Free Republic

(CNN) — An extremely rare, $194,000 grand piano was smashed when movers dropped it while taking it out of a recording studio, Canadian virtuoso Angela Hewitt has revealed. Hewitt, one of the world's leading classical pianists, said in a Facebook post that she had just finished recording Beethoven's piano variations in Berlin when the movers entered the studio control room to tell her they had dropped her handmade Fazioli piano. The pianist said it had taken her 10 days to share the "very sad piece of news" because it "has been such a shock to me that I didn't immediately...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Ingraham Angle,” host Laura Ingraham stated that 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will “become the juggernaut” the same way President Trump did in 2016 unless Democrats pick one moderate candidate to unite around. Ingraham said that if 2020 Democrat former Vice President Joe Biden stays in the race after New Hampshire, it just helps Sanders. She added, “So, for you moderates, it will either be Bloomberg, Mayor Pete, or Klobuchar. You need to pick one at this point. It’s not going to be Biden. If you want to beat...

With a win in New Hampshire, a maybe-win in Iowa last week, and a month-long surge into second place nationally, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is now in strong position to win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. It’s been a long road for the curmudgeonly man from Vermont, who spent years toiling on the fringes of official Washington. Of all things, the event that ultimately launched him into the Democratic Party’s mainstream turned out to be a binary 2016 primary contest with Hillary Clinton, a match-up in which the contrast ultimately benefited him more than her.So, here we are, in...

Bouwmeester appeared to be grabbing a drink of water when he began to slowly fall. Emergency medical personnel rushed to the Blues bench. Bouwmeester was skating in his 57th game this season and the 1,241st of his NHL career. He skated 1:20 in his last shift before collapsing and logged 5:34 of ice time in the game. St. Louis’ radio announcer Chris Kerber said during an interview with the team’s flagship station that a defibrillator was used. Bouwmeester’s father was at the game as part of the team’s annual Dads Trip. He went with his son to the hospital while...

The former commanding officer of the USS Montpelier pleaded guilty in December to charges stemming from an inappropriate relationship with the spouse of an enlisted subordinate, according to the Navy's report of trial results. Cmdr. William B. Swanbeck, who was relieved of command of the fast-attack submarine in June 2018 due to "a loss of confidence in his ability to command," pleaded guilty at a special court martial to conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman as part of a pretrial agreement for engaging in the inappropriate relationship. Swanbeck was sentenced on Dec. 4 to a reprimand and the forfeiture...

It is certainly politically incorrect to say this. In fact, in the eyes of many, what I’m about to say is a classic example of extreme religious bigotry. But I will say it nonetheless. Choosing an out and proud “married” gay man to run for president, let alone become president, would contribute to the further degeneration and moral confusion of our society along with further attacks on our most fundamental rights.When I tweeted this statement out on February 8, it received far more retweets and likes than my average tweet. Far more. So, it obviously struck a chord. The support...

by Lynn Foster So much for being judged "by the content of one's character." The University of Montana has very few black students. Which is understandable, because the state of Montana has very few black people. This demographic profile created some issues, however, when the school sponsored a Martin Luther King Jr. Day essay contest and four white students were announced as the winners. Students and other observers (most of them white themselves) got very upset. "Jesus Christ this is shameful and embarrassing, and I say that as a pasty ass white girl," wrote Nika Martignoni on a Facebook post...

Russia interfered in Western elections in 2019 and is likely to do so again in 2020, according to the latest annual threat assessment by the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service. NBC News obtained an exclusive preview of the annual report from the Baltic nation's intelligence agency, which warns that Russia will continue to pursue cyber operations that threaten other nations. "Russia's cyber operations have been successful and, to date, have not been sanctioned enough by the West to force Russia to abandon them," the report says. Russia will try to interfere in the U.S. presidential election in November and in parliamentary...

As London Fashion Week approaches this weekend, luxury brands talk about sustainability as if it were going out of fashion. But do their buyers really care? Consumers of some of the most expensive luxury brands are also connoisseurs of the most polluting types of consumption available. And they're now buying more than ever. Take private jets, on which any multimillionaire worth their wealth hops from Davos to Dubai. Despite "flygskam," the new Swedish word coined for flight shaming frequent flyers, deliveries of new private jets are expected to rise 9% this year according to a report from Honeywell International. Deliveries...

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and President Trump will meet Thursday to discuss a potential compromise with the administration after the Department of Homeland Security banned New Yorkers from enrolling in Trusted Traveler Programs like Global Entry that allow expedited re-entry into the U.S. A White House official confirmed the planned meeting to Fox News. DHS Secretary Chad Wolf announced the ban last week, stating it was due to New York not allowing federal officials to access state Department of Motor Vehicle records to conduct background checks on applicants. The restriction is part of New York's recently passed "Green Light...

