Free Republic

As payback for POTUS Donald Trump’s emergency declaration along the U.S.-Mexico boundary, which freed up Pentagon funds he is using to build and rebuild portions of his promised border wall, House Democrats are now politicizing the 2020 defense budget, and at a time when Russian and Chinese threats, along with regional powers such as Iran and North Korea, are growing.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Last month, a criminal case against a Hoffman Estates, Ill., woman became tied to the legal drama surrounding Jussie Smollett when a judge, saying the situation “smells, big time,” asked why the woman was being “treated differently” than the actor by Cook County prosecutors. And now the woman has acquired a new attorney to help her fight the felony charge of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report, the same crime Smollett was accused of in a 16-count indictment before charges against him were suddenly dropped. Candace Clark, 21, said she is happy that...

https://punchdrink.com/articles/guy-who-broke-wine-gary-vee-vaynerchuk/ It’s not until episode 58 of Wine Library TV, the wine vlog that became a sensation in the late aughts, that the show really discovers what it’s about. Up to that point, it had seemed like a corporate executive’s idea of what a wine Web series should be. Dressed in business casual, Gary Vaynerchuk, a young salesman who ran a 37,000-square-foot wine shop in Springfield, New Jersey, would face the camera, speaking in a calm, bedside manner about the emerging Bordeaux market or cult California cabernets.

She’s Jill “The Jokester” Biden. The wife of former Vice President-turned-presidential hopeful Joe Biden can’t resist a good gag — which once led to her cramming herself into the overhead bin on Air Force Two, The Hill reported Wednesday. “The White House is a serious place, with serious people, doing serious work. If you’re not careful, it can grind you down,” Biden, a college English professor, wrote in her just-released memoir, “Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself.” She hatched the idea to pop out of the overhead compartment ahead of a scheduled flight to California during President...

By now, most of us in the Philly area following the dialogue around reproductive justice — abortion access specifically — have probably read about the most recent “incident” downtown. State Rep. Brian Sims recorded a video of himself speaking to protesters outside a Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania on Holy Thursday, recorded another video in early May, and later took to Twitter. *** [S]omething Sims said particularly sparked my interest both as an abortion doula — someone who supports pregnant people before, during, and after the decision and process to terminate a pregnancy — and as a candidate for ordination...

THIS amateur photographer’s prayers were answered when she snapped this perfectly-timed picture of what appears to be Jesus Christ with his arms out. Monica Aramayo was in San Salvador de Jujuy in Argentina when she noticed the holy figure shining through the thick clouds.

The U.S.-Mexico border wall is getting built, President Donald Trump often claims. Construction is happening, he says, in spite of reluctance from Congress. And lately, Trump has attached a recurring figure to illustrate how far along he’s come on his big promise. "You see the hell we are going through trying to get the wall," he said in Panama City Beach, Fla. "We’re going to have over 400 miles of wall built, much of it is already started, by the end of next year, and we’ll conclude it pretty shortly thereafter. We’ll have the whole thing sealed up and it...

RUSH: You’ve gotta hear something. I don’t know about you, but one of the things that I just can’t stand in life is people that make noise when they eat. I just can’t stand it. (sigh) I have to look away. I’m really helped in this by the fact that I can’t hear as well I used to. I’m not complaining, observing. (interruption) No. Complaining, I’d be asking something to do something about it. I’m not asking anybody to do anything about it. I’m just sharing with you here that I just… I can’t stand it. I can’t stand the...

My friend Jerry passed, great guy, 86 his dad was an immigrant Russian Jew, Jerry grew up in California Air Force - Cal Tech engineer - worked for a NASA team in the 60s through Gemini, made it up as they went and needed a problem solved. The world and the girls (looked like Joe Namath in the day which he used to his advantage) are going to miss him.

Arizona has finally passed a repeal of its decade long ban on the possession of nunchakus. The ban was passed in the heyday of kung-fu movies. It stood as a monument to the power of the media to pass insanely stupid and intrusive legislation. Governor Ducy signed the bill on 10 May, 2019. From an Arizona Citizens Defense League email: On Friday, May 10, Governor Ducey signed SB 1291, repealing the decades old law that banned possession of nunchakus. We thank everyone who contacted on the Governor about SB 1291. You made a difference. The nunchakus ban was so...

President Donald Trump announced a broad plan to reform border security and legal immigration during a speech on Thursday afternoon, but the proposal faces an uphill battle for consensus even among the Republican Party's own ranks. And Democrats are sure to oppose it as it fails to address key issues. Trump said the plan provides a "clear contrast" with other proposals he's deemed unsatisfactory. "Democrats are proposing open borders, lower wages, and frankly, lawless chaos," he said in the Rose Garden. "We are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages and safety of American workers first." "Our proposal...

