Free Republic

Mitch McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, have operated for decades at the highest levels of American government. As the Senate Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has long been a part of the power elite. His wife has been a member of the cabinets of two Republican presidents: secretary of labor in the George W. Bush administration and, most recently, as transportation secretary under President Donald Trump. In the past dozen years, McConnell's and Chao's wealth has grown dramatically. In 2004, the couple was worth an average of $3.1 million, according to their required financial disclosures. Ten years...

On Monday, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks became the face of what so many other Black Americans were feeling. Distraught at the news that yet another Black man, this time Daunte Wright, had been killed by police in a Minneapolis suburb, Hicks approached manager Aaron Boone and begged out of the night's lineup, when the Yankees were set to face the Toronto Blue Jays. Thankfully, Boone supported Hicks, and defended him against those who inevitably would and did question Hicks' decision, telling reporters that "my consideration is with Aaron and his well-being, and making sure that as best we...

Journalists' brains show a lower-than-average level of executive functioning, according to a new study, which means they have a below-average ability to regulate their emotions, suppress biases, solve complex problems, switch between tasks, and show creative and flexible thinking. The study, led by Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and leadership coach, analysed 40 journalists from newspapers, magazines, broadcast, and online platforms over seven months. The participants took part in tests related to their lifestyle, health, and behaviour.

Look, we're all well-adjusted adults here, so we already know that there isn't a "best" vehicle to steal. (And we're not just saying that because our moms read this site.) But the absolute worst kind of motor vehicle to make off with is probably the one that an Oklahoma City man recently stole. According to the Enid Police Department, 34-year-old Joshua Karpe allegedly helped himself to a Frito-Lay truck—one that had a giant, immediately recognizable picture of Doritos on the side of it—as it idled in the parking lot of a gas station in Oklahoma City. The Frito-Lay driver saw...

from mileswmathis.com:PAPER UPDATE, added 4/12/21, Vaccine Deaths and Injuries. This paper has been updated with death figures through March 31.

Nvidia just made some MASSIVE announcements in terms of ARM-based computers, so they're now joining Apple and AMD in the fight against Intel and their x86-based chips.

Jesse Jackson once stated: “There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then (I) look around and see someone white and feel relieved.” This unfortunately is a reality. Not just for Black folk but for many, especially in urban areas. Since 2019 and last summer, there has been a rise in crime in many cities. Not jaywalking or shoplifting (which may also be on the rise) but rather violent crimes such as carjackings, shootings, assaults and murders. From New York to...

CNN caught bragging about getting rid of Trump.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has decided to leave American troops in Afghanistan beyond the May 1 deadline negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration, and has set the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks as the new goal, a U.S. official said Tuesday. Biden has been hinting for weeks that he was going to let the deadline lapse, and as the days went by it became clear that an orderly withdrawal of the remaining 2,500 troops was difficult and unlikely. A U.S. official provided details on Biden’s decision on condition of anonymity, speaking ahead of the announcement.

Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Police Officer Kim Potter, who fatally shot Black motorist Daunte Wright during traffic stop, has resigned. The 26-year veteran made the move “in the best interest of the community.” Potter, 48, tendered her resignation Tuesday in a brief letter to Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott and Police Chief Tim Gannon.

A number of major news organizations worldwide, ranging from Scientific American and The Columbia Journalism Review to The Guardian and Al Jazeera, have signed a pledge to begin referring to “climate change” as a “climate emergency” in their reporting. “Scientific American has agreed with major news outlets worldwide to start using the term ‘climate emergency’ in its coverage of climate change,” the publication announced Monday in a tweet to its 3.9 million followers touting “the impact we hope it can have throughout the media landscape.” “We Are Living in a Climate Emergency, and We’re Going to Say So,” the headline...

Taipei, April 13, 2021 — The Hong Kong police should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the attack on the printing facility of The Epoch Times and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 4:30 a.m. yesterday, four masked men broke into the newspaper’s printing facility in the Tsuen Wan district of Hong Kong, forced staffers to leave by threatening them with hammers and a knife, and proceeded to smash the office’s computers, douse the printing machines with concrete mix, and steal computer parts, according to the newspaper, which posted CCTV images of the attack,...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) slammed the Democrats on the Senate floor Tuesday for an “Orwellian campaign” that seeks to relabel many progressive policies as “infrastructure.” The Minority Leader was referencing President Joe Biden’s $2.25 trillion proposal, which Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) defended by tweeting paid leave, child care, and caregiving are “infrastructure” related items to include in future infrastructure legislation.

Brooklyn Center, MN Mayor says 'Thin Blue Line' flag outside police department is "inflammatory" & it has been removed

Gov. Andrew Cuomo once likened himself to hot-headed mob scion Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather” — and bragged about his sexual prowess during a strategy session with his staffers, according to an explosive new report Tuesday. The “Godfather” incident took place shortly after Cuomo, the eldest son of the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, was elected state attorney general in 2006, the New York Times Magazine said. A former associate reportedly described how Cuomo enthusiastically described his power to intimidate people under investigation who visited his office.

BREAKING: Maricopa County Board of Supervises sets special executive meeting for TOMORROW afternoon to discuss settlement discussions (and litigation, etc) with State Senate President @FannKfann re: GOP's audit of November Presidential election. The meeting will begin at 2:00pm and will likely be mainly - or completely - behind closed doors. The previous cases filed - the first by Fann and then-Senator Eddie Farnsworth, and the second by the County - have both been dismissed. So, any litigation would likely be a new case filed by the County.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Wednesday that the U.S. will finish the full withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021, according to people familiar with the plans who spoke with the Washington Post. The reported troop drawdown timeline would see the Biden administration miss a May 1 Afghanistan withdrawal deadline set forth by President Donald Trump’s administration in the February 2020 U.S.-Taliban peace agreement. The Biden administration’s plans will instead see the U.S. pull out from Afghanistan by the 20-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terror attacks, which set off the U.S. invasion...

President Donald Trump, the pioneer of Operation Warp Speed, is condemning the FDA's decision to temporarily pull the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from use after rare incidents of blood clotting. He's also accusing the agency of favoring Pfizer. "The Biden Administration did a terrible disservice to people throughout the world by allowing the FDA and CDC to call a “pause” in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The results of this vaccine have been extraordinary but now it’s reputation will be permanently challenged. The people who have already taken the vaccine will be up in arms, and...

Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that “becoming the head of the Department of Transportation has really opened my eyes to a lot of things. One of those things was the realization that our highways are inherently racist. Everyone knows that blacks prefer to ride in buses and trains. Yet, nationwide 99 percent of the person-miles of travel occurs in automobiles. Blacks make up 13 percent of the population. Shouldn’t buses and trains account for at least 13 percent of the travel?” “Not only do we need to stop funding more road construction, we need to start tearing down a lot of...

IHOP is making a sizzling side dish the main entrée. Bacon is getting its own menu at the pancake house with a thick-cut, steakhouse-style variety of the breakfast staple slathered in maple glaze, IHOP announced Tuesday. The "Bacon Obsession" menu features bacon the chain describes as "five times thicker" than its regular bacon. And while the breakfast meat can be ordered solo, IHOP also has it featured on new menu items like the Steakhouse Premium Bacon Burger and a Maple Bacon Milkshake. The breakfast staple will be served all day through June 13. IHOP's menu will also include Candied Bacon...