Free Republic

Russia could regain its status as “a global rival” for Western powers through some degree of “integration” with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said... Putin made the comment while reiterating his belief that Ukrainians and Russians are “the same people,” a claim widely perceived as a means to justify Russian influence over former Soviet nations. His reference to “integration” is even more unusual, and incendiary, according to Western analysts, given that the two countries have been locked in conflict since Russia’s annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine in 2014... Multiple Western analysts noted that Putin has been pressuring Belarus...

This will be a weekly post. Count remains at 190 judges confirmed. 137 District Court judges 51 Circuit Court judges 2 Supreme Court justices

Apparently that sort of thing disgusts Michael Bloomberg. Heck, White Settlement, Texas, even sounds like a town full of farmers! Those dumb brutes! For all Bloomberg knew, Wilson might have been a farmer himself! At any rate, shortly after Fidel Castro’s famous speech, the process of gun confiscation started in Cuba—but gradually. Initially it was aimed at disarming rival revolutionary groups, who had fought Batista but weren’t Communist-backed. But soon the definition of these “rival revolutionaries” grew pretty sweeping. It started to include just about every Cuban with a gun. Significantly, Castro’s famous anti-gun speech was proclaimed a full two years before he...

Get your popcorn ready, because today is the Nevada caucuses, which features only a lot of old rich white people in the Democratic field, which is not supposed to happen in this age of intersectional diversity. I think the DNC ought to disqualify the entire field and start over, on the grounds that the field is now the biggest bunch of bumbling buffoons since the borscht belt belly-flopped. But it’s sure nice to have a fresh face like Mini Mike around, just to liven things up. Democrats should have more billionaires on their stage.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's "squad" could get a lot bigger with the wave of female congressional candidates she endorsed on Friday. The socialist surprised many by defeating Rep. Joe Crowley, a high-ranking incumbent, in a primary race in New York in 2018. Now, she’s looking to find more women to follow in her footsteps to replace centrist incumbents with younger, more liberal candidates. After teasing a "big announcement" late Thursday, the 30-year-old congresswoman revealed the slate of candidates she is supporting with her political action committee Courage to Change as they primary Democratic incumbents throughout the United States. Ocasio-Cortez also revealed...

2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden promised gun manufacturers across the United States that he’s “coming for them.” “A guy has 12 assault weapons with bump stocks, which means you can fire it faster. You can pull the trigger faster,” Biden said to a crowd during a CNN town hall. “Why in God’s name should anyone, anyone, anyone, anyone be able to own that? It’s just wrong, and we’ve got to — and I promise you, as president, I am going to get these guys.”

There are 329 million people in the United States of America. They are spread across 3.8 million square miles. The presidential race will be determined by the actions of three of them: Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and Michael Bloomberg. Each is a New Yorker. Each hails from a different borough. Trump was born in Queens, Sanders in Brooklyn, and Bloomberg, a native of Massachusetts, has worked and lived in Manhattan since 1973. For a long time New York City politics stopped at the Hudson River. Now the nation faces the prospect of eight months of septuagenarian New Yorkers yelling at...

Today’s CG is from The Arkansas Gazette. A VOICE FROM THE PAST! V AWTR VB PTQWNP UTFWO, ZGW, XQB V DVAK BT XFVWS MTDAP LTO, GWN V DVAK BT JGHK G STTN BVZK.---RTDMZGW LGUA You can find this little fun word game, to combat early dementia and senility in us baby boomers, in several daily publications. The way it works is a letter stands for another letter. For example: AXYDLBAAXR is LONGFELLOW (does not apply to today's cryptogram). Beware, the game is very addictive. If this is your first time, don't be intimidated. PLEASE DO NOT post the answer in...

VIENNA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about the number of coronavirus cases with no clear epidemiological link, although the total number of cases outside China remains relatively small, its director general said on Saturday

Though a record high 90% of Americans say they are satisfied with their lives, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt) claimed during the Nevada debate that "workers are not." When all compensation is considered—including wages and benefits—the returns on work are about 45% higher than they were in the 1970s. Back then, more than 40% of a family's income was spent on food and clothing. Today, less than 20% is spent on these items. Life-expectancy has also increased by 6 years, occupational fatalities declined from 14,000 per year to 5,000, and child mortality rates have declined by 70%--all pretty...

