Free Republic

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for PRESIDENT TRUMP and VICE PRESIDENT PENCE and for AMERICA: Government, Family, Military, Business, 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. "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of Me; and that cover with a covering, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin." (Isa. 30:1)

South Korea will test 200,000 members of a secretive church for the novel coronavirus after its leader agreed to hand a list of members to health authorities. As of Tuesday, 10 people had died of COVID-19 and at least 977 had been infected with it in South Korea, making it the worst-hit nation other than China. (See link for full story)

India has been rocked by violence since Parliament approved a new law that excludes a fast-track path to citizenship for Muslim refugees. An angry group of Hindus carrying pickaxes and iron rods hurled rocks Tuesday at Muslims in a fresh round of violent protests in the Indian capital over a new citizenship law, with at least 10 people killed in two days of clashes that cast a shadow over U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the country. After talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump told reporters that he had heard about the violence but did not discuss it...

Whether as co-founder of Black Sabbath or as a solo artist, Ozzy Osbourne spent his life and art (at least, the non-reality television part) conjuring death, summoning its spirits and welcoming its hold on heaven or hell. You know the drill: his albums were filled with graveyards, devils and bloodlust. At times Ozzy was ferocious, even if the hair metal scene of the ’80s made his dread seem garish, and his evil had a comic-book edge as time went on. The point is, since his first album with Sabbath in 1970, Osbourne has worked death, darkness and demon seeds like...

By Hassan Mahmoudi Finally, the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) blacklisted Iran on February 21; after three years of warning and giving Tehran additional time. In a statement, the FATF called for Iran to execute 10 articles, the most important of which was to identify and freeze the assets of terrorist groups in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. FATF demanded the regime to express a transparent mechanism for reporting suspicious transactions to finance terrorist groups upon request. Ratification and implementation of the Palermo Convention on Combating Terrorism and Transparency of Iran’s Capacity for Legal Cooperation. Iran...

SEOUL — A South Korean flight attendant who has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus may have serviced trips between Seoul and Los Angeles last week, according to several South Korean media outlets. South Korea’s Center for Disease Control said Wednesday local time that a female flight attendant who serviced a flight Feb. 15 from Tel Aviv to Seoul had tested positive for the virus. On board the flight was a church group returning from a pilgrimage to Israel; 30 other infections have been connected to the group so far, according to local authorities. The South Korean media outlets reported...

At this point, the American public should be getting combat pay for watching any of these Democratic debates. While there weren’t any massive unanswered attacks at this debate in South Carolina, it’s become clear that Elizabeth Warren is shifting her goals. Warren, who was once the front-runner before there was actual voting, has come to the realization that she’s got no shot of winning the nomination for herself. But she could definitely position herself as a vice presidential candidate for Bernie Sanders. So Warren continued her chosen role as “attack dog sicced on Mike Bloomberg” tonight while deliberately walking around...

Once again, it was mission impossible. And once again, it was mission failure. Bernie Sanders is still standing. Time is running out to stop him. In their debate last week, the other Democrats aimed to make themselves his top rival for the nomination by viciously attacking each other. The net effect was that they were all damaged and Sanders waltzed to a smashing win in the Nevada caucus.

If the Democratic confrontation last week in Nevada was “The Godfather” of debates, last night’s South Carolina debate wasn’t “The Godfather Part II” — a worthy followup to a great original. No, it was “Exorcist 2: The Heretic.” It was “Smokey and the Bandit 3: Smokey Is the Bandit.” It was “True Detective Season 2.” Who made the South Carolina debate the worst sequel ever? Here are the nominees:

When former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley abruptly submitted her resignation in October 2018, she stayed mum about her next move, only assuring that she would not challenge President Trump in 2020 primaries for the Republican nomination. So, what has Haley been doing since she left her post? As a strong believer in term limits, Haley explains her decision to leave the administration in her memoir, "With All Due Respect: Defending America with Grit and Grace.” She wrote 2019 was her first year in 14 years as a private citizen, free to “sleep in” and “get to read...

A man charged with raping an 11-year-old girl in Maryland was living in the United States illegally, authorities said. Jonathan Coreas-Salamanca, 20, was arrested along with Ivan Reyes Lopez, 19, earlier this month at the high schools they attended in Montgomery County, Md., WJLA-TV reported. Both men are charged with second-degree rape. Coreas-Salamanca, a citizen of El Salvador living in the U.S. illegally, faces additional charges of sexual abuse of a minor and a third-degree sexual offense.

