Free Republic

Speaking in a new documentary set to air this week, the former leader, who was PM when the plane disappeared over the South China Sea in 2014, said it was made “crystal clear” to him within a week that the aircraft was almost certainly deliberately downed by the pilot. “My understanding – my very clear understanding – from the very top levels of the Malaysian government is that from very, very early on here they thought it was a murder-suicide by the pilot,” Malaysia Airlines flight 370 was carrying 239 people including six Australians when it disappeared about 40 minutes...

WASHINGTON — Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez plans on Friday to endorse an all-female slate of progressive candidates through her new political action committee, using her clout in the insurgent left and the considerable campaign funds she has drawn to counter the Democratic establishment in key races around the country. The endorsements of over a dozen congressional candidates — including one who is challenging Senate Democrats’ preferred candidate in Texas — amount to a powerful stamp of approval for a diverse group of newcomers. They also are a clear sign that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a celebrity of the liberal left, intends to leverage...

Remember the arguments from liberals about how massive immigration, both legal and illegal, was good for the country? Well, a certain publication is now questioning that proposition specifically on the grounds that it appears that the curtailment of immigration during the Trump administration seems to have the effect of raising blue collar wages. The most surprising thing about this assertion is that the source is one which you would associate with being friendly towards Trump. It was The Economist, which was so hostile toward President Trump that shortly after his inauguration, it featured a cover illustration of Trump tossing a...

Today in As The Tom Brady Turns … ESPN’s Adam Schefter was a guest on The Rich Eisen Show, and during the course of that interview, Schefter relayed information passed along to him by fellow ESPNer Jeff Darlington. Schefter said that Darlington told him that the Titans appear to be “the favorite right now” in the Tom Brady Sweepstakes of 2020.

A global terror-finance watchdog agency is set to blacklist Iran, broadening a U.S. effort to isolate Tehran financially and potentially straining the already sanctions-battered Iranian economy. Iran’s blacklisting by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force is expected to take place Friday and comes after European governments decided to join the U.S., according to American and allied officials. The task force’s decision will place financial transactions with Iran under additional scrutiny and escalate the pressure on the dwindling number of banks and businesses still dealing with the Islamic Republic to cut their ties. The blacklisting marks a step forward in the...

The doomsday-obsessed mother of two children who have been missing for months was arrested Thursday in Hawaii. Lori Vallow, 46, was nabbed on a $5 million warrant from Madison County, Idaho, after she missed a Jan. 30 court-ordered deadline to bring the kids to authorities, the Kauai Police Department said in a statement. The children, 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, have been missing since September, according to the Rexburg Police Department in Idaho. Authorities have been searching for them since November, when a relative called for a welfare check on Joshua, who is special needs, at the...

A record-high number of Americans -- 90% -- say they are satisfied with their personal lives, according to Gallup. And 74% are optimistic that they will continue being financially satisfied moving forward. Needless to say, the United States will never be a utopia, but for the vast majority of its citizens, most things are going in the right direction. During the Democratic presidential debate last night, Bernie Sanders, lamenting how a once-prosperous society had been hollowed out by capitalism, claimed that we are no better off today than we were many years ago. It's a shame that not a single...

Having taken a wee break to focus their hate on a different billionaire this week, the Democrats are getting back to form with their Hating On All Things Trump® theatrics. Accordingly, they was “push back” against Melania having been presented with a “Woman of Distinction” award from Palm Beach Atlantic University. But of course, why be classy when you can act like a 2 year old having a tantrum? Never mind that she received a standing ovation on Wednesday when she stepped on the stage at The Breakers Hotel to accept the award.  And never mind that the proceeds from...

“There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up” (Proverbs 21:20).

A 78-year-old cross on public property in Florida targeted by atheist groups will remain standing after a victory in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ruled Wednesday that the Bayview Cross in Pensacola, which was built ahead of World War II as a place for the community to gather, does not violate the Constitution. […] The federal appeals court ruled the cross is constitutional, noting it has become “embedded in the fabric of the Pensacola community” and that removing it could “strike many as aggressively hostile to religion.” Four individuals, represented by the American Humanist Association and the...

