Free Republic

The war in Ukraine is in danger of igniting World War III. A gunfight with NATO cannot be excluded as a consequence of Russia’s military action. The US and NATO are avoiding military conflict on the one hand and firing on all cylinders with economic sanctions on the other. Russia’s military action is aimed at winning space for its security, while the US economic policy is aimed at destroying the Russian economy as a way to trigger regime change and even dismantle Russia. This could become the first of a new kind of asymmetric world war, in which China’s role...

In a message directed at the Biden administration and the other Western powers involved in the Vienna negotiations, the Arab countries said that Iran and its terrorist militias are continuing to create chaos and instability, especially in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. The Arabs, including the Arab League, are telling the Biden administration that, in their view, it is not only Iran that threatens their security, but also its terrorist proxies, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. The Arabs are clearly worried about the financial and military aid that Iran is providing to the terrorist groups. Any...

Researchers say total infections will reach about 4.5 million of Hong Kong's 7.4 million people. Now the city is being forced to move away from key pillars of its strict Covid Zero strategy as its latest outbreak overwhelms the under-prepared health-care system. “At any point in time, we need to revise, review and adjust our policy measures.” Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says the government will “critically review” its experience in handling its latest #Covid19 wave to inform how it tackles future virus outbreaks

When I went through ROTC training we were were obviously taught to respect the numerical superiority of the Soviet bloc Armour units deployed across the Iron Curtain. But I remember some of our NCO instructors mentioned that Russian enlisted personnel lacked strong NCO guidance....that they were heavily dependent on top-down leadership. After all these years...this holds true today.

In the past few hours it emerged that a flight containing crates of weapons, ammunition and explosives should have departed from the Cargo Village located at the civil airport of Pisa , in contrast with the very purpose of the trip, given its humanitarian nature. In fact, the flight was supposed to provide food, medicines, and other useful products to the Ukrainian population, in difficulty due to the fighting in recent weeks. The workers of the "Galileo Galilei" airport of Pisa had been asked to load humanitarian aid destined for Ukraine. However, when they found themselves faced with crates containing...

Hard to believe but it is almost a full month since Truth Social, a new social media platform started by Trump Media, designed to offer an alternate twitter type on-line experience without all the liberal politics, was soft launched. I know that there are some Freepers that simply will not tolerate any criticism of this platform which seems counter to Truth Social's mission statement with regard to free free speech. Having said that I do believe that it is fair game to discuss this service, the good and the bad, given that President Trump considers us his base of support....

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Thursday voted to make abortions much cheaper for people on private health insurance plans, bringing California closer to becoming the fourth state in the country to ban insurance fees for the procedure. California already requires private health insurance plans to cover abortion services. But insurers are allowed to charge people things like co-pays and deductibles, which adds an average of $543 to the cost of a medication abortion and $887 to the cost of a procedural abortion. The Assembly approved a bill that would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for abortions on private health plans....

That time Trump called out the corruption in Ukraine with Zelensky sitting next to him... The look on Zelensky's face is priceless. I can't wait for this to unravel... short video at link.

Washington (AFP) – Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was the fastest qualifier for Thursday's 500-yard freestyle final at the US collegiate women's swimming and diving championships in Atlanta. Thomas, who competes for the University of Pennsylvania, topped Thursday morning preliminaries with a time of 4mins, 33.82secs with Erica Sullivan of Texas second in 4:36.79 and Virginia's Emma Weyant third in 4:37.25. Thomas would be the first known transgender athlete to capture a Division I title if she wins a final at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) meet at McAuley Aquatic Center. Thomas, who had previously competed as a male swimmer...

“‘Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 5:10). Our Lord made it clear from His earliest teaching that following Him was costly. Those who entered His kingdom would suffer for Him before they would reign with Him. The cost of discipleship is billed to our account in many different ways. A believer today might be expected to hedge on the quality of his work to increase company profits. To follow one’s conscience in obedience to the Lord might cost him his job or at least a promotion....

REP. KINZINGER: "If Donald Trump gets the Republican nomination there are many of us that will move heaven and earth to ensure he doesn't win. I think that's the most important thing. He cannot be president again." https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1504528442519433219

<p>ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) -While lawmakers on Capitol Hill decide what to do about hair discrimination legislation, a hairstylist at an Albany salon shares what she believes can be done on a different level, impacting us all at home.</p><p>Melissa Jackson is the owner of Reflections Hair Salon.</p>

While American higher education often is rightly condemned for being inefficient, non-innovative, and resistant to change, there are exceptions, and there are some collegiate entrepreneurs whose success is worthy of commendation and emulation. To me, the top award for American higher education innovation must go to Mitch Daniels, who is just beginning his tenth year as the president of Purdue University. I had a nice chat with President Daniels the other day. At the beginning, I reminded him how we first met: I visited him in his office as Governor of Indiana in late 2012, shortly before beginning his tenure...

U.S. authorities along the Mexican border have been instructed to consider exempting Ukrainians from a pandemic-related restriction so they can enter the country to seek asylum, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo obtained by CBS News. During a call with reporters on Thursday, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the policy guidance is designed to remind Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers that their power to exempt certain migrants from Title 42, an expulsion policy first implemented under the Trump administration, applies to Ukrainians seeking U.S. refuge.

An Emirati-flagged cargo ship, longer than a soccer field, sank in stormy seas off Iran's southern coast in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, authorities said. Rescuers were trying to account for all of the vessel's 30 crew members. Capt. Nizar Qaddoura, operations manager of the company that owns the ship, told The Associated Press the Al Salmy 6 encountered treacherous weather. The choppy waters forced the vessel to list at a precarious angle and, within hours, fully submerged the ship. Emergency workers dispatched from Iran successfully saved 16 crew members, Qaddoura said, and civilian ships had been asked to help...

Sitcom that launched the man of the hour into international prominence. Humble school teacher becomes President of Ukraine, because power elites decided to allow a fair election just for fun.

“There is an absence of history in Washington. Russia “encircled” with “sanctions” to deter war. The Republicans want to escalate into an air war with various ideas for intervention by air to offset Russian air superiority. The Democrats oppose this as a risk of World War Three. The lost history in the media and in Washington is in underestimating Russian resistance and self-sufficient go-it-alone nationalism.

Then-President-elect Joe Biden in December of 2020 laughed when questioned if Hunter’s laptop is Russian disinformation. “Do you still think that the stories from the fall about your son is Russian disinformation and a smear campaign, like you said?” a Fox News reporter asked.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday dodged two questions about Hunter Biden’s laptop after the New York Times confirmed the “laptop from hell” is in fact real. The New York Times finally admitted that Hunter Biden’s laptop is real. ........... Two White House reporters confronted Psaki about Hunter Biden’s laptop on Thursday and her previous claims it was ‘Russian disinformation.’ Psaki looked visibly irritated and refused to answer any questions. “The president previously said that the [Hunter Biden laptop scandal]…was a bunch of garbage and that it was a Russian plant. Does he stand by that assessment?” a...

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The United States authorized the departure of families and some personnel Wednesday at the U.S. consulate in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo. The move came after drug cartel gunmen fired at the U.S. consulate building in Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas, during Sunday night. “The Department of State authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members from the U.S. Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo due to security conditions,” a department statement said. “As of March 15, the Department of State is not able to offer routine consular...