Free Republic

All wars are full of lies. Winston Churchill famously said, “In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”We accept that idea broadly. Secret invasion plans should be closely held. The identities of spies must be kept under wraps. New weapons and defensive tools should not be revealed because enemies will be alerted to their potential and begin offensive workarounds.Still, just because the government has legitimate reasons to deceive the public in wartime does not mean that citizens don’t have a duty to find the truth to the extent they can.The Russian-Ukraine...

https://twitter.com/i/status/1509850943596208128 This cat is totally oblivious................

Migrants march from south Mexico as US lifts COVID ban Some 500 migrants from Central America, Venezuela and elsewhere have pushed past police and National Guard lines in southern Mexico TAPACHULA, Mexico -- Some 500 migrants from Central America, Venezuela and elsewhere pushed past police and National Guard lines in southern Mexico Friday in one of the first such marches this year. The migrants described the march as a traditional annual protest related to Holy Week, and those at the front carried a white cross, as others have done in previous years.

A big fire is raging in #Kherson amid rumours it could be yet another strike on Russian gear at the airport #Chornobaivka (#Chernobaevka) Governor of neighouring Mykolaiv, Vitaly Kim began the rumours by posting a photo of the blaze and then "1 April, Chernobaevka"

Donald Trump, GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said this week that he is fine with Republican candidates who support the former president as long as they can win their elections. Trump has repeatedly attacked McConnell in public statements since McConnell condemned the former president last year for inciting his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. "There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day," McConnell said in a Senate floor speech on February 13, 2021.

Oscars producer Will Packer revealed the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) told Chris Rock backstage at the Academy Awards after Will Smith punched him in the face that what the actor did was “battery,” and that they were prepared to “arrest him.” In an interview with Good Morning America, Packer explained police officers were immediately on the scene backstage after the attack, telling Rock what his rights were, and informing the comedian that they were prepared to arrest the actor. Packer said the LAPD “came into my office, and they were laying out very clearly what Chris’ rights were. They...

Hope Solo, the former goalie for the US Women’s National Team, was arrested for alleged DWI in North Carolina on Thursday. Police told TMZ that Solo, 40, was taken into custody in the parking lot of a Walmart in Winston-Salem, and processed in the Forsyth County jail. Solo allegedly had two young kids in the car at the time. She is married to former NFL tight end Jerramy Stevens and they have 2-year-old twins. It was not immediately clear if it was the twins who were in the car with her at the time, but TMZ says it was “likely”...

I’m worried. Florida just passed their disgusting "Don’t Say Gay" bill on Monday. When I said that they’ve revamped their anti-gay attacks, I wasn’t joking. I’m gay. I’m proud to be gay. But I am terrified. I need your help. The Senate MUST pass the Equality Act NOW. Even if you’ve already signed a similar petition, please sign again and read why it’s so important below: Sign the Petition >> Rachel M.

The Taliban have barred women from flying alone on domestic and international airlines operating in Afghanistan. The change in flight policy was announced on Monday as the latest move by the militant group to hinder women's rights within Afghanistan. ... The policy specifically told airlines that women could not board a flight without a male relative or chaperone, two sources told Reuters. The policy change barred dozens of women who arrived at Kabul's international airport from transferring flights, officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Local women and dual nationals were equally affected by the policy and were...

It feels like we're turning a corner. Since the beginning of the calendar year, a lot of things have changed. More importantly, a lot of minds have changed as well. The world and the nation don't look like they used to, and don't seem likely to again any time soon. Consider the masks. On New Year's Day, 30% of people in 11 states and the District of Columbia were subject to statewide masking mandates. In addition, mask mandates were in effect in several dozen politically liberal cities and counties in other states, raising coverage to more than one-third of the...

