Free Republic

I think I finally beat Wikipedia on this one.

The Biden administration has already unrolled its plan to return to the 2015 nuclear deal and has begun holding quiet talks with Iran, an Israeli TV station reported Saturday. Officials for the incoming administration have also updated Israel about the conversations, Channel 12 News said. A separate report by the Israel Hayom daily said Israel, wary of Biden’s promise to return to the deal, is crafting military options to “undermine Iran’s nuclear efforts or, if need be, counter Iranian aggression, which will soon be presented to the government.” The paper also quoted Defense Minister Benny Gantz as saying: “Israel needs...

California may have sent out $10 billion in fraudulent unemployment benefits, with some of the funds even going to organized crime organizations in China and Russia. California hired Blake Hall’s ID.me to investigate fraud in October, and he said that at least 10% of unemployment claims before that month were fraudulent. Hall puts the amount of fraud sent out at around $9.8 billion, from March to September 2020. Hall added in his interview with the Los Angeles Times that a good amount of the fraud is due to organized crime gangs in foreign countries. "When the Russians and the Nigerians...

So many satellites are moving and sitting over our heads, and the numbers are ever increasing. Using low cost software defined radio (SDR) and low cost DIY antennas you can make from materials at your local hardware store or garage, a world of fun can be explored. This is a beginners guide on how to get up and running. Exploring which projects to tackle first, from weather satellites, data over Inmarsat and Iridium, to listening to amateur radio and cube satellites. Learn about some hardware you can make or scout for online and use at home. A quick tour of...

315 years ago, on January 17th, 1706, Benjamin Franklin came into our world. He would go on to do amazing things, things which it is not my intent to spend another 50000 words re-telling. What I wanted to do instead was invite you and invite everybody to celebrate his life and legacy, and take the time to get to know him a little better on a more personal level. This can be done. There is a fantastic free open source public domain audiobook of Franklin's autobiography which you can download here, it is well put together and is a great...

Washington, DC is beginning to resemble a war zone, as National Guard troops numbering in the tens of thousands are armed and have been given permission to use lethal force as Joe Biden’s inauguration date looms. A statement from the D.C. National Guard indicates “National Guardsmen were given authorization to be armed in support of the U.S. Capitol Police to protect the U.S. Capitol and individual members of Congress and their staff.” A defense official confirmed to U.S. News & World Report that the authorization “includes permission for Guard troops to use lethal force.” Reports indicate that 20,000 National Guard...

Should have been up there with "Convoy" in my opinion. One of the greatest underlooked songs of the 1970s. Crispy Critters

Responding to warnings of potentially violent demonstrations, governors across the nation are calling out National Guard troops, declaring states of emergency and closing their capitols to the public ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Though details remain murky, demonstrations are expected at state capitols beginning Sunday and leading up to Biden's succession of President Donald Trump on Wednesday. State officials hope to avoid the type of violence that occurred Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving a Capitol Police officer and four others dead. The FBI has warned of the potential for violence at...

Prayers up for a great and prosperous new year!! FR is funded solely by contributions made by the liberty loving patriots who love and use it. We are beholden to no political party. No advertisers, no outsiders, no sugar daddies, no corporate string pullers. Definitely no government subsidies or tax breaks. No 501c or other IRS non-profit status. This means no commercial ads. No annoying pop-ups. No ad tracking. No mail campaigns. No spam. No third-parties -- not even the IRS -- trying to control what we do or say. We are self-funded, fiercely independent and enjoy our freedom to...

Acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller ordered the director of the National Security Agency to install on Saturday a former GOP political operative as the NSA’s top lawyer, according to four individuals familiar with the matter. The move is troubling, coming as it does four days before President Trump leaves office and the Biden administration takes over, former U.S. officials said. The move makes it more difficult for the Biden administration to immediately replace him, the former officials said. “An 11th-hour move like this and a directive from the acting secretary of defense is overwhelmingly strong evidence of irregularity,” Hennessey...

