Free Republic

At least two U.S. diplomats will be medically evacuated from Vietnam after “Havana Syndrome” incidents were reported over the weekend in the capital city of Hanoi ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’ arrival, according to two senior U.S. officials. ...The description of the incidents as “acoustic” indicates that the affected diplomats heard strange sounds. That was also the case with many of the original Havana Syndrome cases in Cuba, but there have been other incidents that did not involve sound. The weekend incidents in Hanoi occurred at the staffers’ homes, not at ...

“Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer” (Proverbs 25:4).

ransomnote: Good, bracing 3 minute video. It's good to hear someone say what Biden should have said had he actually been a functioning President. 3 Minute Video: The Speech Joe Biden should have given (by mi Amigo Jocko Willink) (rumble.com)

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the coronavirus, and approvals for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines could follow soon. This could be a significant step in convincing the millions of unvaccinated Americans to finally get vaccinated, even if it doesn’t quickly transform the state of the pandemic. It’s also an opportunity for us to say to the hard-core vaccine refusers: We’re done with you.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed a $5.1 million fine against conservative activists Jacob Wohl and John Burkman and J.M. Burkman & Associates for making 1,141 unlawful robocalls that made false claims about mail voting, the agency said Tuesday. “Did you know that if you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts?” the call said, before also erroneously claiming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might use such data to enforce...

According to a senior diplomat in the region and another source familiar with the matter, the CIA Chief William Burns secretly met with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar.The meeting was first reported by The Washington Post. The news comes as US President Joe Biden is expected to decide whether to extend the Aug. 31 deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from the country amid growing pressure from key allies.That expected decision comes as thousands desperately await evacuation in the wake of the militant group’s rapid takeover of the country.The Taliban have warned any delay in the withdrawal would cross a...

The very idea of a recall vote seemed absurd at first in California, this bluest of US states. Yet Californians’ surprisingly strong support for the removal of Democratic governor Gavin Newsom has resulted in precisely that, with the vote scheduled for 14 September. This reflects a stunning rejection of modern progressivism in a state thought to epitomise its promise. Some, like the University of California’s Laura Tyson and former Newsom adviser Lenny Mendonca, may see California as creating ‘the way forward’ for a more enlightened ‘market capitalism’, but that reality is hard to see on the ground. Even before the...

(The Associated Press called (Aug/2021) terrorists in Gaza throwing incendiary balloons onto Israeli civilians as "activists.")___ HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) Tweeted: "Activists" @AssociatedPress. https://t.co/Jl6QYU0hR7

On Aug 9, the former exotic dancer made a surprising claim on her Instagram account. Posting a picture of herself being embraced by Los Angeles-based recording artist Markos D1, she wrote in Spanish: “I am very happy to announce that I am three months pregnant and Markos D1 is very happy that he will be a dad.” The statement not only surprised netizens — who marvelled at Lyn May’s ability to conceive in spite of her age — but also the alleged baby father, who turns 30 in end August. 'I don't even know what happened that night’ The musician,...

Nearly 7,000 doses of controlled substances went missing last year from CVS stores in Massachusetts — almost 70% of all drug doses lost by Massachusetts pharmacies last year, according to records obtained from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy. CVS is the largest pharmacy chain in the state; Walgreens, its next largest competitor, lost about 1,300 doses from its pharmacies last year. In all, more than 10,000 doses of controlled substances went missing from all Massachusetts pharmacies in 2020. Related Stories Mass. To Receive An Estimated $90 Million Settlement From Sackler Family In Massive Opioid Suit A.G. Healey: 'First-Of-Its-Kind'...

Hawaii Governor David Ige encouraged potential tourists not to visit the islands amid a surge of coronavirus cases, saying it is "a risky time to be traveling right now." "I encourage everyone to restrict and curtail travel to Hawaii," Ige said during a press conference on Monday. "It's not a good time to travel to the islands." Ige said that travel should be limited to "essential business activities only." Visitors, he said, will not have the "typical" vacation that they would expect, as restaurant capacity has been restricted and rental vehicles are limited. Ige's warning comes as Hawaii continues to...

In the midst of isolation under COVID-19 quarantines and school lockdowns, a new “social contagion” has quietly crept into homes to infect and transform children, some parents say. It was given a name in a 2018 study: rapid-onset gender dysphoria. Now, parents are sounding the alarm. In September 2020, January Littlejohn of Tallahassee, Florida, was shocked when her 13-year-old daughter inadvertently revealed a secret. School officials wanted to know which bathroom she preferred to use “as a result of her requested name change.” More shocking was her discovery of a plan devised during a private meeting between her daughter and...

Join together with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

@ColumbiaBugle Tucker Carlson Calling Out @LindseyGrahamSC For Helping The Biden Administration Achieve Their Radical Agenda & The "Conservatives" Who Keep Promoting & Supporting Graham "So the most radical President of our lifetimes gets the most judges confirmed thanks to Lindsey Graham." Segment...

The Supreme Court handed down an order Tuesday evening that makes no sense. It is not at all clear what the Biden administration is supposed to do in order to comply with the Court’s decision in Biden v. Texas. That decision suggests that the Department of Homeland Security committed some legal violation when it rescinded a Trump-era immigration policy, but it does not identify what that violation is. And it forces the administration to engage in sensitive negotiations with at least one foreign government without specifying what it needs to secure in those negotiations. One of the most foundational principles...

"#RacistRon Johnson had NO problem with the violent January 6th insurrectionists, but he despises peaceful BLM protesters. Ron Johnson MUST be defeated in 2022." Attack Ad...

Defense attorneys for Kyle Rittenhouse are objecting to a state request for identities of people who donated to Rittenhouse’s defense or who purchased branded merchandise supporting the teen. Rittenhouse, now 18, is accused of killing two men and seriously injuring a third during the unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in August 2020. He is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the Aug. 25, 2020, incident.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Monday that if he were governor, he would let employers and school boards decide whether to implement mask and vaccine mandates. McConnell appeared to be implicitly taking issue with Republican governors including Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas who had previously announced bans on such mandates that are now being legally challenged in courts.

A 77-year-old woman who sailed aboard a Carnival cruise ship from Texas to Belize has reportedly died of COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated. Marilyn Tackett, a retired Sunday school teacher from Oklahoma, departed Galveston aboard the Carnival Vista on July 31 “so excited to take her first trip outside the US,” her granddaughter Tara wrote on a GoFundMe page. “While on the Caribbean Cruise she got sick and diagnosed with covid in Belize,” the relative said.

At the end of May, a crowd of around a hundred young people from African or Middle Eastern minorities began fighting in a square in Hjallbo, a suburb of Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest city. A man in a grocery store was shot in the back of the head. Then a policeman in Biskopsgarden, another suburb of the city, was killed. A few days later a man was murdered in a barber shop in Frolunda, another suburb. To add to this litany of recent violence, two young children were lucky enough to survive last week after being caught in the crossfire...