Free Republic

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the Turkish presidency has said, days after a Turkish convoy was nearly hit by air raids in the Syrian province of Idlib. Friday's announcement came as Syrian forces, backed by Russia, continue to make advances into the last rebel stronghold in Syria's northwest region that borders Turkey. Since late April, Syria and Russia have escalated their bombardment of Idlib, with more than 500 civilians being killed in the hostilities, according to the United Nations.

Here’s an important question for our times: What’s the difference between a Tommy Gun, the submachine gun wielded by gangsters like John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson roaming Wisconsin in the 1930s, and a military-style assault weapon, today’s weapon of choice routinely used to commit mass murders all over America? The answer, of course, is there’s virtually no difference, except for this: President Franklin Roosevelt and the U.S. Congress succeeded in removing Thompson submachine guns, firing 600 rounds of bullets in a minute, from city streets with the National Firearms Act of 1934, the first serious federal gun safety legislation...

The Colts' odds of winning the Super Bowl this season plummeted at sportsbooks after quarterback Andrew Luck announced his retirement on Saturday night. PointsBet moved Indianapolis's Super Bowl odds from 12/1 to 50/1, while the Colts' win total shifted from 10 to six. Additionally, PointsBet moved the Colts from favorites to win the AFC South to the worst odds to finish first in the division. The Colts' +600 division odds are behind the Texans at +140, Jaguars at +225 and Titans at +325.

Throughout most of its history, San Francisco has been known as the beautiful “city by the bay.” It has wonderful scenery, the Golden Gate bridge, the cable cars, Pier 39 among other wonderful cultural attractions. Sadly, it is also led by unhinged progressives who are in the process of destroying this unique city.While there is incredible wealth in San Francisco, along with plenty of high-tech corporate headquarters, there is also a growing poverty crisis. Currently, according to the city’s own definition, there are approximately 10,000 homeless people living in San Francisco. This represents a shocking 30% increase in just the...

The US State Department website has deleted the Palestinian Authority from the list of countries and areas on its website. Until recently, 'Palestinians' appeared on the site under the name 'Palestinian Authority' and before that the 'Palestinian Territories'. Over the past year there has been a significant devaluation of the Palestinian status on the US side, with the State Department ordering to remove any reference that included the word 'occupied territories' in reference to the Palestinian Arabs. .....

The Truth about guns did an excellent job covering the Gun Owners of America rally in Austin, Texas. Rachel Malone is Gun Owners of America's representative in Texas. I have met Rachel. She is smart, dedicated, talented, and easy on the eyes. She is also extremely effective. The rally is nicely done with Stephen Willeford, the hero who stopped the mass killing at the Sutherland Springs church in November of 2017. Stephen is articulate and knowledgeable. He does an excellent job. It is worth watching him debate a heckler who is passionate, but poorly informed. The debate starts about...

du·plic·i·ty noun.deceitfulness; double-dealing.synonyms: deception, deviousness, two-facedness, underhandedness, dishonesty, falseness, fraudulence, trickery… The howling from the Left concerning the Israeli refusal to allow two Muslim Congresswomen to visit their country has a strangely familiar echo. Never mind that on their visa applications they refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist. They requested the right to visit Palestine, not Israel. Never mind that they have actively promoted a boycott that would damage Israel’s economy and its citizens. And forget that the trip was organized by a militant anti-Israel organization that supported suicide bombers. The two had refused to join an official delegation...

* Drones were to attack northern Israel, military says * Syrian army says it destroyed most of the Israeli missiles (Adds quotes by Israeli PM and military, background) JERUSALEM/DAMASCUS, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft on Saturday struck Iranian forces near Damascus that had been planning to launch "killer drones" at targets in Israel, an Israeli military spokesman said. "The strike targeted Iranian Quds Force operatives and Shiite militias which were preparing to advance attack plans targeting sites in Israel from within Syria over the last number of days," the military said in a statement. The elite Quds Force is...

Just watching the news clips of a protest in Hong Kong, they appear to have just fired tear gas. Everything is peaceful, but just posting a link of it.

