Free Republic

Jeb Bush has emerged a winner from the sale of his townhome in Florida, the state where he served two terms as governor. The politician sold the two-story residence for $1.625 million — or $325,000 more than what he paid for it in 2011, records show. The townhouse in the city of Coral Gables southwest of downtown Miami features oak floors, impact windows and high-end finishes across 3,485 square feet. Stone columns frame the entry, leading directly into a living room topped with dual chandeliers.

Hurricane Dorian battered St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and brushing Puerto Rico. Taking aim at the Florida Atlantic Coastline, Hurricane Dorian is projected to be a major hurricane (Category 3) at landfall. Satellite Imagery Dorian NHC Public Advisories NHC Discussions Florida Radar Loop (with storm track overlay) Buoy Data with Storm Track overlay

An pro-government commander in Afghanistan has been killed in a battle against a group of Taliban fighters that included his own son. The battle also involved two Afghan brothers who fought on opposite sides – a pro-government militia fighter who was killed and his brother, a Taliban militant, who was wounded and escaped from the battlefield. The overnight battle in Afghanistan's northern province of Jowzjan took place just hours after the slain commander, Baz Muhammad, spoke to RFE/RL about the need to end a war which pits "sons against fathers and brothers and against brothers." Baz Muhammad's involvement in the...

The president's personal attorney tells NBCU brass that legal proceedings could be pursued if there's no retraction or apology for stating that "Russian oligarchs" co-signed loans to Trump. President Donald Trump is ratcheting up his war with the media, as if such thing was conceivable. On Wednesday, his personal attorney Charles Harder threatened NBCUniversal with a defamation suit over what was broadcast the previous night on MSNBC's The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell. A missive sent to NBCU headquarters, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, also addresses a related tweet. According to Harder's demand letter, "The Program and Tweet make the...

President Trump is so eager to complete hundreds of miles of border fence ahead of the 2020 presidential election that he has directed aides to fast-track billions of dollars’ worth of construction contracts, aggressively seize private land and disregard environmental rules, according to current and former officials involved with the project. He also has told worried subordinates that he will pardon them of any potential wrongdoing should they have to break laws to get the barriers built quickly, those officials said.

. Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins Opens Up About Aliens 23:01 28.08.2019 NASA veteran and legendary astronaut Michael Collins, 88, who operated the Command Module during the historic Apollo 11 moon mission in 1969, shared his views on the possibility of alien life during an online question and answer session on Twitter. A netizen asked Collins if he believes that there is "life outside of Earth" under the hashtag #AskMichaelCollins. In a laconic but stunning answer, the veteran astronaut said: "Yes".

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues policy guidance on “residence” requirements for acquiring citizenship Introduction Our latest update to the USCIS Policy Manual defines “residence” as it relates to citizenship for children of certain U.S. government employees and members of the U.S. armed forces who are employed or stationed outside the United States, to conform with the definition of residence in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This guidance rescinds previously established USCIS policy, which stated that certain children who were living outside the United States were considered “residing in” the United States. As a result, it changes the...

MSNBC Host Appears to Walk Back Claims Trump Has Russian Co-Signers on Loans 22:59 28.08.2019(updated 23:01 28.08.2019) MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell appeared to walk back claims made on Tuesday about having damning insider information about US President Donald Trump's business dealings with Deutsche Bank.

USS George Washington More Than Halfway Through RCOH, Will Leave Dry Dock Next Month By: Megan Eckstein August 27, 2019 12:42 PM The final piece of the new main mast of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is installed at Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding, March 15, 2019. The 34-foot upper mast section raises the ship’s distinctive profile 123 feet above the flight deck. Huntington Ingalls Industries photo. Aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) is more than halfway through its refueling and complex overhaul and is set to leave the dry dock at Newport News Shipbuilding next...

US Troops Deprived of Hot Meals, In-Door Toilets as They Train for Possible Conflict With Russia, China 22:02 28.08.2019 Tim Korso In its latest defence strategy guidelines, Washington outlined Russia and China as two possible adversaries in a real-life conflict and has since been conducting numerous military drills in a bid to prepare for a possible war. US Air Force crewmen were forced to live and train under unusually harsh conditions during their stay at Poland's Powidz Air Base, being cut off from running water, hot meals, and indoor toilets, the media outlet Defence News reported, citing US Colonel Donn...

