Free Republic

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington appeared to brush off Hollywood's obsession with diversity in a recent media interview, suggesting the buzzword "shouldn't even be mentioned" when promoting works of art. The legendary movie star took a decidedly more color-blind approach to arts and entertainment than the one espoused by modern progressive "anti-racism" advocates while discussing his new film, “The Tragedy of Macbeth," which is a stripped-down retelling of the Shakespearean classic. “Obviously we are diverse, so I think that’s a great thing,” Washington told NBC BLK, a news segment devoted to the African-American perspective, during a roundtable meeting with other...

A PAC supporting six Navy SEAL combat veterans running for Congress this year released a powerful ad spotlighting their determination to defeat what they have identified as the “one grave threat” left to America: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and the Democrats who control Congress. Highlighting the sacrifices these men made to protect America “from enemies all over the world,” the ad features black-and-white photos of the six American heroes, taken from their days serving in combat zones around the world: Morgan Luttrell (running in Texas’ eighth district), Brady Duke (running in Florida’s seventh district), Eli Crane (running in Arizona’s...

America’s colleges and universities are loaded with professors who insist on teaching students various theories that amount to nothing but fringe opinions and who don’t engage intellectually with those who disagree, but merely try to “cancel” them. There are, however, still some professors who won’t play those games. One of them is Erec Smith, who teaches rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania. He recently wrote an article for Newsweek, “Black People Who Oppose Critical Race Theory Are Being Erased.” In it, he attacks the methods that are used to ignore and silence blacks (and others) who don’t accept the mainstream...

The Florida Department of Health has placed a top official on administrative leave after he criticised staff over their vaccination rate. In an email on 4 January, Dr Raul Pino called unvaccinated staff members "irresponsible" and wrote "we are not even at 50% - pathetic". Legislation passed in Florida late last year prohibits employers, public and private, from mandating jabs. DOH confirmed on Wednesday the doctor's actions were being investigated.

Being pureblooded at this point is a sign of intelligence. It's a sign of maturity. It's a sign of actually understanding medicine.

Pushing past skeptics, Senate Democrats on Wednesday unveiled a new billionaires’ tax proposal, an entirely new entry in the tax code designed to help pay for President Joe Biden’s sweeping domestic policy package and edge his party closer to an overall agreement. The proposed tax would hit the gains of those with more than $1 billion in assets or incomes of more than $100 million a year, and it could begin to shore up the big social services and climate change plan Biden is racing to finish before departing this week for global summits. The new billionaires' proposal, coupled with...

More than 100 millionaires say current tax systems are “not fair” and increasing wealth tax would help resolve inequalities made dramatically worse by the Covid health crisis. Millionaires from around the world have signed an open letter asking governments to tax them at higher rates. The letter was published online Wednesday, mid-way through Davos, the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting being held virtually this year. The signatories of the letter, which was the result of a joint initiative from inequality advocacy groups Patriotic Millionaires, Millionaires for Humanity and TaxMeNow, said current tax systems were “not fair”. While only 100 millionaires...

Wakeford’s statement: “Dear Prime Minister, I am writing to inform you of my decision to resign from the Conservative Party and apply to join the Labour Party. From today I will be sitting as the Labour MP for Bury South because I have reached the conclusion that the best interests of my constituents are served by the programme put forward by Keir Starmer and his party. I care passionately about the people of Bury South and I have concluded that the policies of the Conservative government that you lead are doing nothing to help the people of my constituency and...

Owning a Dutch oven is proof that you’ve made it. No matter what else is going on in your life, you can come home to a dependable piece of cookware that will cook soups, stews, braised meats, and bread better than any other piece of equipment in your kitchen. My Le Creuset Dutch Oven is one of my prized possessions. It’s bright orange—a color I intentionally chose because it’s the brand’s signature hue—and has a gold knob, that I swapped myself and never looked back. Who needs a dining room tablewhen you have a Le Creuset Dutch oven? (Don’t answer...

Paul Craig RobertsThe Russians called a security conference with Washington and NATO. The Russians explained that security is a joint undertaking and that security only exists if every country feels secure. The CIA responded with accusations against Russia handed to the CIA-puppet Biden regime and the CIA-puppet US media. The national security advisor read the script to us peons: Russia intends a false flag attack on its own troops so that it will have an excuse to invade Ukraine. The national security advisor is so stupid that it does not occur to him that if Russia wants to invade Ukraine...

