Free Republic

At a time of tectonic shifts in foreign policy alliances, with Russia and China forming a new pact and aggressively asserting themselves on the international stage, Washington’s national security community is splintered across the ideological spectrum on how best to counter the dual threats. Yet, even before Russia invaded Ukraine, a group of national security practitioners, military veterans, and scholars began trying to move beyond their policy differences to help repair the damage inflicted by the last U.S. foreign policy failure – the chaotic U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan nearly seven months ago.

Hundreds of Thousands Gather for Rabbi Kanievsky's Funeral in Central Israel Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the leader of the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox community in Israel, is laid to rest in his city of Bnei Brak Josh Breiner Mar. 19, 2022 Get email notification for articles from Josh Breiner Around 350,000 mourners arrived at the funeral procession of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the leader of the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox community in Israel, who died on Friday at 94. The procession began at 12 P.M. from the rabbi's home in Bnei Brak, a predominantly ultra-Orthodox suburb of Tel Aviv and one of the most crowded cities...

The nation is preparing to celebrate what has become a beloved annual holiday: Two Weeks To Slow The Spread Day, to be held in March every year. "This time of year we like to come together to remember the historic day two years ago when we put on masks and locked ourselves down, trusting that the lockdown would be over in just two weeks," said local man Paul Christof as he stared out his window longingly, his three masks securely in place. "This year, I'm going all out with a Zoom party with no more than five of my closest...

Following the ‘democracy must be destroyed in order to preserve it model‘, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dissolved all political opposition parties and consolidated all media. There’s a word to describe when a single national leader takes control over all media platforms and dissolves the political parties of his opposition. However, apparently, we are not allowed to notice that because Russia “invaded a sovereign democracy” or something. LVIV, Ukraine, March 20 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed a decree that combines all national TV channels into one platform, citing the importance of a “unified information policy” under martial...

More mercenaries connected to the Russian Wagner private military company arrived in Ukraine on Sunday with the objective of assassinating top Ukrainian military and political leadership, Ukraine's Intelligence Directorate claimed on Sunday. The directorate asserted that the main targets of the mercenaries included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Russian President Vladimir Putin "personally ordered another attack by one of his proxies," said the Directorate. "All previous attempts ended in the failure and elimination of terrorists. Zelensky was allegedly nearly assassinated three times in the week of March 4, according to...

The brutal assault on the city of Mariupol in Ukraine will be remembered for "centuries to come," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Sunday."The besieged Mariupol will go down in history of responsibility for war crimes. The terror the occupiers did to the peaceful city will be remembered for centuries to come," Zelenskyy said in a video address on Telegram.Mariupol, located in southeast Ukraine, has been the subject of a brutal assault that has laid waste to the city's homes, schools, and maternity hospitals. Some residents have been sheltering for weeks, and many are without food, water, or electricity.Last week, Russian forces...

On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry issued an ultimatum to the Ukrainian garrison defending Mariupol.“Lay down your arms,” Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, the director of the Russian National Center for Defense Management, said in a briefing distributed by the defence ministry.“A terrible humanitarian catastrophe has developed,” Mizintsev said. “All who lay down their arms are guaranteed safe passage out of Mariupol.”The deadline is 5 a.m. Monday, Moscow time, or 10 p.m. Sunday Eastern Daylight Time.With about two hours remaining to the deadline, the defenders of Mariupol rejected the demand. This sets the stage for the largest siege of a city since...

The Supreme Court announced on Sunday that Justice Clarence Thomas was in the hospital.Clarence Thomas was admitted to the hospital two nights ago with flu-like symptoms, the court said in a press release. He expects to be released "in a day or two."pic.twitter.com/kKeES7nHw2— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) March 20, 2022Justice Clarence Thomas was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. Friday evening after experiencing flu-like symptoms. He underwent tests, was diagnosed with an infection, and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics. His symptoms are abating, he is resting comfortably, and he expects to be released from the hospital in a day...

A combination therapy that targets cancer cells from within and without caused tumors to shrink or stabilize in 75% of patients with recurrent or persistent estrogen receptor- (ER-) positive endometrial cancer. The phase 2 study evaluated the combination of abemaciclib, a targeted drug, and letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, in 30 patients with recurrent ER-positive endometrial cancer, a form of the disease in which tumor growth is fueled by estrogen. The patients had received a median of three prior therapies, and about half of them had been treated with hormonal therapy. With a median follow-up of 12.5 months, 75% of the...

