Free Republic

Senate Republicans on Monday blocked a mammoth defense policy bill, throwing the legislation into limbo as Congress heads into a packed year-end schedule. The Senate voted 45-51 to start winding down debate on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets spending levels and policy for the Pentagon. But that is short of the 60 votes needed to overcome the hurdle. Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) was the only Republican to vote with Democrats to advance the bill, while Democratic Sens. Ed Markey (Mass.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) voted...

We have seen plenty of fans get into physical altercations this year, but this one has a leg up on the others, literally. During Saturday night’s game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, a fight broke out in the stands at T-Mobile Arena. There did not appear to be any blood, or fans getting knocked out or clothes ripped off, but it did have something we have yet to see: a prosthetic leg used as a weapon. It is tough to see exactly what is going on in the video, but it has a clear shot of a...

“A lot of times, a presidential candidate will pick a running mate to balance out wings of the party. But with Trump, that’s not the issue. He is the party, basically. It’s so united behind him,” said John McLaughlin, one of Trump’s campaign pollsters. “So his choice, if he runs, will come down to what he wants. It would be a much more personal decision this time.” Trump hasn’t made his 2024 bid official. He’s expected to make a decision after the 2022 midterms. But he has been building a campaign-in-waiting that is already laying groundwork, and the question of...

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes sobbed as she accused her ex Sunny Balwani of abusing her and forcing her into sex during her fraud trial. On Monday, in her fourth day testifying in her fraud trial, Holmes, 37, accused Balwani, 59, of being abusive and controlling, and forcing her to have sex against her will during their 12 year relationship, which ended in 2016. 'He would force me to have sex with him when I didn't want to because he would say that he wanted me to know he still loved me,' said Holmes, in tears.

The Salvation Army has withdrawn its controversial "Let's Talk About ... Racism" guide following criticism and donor backlash over the text that asked white supporters of the charity group to deliver "sincere" apologies for their race and the past sins of the Church. As a result of some of the guide's more extreme positions becoming public, donors and supporters across the country have been rescinding their support of the organization. In a statement titled "The Salvation Army's Response to False Claims on the Topic of Racism," the 156-year-old organization denies that the purpose of the guide or subsequent discussions revolving...

@RepThomasMassie A federal judge will hear oral arguments in Massie v Pelosi on Dec. 2nd. @RepMTG & @RepRalphNorman are co-litigants in this landmark case. Among other claims, we contend @SpeakerPelosi violated the Constitution when she reduced our salaries as punishment for us not wearing masks.

The Biden administration is sending 44 medical personnel from the U.S. military to support two hospital systems in the state of Michigan, state officials said Wednesday.The U.S. Department of Defense will send two medical teams, each comprising 22 doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists, who are expected to arrive next week, according to a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services news release.The teams will assist health care workers at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn and Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids in dealing with the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the state, as hospitals across Michigan suffer from a lack of...

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) is floating the idea of implementing vaccine passport requirements for residents soon. During an appearance on GBH News Boston Public Radio, Baker said he and officials from other states have been working to create a QR code that would be scanned to show a person's vaccination status.

A former top attorney for President Donald Trump is calling attention to alarming comments urging people to "Get the shot or get shot" in a push for everyone to receive a COVID vaccination."They are literally calling for mass genocide," says Jenna Ellis, the former senior legal adviser to Trump. "Are you paying attention yet?"Ellis, who is Christian, made her comments as she shared an image of a remark by someone with the user name of Lars McMurtry, who boldly stated: "The CDC should roll out a new program: Get the shot or get shot."There unvaccinated need to be rounded up...

Russia’s state gas company has reported record earnings for the third quarter of the year after profiting from a global gas crisis that has ignited historic energy market highs across Europe. Gazprom, the world’s largest gas producer, said it expected even higher profits for the final months of the year as its customers in Europe brace for a winter energy crisis and record high costs. Its better-than-expected financial results included a net income of 581.8bn rubles (£5.86bn) from July to September compared with a net loss a year ago after the average gas price it earned from buyers in Europe...

