Free Republic

Gesticulating wildly as she delivered remarks at the MLK Day Deliver for Voting Rights Press Conference, the wicked witch of Washington, Nancy Pelosi, told her audience: “Nothing less is at stake than our democracy.” If only we could have thrown a pail of water on her. She continued: This is about suppressing the vote. It’s about nullifying the elections, which Dr. King talked about that day, nullifying the election. It’s about just doing so many things to be obstacles to participation. That’s wrong. The truth is, that’s wrong. … And, as has been indicated by the King family this –...

ALBANY – New York’s new health commissioner told state lawmakers she would have resigned rather than put vulnerable New Yorkers in harm’s way through the implementation of a health directive like the infamous March 25 order that her predecessor, Cuomo administration health chief Dr. Howard Zucker, enacted requiring that COVID patients be returned from hospitals to their nursing homes if able. Dr. Mary Bassett was grilled Wednesday by state Sen. Jim Tedisco (R-Glenville) about “lessons learned” from the state Health Department’s nursing home policy under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, particularly her thoughts on the March 25, 2020 order. “I decided...

BRUSSELS (AP) — Police fired water cannons and thick clouds of tear gas in Brussels on Sunday to disperse protesters demonstrating against COVID-19 vaccinations and restrictions that aim to curb the fast-spreading omicron variant. The protest drew tens of thousands of people, some traveling from France, Germany and other countries to take part. Protesters yelled “Liberty!” as they marched and some had violent confrontations with police. Video images showed black-clad protesters attacking a building used by the European Union’s diplomatic service, hurling projectiles at its entrance and smashing windows. Anti-vaccination demonstrators also marched in Barcelona. The protests followed demonstrations in...

Every Black Mississippi senator walked out of the chamber Friday, choosing not to vote on a bill that sponsors said would prohibit the teaching of critical race theory in the state’s public schools and colleges and universities. The historic, unprecedented walkout came over a vote on the academic theory that state education officials and Republican lawmakers acknowledge is not even taught in Mississippi. Republicans hold supermajority control of the Senate, meaning they can pass any bill without a single Democratic vote. “We walked out as a means to show a visible protest to these proceedings,” state Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson,...

The Tel Aviv local planning and building committee gave the final go-ahead for the construction of the 91-story Spiral Tower being planned by the Azrieli group. Construction on the 1,150-foot tall structure is expected to take four years at an estimated cost of $800 million The Azrieli Group, an Israeli real estate and holding company, announced their plan to build Israel’s tallest building as an addition to their already impressive Azrieli Center Complex in Tel Aviv. The new tower will take its place next to the iconic circle, square and triangle towers that make up the Azrieli Complex. By building...

SAN FRANCISCO—A cashier working the closing shift at a small mom-and-pop store on Sutter St. was left shocked and bewildered when a customer tried to pay for her items. Store security footage reveals the customer roamed the store calmly while looters plucked most shelves dry. She picked up a few trinkets before heading to the register. "I wasn't really paying attention," said the cashier, Brian Risico. "We get lots of looters, but I don't think I've ever seen a paying customer. No one taught me how to use the register."

The sheer size and scope of the Western information operations right now regarding Ukraine and Russia in my opinion dwarfs what was done in the lead up to the second invasion of Iraq. Even in unimportant Australia, the commercial and public broadcasters feature daily stories about the plucky Ukrainians getting ready for an imminent Russian invasion and the print media feature think-pieces about Putin trying to recreate the glory days of Catherine the Great and a new Russian empire, etc. Then there are stories of gallant NATO members rushing to assist little Ukraine. I am now completely unnerved by the...

CHICAGO (CBS) – At least three people are dead and eight are injured in shootings across the city over the weekend. three of the victims are under the age of 18. The first homicide of the weekend happened around 9 p.m. Friday night in the Auburn Gresham area. Police said a 19-year-old man was standing outside the 9000 block of South Normal when he heard shots fired and felt pain. The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the legs and upper body and was transported to Christ Hospital where he later died. A 33-year-old man was shot while driving in...

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) on Sunday said he is planning to reinstitute a modified plainclothes anti-gun unit after a police officer was fatally shot while responding to a 911 call in Harlem. Asked by co-anchor Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” about steps Adams is taking to make the city “more safe immediately,” the mayor said the Big Apple is going to restore a “newer version” of a modified plainclothes anti-tun unit.

