42 percent of all cop-killers, despite being merely 12 percent of the population. From 1980 to 1998, young black males murdered police officers at almost six times the rate of young white males. According to Gary Kleck, a criminologist at Florida State University, police officers are less likely to kill a black suspect who threatens or attacks...

April 15, 2015Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter    Reading 1 Acts 5:17-26 The high priest rose up and all his companions,that is, the party of the Sadducees,and, filled with jealousy,laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,led them out, and said,“Go and take your place in the temple area,and tell the people everything about this life.”When they heard this,they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.When the high priest and his companions arrived,they convened the Sanhedrin,the...

The triumphal service of Great Vespers on Easter Sunday served by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church in Christ the Savior Cathedral. (The cathedral was razed by Stalin but has been rebuilt.)

At the end of 2014, Nikon issued a notice saying that fake D800E DSLRs have been discovered during service center repairs. Technicians found that the cameras were actually ordinary D800 DSLRs (a few hundred dollars cheaper) that had their covers replaced with D800E shells. Nikon issued an update today saying that other models are being faked as well, namely the D610 and D4S

After all those straight white men, we are overdue a woman in the Oval Office. More than one, in fact … Two things happened the past week that got me thinking about representation – about the importance of seeing ourselves outside of ourselves. The first thing was Hillary Clinton announcing her bid for the 2016 presidency. The second thing was NRA president Wayne LaPierre declaring, in regard to Obama and Clinton, that: “Eight years of one demographically symbolic president is enough.” As far as Hillary goes, she has already been think-pieced to death (a journalist friend suggested I title this...

Bad Strategy #1: “I’ll just hunt and live off the land.”Bad Strategy #2: “I’ll go into the woods and live there.”Bad Strategy #3: “I’ll bug out on foot for 73 miles through the mountains, even though I don’t regularly exercise.”Bad Strategy #4: “I don’t need a group. I’m going to go it alone.”Bad Strategy #5: “I don’t need to store food, I’ll just take everyone else’s because I’m a bad-ass.”Bad Strategy #5: “I don’t need to store food, I’ll just take everyone else’s because I’m a bad-ass.”Bad Strategy #7: “I don’t store food. I store seeds.”Bad Strategy #8: “I’ll just...

The title of a famous essay by Jonathan Swift and that of a Tuesday New Republic article by Brian Beutler each starts with “A Modest Proposal.” There are, however, many differences concerning the two pieces. One is that Swift’s was a satire, whereas Beutler’s is a fantasy. Another is that pretty much anyone who somehow took Swift’s proposal seriously would find it horrifying, while Beutler’s suggestion -- that the 2016 Democratic ticket should consist of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- will horrify mostly conservatives (and opponents of dynastic politics who already were upset over the prospect of a Hillary...

Not even an army of Beliebers could protect Justin Bieber from being put in a chokehold and getting kicked out of the Coachella music festival on Sunday night. The 21-year-old pop star and his entourage were trying to attend Drake’s headline show, but were stopped by security before they could get in, according to TMZ.

CNN International        ✔ @cnni See Cuba before American investors ruin it: http://cnn.it/1I9ln6n  pic.twitter.com/BUBv61FJ3Y Matt Jackson @EmJeyJackson @cnni yeah, I'm sure having massive cash flow, will ruin their love of starvation. 9:02 AM - 14 Apr 2015

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday approved sweeping changes in the way Medicare pays doctors, clearing the bill for President Obama and resolving an issue that has bedeviled Congress and the Medicare program for more than a decade. The 92-to-8 vote in the Senate, following passage in the House last month by an overwhelming vote of 392 to 37, was a major success for Republicans, who devised a solution to a complex policy problem that had frustrated lawmakers of both parties. Mr. Obama has endorsed the bill, saying it “could help slow health care cost growth.” The bill, drafted in...

The U.K. Ministry of Defense has released an accounting of all the aircraft in Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and British Army service — and the overall tally is tiny … and getting tinier. As of March this year, the air forces of the United Kingdom possessed no more than 362 combat-ready warplanes and drones plus 249 helicopters — a mere 611 military aircraft. Britain’s air force, navy and army together have another 93 planes and copters that are in deep maintenance or rework plus 18 that are in storage. None of these 111 aircraft are immediately available for combat. It’s worth noting that...

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas got the ball rolling: On March 23, he announced he was running for president and became the first Republican to enter the 2016 presidential race. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky quickly followed suit and became the second Republican to officially declare his candidacy. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida officially joined the race Monday. They could all face New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the Republican primary. Though the governor of the Garden State hasn’t officially declared, Christie has formed a political action committee to explore a run is in New Hampshire for a week...

Lync to be retired. Microsoft's April update for Office 2013 is more than just a Patch Tuesday: for some users, it includes the new Skype for Business. A relatively low-key announcement from Microsoft today signals the beginning of the end for Lync, the Office collaboration tool that has run in parallel with Skype in the three years since Microsoft bought Skype. Office 365 customers using Lync Online are the first to receive Skype for Business Online in a rollout that will continue through into May. Skype for Business is also now available as a standalone plan.

TheHill HEALTHCARE April 14, 2015 - 09:45 PM EDT Senate overwhelmingly approves House 'doc fix' bill  BY PETER SULLIVAN AND SARAH FERRIS 5 Shares TWEET SHARE MORE The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a $200 billion Medicare reform package that will end a two-decade old headache for Congress known as the "doc fix." The rare bipartisan vote, which passed 92-8, marks one of the biggest achievements yet from the newly GOP-controlled Congress. It will now head to President Obama, who has promised to sign the bill. “It’s another reminder of a new Republican Congress that’s back to work,” Senate...

Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA and Swedish partner Saab AB hope to devise a plan by June for exporting the Gripen fighter jet from the South American country beginning in 2023, a senior Embraer official said on Tuesday. Jackson Schneider, the head of Embraer's defense unit, said deliveries of 36 Gripen NG single-engine jets to the Brazilian Air Force from a joint assembly plant in the country would begin in 2018. It could wrap up as early as 2023, opening up export capacity. The companies formalized their partnership in the $5.4 billion program on Tuesday at the LAAD defense fair in...