Free Republic

The New York Times has retracted the core of its hit 2018 podcast series Caliphate after an internal review found the paper failed to heed red flags indicating that the man it relied upon for its narrative about the allure of terrorism could not be trusted to tell the truth. The newspaper has reassigned its star terrorism reporter, Rukmini Callimachi, who hosted the series. Caliphate relayed the tale about the radicalization of a young Canadian who went to Syria, joined the Islamic State and became an executioner for the extremist group before escaping its hold. Canadian authorities this fall accused...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Purpose. Societies have long recognized the importance of beautiful public architecture. Ancient Greek and Roman public buildings were designed to be sturdy and useful, and also to beautify public spaces and inspire civic pride. Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, public architecture continued to serve these purposes. The 1309 constitution of the City of Siena required that “[w]hoever rules the City must have the beauty of the City as his foremost...

Several members of Congress are taking to social media to complain about the handful of hours they have to read the 5,593-page spending bill. “5600 pages. Votes allegedly in 6 hours,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) wrote on Twitter about the $2.3 trillion bill. “Neither Democrats nor Republicans should vote for this nonsense. There should be bipartisan rejection of this absurdity,” he added. “Just another bill we have to pass before the American people discover all the goodies that special interests jammed into it over the past week,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) said: “It’s not good enough to hear about what’s...

Trump Hater extraordinaire Fox News’ Chris Wallace came to the defense of ‘Dr. Jill' Biden on his Sunday morning political gossip program. The First Lady-in-waiting was criticized for joining ‘Dr. Phil' and ‘Dr. Laura' in using the title doctor. During a conversation with Jen Psaki, the former Obama administration Minister of Propaganda and Biden administration press secretary designee, Wallace said, “There has been some criticism recently from conservatives, including some conservatives on Fox News, about the fact that First Lady-to-be Jill Biden goes by the title doctor. What is the Bidens’ reaction to that, especially given the fact that so...

Explanation: Does the Sun always rise in the same direction? No. As the months change, the direction toward the rising Sun changes, too. The featured image shows the direction of sunrise every month during 2019 as seen from near the city of Amman, Jordan. The camera in the image is always facing due east, with north toward the left and south toward the right. Although the Sun always rises in the east in general, it rises furthest to the south of east on the December solstice, and furthest north of east on the June solstice. Today is the December solstice,...

One is thriving after switching from online public school to in-person private education. The other is struggling, stuck in her virtual classroom. The lives of these two girls, Ella Pierick and Afiya Harris, encapsulate the growing divide in U.S. education as more affluent parents flee public schools. In Connecticut, enrollment fell 3%. Colorado reported a similar decline, with the steepest losses in one of its wealthiest counties. Chicago’s rosters dipped 4.1%, the most in 20 years. Parents with means are instead homeschooling; joining with other families to hire teachers in so-called pandemic pods; or signing up for private schools. Poor...

THE ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE MUST INVOKE NUCLEAR OPTION TO CHOOSE ELECTORS, SINCE SUBPOENA WAS IGNOREDI want to thank everyone at American Thinker for publishing my piece over there today: “Who has the power to appoint presidential electors?”https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/12/who_has_the_power_to_appoint_presidential_electors.htmlhttps://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/12/who_has_the_power_to_appoint_presidential_electors.htmlA few more thoughts on the piece. First, if you haven’t read it, please go to AT and do so. Then ponder this:Will. That’s all it will take. Will. Self-convene by phone, video-conference, in person, anywhere, and set this election straight by choosing Presidential Electors for Trump.Inferior officials have refused to obey your subpoenas in Arizona. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has just held that...

100% of my gifts being delivered by the USPS are late. 100% of my gifts being delivered by FedEx and UPS have arrived on time.The tracking info for the USPS also has a big lie. They say that they could not reach my front door because my driveway was not clear of snow. That was on Saturday, and my driveway was cleared hours after last week's storm. Everyday I see UPS and FedEx drivers hustle through my neighborhood. They are working their butts off. They are also seem happy, at least the guy who just dropped off a package. I...

December 21st, 2020 (4: 40 PM EST) : Below are the updates from today as of the updated time.Omnibus Spending Bill Text Released : The Omnibus Spending Bill Text is available now. It is a massive 5,593 page document. There is no reference to any legislative text related to HR1044 or S386 in it. Below is the summary of our review by section.Detail Review of Omnibus Spending Bill for HR1044 Text : We have reviewed major sections that has DHS or DOL agencies are involved and below is the summaryDIVISION F : This is the first section related to DHS...