The 2020 presidential race has got the Democratic Party, the oldest political party in the world, twisted in knots. Its basic character and enduring values -- its political DNA -- which have enabled it to rebound from multiple political disasters, may be producing another disaster this year. Consider the Democrats' concept of fairness in representation. The party's delegate allocation rules, not just this cycle but going back years, favor proportionate representation. This comes naturally to a party that has always been a coalition of out-groups, of segments of America's always-diverse population that can form a majority when they stick together....

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem (Music in The Bible) Psalm 119 Psalm 119[a] ‎ו Waw 41 May your unfailing love come to me, Lord,     your salvation, according to your promise; 42 then I can answer anyone who taunts me,     for I trust in your word. 43 Never take your word of truth from my mouth,     for I have put my hope in your laws. 44 I will always obey your law,     for ever and ever. 45 I will walk about in freedom,     for I have sought out your precepts. 46 I will speak of your statutes before kings     and will not be put to...

Although Mike Bloomberg was generally a bust at the Democrat debate, with his reptilian, condescending air, he landed a couple of the debate’s best shots, with Bernie as his target. The one that landed hardest was his point about Bernie being a total hypocrite for selling socialism to the masses while being a millionaire himself.

Washington journalists are rejoicing that celebrity glitz and glamour are returning with their self-celebrating soiree, the White House correspondents' dinner. They announced that longtime "Saturday Night Live" player Kenan Thompson will host the April event, and Muslim comedian Hasan Minhaj will perform the Republican-bashing "comedy" routine. "The dinner has a serious message, but we also believe it is as important as ever to be able to laugh -- at ourselves, as well as at the people we cover," said White House Correspondents' Association President Jonathan Karl. "I'd argue that humor is more important now than ever." Liberals cling desperately to...

A new poll released Thursday from Quinnipiac University shows President Donald Trump leading Democrat presidential hopefuls in Wisconsin while trailing those same candidates in Pennsylvania and Michigan. According to the poll, President Trump beat all Democrat candidates by between seven and eleven percentage points among registered Wisconsin voters. The closest matchups highlighted in the poll are between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Those surveyed in the poll favored Trump over both Biden and Sanders by seven percentage points. The largest marginal difference between Trump and a Democrat challenger was that of Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN),...

D.C. has long been considered one of the most onerous places in the country for traffic fines, seeing a steady climb year to year in tickets issued and revenue generated. But recently the District broke into stunning new territory, issuing more than $1 billion in tickets in just three years. I don't know another local jurisdiction in the entire nation that has generated as much money from traffic tickets, parking tickets and moving violations," said John Townsend, Public Relations Manager of AAA Mid-Atlantic. “That tells us that things are out of control and out of hand in the District of...

Spending on an increasingly popular New York Medicaid program that lets the elderly and disabled hire people, including their own relatives, to care for them at home soared 85 percent between 2017 and 2018. The Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program – CDPAP for short – is intended to keep people out of high-cost nursing homes and other institutions. But a 2018 federal audit criticized New York for not keeping an eye on the program. “New York’s lack of effective monitoring of the CDPAP leaves the program vulnerable to misuse of federal funds and could potentially place beneficiaries at harm,” the...

In just over 60 years, Ruger guns have earned a spot near the top of all American gun manufacturers. In firearms manufacturing terms that's a meteoric rise, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing. The American Compact enters the most competitive arena in gundom, and is the most recent combatant in the fierce battle for carry-gun supremacy. And while Glock may have brought life to the polymer frame/striker-fire gun category, they are hardly the only game in town anymore. Virtually every major handgun manufacturer has some sort of gun that fits this mold, and more are coming. For the past...

In a very California story, inter-union drama appears to be marring the introduction of a bill that would require porn stars to get business licenses. On Tuesday, Assemblymembers Lorena Gonzalez (D–San Diego) and Christina Garcia (D–Bell Gardens) introduced Assembly Bill (A.B.) 2389. The bill would require adult entertainers and video performers, including webcam performers, to obtain a business license and complete a state-mandated training course before being allowed to ply their trade. Requirements for that training would be developed by the state's Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), which would, in turn, be advised by a new 10-member, governor-appointed board composed...

Here's a list of things Nanny Bloomberg tried to ban or succeeded in banning while he was the mayor of New York. Imagine what havoc he could wreak if he were president. Trans fats: Recipes for cannolis, cheesecake, burgers, French fries had to be changed to accommodate Bloomberg's distaste for trans fats.