Free Republic

Amid growing concern that the nation's largest Protestant denomination is increasingly "woke" and drifting from biblical orthodoxy, a new network has formed to emphasize evangelism and the sufficiency of Scripture within the Southern Baptist Convention. The Conservative Baptist Network, which is being launched Friday, describes itself as a grassroots effort to maintain the proclamation of the Gospel at the center of SBC life, in addition to prioritizing fidelity to Scripture and all of its implications, including presenting a vibrant, biblically-informed witness when engaging culture. The network fully affirms the longstanding beliefs of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Those involved...

U.S. Attorney John Durham is reportedly reviewing John Brennan’s analysis of Russian election interference, including scrutiny of the former Obama CIA director’s handling of a secret source said to be close to the Kremlin. Durham, who was selected by Attorney General William Barr in 2019 to look into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation and the government’s response to Moscow’s meddling, is investigating whether Brennan’s CIA was attempting to keep other agencies in the dark as he pushed for a specific preconceived analytic assessment about Russia’s true intentions in 2016, the New York Times reported Thursday. The top Connecticut prosecutor’s...

The CitadelCharleston, South Carolina5:02 P.M. ESTTHE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, to Governor McMaster, First Lady Peggy McMaster, Deputy Secretary Zais, General Walters, state legislators, distinguished guests: It is great and it is an honor to be at the Military College of South Carolina, The Citadel.  (Applause.)I want to thank you all.  I want to thank you all for that warm welcome, for this inspiring view.  And I also want to thank — and I want to thank the leader of the Corps of Cadets, Cadet Colonel Ben Snyder, and all of you for this kind recognition.  It means a great deal...

By Robert Wenzel As primary voters continue to go to the polls, voters may have to consider how close the apple has fallen from the tree when it comes to Pete Buttigieg and his father Joesph who was born in Malta and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1979. He died in January 2019. Pete wrote at the time: "We miss him already but his love of life, and his moral passion, will stay with us forever...We are left with memories of his powerful intellect, his extensive legacy, his personal warmth and his deeply felt love for Mom, me, and...

Multiple business cycle indicators in the study show 'economic data has continued to improve'.....American economy presses forward with grit, and there are good reasons for optimism. The business cycle, also known as the economic cycle, is the up and down movement of gross domestic product (GDP) around its long-term growth trend. Recession, or prolonged economic contraction, is generally understood to be when GDP dips below zero for two successive quarters. The U.S. economy is currently in its 11th year of a record-setting uninterrupted expansion. The most recent GDP number came in at 2.1 percent in the final quarter of 2019,...

On the 50th anniversary of a legendary gig by The Who, people who were there have been recalling how the band "threw everything into it." The rock group played at the packed University of Leeds refectory on 14 February 1970 and recorded the gig. The record it spawned, Live at Leeds, is often cited as one of the best live rock albums of all time. Ed Ferguson, a Who fan who was at the Valentine's Day concert, said: "I remember it vividly. The band threw everything into it." Mr Ferguson, then an economics student at Leeds Polytechnic, was a big...

Why should one baby down the hall be given care while another is left to die? Sen. Joni Ernst asked the Senate Judiciary Committee. Not one Democrat in the room could answer the question. The Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act is not about restricting abortions but about giving newborns a chance to survive no matter where they are born, said Sen. Ben Sasse, the bill’s lead co-sponsor, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.During the hearing, called “The Infant Patient: Ensuring Appropriate Medical Care for Children Born Alive,” Republican senators questioned why a baby born in a hospital should be treated...

The shark is seen drifting toward the bottom of the ocean, close enough for the divers to get amazing photos and videos. "Today all of my dreams came true and I got to hang out on the reef with a Great White Shark!!! Best Day ever!!" she wrote on her Facebook page.

Democrat 2020 hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said on national television this week that there is room for pro-lifers in the Democrat Party. On the day of the New Hampshire Primary, Klobuchar appeared on ABC’s “The View” where she was asked by co-host Meghan McCain about whether “there’s room for pro-life Democrats to vote for you.” The question came days after fellow 2020 hopeful Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders declared that being pro-choice “is an absolutely essential part of being a Democrat.” Klobuchar, a 59-year-old attorney who is also a member of the United Church of Christ, responded first by...

