Free Republic

Earlier this week, Joe Biden joined hands with the likes of Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski to announce a ‘bipartisan’ infrastructure deal. The $1.2 trillion package was meant to be a compromise between the original monstrosity proposed by Democrats and simply not passing anything at all.Yet, no sooner than the jubilant photo op ended, Biden had blown up the deal by saying the quiet part out loud in regards to what the Democrats planned to do. Whereas the Republicans saw the deal as a substitute for the original proposal, Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer all wanted to tie passage...

Two inexorable energy trends are underway in California: soaring electricity prices and ever-worsening reliability – and both trends bode ill for the state’s low- and middle-income consumers.Last week, the state’s grid operator, the California Independent System Operator, issued a “flex alert” that asked the state’s consumers to reduce their power use “to reduce stress on the grid and avoid power outages.” CAISO’s warning of impending electricity shortages heralds another blackout-riddled summer at the same time California’s electricity prices are skyrocketing.In 2020, California’s electricity prices jumped by 7.5%, making it the biggest price increase of any state in the country last...

As the UEFA Euros are underway across Europe, showcasing the return of spectator sports on the world stage, Japan is preparing to host an even bigger event in less than a month. With COVID cases down and the state of emergency freshly lifted in most of the country, it may look like the timing could hardly be better for the Olympics to come to Tokyo, at least under the given circumstances. However, as Statista's Feliz Richter notes, for many people in Japan the thought of hosting thousands of athletes, trainers, and media workers from all over the world in the...

On December 31st of last year, an 80 year-old Buffalo-area woman named Judith Smentkiewicz fell ill with Covid-19. She was rushed by ambulance to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Williamsville, New York, where she was put on a ventilator. Her son Michael and his wife flew up from Georgia, and were given grim news. Judith, doctors said, had a 20% chance at survival, and even if she made it, she’d be on a ventilator for a month.As December passed into the New Year, Judith’s health declined. Her family members, increasingly desperate, had been doing what people in the Internet age...

As Julio and Katie have covered, Vice President Kamala Harris' trip to the southern border has certainly had its fair share of pitfalls. The administration must not only deal with that, but the news that two of the vice president's travel officials are quitting, as Annie Karni and Katie Rogers reported for The New York Times.The news came out on June 24, the day before Harris' highly anticipated trip. Not only was she criticized for how long it took--almost 100 days after Biden put her in charge of stemming the surge of migrants--but because she went to El Paso, many...

A Canadian pastor seen in viral videos documenting his encounters with law enforcement over COVID-19 restrictions says authorities abide by a double standard when it comes to enforcing restrictions and they've been targeting him as the result of a “personal vendetta.”In an interview with The Christian Post, Artur Pawlowski, who serves as pastor of Street Church and Cave of Adullam Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, spoke about his interactions with authorities over the past year and doubled down on his characterization of local law enforcement as Nazis and communists.Pawlowski has compared the measures taken by law enforcement officials to enforce...

The UK, Canadian and US embassies have flown the Pride flag in Russia, defying the country’s “gay propaganda” law. On Friday (25 June), which marks 43 years since the rainbow flag was first used as a symbol of LGBT+ Pride at the 1978 Pride parade in San Francisco, the embassies of Canada, the UK and the US raised the flag in Russia.

There is a saying in American Politics: "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." Today, in this 2021 Virginia off-year election, one may substitute Virginia for Maine as regards 2022 even 2024.At least that is the opinion expressed in a fundraising letter by James Carville in support of "Terry for Governor" — nice folksy touch with "ain't" and "geeked up," but make no mistake: James Carville is a serious political player for the Democrat party.It ain't a mystery why Trump is all geeked up about Youngkin. Election experts are saying Democrats could lose Virginia. If that happens, Republicans would get...

Pandemonium broke out in the cycling roads of France on Saturday when a massive crash broke out in Stage 1 of the Tour de France. A spectator stretched out a little too far onto the course with their sign and tripped up cyclist Tony Martin, causing a mass of bikes and bodies to pile up as a result. In addition to Martin, the whole Jumbo Visma team went down along with dozens and dozens of others. The fan that caused the crash was holding a sign that read 'Allez Opi-Omi!' written on it in black marker, which is a hello...

Indulging in chocolate is one surefire way to satisfy a sweet tooth. And according to a new study published in The FASEB Journal, your health can actually benefit from this treat. To gather their findings, the team studied 19 postmenopausal women who ate 100 grams of chocolate within one hour of waking up in the morning. Next, their volunteers dined on the same amount of the sweet one hour before going to sleep. After examining weight gain and similar measures in comparison to people who didn't eat chocolate at all, the researchers discovered that those who consumed the treat didn't...

