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VIDEOWhat a difference a day makes! On Monday he had to wear a mask outdoors despite nobody being within 50 yards of him. On Tuesday it was mask off indoors surrounded by people and lots of hugging and handshaking. Amazing how things change in just ONE day!

In #Russia, the Ministry of Defence said that 498 Russian servicemen had died in #Ukraine since Russian gofces invaded on 24 February. This figure is probably a serious underestimation of Russian casualties.

Like the old E.F. Hutton ads, when Fed Chair Jerome Powell talks, people listen. Stocks rose, while bonds fell after Jerome Powell said he was inclined to back a quarter-point U.S. rate hike in March to combat inflation that is “too high.” In a broad-based equity rally, financial and industrial companies led gains in the S&P 500. The two-year Treasury yield — which is more sensitive to imminent Federal Reserve policy moves — was near 1.5%. The Fed chief also noted that the central bank is prepared to be more aggressive if inflation is more persistent than expected, while adding...

WASHINGTON — It is rare that a president can show he is living up to the mantle of "leader of the free world" — and even less common for him to do so against the backdrop of his main political rival praising an autocrat. But that's what President Joe Biden did during his first State of the Union address, highlighting how he has led the Western world in defending Ukraine against Russia's invasion. "Six days ago, Russia’s Vladimir Putin sought to shake the very foundations of the free world, thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But...

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who led an audit of the 2020 election in his state, testified that the election was so corrupt that the state legislature should “take a very hard look at the option of decertification of the 2020” presidential election.“It is clear that the Wisconsin Legislature could lawfully take steps to decertify electors in any Presidential election, for example in light of violations of state election law that did or likely could have affected the outcome of the election,” Gableman’s report reads. However, it said that doing so would not impact the results of the...

President Joe Biden went after Russian President Vladimir Putin hard during his State of the Union address on Wednesday, but withheld harsh words for Chinese President Xi Jinping — whose goal is for China to supplant the United States as the world’s superpower and whose government was responsible for not controlling the coronavirus outbreak within its borders. Despite spending a significant portion of his address on Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden addressed China only once, in the context of touting the passage of bipartisan infrastructure legislation. “I’ve told Xi Jinping it’s never been a good bet to bet...

MOSCOW, March 2 (Reuters) - Russia will treat any hacking of its satellites as a justification for war, the head of the country's space agency was quoted as saying in a news report on Wednesday. Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin denied media reports that Russian satellite control centres have already been hacked amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, while warning against any attempts to do so, Interfax news agency reported. "Offlining the satellites of any country is actually a casus belli, a cause for war," Interfax quoted him as saying.

Suppose your state legislature were to pass a law declaring that people who share her point of view may not approach and speak to people on public sidewalks outside stores that sell products made in China. Would that comply with the First Amendment, which denies government the power to make any law "abridging the freedom of speech"? resident Joe Biden's nominee to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court argued in a federal court case that the government can in fact restrict the freedom of speech on a public sidewalk -- in the vicinity of an abortion clinic. In...

Don't worry trans people, Uncle Joe's looking out for you. There were plenty of truly bizarre points during Joe Biden’s first State Of The Union address, including Nancy Pelosi grinning like a demon and not being able to sit still while he spoke about dead troops. However, this also ranks up there with the most odd – Biden telling “Younger transgender Americans” that he’s ‘got their back’. Biden vowed to “Continue to advance maternal health care,” adding “Folks, LGBTQ plus Americans, let’s finally get the bipartisan Equality Act to my desk, as the onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans.”...

At least he didn’t do the Creeper Whisper, but Joe Biden added to his list of weird rhetorical tics with State of the Union finale. Instead of finishing on the traditional “God bless the United States of America,” Biden added this bizarre exhortation as his final words to Congress: Biden ends with "Go get him" ??? pic.twitter.com/gFFDynJCF4 — Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 2, 2022 At first, it sounded more like “Go get ’em,” which … would still be utterly meaningless. After listening a few times, it sounds pretty clear that Biden said “him.” So who’s “him”? It can’t be Vladimir...