(3:30 p.m. EST) -- In this week's edition of our latest video series, This Week in Cruise News, Cruise Critic's Managing Editor UK Adam Coulter talks about further pauses in operations from two big lines, takes a look at what's happening with the Alaska cruise season and discusses the big reveal from Carnival Corp CEO Arnold Donald about when the fleet will get back sailing. Stay tuned for next week's video update, and check out last week's video, which highlights everything you need to know about the exciting new ships slated for 2021, and when cruisers might expect to get...

Quantum communication promises fully secure message sharing. For example, two users could exchange encrypted messages using “entangled” photons, pairs of particles with a unique quantum-mechanical relationship. For every pair, one photon would be sent to each of the users, who would be alerted to any eavesdropping by a loss of entanglement between the photons. One of the most common methods for sending such quantum encrypted messages relies on optical fibers... But in fibers, a large fraction of the photons scatter before reaching their destination.... Small drones carrying optical equipment could provide a flexible solution that could link multiple users in...

The Green Bay Packers' Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, slammed politicians who created Wuhan coronavirus restrictions yet failed to follow their own rules. He also took issue with Congress' inability to pass a second round of stimulus relief checks for Americans. Rodgers applauded the Barstool Fund, which provides direct relief to small businesses and employees who are struggling due to the pandemic. The quarterback donated $500,000 to the fund, which has raised more than $22 million so far. He applauded Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy for getting money from the fund to recipients In a timely manner, usually between 24 and 72...

Movies, TV shows and notably video games have convinced the masses that every soldier fighting in the Second World War was equipped with a submachine gun – but in fact, most soldiers carried a rifle. And in many cases, the rifles were little improved from those used a generation earlier in the First World War. Below you will find my list of the most well known and used battle rifles of World War II. Some were loved, some were hated–but all were feared, for one reason or another.

We recently selected the hardwood flooring for the sun room my son and husband are building. We chose solid hickory for our new addition. We already stained the knotty white pine boards on the walls and painted the ceiling a light spruce green. My husband and son were talking about a nail gun that would be strong enough to drive all the way through the wood flooring without damaging it. As I was sitting looking at how the stain made the patterns in the heartwood and knots of the wall boards I saw how the contrasting patterns and figures in...

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-NY), the House's lead impeachment manager, on Sunday said it was important to pursue impeaching President Donald Trump, even if the trial takes place after he leaves office, because the president was responsible for "the most serious presidential crime in the history of the United States of America." He was referring to the riots that took place at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, where Congress gathered to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.

A large group of police officers and other government officials raided a house where children from a heavily persecuted megachurch were being homeschooled in Chengdu, China, the church said on social media, pleading for Christians worldwide to pray for them. Police officers, education bureau officials, national security officers and urban management officers on Thursday morning raided a home where homeschooled children of Early Rain Covenant Church were playing together, the 5,000-member church said in a Facebook post. “The police are now raiding the home. There are a large number of police officers outside and inside of brother Liang Huali and...

Japan reported 13 deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations in the past week due to the intense snowfall in the country. Residents in Spain were in awe over the record snowfall in their streets. Here in India, Delhi experienced one of its harshest winters in recent memory, with intense cold waves.Does this disprove global warming? Certainly not! However, the extreme cold events bring about questions over the media narrative that climate change is causing milder winters and temperatures increasing to dangerous levels.The most worrying aspect is that these extreme cold events are a reminder that we could be in great danger...

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, warned Friday that Senate Republicans will “destroy the party” if they vote to convict President Trump. Mr. Paul, who previously condemned the U.S. Capitol rioting and voted against objections to the 2020 presidential election, said one-third of voters would leave if Senate Republicans get behind the “insane and wrongheaded” impeachment push. “Look, I didn’t agree with the fight that happened last week, and I voted against overturning the election, but at the same time, the impeachment is a wrongheaded, partisan notion,” said Mr. Paul on Fox’s “The Ingraham Angle.” “But if Republicans go along with...