In a study published on March 15, 2022...MIT astronomers report that three, and potentially four, planets that were originally discovered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope are in fact misclassified. Instead, these suspected planets are likely small stars. The team used updated measurements of planet-hosting stars to double-check the size of the planets, and identified three that are simply too big to be planets. With new and better estimates of stellar properties, the researchers found that the three objects, which are known as Kepler-854b, Kepler-840b, and Kepler-699b, are now estimated to be between two and four times the size of Jupiter....

NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) landed at the Santiago International Airport in Chile on March 18. The Boeing 747SP will conduct experiments for the next two weeks, and it is the first time it has landed in South America. SOFIA is temporarily changing its base of operations from Palmdale, California, to Chile to observe celestial objects that can only be seen from Southern Hemisphere latitudes, said NASA in a statement. SOFIA will operate eight science flights from Santiago International Airport during the next two weeks. The team will primarily observe the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds during the...

“An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want” (Proverbs 21:4-5).

We say happy birthday to the Grand Old Party, the GOP, or, the Republican Party. The birth of the party happened in Ripon, Wisconsin, on this day in 1854. The new party was formed by former members of the Whig Party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. In my case, I became a de facto Republican after the Kennedy administration fumbled The Bay of Pigs invasion.

Intel has confirmed plans to build a semiconductor plant in Germany as part of an investment of up to €80 billion ($88 billion) in Europe over the next decade. The initial outlay for the facility in Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt, is €17 billion ($19 billion). The so-called “mega-site” will actually comprise two factories. Planning will start right away with construction expected to get under way in the first half of next year, as long as Intel gets the thumbs up from the European Commission. Production should commence at what Intel is calling “Silicon Junction” in 2027. As such, the...

A few hours after sharply criticizing the government's policy in a speech to MKs Zelensky, he said that there could be talks between Russia and Ukraine in Israel. "We are grateful for the mediation efforts. Jerusalem? The right place to make peace," he said in a speech posted on the Telegram. At the same time, in Kiev rejected the Russian ultimatum to surrender to Mariupol: "We will not lay down our arms." Killed in a shelling of a shopping center and houses in the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said tonight (Sunday to Monday), hours after his critical speech...

Join together with Fellow FREEPERS to Pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media.'I Urge, then, First of All, that Requests, Prayers, Intercession and Thanksgiving be Made for Everyone: for Kings and All those in Authority that we May Live Peaceful and Quiet Lives in All Godliness and Holiness.' 1 Timothy 2:1-2Religion Forum Threads Labeled [Prayer] are Closed to Debate of Any Kind.Isaiah 40:31They that Wait upon the Lord Shall Renew their Strength.

The number of homeschoolers in Florida has spiked in a dramatic way since the start of the pandemic.The state saw an overall 35.2% increase in the number of homeschoolers between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, according to the Florida Department of Education.But the increases were even steeper in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.The counties both experienced over 60% increases in the number of children being homeschooled between the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years.Escambia among top 25 Florida counties for pedestrian accidents. This program may help.Now, some local parents who began homeschooling their children because of the spread of COVID-19 do not intend...

A starling new development reveals South American criminal tourists are on home invasion sprees targeting wealthy neighborhoods across the US, according to Daily Mail. South American thieves exploit the US’ immigration system for travel as they target multi-million dollar homes in liberal-controlled areas with relaxed criminal justice laws. Police from around the country report some of these criminal tourists are from Colombia and elsewhere in South America. They have ransacked mansions in California, New York, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Law enforcement experts say these professional burglars exploit a 2014 visa waiver program intended to promote tourism....

The sound of rockets launching in the distance breaks the silence of an otherwise quiet morning in Kyiv. "That's us, we're attacking Russian positions close to Hostomel," a Ukrainian soldier says, as the shots fire in a synchronized rhythm. In this particular instance, the rockets the Ukrainian military is using to target Moscow's invading troops are actually Russian. "Last night we sent the Ukrainian armed forces 24 Uragan missiles that were on their way here to fly over our cities," says Yuri Golodov, the deputy commander of one of Ukraine's Territorial Forces and a retired seaman from the Ukrainian Navy....

Most of the media want you to believe that lingering questions about election integrity are the stuff of lies, kooks and fringe conspiracy theories. *** Kooks? I can’t vouch for someone I’ve never met or talked with, but I’ve spoken with conservative firebrand Dinesh D’Souza and he seems pretty darn rational to me. And we’ll see if he has the goods in his upcoming film and book “2000 Mules,” in which he purports to have actual surveillance footage of rampant ballot harvesting in the 2020 election. Just one of the 2,000 “mules” D’Souza says his team traced via cell phone...