Russia-Ukraine updates: Captured Russian troops weep as they admit to killing innocent Ukrainians Russian troops slaughtered a Ukrainian policeman’s family, including his newborn baby and 6-year-old daughter — all while his brother heard it in a phone call, according to reports. Policeman Oleg Fedko, 30, was working in the Kherson region when his parents and partner picked up his kids to keep them safe last Thursday, the day Russia launched its war, according to The Sun, citing local reports.

SYDNEY/HONG KONG, March 2 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's ambition to become a hub for green and sustainable business is under threat as its persistent tough border controls against COVID-19 make the task of attracting senior specialists harder for financial institutions. Hong Kong has stepped up efforts in recent years to become a leader in Environmental and Social Governance (ESG), including creation of working groups with government officials and global firms to develop a local talent pool. Flight bans, lengthy and expensive quarantine norms, limited access to public services and the threat of separation from family members who test positive have...

Some quick thoughts to share, and we will get the big ones out the way first. Should we send U.S. troops: NO! Do I like Vladimir? No, though I have had professional respect for him in some areas, and personal in one. If you are not mature enough to differentiate between respecting someone and liking them, bugger off. My heart bleeds for the Ukraine, and I’m moved by the willingness of its people to resist the invasion. To watch those who now live elsewhere, or are the children/grandchildren/etc. of those who immigrated return to defend it is amazing. What they...

The Monthly Fiber Arts Thread is a monthly gathering of people that love yarn and fabric of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first project, to experienced fiber artists and beyond, we would love to hear from you. It is impossible to hijack the Monthly Fiber Arts Thread. Knitting, crochet, quilting, weaving, general crafting - there is no telling where it will go, and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our Fiber Arts...

WASHINGTON (AP) — People in the U.S. from Sudan and South Sudan can stay with temporary legal status to escape the conflict and natural disasters in their homelands, the Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday. It faces pressure to grant the same to Ukrainians. There are 12 countries whose nationals receive temporary protected status, a program that former President Donald Trump sought to curtail amid criticism of frequent extensions that have enabled people to live in the U.S. for years in a kind of legal limbo. The announcement affects a relatively small number of people. DHS said there are about...

The old debate about whether drivers in New Jersey should be able to pump their own gas has returned. On Monday, a group of bipartisan legislators introduced a new bill that would allow drivers in the state to have the option for self-service stations.

On Monday the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Navy's request to reinstate the U.S. Navy's COVID-19 vaccine requirement. In November, dozens of U.S. Navy SEALs claimed they were wrongfully denied COVID vaccination exemptions on religious grounds. The suit, which lists 35 unnamed service members, argues that that the Defense Department's mandate violates their First Amendment rights. While the percentage of vaccinated active duty personnel in each service is at 95 percent or higher, the number of unvaccinated personnel is close to 30,000. The Navy itself has previously said that it has not granted an exemption to any...

Joe Biden has a shameless propensity for using his deceased son for political advantage. He wields it as an evocative shield- sort of like Whoopi Goldberg claiming to be black, Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist, Catholic and a quarter Mexican. He's done this repeatedly. “I don’t think enough people understand how much we’ve asked of the 1% of this country who put that uniform on, willing to put their lives on the line in defense of our nation,” said Biden, before invoking his son Beau’s military service as a JAG Officer and appearing to lose his train of thought. “Maybe it’s because...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's bizarre behavior during Biden's State of the Union address last night distracted viewers from the President's comments and had some asking if she was 'on drugs' or 'drunk'. Pelosi was sitting directly behind the President and was in full view throughout the speech, that went on for an hour and two minutes. The 81-year-old behaved erratically throughout, jumping up and rubbing her knuckles in glee after Biden spoke of soldiers breathing in toxic air at one point. At other moments, she rubbed her tongue over her teeth inside her mouth. The bizarre behavior inspired a wave...

In his book Still Time to Care (2021), Greg Johnson, an intelligent Christian thinker, seeks to make a valid case for allowing someone who, like himself, is openly same-sex attracted, gay, and celibate to be an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America. Johnson adopts a profoundly orthodox and well exegetically supported view of biblical sexuality. He affirms the fundamental importance of “gender complementarity” (154), that is, of one-flesh, male/female sexuality, as clearly expressed in Genesis 2:24: “therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”...