Around the world, different pharmaceutical companies have taken different approaches to developing vaccines. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna created mRNA vaccines. Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson went with what are called viral vectors. The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is protein-based. So mixing vaccines could mean more than just switching manufacturers — like from Pfizer for dose one to Moderna for dose two. You might be tapping into a different way to stimulate your immune response if you opt for a first dose of AstraZeneca and a second dose of Moderna. The most obvious benefits of treating various brands and kinds of COVID-19 vaccine...

It has been an excruciatingly agonizing wait for the families of the victims of the building collapse in Miami-Dade County’s town of Surfside. On Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis went to meet them at the Grand Beach Hotel Surfside. Crews have been working overnight, through the rain, and even at the risk of spontaneous fires. Officials said they are doing their best to provide regular updates at the hotel. Still, some relatives are losing their patience. “It’s not enough,” a distraught mother told DeSantis. “Imagine if your children were in there. You are going to leave here and you are going...

Dan Johnson is an associate professor at the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences at University of North Carolina Wilmington with apparently equal interest in politics and polytechnics. He posted a short but clear message on Facebook: “Blow Up Republicans.” The detonation of people seems to be in vogue with professors this year. As will come as little surprise to many on this blog, I do not believe Johnson should face discipline for his violent political ideations.The detonation of people seems to be in vogue with professors this year.Campus Reform reports objections to the handling of the controversy by...

This table includes the names, charges, and links to court documents of all the people charged so far. We're keeping it updated as more names are released.

Two inexorable energy trends are underway in California: soaring electricity prices and ever-worsening reliability – and both trends bode ill for the state’s low- and middle-income consumers. Last week, the state’s grid operator, the California Independent System Operator, issued a “flex alert” that asked the state’s consumers to reduce their power use “to reduce stress on the grid and avoid power outages.” CAISO’s warning of impending electricity shortages heralds another blackout-riddled summer at the same time California’s electricity prices are skyrocketing. In 2020, California’s electricity prices jumped by 7.5%, making it the biggest price increase of any state in the...

Welcome to Your Weekend Your Host Here Again Going Through Transition... I am digging through all the archives including books I have accumulated over the years with a 1937 Almanac published by the "Philadelphia Bulletin". Lots of details about Philadephia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. In the details of Delaware something got my attention. What Delaware's Legislature Was Like Before The Earl Warren Supreme Court Changed Things In The 1960's... The Next Round Of Vaxx Jabs The vaccines don't last forever so the next round needs to be planned for. That's what the British National Health Service was saying earlier...

Article has been Exerpted - full article at link: Top diplomats said Sunday that further progress had been made at talks between Iran and global powers to try to restore a landmark 2015 agreement to contain Iranian nuclear development that was abandoned by the Trump administration. They said it was now up to the governments involved in the negotiations to make political decisions. Advertising Ulyanov said after heading back to report on the talks' results to their respective governments, he expected the diplomats to return for the final round of talks in Vienna in about 10 days and said they...

As the commander of a missile warning unit, Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier felt responsible to report threats foreign and domestic before they harm the people of the country he loves and defends. He wrote a bestselling book and spoke out against anti-american, Marxist radicalization of military personnel he has witnessed in his role as commander of the 11th Space Warning Squadron of Space Force, at Colorado’s Buckley Air Force Base.In return for trying to expose what he considers a clear and present threat to national security running through all branches of the military, Lohmeier was relieved of duty on May...

EarthBeat Weekly: How can ordinary Catholics live out Laudato Si'?"So what can ordinary Catholics do about climate change?"That's a question that pops into the EarthBeat inbox from time to time. Environmental issues, especially climate change, often appear so overwhelming that our own actions seem insignificant.But they're not. In his 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," Pope Francis made it clear that slowing global warming requires systemic change, but it will also take the efforts of all of us to care for our common home.When I asked recently what issues our readers would like to see more...

WELLINGTON, Ohio — Former President Trump made his triumphant return to the campaign trail and social media on Saturday night, receiving a rock star’s welcome from thousands who turned out in pro-Trump apparel to show their support for him, his claims of a stolen election and a possible comeback in 2024. At the Lorain County fairgrounds west of Cleveland, Mr. Trump quickly launched into an attack of the Biden administration as “a complete and total catastrophe.” He said Republicans must end Democrats’ control of the White House and Congress over the next two election cycles and “take back America.”