Link explaining rule differences compared to the NFL Saturday, February 22, 2020 (All times Eastern) Houston Roughnecks (2-0) at Tampa Bay Vipers (0-2) 2 PM, ABC Dallas Renegades (1-1) at Seattle Dragons (1-1) 5 PM, Fox Sunday, February 23, 2020 New York Guardians (1-1) at St. Louis BattleHawks (1-1) 3 PM, ESPN DC Defenders (2-0) at LA Wildcats (0-2) 6 PM, Fox Sports 1

Authorities in northern Italy on Friday ordered the closure of schools, bars and other public spaces in 10 towns following a flurry of new coronavirus cases. Five doctors and 10 other people tested positive for the virus in Lombardy, after apparently frequenting the same bar and group of friends, with two other cases in Veneto, authorities said at a press conference.

Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang said Friday on CNN that President Donald Trump mentioning the movie “Gone With the Wind” at his rally was a “racist dog whistle.” Chang said, “It’s kind of unfortunate, I think, that we have a president whose entire presidency is founded on xenophobia and of course his comments are not surprising coming from someone who likes to dehumanize people of other cultures and people of color. So none of that’s surprising.” He continued, “Well, that whole thing, “Gone with the Wind” and “Sunset Boulevard,” that all smacks of a dog whistle hearkening back...

The Democratic presidential race is in fresh turmoil after former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg turned in a conspicuously poor performance in his first debate Wednesday evening. Bloomberg took a hammering in Las Vegas at the hands of his opponents, particularly Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). The negative impact is reverberating among centrists in the Democratic Party. The party’s moderate vote is splintered among several candidates while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a democratic socialist, advances toward the nomination. Bloomberg’s misfire means that dynamic won’t change anytime soon. The centrists contend Sanders is too risky a candidate to run against President...

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone Friday with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the situation in Syria. The Kremlin issued a news release noting that Putin expressed concern about "ongoing aggressive actions of extremist groups"..... Russia's defense ministry says that large numbers of Turkish armored vehicles and huge caches of ammunition entering northwestern Syria point to apparent preparation for a large scale military operation that Turkey has been threatening...... The Pentagon revising upwards for the fifth time the number of traumatic brain injuries resulting from the January 8th missile attack by Iran on the Al-Asad Air Base..... US...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP/VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE and AMERICA: Healthcare, Government, Family, Military, Business, Farmers, Sanctity of Life, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 JOHN 5:14 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

South Korea spike: Cases in the Asian country have surged past 340 after more than 140 new infections were reported on Saturday. Nearly half of the total cases are associated with a religious group in the south of the country.

US and Taliban agree to ceasefire that could see most American forces leave Afghanistan FEB 21, 2020 9:00 AM BY ROBERT SPENCER The US/Taliban peace talks are a grim charade. No one in the foreign policy establishment will acknowledge the fact, but the Taliban are strict, Sharia-observant Muslims, and the Sharia guidelines for treaty-making with Infidels are based on Muhammad’s Treaty of Hudaybiyya. Muslims can only enter into such a treaty when they are weak and need time to gather their strength (or, more remotely, if they think the enemy is about to convert to Islam). Then they can break...

Last month the Supreme Court granted the federal government’s request for permission to enforce a rule known as the “public charge” rule, which prohibits noncitizens from receiving a green card if the government believes that they are likely to rely on public assistance. That ruling put on hold a pair of orders by a federal district court in New York, which had blocked the government from enforcing the rule anywhere in the nation. Tonight the justices, by a vote of 5-4, allowed the government to enforce the rule in Illinois while it appeals an order by a district court there...

SERVES YOU RIGHT for marrying a Muslim man FEBRUARY 21, 2020 BY BARENAKEDISLAM Ashley Brown was not unattractive, only slightly obese, so what in the world would behoove this young woman to marry a big fat older Muslim? Daily Mail Five years later, she is not around to express her dismay because she is dead, savagely murdered by her husband, Mohamed Naddaf. Brown, a mother-of-three, had remained alive in the bathroom for four or five days after the attack The 25-year-old had been bound, gagged, stabbed and had her long hair cut off. A post-mortem examination found Ashlee had suffered...