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg sparred right out the gate during Tuesday night’s Democratic debate, as the former New York City mayor slammed Sanders and claimed Russia is “helping” him get elected. During the first question of Tuesday night’s CBS News/ Twitter debate in Charleston, S.C., Sanders was asked about the economy. “The economy is doing really great for Mr. Bloomberg and other billionaires,” Sanders said. “For the ordinary American, things are not so good.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reacted Tuesday to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., praising some aspects of the Fidel Castro regime in Cuba -- a regime which some of his relatives escaped in order to seek a new life in the U.S. Rubio said on "Hannity" that Sanders has "gotten away with -- for years -- saying that he's a socialist. He's actually not a socialist, he's a Marxist ... and Marxism is based on the belief that no person has any value as an individual. Your value is that you're a member of a class. Second, Marxism is based on the...

Bernie Sanders faced sustained attacks from all sides in Tuesday night's rowdy Democratic debate, as the self-described democratic socialist, now the race's undisputed frontrunner, parried multiple claims that his sweeping plans were little more than an expensive path to a "catastrophic," Corbyn-esque downballot rout for Democrats in November. The forum, coming ahead of Saturday's primary in South Carolina and next week's pivotal Super Tuesday contests, was easily the most contentious of the primary season to date, as candidates frequently sparred with the moderators and ripped into each other on spending, foreign policy, and more. Fears have spread among the remaining...

CBS anchors Norah O'Donnell and Gayle King began moderating Tuesday night's Democratic debate, and Twitter critics were quick to say they "lost control" of the candidates. Before welcoming additional moderators, the CBS Evening News anchor and the CBS This Morning co-anchor helmed the debate, but many on social media knocked their inability to keep the candidates in line. "These moderators might be the weakest moderators I've seen in a debate. They have absolutely no control over who is speaking and they are forcing candidates to steamroll them if they want any speaking time. This is a trainwreck," writer Josh Jordan...

At the Penny Arcade Expo East Coast (PAX East) later this week, several gaming studios will be showing off their latest games and ideas, providing expo goers with a sneak peak into what to expect from unreleased games. Among the gaming studios will be Ireland-based Larian Studios, which will reveal eagerly anticipated gameplay of Baldur’s Gate 3. Larian’s Creative Director Swen Vincke will be playing live on stage with a special guest, revealing more about the story, mechanics, and the answers to much-asked questions. With seating for 1000 people, expo goers won’t have to worry about finding a space to...

They flailed their arms, talked over each other and at one point called for backup, asking fact checkers to come to their rescue. The last debate before a crucial stage of the primaries was an often unruly affair as the Democratic presidential contenders powered past the moderators in a scramble to take credit and occasionally dodge blame on a range of subjects. Distortions ensued. […] JOE BIDEN: “A hundred and fifty million people have been killed since 2007, when Bernie voted to exempt the gun manufacturers from liability.” THE FACTS: Biden vastly overstated gun deaths. The Centers for Disease Control...

Criminal manipulations by elite Arrington spooks for Roberts FISA quislings noted, U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr says an uncurbed, clean no change, reauthorization thing is a best thing, because its’ our turn… Note the import of AG Barr’s position. He is not saying the system *cannot* be abused; and he is not saying that reform isn’t needed to prevent systemic abuse; only that he can give assurances under his tenure FISA data collection and exploitation will *not* be abused. Bait and switch,,, November of last year added to the FISA, “business records provision”, the “roving wiretap” provision, the “lone wolf”...

**DRUDGE POLL** WHO WON DEM DEBATE IN CHARLESTON BIDEN BLOOMBERG BUTTIGIEG KLOBUCHAR SANDERS STEYER WARREN Vote

“I want to end it if the pain gets unbearable,” 63-year-old Melanie S. tells Lukas Radbruch, a doctor at University Hospital Bonn, who has also been serving as the president of the German Association for Palliative Medicine since 2014. She has end-stage lung cancer, and fears she could suddenly lose the ability to swallow and this suffocate while fully conscious. This possibility has led Melanie S. to consider assisted suicide. But so far, paragraph 217 of Germany’s criminal code prohibits assisted suicide. The law was adopted in 2015 by Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, to prevent associations or individuals from turning...