Here's an apparently unpopular opinion: Joe Biden is not failing or flailing. His presidency is not in peril. It's hard to see this through the blizzard of over-the-top headlines such as, "Biden Can Still Rescue His Presidency," "How the Biden Administration Lost Its Way" and "Biden's Epic Failures." Everyone needs to take a breath: It's been one year. These headlines could just as easily read, "Joe Biden Fails to Fix Every Problem in the World in 365 days." What drives much of the "presidency in peril" coverage is Biden's approval ratings. CNN's poll of polls, released Thursday, found that 41%...

The Magic Bank Account Imagine that you had won the Following *PRIZE* in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in your private account for your use. However, this prize has Rules: The set of Rules: 1. Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you. 2. You may not simply transfer money into some other account. 3. You may only spend It. 4. Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400 for that Day. 5. The bank can end the game without warning; at any time, it can...

Are Democrats or Republicans better positioned to address voter concerns in this year's congressional elections? Depends on the issue. A Fox News national survey asks voters which party would do a better job on 14 issues. Voters split the list between Democrats and Republicans.

As Milton Freedman said in 1970, “Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon.” Little has changed since then. For most of the 1970s, Arthur Burns was chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Inflation was rampant, just like now. Consumer price inflation averaged nearly 7% during his term. As Friedman diagnosed correctly, this rapid inflation was mainly caused by increases in the money supply of over 12% in the years 1971-72 and 1976-77. Instead, Burns attributed the price increases mainly to wage pressures, monopoly power, and the oil shock of the early 1970s. Sound familiar? Inflation is again soaring, and...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A cruise line is in a state of chaos after unpaid fuel bills caused a Miami judge to issue an arrest warrant for the Crystal Symphony cruise ship. It’s owned by the ultra-luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises. The warrant gives authorities the ability to seize the ship if it enters U.S. waters. As a result, the ship is currently docked in Bimini instead of returning to South Florida. Passengers on the ship have told multiple media outlets that they’ll be shuttled via ferry back to Port Everglades sometime on Sunday. It comes just days after Crystal...

It has been a tough 7 days for Bitcoin, Ethereum and the NASDAQ composite index as The Fed is anticipated to raise their target rate AND engage in quantitative tightening. While the NASDAQ composite index has been deflating over past 7 days, Bitcoin and Ethereum plunged in recent days. What is going on?? The Russell 2000 value (white) and growth (green) indices are both deflating. With regards to anticipated Fed rate increases, Fed Funds Futures are signaling almost 4 rate hikes in 2022 and 4 by the February 2023 meeting. Then we have the massive increase in The Fed’s balance...

A few days before the first consultations on mandatory coronavirus vaccination in the German Bundestag, the plans of the proponents are taking shape. The deputy SPD party chairman Dirk Wiese, who together with other deputies of the 'traffic light coalition' of SPD, Greens and FDP prepares cornerstones of a vaccination obligation from the age of 18, recently gave details: The vaccination obligation should be limited to about one to two years, apply to no more than three vaccinations and be enforced via fines...

The vote was 8-1, with Justice Clarence Thomas dissenting. The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied former President Donald Trump's request for a stay of a lower court mandate that hundreds of pages of his presidential records from Jan. 6 be turned over to the congressional committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The vote was 8-1. Justice Clarence Thomas would have granted the application. In November, an appeals court put a temporary pause on the records handover after Trump sued the committee and the National Archives, asserting executive privilege over more than 750 pages of records that the National...

The United States of America is no longer the undisputed hegemon of the Middle East. It is Russia, at the dawn of 2022, that is now the indispensable power in that region. Over the last decade, Russia’s political, economic and diplomatic footprint has expanded rapidly while that of the West has receded and is now deteriorating fast. Russia’s return to the international community as an important global actor is no new phenomenon. It has been planned. For decades, Moscow’s foreign policy has been predicated upon Russia once again assuming the standing of a recognized, world-leading nation. Yet it has only...

Gov. Ned Lamont won’t push for lawmakers to renew executive orders requiring certain state employees and teachers to either get vaccinated or tested for COVID-19. He said that's due to both the large number of people who’ve gotten the COVID-19 shots and the “significant administrative burden” placed on state agencies and schools to regularly test unvaccinated staff. Lamont said Thursday he still wants mandatory vaccinations for long-term care workers and employees at state-run hospitals. Lamont has provided legislative leaders with 11 executive orders he hopes they will extend.

Ukraine may be a poor nation if you just look at the GDP per capita, but it is a nation rich in natural resources like mineral wealth and agricultural land, which is the breadbasket of Europe. Ukraine has 30% of the world's richest black soil. Ukraine even exports agricultural products like corn to China. The educational level of Ukrainians is high, and the country has a significant industrialized base. Compared to Russia, Ukraine has great weather and was a tourist hub along the Black Sea even during Soviet times. The famous tourist resort Yalta, next to the Black Sea in...