Free Republic

Neptune boasts some of the strangest weather in the solar system. The sun’s eighth planet holds the record for the fastest winds observed on any world, with speeds cutting through the atmosphere upward of 1,100 mph, or 1 1/2 times the speed of sound. Scientists still do not know exactly why its atmosphere is so tumultuous. Their latest glimpse of Neptune provided even more reason to be confused. The Hubble Space Telescope identified a storm in 2018, a dark spot some 4,600 miles across. Since that time, it appears to have drifted toward the equator but then swooped back up...

John Durham A ray of hope? The White House announced on Tuesday that President Trump signed an order on December 18 giving US Attorney from Connecticut John Durham the authority to present classified information to a grand jury investigating Crossfire Hurricane. Under previous DOJ rules and regulations the Attorney General needed consent from the specific classifying agency which allowed Deep Staters in the CIA to stonewall release of documents. As TGP previously reported, Attorney General Bill Barr appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a Special Counsel in October tasked with investigating the Crossfire Hurricane investigation targeting the Trump campaign and...

China’s submarine fleet is on track to surpass America’s by 2030. The problem is exacerbated by the U.S. Navy’s global mission set, requiring it to send submarines everywhere. While this stat is alarming, including the sub fleets of allies like Japan and South Korea shifts the balance of power back away to an America-led coalition. n the next 10 years, China will have more submarines than the U.S. Navy, as that country continues to both grow and upgrade its undersea fighting force. The U.S. will have 66 subs of all types by 2030, compared to China’s projected 76. But while...

It's no wonder to most folks why Artur Pira, owner of Aboca's Italian Grill restaurant in Richardson is one of my favorite people in the world. He's well known and loved among our city for his giving heart. My fondness for this hero began because of this scene that I witnessed just happening at his restaurant more than five years ago. ...I came across the website for Aboca’s during a Google search. It had favorable reviews. We had never been there before so it fit the bill. After sitting, I notice a woman sitting by us who the waiter called,...

The Washington Football Team said it is aware of pictures on social media showing quarterback Dwayne Haskins not wearing a mask while attending an event with strippers. The team said Tuesday it will handle the incident internally. Haskins tweeted an apology, saying he spoke with coach Ron Rivera on Monday and "took full responsibility for putting the team at risk. It was irresponsible and immature and I accept responsibility for my action." He also issued an apology to his teammates for "creating a distraction during our playoff push."

President Trump granted clemency on Tuesday to 20 people, including three former Republican members of Congress and two people who were convicted of crimes as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He also pardoned four military contractors convicted of killing 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007, and extended clemency to several people convicted of drug offenses. The pre-Christmas pardons and commutations came as the president has been exploring how to reward friends and allies in the waning days before leaving office next month, with more acts of clemency expected to come.

Owner Mike Pascale said it has been fun for him to see the happy faces "we haven't been able to see at Aurelio's inside our dining room."With indoor dining suspended across the state, restaurants are coming up with creative ways to bring Christmas cheer this holiday season, including having food delivered by a beloved Dr. Seuss character. Aurelio's Pizza of Plainfield has enlisted one employee to dress up as the Grinch, a pot-bellied, grouchy creature, whose heart is too small for him to truly appreciate the spirit of Christmas. The Grinch delivers food and even takes photos with the customers....

Failed 2012 GOP presidential candidate, former Massachusetts governor, and current Senator from Utah, Mitt “Marches with Marxists” Romney is, arguably, the poster-child for much that ushered in President Trump’s presidency. Romney often gets a bad rap as being a milquetoast conservative and a weak, waffling grifter with his finger to the polls. He only seems like that if you accept that he’s a conservative. He may be that at home, but when it comes to the role of government in Americans’ lives, he’s not and never has been a conservative. Once you get that he’s just another progressive seeking to...

Seven train cars carrying crude oil derailed Tuesday and five caught fire, sending a large black plume of smoke into the sky north of Seattle close to the Canadian border, authorities said. The derailment in the downtown Custer area closed nearby streets and spurred evacuation orders during a large fire response, Whatcom County officials said on Twitter. Interstate 5 was temporarily closed in the area in both directions. Later Tuesday, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that the fires were under control and the evacuation order had been lifted but roadblocks would remain in place. Fires at the site remained...