Joe Biden continues to import illegals into the United States and wants funds to put migrant border crossers under “house arrest” and provide them with taxpayer-funded attorneys to fight deportation. The move will make the numbers at detention centers decrease while the illegal population will continue to grow inside the U.S. and provide a road map for relatives and others who are trying to get into the U.S. The San Antonio Express News reported the protocol could include angle bracelets and phone apps to allegedly keep track of the thousands and thousands of people being released inside the country. The...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A federal judge on Thursday struck down key provisions of a 2021 Florida election law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and, in a remarkable move, ruled the state must get court approval for the next 10 years before it enacts further changes in three areas. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, in a blistering 288-page decision, said the law placed restrictions on voters that were unconstitutional and discriminated against minority citizens. Those included limits on drop boxes used for mail-in voting, on giving items to voters waiting in line and new requirements placed on voter registration groups....

<p>China and the Solomon Islands have signed a draft version of a security pact that could see Chinese police and other forces take up duties in the Pacific Island nation, drawing concerns from traditional partners New Zealand, Australia and the United States.</p>

"Our Governor is Red, White, and Blue."

The news business is in a state of flux. Newsroom employment has dropped by about 26% since 2008 and while many new digital outlets are adding jobs, others are struggling to survive. Journalists who have left traditional newsrooms for roles outside the industry — or for positions that defy easy categorization — are offering advice on LinkedIn to reporters and editors who might want to make the same jump. Question to journalists who have left newsrooms: What's the best advice you'd give to a reporter/editor leaving the traditional world of journalism (whether they're leaving industry altogether or moving to something...

BREAKING : Pope Francis to Pontificate on Easter Sunday at Traditional Latin Mass in St. Peter's Basilica! VATICAN CITY - In a surprise announcement this morning, the Director of the Vatican Press office announced that Pope Francis will celebrate a Pontifical Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Easter Sunday morning. It will be in reparation for the worship of the Amazonian idol and the betrayal of the real Catholics in Communist China and the worldwide closure of churches, suspension of the public Mass and the withholding of the Sacraments due to the Chinese Communist Party Virus. The Holy Father...

House Republicans have launched an investigation into Twitter and Facebook after new reports surfaced about Hunter Biden’s laptop. In letters posted on Twitter, 10 Republicans, led by Rep. Jim Jordan, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Parag Agrawal, Twitter's CEO. Both letters cited a 2020 article in the New York Post about the Biden laptop. The letter to Zuckerberg said: "Shortly before the 2020 election, Facebook suppressed an explosive New York Post article detailing how Hunter Biden used the position and influence of his father, now-President [Joe] Biden, for personal gain,...

Dozens of statements from ordinary trackmen and line workers, rail hands and IT specialists, conductors and engineers showed the depth and breadth of opposition in Belarus to Russia’s war, as well as towards Mr Lukashenko. “I know these guys – they are drivers, security guards and maintenance crews,” Franak Viacorka, an adviser to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, tells The Independent in an interview. ...While the war may help Mr Putin consolidate his hold over Russian society and politics, for Belarus and its autocratic leader the conflict could unravel an already shaky calm imposed by force. Polls conducted by the...

A Florida woman who accused a Vermont doctor of impregnating her with his own sperm instead of a donor’s in 1977 was awarded $5.25 million by a federal judge on Wednesday. Cheryl Rousseau was awarded $250,000 in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages in the case against Dr John Coates III, who inseminated her with his sperm without her consent. Cheryl’s attorney, Celeste Laramie said that the jury awarded Cheryl the amount they had requested, and that the jurors found Coates’ behavior to be ‘wrongful and offensive.’ She said: ‘The jury through its punitive damages verdict sent a...

Boulder police searching for three stolen bikes worth more than $80,000 By: Sydney Isenberg Mar 31, 2022 BOULDER, Colo. — The Boulder Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating three stolen bikes that are worth more than $80,000. Sometime between 10 p.m. Wednesday and 8:15 a.m. Thursday, a business in the 2800 block of Wilderness Place was broken into and three bicycles were stolen, according to police. Two of the bikes had unique prototype technology. The first bike — a black, heavily modified Cervelo P5 triathlon bike — is valued at $40,000 and features a concept drivetrain...