Free Republic

Tuesday Joe Biden will come to Capitol Hill and give the annual State of the Union Address. No matter how hard he tries, he will not be able to hide the fact that America is in crisis. It’s not just one crisis, either: a war in Europe, the worst inflation in 40 years, the worst violent crime in 25 years, the highest gas prices in 7 years, the most illegal border crossings ever recorded, and the deadly, disgraceful surrender in Afghanistan. Joe Biden created each one of these crises, and they have led to another crisis: a complete lack of...

Russian politicians who voted to recognise the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk are now saying they regret their decision and have condemned Vladimir Putin's invasion. Dissent to the war is growing not only on the streets in Russia, with thousands arrested during protests, but also in parliament where dissent against the leader is rare. Three members of the Communist Party, which typically remains loyal to Putin on key issues, have spoken out against the military action, saying they did not realise what they were voting for. Vyacheslav Markhaev, a senator from Siberia, wrote on Facebook that Putin 'hid plans to...

Short of an official request, the White House is now encouraging U.S. drillers to produce more crude. The White House has received a lot of pushback in recent days for not tapping what many see as at least a partial solution to the headache that is high oil prices—U.S. shale. In a move that likely angered his environment-conscious base, the White House has issued a muted request for U.S. oil companies to increase crude oil production in the wake of high crude oil and gasoline prices. Though words are different than deeds—and President Joe Biden’s deeds have been decisively anti-fossil...

While Putin's war machine inflicts death and destruction on women and children in Ukraine, the runt of the Irish parliament returns to its favourite sport - Israel hating. Senator Frances Black is an ultra nationalist politician and a member of the Upper House. Though nominally an Independent, she is closely aligned with Sinn Féin. She seeks to portray herself as a defender of Palestinian Arabs, but every so often the mask slips and exposes herself for the old school antisemite that she really is. She introduced an "Occupied Territories" (sic) Bill to criminalise Irish Jews and allies, for seeking to...

Europe is facing a transformational moment in history as it battles for its future. Russia’s actions in recent weeks, but especially the past days, should be a final wake-up call to those who value the rule of law and freedom. Russia has manipulated the balance of power shift to its benefit. The consequences of Russia’s belligerence in Ukraine will, unfortunately, be even higher energy prices for Americans, and greater energy insecurity in Europe. American leadership must right the ship before it’s too late. Europe is no stranger to President Putin’s use of energy as a weapon. After all, Russia has...

The mad hatter theme is now becoming conventional wisdom among some of the foreign policy elite and media. Spurred on by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who said the Russian president was "erratic" and increasingly "delusional, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who called Russia’s leader "unhinged," many in the foreign policy establishment have embraced the notion that only a mad man would put his nation’s nuclear forces on alert after invading a neighboring state, claiming self-defense.

It's a political move that could be seen a mile away and now it's been confirmed: Democrats no longer want to keep strict COVID-19 guidelines. Not because they do not work as advertised, but the polling among voters shows people want to move on. Nowhere is this exemplified more than the mask mandate in the Capitol building being lifted just before President Joe Biden gives his State of the Union address Tuesday night. NBC News reports Impact Research, a polling firm used by Biden, found that Americans are "worn out" from COVID-related restrictions, which is why Democrats will now try...

Vice President Kamala Harris was blasted by critics Monday for claiming during a speech at the White House that American voters "got what they asked for" when they elected her and President Biden. Harris made the claim during a celebration for Black History month when she took a moment to celebrate Biden's nomination of Judge Ketanji Jackson to be the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court.

Zi Faámelu was born and raised in Crimea, an area of Ukraine that was invaded and taken over by Russia in 2014. Now the 31-year-old lives in Kyiv, the capital city that has been under Russian siege for nearly a week. She is running out of food and hasn't left her house for days as gunfire erupts outside. And she says she can't leave. Faámelu, who is transgender, said that transphobia is pervasive in the city and neighboring countries, and fears that if she leaves, the tension of the ongoing conflict will make her more susceptible to violence. Faámelu was...

Another sports governing body has barred Russia from international competitions, as the International Skating Union (ISU) has moved to exclude Russian competitors in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Only a day after the governing body of international soccer, FIFA moved to ban Russian teams from the World Cup, the ice skating organization said that no skater from Russia or Belarus “shall be invited or allowed to participate” in ISU events until further notice, according to the CBC. Artur Was of Poland and Kai Verbij of The Netherlands competes in the mens 500m race during day three of the ISU...