Pakistan : $25,000,000 for democracy and gender programs.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn’t care about middle class Americans who are suffering because of authoritarian Covid lockdown orders. After months of stonewalling and playing politics, Pelosi finally agreed to a Covid relief bill that is expected to pass today. Congress FINALLY agreed to hand out a $600 dollar check to every American after they ruined the economy and millions of lives. The Covid stimulus bill is so big that it had to be wheeled across the halls of Congress Lawmakers aren’t even reading the bill before voting on nearly $1 trillion dollars of spending. Americans are only getting $600...

DECLARATION OF RONALD WATKINS I, Ronald Watkins, hereby state the following: 1. I am a United States citizen currently residing in Japan. 2. I am an adult of sound mind. All statements in this declaration are based on my personal knowledge and are true and correct. ----more at link---

President Donald Trump alleged Sunday that “we’re getting closer and closer,” in reference to his ongoing challenges to election results in key battleground states. “We’re getting closer and closer. And I hope you let everybody know we’re actually very close,” Trump said on WABC radio. “The fake news will not tell you that. They don’t want to talk about it. They’re trying to suppress it. We don’t have freedom of the press at all. It’s suppressed news. It’s a terrible thing that’s happened in our country. It’s been going on for, it started a long time ago, but it’s gotten...

Former Fox News host Eric Bolling didn’t hold back when speaking about the network on Monday, claiming that staffers there told him they are worried in the wake of the 2020 presidential election. Bolling, now a Sinclair TV host, spoke to a throng of young Republicans at Turning Point USA’s annual Student Action Summit on Monday. -snip- The former Fox News host went on to explain the rise of networks like Newsmax and OAN, both of which experienced a ratings surge in the aftermath of the 2020 election, as Fox News called first Arizona and then the presidency for Joe...

Good Evening And Blessed Merry Christmas WELCOME And A Better 2021!

Last Tuesday, an FBI agent pulled out his gun and repeatedly shot a passenger on the Washington subway. At the bottom of B6 in Saturday’s Washington Post – buried past an article headlined, “Despite the upcoming solstice, winter has already arrived” is a short piece headlined: “Police:‘Verbal exchange’ preceded Metro shooting.” There were zero news reports or disclosures for the two days after the shooting – except for a brief FBI note that there had been an “officer-involved shooting” on the subway. What did the passenger say that provoked the shooting? It’s a secret – at least for the time...

In a major milestone, the first train carrying goods from Turkey to China reached its destination Saturday, Turkey's transport and infrastructure minister said. "Announcing Turkey's power in logistics to the world from every city it passed through, the China Export Train is our victory in rail transport," Adil Karaismailoğlu wrote on Twitter. "We are preparing our new export trains," Karaismailoğlu said. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also lauded the development during an inauguration ceremony Saturday, saying this is a major success for Turkey. The train set off from Istanbul on Dec. 4 and covered a distance of 8,693 kilometers (over 5,400...

A Texas A&M Transportation Institute report recently ranked the segment of Interstate 35 that goes through Austin the most congested roadway in the state. This congestion is one of the reasons behind the I-35 Capital Express Project, a multiyear, multibillion-dollar transportation initiative that will add two non-tolled managed lanes in each direction along I-35 from U.S. Highway 290 East to State Highway 71/Ben White Boulevard. The project will also add flyovers at I-35 and U.S. 290. Discussions about the plan were central to last week’s Urban Transportation Commission meeting, which kicked off with a presentation by Austin Transportation Director Robert...

Suspected serial killer David Misch was charged Monday with the abduction slaying of Michaela Garecht, a nine-year-old who vanished from a Hayward street corner in November 1988 and has been one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most high-profile missing children’s cases, authorities said. Misch has been incarcerated at the state prison medical facility in Stockton for the December 1989 stabbing death of 36-year-old Margaret Ball at her home in unincorporated Hayward. He has also been charged with the 1986 cold case murders of two young Fremont women whose bodies were found alongside Mill Creek Rd. “Today is about family,...

Cincinnati Bengals v Pittsburgh Steelers Getty Images The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the death of Kevin Greene on Monday afternoon. Greene, who was 58, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 after starring as a pass rusher over a 15-year NFL career. The road to Canton started when Greene walked onto the Auburn football team and was drafted by the Rams in the fifth round of the 1985 draft. He had seven sacks in his second season, became a starter in his fourth season, and went on to compile 72.5 sacks while playing for the team...