Former Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan has sounded the war drums against Dr. Anthony Fauci over his spate of increasingly partisan media appearances, telling him to “put his ego away” and “shut the **** up.” In a lengthy op-ed for the Daily Mail, Morgan asserted that Fauci’s latest brush with partisanship during his interview on CBS’s Face the Nation – where he singularly referred to himself as science’s lone representative – will alienate half the country, undercutting his so-called scientific mission. Morgan wrote:

BREAKING NEWS: Israel is preparing for a war with Iran. Israel government makes public announcement of prep for war with Iran. Iran unrestrained by US. Surrounding nations preparing by placing missiles in public areas. Israeli citizens preparing for missile attacks. Heavily armed fighter jets making frequent flights. Russia and Turkey making moves due to Biden's impotence. Does not look good. Excellent report. Can follow on Telegram. BREAKING NEWS: Israel is preparing for a war with Iran.

The House Freedom Caucus’ incoming chairman said that congressional Republicans have to devise a clear agenda and messaging ahead of the 2022 midterm elections in order to convince voters that there are distinct differences between them and establishment Democrats “in an era of freewheeling spending and large government,” Just the News reported. “We need to be in contact with more individual citizens and every single district in every state bringing the message to them so that they understand what the difference is and that there is a true difference,” Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) told the outlet.

For a long time, I sympathized with Dr. Anthony Fauci. There he was, trying to deal with a pandemic caused by a virus no one knew much about. Sure, he was often wrong about pandemic-related matters, but so were plenty of others, on both sides of the political spectrum and in between, who opined on these subjects. Everyone was shooting in the dark.But at some point — possibly because of all the attacks on him, some of which were over-the-top, possibly because of a personality flaw or maybe old age — Fauci decided to cast himself as Mr. Science. Criticize...

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Camp Shelby, MississippiEncompassing more than 134,820 acres, Camp Shelby, Mississippi is the largest state-owned and operated field training center in the United States. It is a training ground for the Abrams M1 Tank, Paladin Howitzers and home to the 3rd Brigade 87th Division Training Support. Camp Shelby serves as a training site for National Guardsmen and Reservists from throughout the country hosting as many as 100,000 personnel annually.Camp Shelby was federalized as a FORSCOM Mobilization Center on June 6, 2004. Since then, several Regimental or Brigade Combat Teams have mobilized through Camp Shelby...

The Department of Justice on Monday refused Steve Bannon’s request for transparency and his right to unseal documents from the DOJ regarding the sham J-6 Committee investigation. The DOJ called this an attempt by Steve Bannon to “try the case in the media” by making all documents and material public so Americans can make up their own mind. The regime does not want this. How is the regime supposed to control the narrative if the truth gets out? Mediaite reported: Federal prosecutors filed a motion Sunday night to block former Trump adviser Steve Bannon from making public documents he receives...

Massachusetts could soon roll out a digital COVID-19 vaccination passport, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday afternoon on GBH News’ Boston Public Radio. Massachusetts is part of a coalition of states — somewhere between 15 and 20, Baker estimated — working to develop the technology. Baker displayed his personal QR code, attesting to his vaccination status, to hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan. “This is my proof that I’ve been vaccinated. It’s easy to access, it’s a universal standard and we’ve been working with a bunch of other states,” Baker said, adding the passport could launch “soon.” ... Last April, Baker...

MSNBC contributor former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said Monday on “Deadline” that the Republican Party was the “party of death.” McCaskill said, “We now know enough to understand vaccinations are about preventing death. That it is about not giving the disease to someone whose system cannot handle this virus and therefore has to be hospitalized and then could die. We now know, we have a lot of data that those counties that Trump won by more than 60% have ten times the number of deaths as the counties that Biden won by 60%. So this party that has called itself...

Vice President Kamala Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will travel to North Carolina for an event together on Thursday to promote infrastructure. Harris will travel to North Carolina with Buttigieg for an event in Charlotte, where she will deliver remarks to promote President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill that he signed on November 15.

Fed up with COVID-19 regulations and vaccine mandates, the leaders of one California city have decided to take matters into their own hands. Oroville’s City Council overwhelmingly voted to declare the town a “constitutional republic” earlier this month. What that means, according to the declaration, is: “Any executive orders issued by the State of California or by the United States federal government that are overreaching or clearly violate our constitutionally protected rights will not be enforced by the City of Oroville against its citizens.” What does it mean in practice? Oroville’s mayor told the East Bay Times it “doesn’t change...