Free Republic

<p>I have been too busy to write for some time, but I’m glad to get back to it.</p> <p>One of the things I’ve had to do of late is a great deal of physical work. For someone who has spent decades training my body, I must admit that I have not done nearly as much “real work” as I should have. For that, I can see that I’ve suffered. Now I’m making up for lost time.</p>

A U.S. attorney has been designated to oversee all Ukraine-related investigations by federal prosecutors around the country. The Justice Department revealed on Tuesday that Richard Donoghue, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, was assigned to the task by Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. Donoghue will “assist in coordinating … several open matters being handled by different U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Department components that in some way potentially relate to Ukraine," according to a letter sent to the House Judiciary Committee. Donoghue, a St. John’s University School of Law graduate and Army Judge Advocate General Corps veteran,...

Michael Bloomberg's company is facing a lawsuit from a woman claiming she was subjected to a hostile and discriminatory work environment when she returned from cancer treatment -- and was ultimately fired and pressured to sign a nondisclosure agreement days after she was hospitalized for mental illness.

CNN pundit Ana Navarro faced a fierce backlash after she mocked a wedding photo of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller on Twitter, saying: 'God help us. It's going to procreate.' The republican political commentator, and regular on The View, was hit with a barrage of criticism for the 'disgusting' tweet which attracted more than 12,000 comments, 43,000 likes and was shared nearly 5,000 times. Navarro, 48, a strident critic of Donald Trump who once described Stormy Daniels' disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti as 'the holy spirit', was also accused of hypocrisy. NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck told Fox News: 'There...

WHAT: Bernie Rally WHERE: TACOMA Dome, Tacoma, WA WHEN: Feb 17, 2020 How Many: 17000 in attendance, capacity: 25000

“I think the important point to make about slavery is that it had existed for thousands of years without substantial criticism,” said the historian Gordon Wood in an interview last year. “But it’s the American Revolution that makes it a problem for the world. And the first real anti-slave movement takes place in North America. So this is what’s missed by these essays in the 1619 Project.” Mr. Wood is one of the country’s leading experts on the colonial era, and he was referring to a collection of New York Times articles published last summer that examine the role of...

A 55-year-old man was attacked in a New York street by a stranger who knocked him to the ground before launching an unprovoked assault on him with a hamburger in broad daylight, NYPD officers have said. Dramatic footage appears to show the stranger rub fast food in the man's face, pummel him and lift his leg to stomp on his head in the Upper West Side. Police said the unidentified suspect, with no provocation, blew smoke in the victim's face before waving a McDonald's bag at him, the Daily News reported.

Bernie Sanders leads the race for the Democratic nomination. He may become America's first self-described "democratic socialist" president. What does that mean? Today, when Sanders talks about socialism, he says: "I'm not looking at Cuba. I'm looking at countries like Denmark and Sweden." But Denmark and Sweden are not socialist. Denmark's prime minister even came to America to refute Sanders' claims, pointing out that "Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy." Both Denmark and Sweden do give citizens government-run health care and have bigger welfare programs than America has. However, recently, they've moved away from socialism. Because their socialist...

SYDNEY - Global warming was leading to an “irreversible” mass melting of the Antarctic ice and purging carbon from the atmosphere was the only solution to slow the process, an Australian climate scientist told Reuters on Wednesday. Recent human activity has intensified global warming, which could result in a mass melting of Antarctica, said Zoe Thomas, a research fellow at the University of New South Wales who was part of an international team of scientists that recently published a paper on Antarctic ice melting. The study showed the world could lose most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which rests...

On February 12, three female high school students in Connecticut filed a federal lawsuit against the participation of transgender athletes (with male anatomy) in female track and field events. The three students, represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, have a fairly simple and straightforward argument: They claim allowing biologically male students to compete against biologically female students is unfair and runs afoul (no pun intended) of their basic civil rights. They also argue, quite convincingly, that allowing biologically male students to compete against them has undermined their ability to win races as well as opportunities for scholarships. Alanna Smith, who...

Above are Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. who heads the Pentagon (left) and Presidential candidate and former Navy Lt. Pete Buttigieg. How is that possible? Entering the military as a Navy Lieutenant. As a civilian. Without training. Source is Page One of Pete Buttigieg’s military records. Linked here: https://www.scribd.com/document/446733502/Poppy-Pete-Buttigieg-s-Military-Records-22-pages Who approved it? General Joseph Dunford or Charlie Flynn? Yep. Charlie is Mike Flynn’s brother.

