Free Republic

Floodwaters exceeded safety levels by up to 13.6 feet across 14 monitoring stations in Heilongjiang Province on June 27 at 8 a.m., according to the Heilongjiang Province Hydrology and Water Resources Center. Eleven of the 14 monitoring stations are along the Heilong River, two along the Nen River, and one at the Huma River.A local authority also confirmed that 5 of the 14 stations were under flood emergency status for exceeding safety levels (the maximum designed flood levels). The Sandaoka, Zhangdiyingzi Township, Changfa Tunjiang section of the Heilong River was the worst, exceeding the warning level by 13.6 feet—3 feet...

On the second night of his visit to Kyiv, Erik Prince had a dinner date on his agenda. A few of his Ukrainian associates had arranged to meet the American billionaire at the Vodka Grill that evening, Feb. 23, 2020. The choice of venue seemed unusual. The Vodka Grill, a since-defunct nightclub next to a KFC franchise in a rough part of town, rarely saw patrons as powerful as Prince. As the party got seated inside a private karaoke room on the second floor, Igor Novikov, who was then a top adviser to Ukraine’s President, remembers feeling a little nervous....

North Dakota on July 8 sued President Joe Biden’s administration over its cancellation of a planned auction of oil and gas leases.Under the Mineral Leasing Act, lease sales must be held at least once a quarter in each state where eligible lands are available. But the lease sale scheduled for March was canceled and a regularly scheduled sale pegged for June was not held.North Dakota officials said in the lawsuit, filed in federal court, that the illegal cancellations appeared to be in response to a Biden executive order that directed the secretary of the Interior to “pause new oil and...

Democrats like Joe Biden have demonized Georgia’s new election law, falsely calling it such things as “Jim Crow on steroids.” They so demonized the state with these comments that they caused Major League Baseball to move the All-Star Game to Colorado, costing the citizens of Georgia an estimated $100 million. That, of course, was nonsense and Democrats own the damage they did to Georgia because of that.However, that isn’t stopping the Democrats from trying to take aim at the law and do more damage. Leftist activists filed an action objecting to parts of the law for the upcoming election run-offs...

While COVID-19 raged, we saw story after story come out about the flu being almost entirely wiped out during the usual flu season, which typically rages on from late autumn through winter. In fact, a lot of winter illnesses occurred at much lower rates this past winter, causing some to speculate that COVID cases numbers were being fudged using flu cases as COVID cases.Having talked to numerous health professionals, it appears that what we likely saw was actually a myriad of health precautions for the novel coronavirus actually suppressing the spread of the usual winter viruses.Doctors’ offices are seeing cases...

Law professor Alan Dershowitz was dragged online after saying Wednesday that former president Donald Trump's lawsuit against Google, Facebook and Twitter is an "important First Amendment case." "This is the most important First Amendment case of the 21st Century," the lawyer declared on Fox News' "Hannity." He went on, "It's important because it pits freedom of speech on the one hand against the First Amendment on the other hand. That may sound paradoxical, but remember, it's the high-tech giants that are banning freedom of speech. They are censoring but they're claiming the right to do so under the First Amendment...

South Dakota has doubled down on its efforts to help secure the southern border. Gov. Kristi Noem (R) announced on Wednesday that she’s approved the deployment of 125 additional National Guard members to help combat the Biden border crisis. The troops are set to be deployed later this year and will provide non-law enforcement support to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. This comes a week after the governor announced the deployment of up to 50 National Guard troops to Texas in order to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

A pregnant Kansas woman was killed when a fleeing robbery suspect slammed into her car — but her baby miraculously survived, according to her husband and local reports. Brandon Russell said his wife Samantha Russell left behind a “beautiful gift of life” before she died of injuries she sustained in Tuesday’s crash. The 22-year-old expecting mother was waiting at a stop light in Wichita at around 5 p.m. when a man in a pickup truck ran through the red light and hit her vehicle, as well as two others, KAKE reported. Samantha, who was 33 weeks pregnant, was rushed to...