In the history of hip-hop, some rappers have set out to murder the competition with lyrics that have ranged from vicious to downright violent. But a group of music stars — led by Brooklyn’s own Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jay-Z — are now arguing for a change in New York law so that rap lyrics can no longer be used as evidence in criminal trials. Meek Mill, Fat Joe, Robin Thicke, Yo Gotti and Destiny’s Child diva Kelly Rowland are among those who have signed a letter making their case for New York state lawmakers to back the...

@CynthiaMLummis This is a @RandPaul appreciation tweet. The man has been relentless in pursuit of the truth about COVID-19, from the virus’ origins to the efficacy of our public health policy response, on behalf of all Americans.

Bout time too.Edit: for all the people enquiring about mandatory vaccines.England never had mandatory vaccines, we had the covid pass that attempted to make it mandatory to do anything enjoyable, that has now been scrapped as you can hear in the video.Now the jabbed have no high horse, will know they did it all for nothing as their badge of honour is now irrelevant, no more high horse to point down at the unvaccinated swine from.All the jabs but no benefit over being unjabbed and healthy.They're going to be pissed and there is no turning back from this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyv7PvBG9kc

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is "in retreat" and England is in the "next chapter" of its fight against the virus, the health secretary has said. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Sajid Javid said the lifting of Plan B COVID-19 measures is a moment "we can all be proud of". The work from home guidance has been rescinded with immediate effect, while COVID passes and mandatory mask-wearing in shops and on public transport will end next Thursday. Face masks will also no longer be required in classrooms from Thursday and communal areas from 27 January. Restrictions on visits...

Veteran folk singer Hana Horká died Sunday of COVID-19 after intentionally exposing herself to the virus in an ill-advised self-immunization attempt. She was 57 years old. The Czech musician’s passing was confirmed by her son Jan Rek, who told Prague Morning that she “preferred to catch the disease than get vaccinated.” SNIP “I survived… It was intense,” Horká wrote in the post, according to local news outlets. “So now there will be the theater, sauna, a concert… and an urgent trip to the sea.” “Life is here for me and for you too,” she added.Two days later, the folk artist...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's two adult daughters work for big tech, raising questions about whether he has conflicts of interest as the Senate pursues legislation to rein in the companies. The New York Post reported Tuesday that Jessica Schumer is a registered lobbyist for Amazon, while her sister Alison Schumer works for Facebook as a product marketing manager. Schumer's first test could come soon, as a bill is making its way through the Senate Judiciary Committee that would prohibit companies like Amazon from 'self-preferencing' their content - essentially marketing their products over those from other sellers.

The White House would not say if it would lift its airport mask requirement as the United Kingdom government announced it would be ditching its mask mandates. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday that England would no longer be mandating citizens wear masks "anywhere" alongside announcing the cessation of other COVID-19 policies in the U.K.'s return to "Plan A."

Former cabinet minister David Davis has joined calls for Boris Johnson to stand down, telling the prime minister: "In the name of God, go." He said the PM had failed to take responsibility for his actions over lockdown parties in Downing Street. Mr Davis's remarks came after backbench Tory MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour, minutes before Prime Minister's Questions began. The PM batted away repeated calls to quit during the stormy Commons session. Mr Davis's criticisms and Mr Wakeford's defection come as Mr Johnson is fighting to save his premiership after admitting attending a drinks event in Downing Street...

Oregon’s health officials are considering making the indoor mask mandate permanent, which requires everyone age five and older to wear a mask in indoor public spaces. Currently, the Oregon Health Authority’s rule requires individuals, even the fully vaccinated, to wear “masks, face coverings or face shields” in “all indoor spaces.” That includes “public and private workplaces, businesses, indoor areas open to the public, building lobbies, common or shared spaces, classrooms, elevators, bathrooms, transportation services and other indoor space where people may gather for any purpose,” according to the rule, which is set to expire in February. Because of that, health...

The Golden State Warriors tried to quickly distance themselves from tech billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya’s incendiary remarks about the Uyghur genocide, but the team has been slammed for a “cowardly” response that critics say shows their fear of upsetting the Chinese government. But the team has since been called out for not being more forceful in denouncing Palihapitiya’s remarks. The U.S. government has declared that the Chinese government has committed genocide against the Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim minority group that is native to the northwest Xinjiang region, the Washington Post reported. Scholars estimate that more than 1 million Uyghurs have been...