The battle of the Democrat money men running for president is playing out in high-roller Las Vegas as billionaire Mike Bloomberg replaces billionaire Tom Steyer on the debate stage Wednesday night. Steyer did not meet the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) threshold by the Tuesday midnight deadline. And while voters can cast their ballot for Steyer in Nevada, Bloomberg’s name is not one of the candidates on it. Steyer, who took part in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth debates is not happy about the development, Politico reports: Steyer’s campaign has cried foul at his likely exclusion, arguing that his...

From legiscan.com: The Iowa legislature has introduced a bill, SF 459, to allow employees and volunteers who have carry permits, to keep firearms in their locked vehicle, in parking lots, even if the employer forbids firearms on their property. The bill passed out of the Senate subcommittee on 23 January 2020.The benefit in the bill, for the employer or lawful owner or possessor of the property, is they are held immune for any actions that may have allegedly caused harm due to the presence of the firearm in the locked vehicle. From legiscan.com:2. An employer shall not prohibit an...

There's nothing going on in the GOP primary in my Rat state (Illinois) ... a bunch of political unknowns vying to be the token 'opposition' to entrenched Rat incumbents. I'm thinking I should vote in the Rat primary. I've seen FReepers muse that voting for Komrad Sanders is the best way to ensure a second Trump term - but with all the low-information voters and gimmedats out there, the prospect makes me nervous. I know any Rat will be terrible for America, but I think perhaps I need to vote for the least terrible in the primary. I welcome FR's...

The Washington Post is taking criticism for an op-ed published Tuesday by Marquette University political science professor Julia Azari, titled: “It’s time to give the elites a bigger say in choosing the president.” Citing the “rocky start” to the Democratic Party’s presidential primary, Azari suggests that the process of choosing the nominee be taken from the people and returned to the politicians: The current process is clearly flawed, but what would be better? … A better primary system would empower elites to bargain and make decisions, instructed by voters. One lesson from the 2020 and 2016 election cycles is that...

[Catholic Caucus] Cdl. Zen Celebrates Traditional Liturgy 'We are in the face of a mystery' Cardinal Joseph Zen celebrated a Pontifical Mass in the traditional rite at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York Saturday for the third annual Lepanto Conference.  The main speaker at the conference, Zen addressed communist persecution of Chinese Catholics and talked about the traditional liturgy, which he explained is not a relic of the past. Cardinal Zen: "The people who like this form of liturgy are precisely young people, so it is not a question of nostalgia."  Cardinal Zen reminded the audience the...

TEHRAN -- Iran’s foreign minister said Wednesday that he believes his recent meeting with a U.S. senator had spooked the Trump administration because it was an opportunity to talk directly to “the American nation.” Mohammad Javad Zarif met last week with Sen. Chris Murphy on the sidelines of an international security conference in Germany. The Connecticut Democrat defended the meeting on Tuesday after his actions were questioned in conservative media, and as President Donald Trump suggested they may have violated U.S. law. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped anyone who meets with Zarif would be reflecting the U.S....

... The youngest voters haven’t always leaned left. In 1984 Ronald Reagan won 61% of voters under 25, more than his 59% of the popular vote. Something deeper, specific to our time, is at work. Consider the formative experiences of adults 30 and younger. For them, the Cold War exists only in history books—which they didn’t necessarily read. High schools in only 31 states require a yearlong U.S. history course. Throughout their adolescence and young adulthood, they have seen their country embroiled in Middle Eastern wars triggered by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Intelligence shortfalls and security failures...

Anyone else wonder why the Wuhan Flu, briefly referred to as the Novel Coronavirus, is now referred to as COVID-19? Apparently it has to do with political correctness. The CO stands for corona, the VI for virus and the D for disease, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, announced Tuesday at a news conference at the agency’s headquarters in Geneva.“Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatizing,” Tedros told reporters…Tedros said the agency wanted to avoid stigmatizing a country or particular group, so it chose a name that did not refer...

Why do politicians want to take away our plastic bags and straws? This moral panic is intensifying even as evidence mounts that banning plastic is both a waste of money and harmful to the environment. If you want to protect dolphins and sea turtles, you should take special care to place your plastic in the trash, not the recycling bin. And if you’re worried about climate change, you’ll cherish those gossamer grocery bags once you learn the facts about plastic. During the 1970s, environmentalists wanted to restrict the use of plastic because it was made from petroleum. When the “energy...