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol said on Tuesday it had issued subpoenas to six people who promoted false claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and participated in, or encouraged, actions based on those false claims. The individuals subpoenaed included Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who advised former President Donald Trump, and Christina Bobb, a reporter for the far-right One America News Network who also worked part time for the Trump legal team, a statement from the panel said. Subpoenas also were sent to Trump campaign attorney...

COMPARING TRUMP AND BIDEN ON COVID DEATHS (As of 3/01/22) The media went wild after the reported Covid death toll reached 400,000 on Trumps last day in office. Blood on his hands': As US surpasses 400,000 COVID-19 deaths, experts blame Trump administration for a 'preventable' loss of life On Trump’s Last Full Day, Nation Records 400,000 Covid DeathsUS Covid-19 death toll passes 400,000 on Trump’s last day in office The reported death toll from Covid now stands at: 951,616 according to Johns Hopkins Covid Tracker 976,011 according to Worldometer Covid TrackerBIDEN: 551 to 576 thousand reported COVID deaths TRUMP: 400...

“Are we going to be sending massive amounts of money to a country and they’re corrupt and they steal the money and it goes into everybody’s bank account?” This was the infamous rhetorical question posed by President Donald Trump which set off a hurricane of criticism from his political opponents on Capitol Hill. Immediately, the President was accused of “exaggerating” Ukrainian corruption, which, let’s remind ourselves, has triggered the Democrat-led House impeachment proceedings against Trump. According to Democrats, Trump is alleged to have pressured the newly elected President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in order to urge Kiev authorities to start...

According to David Frum of The Atlantic and author of Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy (2020), Russia's Ukraine invasion has been greatly aided by high energy prices, especially natural gas, in the ongoing energy boom. Frum notes that the price of Russian gas on spot markets surpassed $10 per million metric BTUs in June 2021 before tripling to the current $30 per million metric BTUs. The sharp rise in energy prices has helped Russia's foreign exchange reserves hit $630 billion, or 42% of the country's $1.5 trillion GDP. With those massive financial resources, Russia could inflict real havoc on world energy...

The Swiss-based company behind the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has filed for bankruptcy and fired all 106 of its employees, a local official confirmed to Swiss radio broadcaster SRF.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that she would not be wearing a mask tonight at President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address. Pelosi said, “Tonight will be a great speech. I’m really looking forward to it. I think it will be pivotal in terms of COVID as well, which has had a direct impact on the attitudes and rates that people give to governance because COVID still has its remnants. But I think tonight will be pivotal in terms of our values. His vision, his plan, his knowledge, and his connection...

Vladimir Putin was said to be looking 'ashen and bloated' in a meeting today as the global condemnation of his invasion of Ukraine continued. In an image released by the Kremlin, the Russian president was seen in Moscow sitting with the Governor of Saint Petersburg Alexander Beglov. The pair sat opposing each other across a desk in the Kremlin and viewers on social media picked up on the under-pressure Russian leader's apparently pale appearance. One said: 'Putin does not look well... he's ashen and bloated.' Another noted that he was sitting very close to Mr Beglov, despite the fact that...

THIS is the shocking moment a group of Mexican cartel gangsters line up mourners at a funeral and shoot them dead against a wall. Around 17 victims were massacred in the town of San Jose de Gracia, Michoacan on Sunday. The shocking clip which was shared on social media shows the moment dozens of men storm the wake and violently drag mourners outside. The video believed to be filmed by a nearby neighbour, through a window shows the people lined up against a wall, most of them holding their hands behind their heads, while the gunmen are seen pointing their...

For the second consecutive year, a record number of handgun carry permits were issued last year in Minnesota. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Tuesday released its annual permit to carry report, which showed 106,488 permits were issued in 2021 on 110,078 applications. That’s up nearly 10.3% from 2020, when a record 96,554 permits were issued. According to the BCA, 176 permits were suspended last year, 40 were revoked, 1,165 voided and 1,627 denied. More permits were issued in Hennepin County last year than any other county, by a wide margin. The five counties that issued the most permits...

Youtube video at link. (17 minutes) Sorry I can't give a more complete summary. But this was a fascinating discussion with Bill Brownden, who was a big investor in Russia before he was exiled. Discussion is of the impacts of the sanctions and how they are going after the Russian Oligarchs. As well as Putin's motives.