The co-founder of Moderna says a regular booster shot will ‘almost certainly’ be needed to increase protection against COVID-19. [cut] "With an endemic virus, it might not be surprising that we need a booster shot every year," Rossi said. "Immune systems do what they do, they're great at it in the short term, but immunity does diminish with time, and especially with the emergence of more transmissible and potentially more deadly variants." However, Rossi said he believes the booster shots will be "variant specific. "Rossi explained that mRNA technology can tailor a vaccine to a specific pathogen. [cut] While Rossi...

Climate czar John Kerry was yet again spotted at the airport without his mask, despite federal law requiring passengers to wear them. As Beth reported in March, Kerry also appeared maskless on a flight, though he responded it was "malarkey" and claimed if he wasn't wearing his mask "it was momentary." The photographs of this recent incident were obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, and show the former Secretary of State without his mask while going through security at the Boston Logan International Airport on Monday morning. As Alana Goodman with the Washington Free Beacon reported: A spokeswoman for Logan...

The White House helped broker the deal that would allow buyers of Hunter Biden's paintings to remain confidential, despite widespread concerns it could lead to bribery and influence peddling, it was revealed on Thursday. The plan will allow Hunter Biden to forge ahead with his new career as an artist after a career change from a high-paid consultant on international deals, by also shielding him from the identities of those who purchase his pricey works. The deal came about after Biden administration staffers reached out to Hunter's lawyers to forge a plan intended to 'avoid' ethics concerns and let the...

Vice President Kamala Harris announced Thursday that the Democratic National Committee is making a $25 million investment in countering GOP legislation and laws tightening voting requirements. The new spending measure is a part of an "I Will Vote Campaign" as the party heads into the 2022 midterm elections and looks to maintain the higher rate of voting that occurred during the 2020 general election.

Cops have arrested the suspect accused of killing golf pro Gene Siller and two other men at Pinetree Country Club golf course in Georgia last weekend, it has been reported.

Four women were sentenced Tuesday after they pleaded guilty to beating up an Applebee’s waitress who served them, stabbing her with a steak knife and then stealing her tip money. A Henry County judge sentenced Demetrius Boyd to time served after she entered a guilty plea in the 2018 attack, according to Assistant District Attorney Megan Matteucci. Boyd spent two years behind bars in the incident. Two other family members, Lakisha Boyd and Keterah Boyd, were each sentenced to three months in jail and five years on probation, and Lasondra Boyd was sentenced to 15 days in jail and two...

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office responded Thursday to condemnations by the US regarding the demolition of terrorist Muntasser Shalabi's home. Shalabi, 44, is a US citizen, and following the Wednesday night demolition, the US condemned Israel for what it called a "unilateral" step which "undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution" In a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said: "The Prime Minister appreciates and respects the US government. At the same time, he acts only in accordance with considerations for the State of Israel's security, and to protect the lives of Israeli citizens." ......

"Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, who has come under fire after announcing his candidacy for Senate in Ohio because of comments and tweets he had made in 2016 about former President Donald Trump, told Newsmax Thursday that his critics are "phoneys" who consider him a "threat to the establishment." "I've been very open about this," said Vance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "I think that the president did a good job and cared about issues that I cared about. He served people that I cared about and he made the country a better place." Vance recently joined the crowded field...

...European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake had a depth of 10 kms (6.21 miles). There have been no reports of injuries or damages so far.

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe Come on in, we're open Need a place just to hang out? This is it. We serve coffee, tea, conversation and music. Our AWESOME military, our AWESOME allies, and their families are welcomed and honored here. No worries in the FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe. Grab a cup and start a conversation. You never know who you might meet in the Cafe. Glad you could...

"Spirit of 2024"Figures from left to right: Candace Owens, President Trump, Dinesh D’Souza, the artistBelow: Sleepy Joe Biden

Five Palo Alto police officers are suing the city for permitting a Black Lives Matter mural, with a strong anti-police theme, to remain last summer on Hamilton Avenue in front of City Hall. The five officers say the mural constitutes discrimination, harassment and retaliation. In the heat of national protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, City Council authorized the painting of the mural at a June 15, 2020 meeting. In the next two weeks, a group of activists painted the 245-foot long mural in the street.