It’s the week before Christmas, traditionally the best week of the year to be in New York City. This is the week when tourists by the thousands flock to town, hundreds of restaurants are full and festive, the theater does peak business, the symphony and opera and ballet put on their most popular shows, concert venues are fully booked, hotel rooms are impossible to find, stores are packed, and beautiful Christmas lights are everywhere. Not this year. Don’t even think about coming here right now. Almost all of the best things are closed, by order of our political masters. The...

Sailors, we want to hear your voice! The Naval History and Heritage Command is hereby reviving the tradition of the New Year’s Deck Log Poetry contest. Let your poetic prowess be celebrated! The deck log is the official record maintained by all commissioned U.S. Navy vessels. While the contents of a deck log are generally fiercely regulated, the United States Navy has long held the tradition of the Midnight New Year’s Day Poem. The first entry of the New Year, written in verse, gives a brief glimpse into the minds of the sailors and shipboard life, and provides a human...

Cologne - The Federal Prosecutor's Office has brought charges against Muharrem D., who was arrested in May and charged with a serious arson attack on a Turkish grocery store in Waldkraiburg in Upper Bavaria. The prosecution announced on Monday in Karlsruhe. She accuses the 25-year-old of, among other things, serious arson, multiple attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm. Muharrem D. also planned an attack on the Cologne mosque D. is the son of parents of Turkish origin. He was arrested on May 8 and is said to have planned far more serious bomb attacks on the Ditib Central Mosque in...

BREAKING REPORT: HIDDEN in the 5,893 page bill that @realDonaldTrump is anticipated to VETO is a provision that says: "Nullifies the President's use of the Insurrection Act." https://twitter.com/ChuckCallesto/status/1341519068596199425/photo/1

"I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple," Trump said in a video posted to Twitter......

Many employees at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., have reservations about taking the COVID-19 vaccine, and CEO Anita Jenkins is trying to get workers to follow her lead by getting vaccinated, according to CNN. The hospital, a major healthcare provider for the Black community, received 725 doses of the Pfizer vaccine Dec. 15 and expects to receive a second shipment this week. As of Dec. 18, only about 600 of the hospital's 1,900 employees had signed up for the shots, according to Kaiser Health News. "There is a high level of mistrust and I get it," Ms. Jenkins told...

President Trump reads the list of items Congress put in the COVID "relief" bill. He is ticked. Says Americans and small businesses should be getting the $$$.

Harris County Commissioners approved a restructuring of how county toll road revenue can be used, which is concerning some people in northwest Harris County about how road projects will be funded. The measure approved creates a corporation to oversee duties performed by the Harris County Toll Road Authority. According to HCTRA, this measure would also change the grip the state has on where toll revenue can be spent by the county. A memo from Peter Key, HCTRA’s interim executive director, said HCTRA currently can only provide the issuance of revenue bonds for tolled infrastructure, and not non-toll transportation infrastructure challenges....

William Hartmann felt like he was stuck in a “Mission Impossible” movie when he left a Wayne County Board of Canvassers meeting in Detroit in November. Law enforcement advised him not to return home and instead escorted him, with just the clothes on his back, to a friend’s house for safety. “I was scared,” Hartmann told The Epoch Times. “[The police] actually had people stationed outside in different locations, watching, in case anything happened. They were there for three or four days.” Hartmann said he didn’t venture outside for a week. “I was afraid that somebody might recognize me when...

The soldier was seen in a video walking backward instead of responding to a Molotov cocktail attack. The IDF on Monday removed a soldier from his combat position following an incident in which he responded passively to an attack against him. The Golani soldier failed to act when a firebomb was hurled at him near the settlement of Kedumim on Saturday night. The incident became public after a video taken by the security camera circulated online. It shows the perpetrator get out of a car, approach the soldier and hurl a firebomb at him. In response, the soldier walks backward...

BUDAPEST: A Hungarian court sentenced a Syrian man to life imprisonment Thursday for terrorism and crimes against humanity including the beheading of an imam in Syria in 2015. ... “His task was to make a ‘death list’ of ‘enemies of Islam’,” the court statement said. “He was personally involved in the execution of several people, including the beheading of a tribal leader.” ... the defendant commanded a small Daesh unit in Homs province in 2015 tasked with terrorizing and executing civilians and religious leaders who refused to side with the group. Prosecutors said he personally took part in the beheading...