While most of us are focused on the presidential election, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is focused on filling judicial vacancies. McConnell appeared on Hugh Hewitt's radio show on Tuesday, and the first thing they discussed was judicial vacancies. "I’ve got the classic question: What have you done for me lately?" Hewitt asked, before answering himself. "You’ve actually saved the Constitution with 50 Appeals Court judges, two Supreme Court justices, 133 district court judges." Both acknowledged that despite the impressive record of getting judges confirmed, there's still a lot of work to be done. "I know that there are a...

Right now, socialism is all the rage in America. Bernie Sanders is surging in the polls and packing in throngs of young fanatics at his rallies like they were going to a free Beyonce concert. Throw in a few million baby boomers still dreaming of 1969, stir vigorously, and cook over a politically high heat until boiling, and they’re certain they have the antidote to eradicate the evil orange plague from the White House and save the world from a near certain apocalypse. Still, stranger things have happened, like Donald Trump getting elected to begin with. Even Vegas didn’t pick...

SALINE, MI - Four Saline High School students have filed a federal lawsuit claiming the school district should not be able to discipline them for sending racist messages to fellow students in a Snapchat group.The four unidentified students filed the lawsuit Tuesday, Feb. 11, in U.S. District Court in Detroit, claiming the district suspended two students, who have since returned to classes, while expulsion has been recommended for two others.“The school is acting outside the scope of its authority, has no legal right to impose the discipline carried out, and has violated our clients’ constitutional rights by their reckless and...

CNN analyst Van Jones on Tuesday said he thinks that Democratic voters "are depressed" and "sad" over the Democratic primary process, saying that it is a "messy, confusing choice" and Democrats "just want somebody to vote for against Trump." “I think people are depressed,” Jones said while discussing the large split of Democratic votes. “I think people are sad. I think people can't figure out which of the people they're supposed to vote for, and people are waiting to come out and vote against Trump.” "This is a messy, confusing choice," the former Obama adviser continued. "People are sad and...

Klobuchar surges, Biden hunkers down in South Carolina, Warren tries her best. NASHUA, N.H. — Dreary weather failed to dampen voter turnout in New Hampshire's "first in the nation" primary, and it couldn't stop the socialist revolution brewing in the heart of the Democratic Party. ABC and NBC News declared Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) the winner of the Granite State primary on Tuesday, albeit by a narrower margin than many had anticipated. The socialist insurgent, propelled by a formidable ground game, led all candidates with 26 percent of the vote, with more than 90 percent of the state's precincts...

The liberal director of The Washington Post-touting film The Post (2017) Steven Spielberg has not kept silent about his disdain for President Donald Trump, and neither has his wallet. Liberal filmmaker Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw have contributed $3,500,000 collectively to liberal outside spending groups so far this cycle. Pacronym, which received $500,000 each from the celebrity duo, is the affiliated political action committee for Acronym, the company behind the Iowa Democratic Caucus app fiasco. The duo also contributed $1,000,000 collectively to the Senate Majority PAC, which works to help Democrats win control over the Senate.

The deadly animal virus epidemic spreading globally may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory linked to China’s covert biological weapons program, according to an Israeli biological warfare expert.Radio Free Asia this week rebroadcast a local Wuhan television report from 2015 showing China’s most advanced virus research laboratory known the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Radio Free Asia reported. The laboratory is the only declared site in China capable of working with deadly viruses.Dany Shoham, a former Israeli military intelligence officer who has studied Chinese bio warfare, said the institute is linked to Beijing’s covert biological weapons program.“Certain laboratories in the institute...

The results are in: Bernie won New Hampshire, with Buttigieg trailing closely behind.  Meanwhile, Klobuchar is tenaciously hanging on to third place, Warren and Biden are rapidly becoming has-beens, and Yang and Bennet are out. As always, Trump's takes on the Democrat presidential candidates are amusing and extremely pointed: Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to as Pocahontas, is having a really bad night. I think she is sending signals that she wants out. Calling for unity is her way of getting there, going home, and having a “nice cold beer” with her husband!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020 A...

Every major Democratic presidential candidate has made addressing "climate change" a major priority, warning of doom for mankind if fossil fuels are not drastically curbed or eliminated within the next decade. Voters, however, don't share that concern, according to a Pew survey that found it to be ranked 17th of 18 priorities the government should address. That result is consistent with Pew polls since 2007, when "global warming" was added to a list of priorities voters were asked to assess. In 2016, when the language was changed to "climate change," the issue was ranked third to last. In most years...

One minute you are contemplating your next vacation, the next you click on Facebook and see adverts for hotels and cheap flights. Coincidence? Surely. But what about that smart speaker in your kitchen? It doesn’t just play music and provide an on-demand weather forecast. It hears about the groceries that need replenishing, the cat’s trip to the vet, and, of course, your vacation plans. Now imagine what such a listening device could do in the workplace. The whispered conversation about difficulties with your latest project is automatically reported to your manager. The half hour spent discussing child care arrangements is...