I’m generally not someone who views my political opponents as evil. After all, my best friend is a raging liberal, though he’s now a doctor who is not active in politics and has mellowed with age. But lately leftists have gotten so unhinged, gotten so nasty, that I don’t see any way I could even stand to be in the same room with them. The way they act now is like someone trying to make sure they reserve a first-class suite in Hell. Trump Derangement Syndrome has done something to people who were always teetering on the edge of sanity....

Today’s Cryptogram TUKTJP FG JGIA OBPE. KXTE JGI MUTHE HGK, JGI KZUU XTASBPE UTEBA. –GD WTHFZHG You can find this little fun word game, to combat early dementia and senility in us baby boomers, in several daily publications. The way it works is a letter stands for another letter. For example: AXYDLBAAXR is LONGFELLOW (does not apply to today's cryptogram). Beware, the game is very addictive. If this is your first time, don't be intimidated. PLEASE DO NOT post the answer in general comments, but DO post your time and any tips you might give the group on how you...

Video at link.

"I say if they’re concerned, don’t vote for me,” Biden said while speaking to reporters in Keene, New Hampshire. When a reporter told Biden that voters he talked to were wondering if the former senator from Delaware had lost a step, Biden answered, “What do you think?” The Democratic frontrunner has committed a number of verbal slip-ups that put him under scrutiny. During the same visit on Saturday, Biden appeared to believe he was in neighboring Vermont.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — President Trump's wayward former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci appeared at a Southampton, New York, campaign stop where Joe Biden addressed well-heeled Democrats. But he claimed his presence at the Blue Dream Gala, hosted by the Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons, should not be taken for support of the former vice president and 2020 Democratic front-runner. “I'm a registered Republican. I haven't switched my support to Vice President Biden, but I will be working to find a nominee to challenge Donald Trump because he's lost his mind and we've got to get someone here before...

<p>8:30 a.m.</p> <p>President Donald Trump says it's "possible" he will invite Russia to rejoin the annual meeting of the world's advanced economies when he hosts the summit next year.</p> <p>Speaking at the Group of Seven summit in France during a breakfast meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Trump says he's considering inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia was a member of what was then the Group of Eight, but was expelled by the majority of the other countries in 2014 over its invasion of Ukraine.</p>

<p>HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Hartford police officer who responded to a city clinic that provides abortions has been disciplined for the way he treated a clinic volunteer.</p> <p>The Hartford Courant in a story published Friday reported that Officer Michael Flynn was disciplined for a discourteous attitude in his handling of the March incident outside the Hartford GYN Center. Interim Chief Jason Thody says Flynn was counseled by his patrol captain and ordered to get retrained on procedural justice.</p>

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Abortion: It’s a hot-button issue that is brought up year after year in our state. Back in the spring, state lawmakers debated what was then referred to as the Heartbeat Bill – aiming to make it a felony to perform an abortion once a heartbeat is detected. Lawmakers made several changes to the bill as time has gone on, and now critics say it goes too far. Several Knoxville doctors and abortion rights advocates say the legislation is dangerous and unconstitutional, speaking out in opposition Friday at the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health. “From what I...

NEWPORT, Tenn. — Wendy Ramsey began her day as she often does, in the cool basement of Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church. It was a Thursday, and her first client was coming at noon. She flipped on the fluorescent lights. Racks of infant, toddler and maternity clothes neatly lined the waiting area. Formula and baby food were on the shelf, free for anyone who came. A flier for a local domestic violence shelter was taped to the cinder-block wall, one of its tabs ripped off. A whiteboard in her office listed her prayer requests: for her clients, for their salvation and...

<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Rep. Steve King said Friday he stands by his recent comments about rape and incest that sparked bipartisan criticism but acknowledged he could have made his point in a "softer way."</p> <p>Backed by supporters at a news conference in Des Moines, the Iowa Republican affirmed his belief that abortion should be outlawed with no exceptions for rape or incest. King faced criticism for his comment Aug. 14 that questioned whether there would be "any population of the world left" if not for births due to rape or incest.</p>

To the tune of “You’re so Vain” You walked into the party To see what April Ryan would talk about You strategically set up out of the way To take your video and then to get out You had an invitation to be there So you weren’t expecting a rout But April thinks she’s a queen, so she said “go get ‘em partner, go get ‘em partner” and You're in pain You probably think it’s wrong that he beat you You're in pain I'll bet you think think it’s wrong that he beat you Don't you? Don't you? Oh, they...