Before New York Mayor Bill de Blasio even officially announced his presidential bid on Thursday, New Yorkers were already pleading for him give up his White House ambitions. De Blasio, who has been mayor of America’s largest city since 2014, is now one of the 25 Democratic candidates seeking a presidential nomination, despite the lack of support from his own constituents. His approval rating sits at 42 percent, and an April poll found that 76 percent of New York City voters did not want de Blasio to run for president. In March, a Monmouth poll found that de Blasio was...

A Georgia-based rapper's vehicle was shot up during a drive-by over the weekend, making him the fourth artist targeted within a span of three days. YFN Lucci's red Mercedes-Benz SUV was hit with a hail of bullets Friday night in Atlanta. It's unclear if the 28-year-old, whose real name is Rayshawn Lamar Bennet, was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting. However, the driver of Lucci's vehicle suffered a gunshot wound, according to TMZ. Lucci's driver was reportedly shot in the shoulder when the suspects opened fire on the SUV. Photos shows the vehicle riddled with more than...

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has responded to charges from three of its member bodies that it has an 'ecumenical agenda' inconsistent with its historic evangelical roots. National Evangelical Alliances in Italy, Spain and Malta released an open letter in December alleging there had been a 'progressive implementation of an ecumenical agenda in WEA without proper discussion at a grassroot level and without involving the different parts of the Alliance in the decision-making process'. It also says this 'ecumenical trajectory' is to reach a 'tipping point' in 2018. The statement placed on the WEA's website followed meetings between its secretary...

Full title: 2,000-year-old remains of nomadic 'royal' unearthed by Russian farmer includes 'laughing man,' haul of jewels and weapons A farmer digging on his land in Russia discovered something unexpected: a 2,000-year-old burial mound containing the remains and artifacts of a nomadic royal — including a strange "laughing" man skull. The trove of amazing jewelry, weapons and other artifacts was found by farmer Rustam Mudayev in a grave near the Caspian Sea, according to The Daily Mail. Mudayev consulted with the Astrakhan History Museum, which eventually organized an expedition to the village where the remains were found. "After inspecting the burial site we understood...

Chinese state media may have launched a fierce propaganda campaign, placing the blame for the trade war squarely at the feet of the US government. But many manufacturers in China are keeping their heads below the parapet, for fear of reprisals from both inside and outside the country. Interviews reveal that many factory owners and operators feel that they are caught in the middle of forceful rhetoric from both sides in the trade war. And rather than face direct retaliation from officials, workers and suppliers in their home market, they are deciding to keep their counsel. Those companies that plan...

Four years after three Palestinian Arabs were killed in a fire in the village of Duma in Samaria, a neighbor has gone on record denying that Jews were responsible for the deadly blaze. One July 31st, 2015, a fire broke out in the home of the Dawabsheh family in the village of Duma in the middle of the night, killing 18-month old Ali, and leaving three other members of the family injured. Weeks later, both of the parents, Said Muhammaned Hassan Dawabsheh and Riham Hassand Dawabsheh, succumbed to their injuries. Hebrew graffiti was found at the site, including the word...

President Trump has told his acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, that he does not want to go to war with Iran, according to several administration officials, in a message to his hawkish aides that an intensifying American pressure campaign against the clerical-led government in Tehran must not escalate into open conflict. Mr. Trump’s statement, during a Wednesday morning meeting in the Situation Room, came during a briefing on the rising tensions with Iran. American intelligence has indicated that Iran has placed missiles on small boats in the Persian Gulf, prompting fears that Tehran may strike at United States troops and...

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Thursday confirmed Wendy Vitter’s appointment to the federal bench as Republicans overcame strong opposition from Democrats who criticized the nominee’s stand against abortion. Maine Sen. Susan Collins was the only Republican to join Democrats and independents in opposing Vitter’s nomination, in the 52-to-45 vote. Vitter has been waiting for confirmation since President Donald Trump nominated her for a U.S. District Court seat in New Orleans nearly 18 months ago. The nomination expired in the last session of the Senate with no action. A former prosecutor, Vitter has served more recently as general counsel for the...

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent was assaulted near Eagle Pass, Texas, while he arrested a Mexican illegal alien and convicted drug-dealing felon who was previously deported several times, the government announced. The assault comes as border-jumpers and human traffickers are becoming emboldened on the nation’s increasingly lawless southern border. Democrat resistance to President Trump’s plan to erect a border wall and lawmakers’ refusal to properly fund immigration enforcement efforts have no doubt made the already-dangerous border situation worse. Mark Morgan, then head of the U.S. Border Patrol and now President Trump’s nominee to head U.S. Customs and Immigration...