(CNN)The Congressional Budget Office has predicted the federal deficit could reach $1 trillion by the 2020 fiscal year. Once again, President Trump has exposed a myth in American politics. That myth? That Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility. He is just the latest Republican president to demonstrate this. His drive for corporate tax cuts, which received strong Republican support, has blown a huge hole in the federal ledger. Tea Party Republicans once railed against President Barack Obama's spending habits. As the deficit has grown under Trump, however, they've suddenly changed their tune. Acting Chief of Staff and Office of...

MOSCOW/ANKARA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey wants to continue defence industry cooperation with Russia, including on warplanes, following talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Erdogan spoke after the leaders visited an air show outside the Russian capital where Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter jets performed demonstration flights and the Turkish leader inspected aircraft. In another step that could further strain ties with NATO ally the United States, Turkey took delivery on Tuesday of a second batch of Russian S-400 air defence equipment. "We are taking positive steps in the defence industry...

A cat with a majestic mane has gained thousands of followers online after being described as 'part lion, part wolf and part human.' Vivo, the three-year-old Maine Coon, has been stealing hearts on social media since his owner began sharing photos of him online two years ago and has already gained more than 10,000 followers on Instagram. He appears to live in Guangzhou, China, with owners Robert and Izabella Sijka. The feline has been describes as looking like a member of 'royalty' due to his majestic and elegant appearance, combined with a steely yellow stare.

The Vermont presidential contender has the most donors throughout the country as well as in the counties that swung from Obama to Trump. Former Vice President Joe Biden has built his early polling lead in the 2020 Democratic primary on the argument that he is the Democratic candidate best positioned to take on President Donald Trump. He referenced his standing against Trump in the first TV ad he ran and has spoken repeatedly about winning over Republican voters who, he argues, have grown disenchanted with the president. But in at least one “electability” metric, Biden is lagging behind his Democratic...

Jesuit Superior General: “No country has a right to turn away migrants” AUG 28, 2019 3:00 PM BY CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS 1 COMMENT The superior general of the Jesuits, Father Arturo Sosa Abascal, has declared “that no country has the right to turn away migrants” because in his view, “the goods of the land are for everyone.” Sosa also claims that “migrants come to make a contribution, which is greater than what they receive from the host country”; never mind the advancement of Islamization, and Germany’s admission that 75% of its migrants face long-term unemployment and life on benefits, and the...

But judging from the recent past, the reported refusal of a Cincinnati business to serve a gay man is unlikely to prompt across-the-board national outrage for one reason: The man is a supporter of President Trump. He says that was the reason given for why he was rejected as a customer. The gay Trump supporter is named Scott Ford and he discussed the incident with me over the phone. He says he planned an event for 20-30 people. When the owner of the business — where he says he’d been “a loyal customer for two years” — asked what the...

It can be shown for the first time after a near complete skull of Australopithecus anamensis was found in Ethiopia. The ape-like adult male was about 5ft and weighed about 100lbs. Females were about 3ft 5in and around 62lbs. An upper jaw was found first. Dr Yohannes Haile-Selassie, of Cleveland Museum of Natural History, told journal Nature: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted the rest. "It was a dream come true.” "This is a game changer in our understanding of human evolution during the Pliocene." Professor Fred Spoor, an expert in anatomy at London's Natural History Museum, said...

The U.S.-China trade war is clearly putting a dent in China’s economy, but it seems to be helping other countries in Asia. Vietnam is the most prominent beneficiary. “We’ve already seen in our seaborne shipping data that a drop in imports from China has been substituted by supplies from other countries,” wrote Chris Rogers, an analyst at the trade-data provider Panjiva, in an email to Barron’s. “For example in July, total U.S. seaborne imports from China fell by 3.0% year over year while those from Vietnam climbed 28.5% and shipments from India and Thailand rose 17.6% and 16.0% respectively.” While...

Video at link. Yesterday the New York Post reported that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is having an affair with Democratic strategist Tim Mynett. The allegation was made in divorce papers filed by his wife. In July, Omar filed for divorce from her current husband. A refresher: Dr. Beth Jordan Mynett says her cheating spouse, Tim Mynett, told her in April that he was having an affair with the Somali-born US representative and that he even made a “shocking declaration of love” for the Minnesota congresswoman before he ditched his wife, alleges the filing, submitted in DC Superior Court on Tuesday. It...

Former NFL quarterback, now activist Colin Kaepernick might have some skeletons in his closet he doesn’t want the world knowing about. According to the International Business Times, Kaepernick at one point in his career was in a relationship with a transgender woman (also known as a male). Transgender model Mia Isabella said she and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick were once in a romantic relationship. This is what Mia told ibtimes.com: “I loved him very much and he cared for me greatly, but in order to protect his brand I made him walk away from me. Knowing the persecution...