I saw this tweet the instant it was posted and laughed at how it reminds me of the famous July 25th call between Trump and Zelensky. He doesn’t explicitly say, “If you want this public benefit from me, I need a personal benefit from you,” but by linking the two in the same communication it’s clear in context what he’s proposing. I’m seeing Governor Cuomo today at The White House. He must understand that National Security far exceeds politics. New York must stop all of its unnecessary lawsuits & harrassment, start cleaning itself up, and lowering taxes. Build relationships,...

The package could center around 10 percent tax cuts for the middle class, Kudlow, the national economic director, said during an appearance on Fox Business’ “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street ” late Thursday. The administration also wants to make other tax cuts permanent. Kudlow said administration officials will probably use Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought’s $1.4 trillion budget request to craft the new package, dubbed “tax cuts 2.0.” Trump spoke again of the planned tax cut but said it was dependent on the GOP winning back the House of Representatives, which is currently controlled by Democrats. Kudlow said...

The dismissals include 62,000 felony convictions for marijuana cases dating back to 1961 and around 4,000 misdemeanor cases, District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s office said in a news release. “As a result of our actions, these convictions should no longer burden those who have struggled to find a job or a place to live because of their criminal record,” Lacey said in a press conference in announcing the move. She added that it’s the largest mass dismissal of marijuana cases in state history.

  “Helix” Laundered Bitcoin From Numerous Darknet Markets An Ohio man was arrested for his operation of Helix, a Darknet-based cryptocurrency laundering service. In the three-count indictment unsealed Feb. 11 in the District of Columbia, Larry Harmon, 36, of Akron, Ohio, was charged with money laundering conspiracy, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and conducting money transmission without a D.C. license.According to the indictment, Harmon operated Helix from 2014 to 2017.  Helix functioned as a bitcoin “mixer” or “tumbler,” allowing customers, for a fee, to send bitcoin to designated recipients in a manner that was designed to conceal the source or...

The end of astronaut Christina Koch’s year in space included an emotional reunion with her dog, LBD, and a video of the moment is getting millions of views on social media. Koch tweeted the video late Thursday, and it starts with the dog pawing at the door and whipping its tail when it sees her through a window.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told "Special Report with Bret Baier" Thursday that if Attorney General William Barr believes the president's tweeting is getting in the way of Barr's work, Trump should follow the attorney general's cue. "The president made a great choice when he picked Bill Barr to be the attorney general," McConnell told host Bret Baier. "I think the president should listen to his advice."

A superseding indictment was returned yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (Huawei), the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, and two U.S. subsidiaries with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).Brian A. Benczkowski, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Richard P. Donoghue, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Christopher A. Wray, Director, FBI, announced the charges.The 16-count superseding indictment also adds a charge of conspiracy to steal trade secrets...

It’s hard to tell whether the apparent tension between President Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr is real or is a way to create the appearance of some separation between Barr and Trump on the subject of Roger Stone. The facts are straightforward, but still open to interpretation. Bob Mueller and his bad boys went after Roger Stone with a level of ferocity far in excess of any wrongdoing Stone had allegedly committed. Although Stone is a non-violent, first-time offender who allegedly committed a crime that is the norm in Washington D.C. (lying to Congress, something that James Clapper, for...

29% of Democratic primary voters back Sen. Bernie Sanders, up 4 points since before the N.H. primary. 17% say Joe Biden has the best chance of beating President Trump in 2020, down 12 points from before Tuesday’s result. Following his narrow victory in New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary — his second successive strong showing in the party’s first nominating contests — Sen. Bernie Sanders opened up a double-digit lead over former Vice President Joe Biden and entrenched himself as the best-positioned candidate heading into next week’s Nevada caucuses.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is winning. If the election of Donald Trump wasn't enough of a wake-up call that Americans want radical change, the Bernie surge should finally get America's leaders to start thinking more clearly about what's happening in our country. For a lot of people, it's been easier to stick their heads in the sand and pretend we are still a Romney-versus-Obama country than to wrestle with the tough issues that are driving American politics today. Why are people so hungry for serious change? That's the single most important question -- and it's the question nobody ever talks about....

NY has just passed bail reform that allows people accused of felonies - including robbery and assault, right back on the street. NY also passed laws requiring names and phone numbers of witnesses to crimes released to the criminal defense attorney which has already resulted in the murder of a witness. NY has also passed laws requiring prosecutors to turn over all prosecution info to defense within 15 days, making it impossible to prosecute some defendants so the alleged criminals can just walk away. We live near the NY border - a very long state border with lawless NY. Is...