Free Republic

U.S. lawmakers are reportedly questioning California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's capacity to do her job at her age. Senators and other officials are reportedly concerned that Diane Feinstein, 88, is no longer mentally competent enough to do her job as a lawmaker, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Feinstein's critics, however, have declined to speak on the record and asked to have their names withheld. "I have worked with her for a long time and long enough to know what she was like just a few years ago: always in command, always in charge, on top of the details, basically couldn’t...

Democrats may not like it, but they know what’s in store for them in November. That may be one reason that so many of them have decided not to run for reelection — 31 in the House at last count, a 30-year high, according to news reports. When a freight train is heading in your direction, it’s wise to get out of the way. But it’s not at all clear that Democrats understand that this time around, it’s more than “the economy, stupid.” They may grasp the obvious: Inflation is a major issue as the midterms approach. If just about...

<p>Ukrainian President Zelensky stated European countries that continue to buy Russian oil "earn their money in other people's blood".</p><p>Germany and Hungary block effort to embargo energy sales, which Russia stands to make £250bn ($326bn) this year.</p><p>"Some of our friends and partners understand this is a different time now, no longer an issue of business and money, but an issue of survival."</p>

The overall citrus crop for the current year is on pace to fill 42.6 million boxes.Florida's struggling citrus industry continues to see a decline in the crop for the current growing season, with the harvest on track for the lowest yield since before World War II. With the latest sign of trouble for the industry attributed to a recent cold snap, the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday dropped its Florida orange forecast by more than 7 percent from the March update, pushing the decline since the first forecast was issued in October to nearly 19 percent. Meanwhile, grapefruit production...

Buck, now 67, lured young Black men who were often experiencing homelessness, addiction, and/or poverty to his apartment for sexually charged sessions in which he would inject them with methamphetamine and drug them with sedatives, with and without their consent, federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. Buck -- who has donated more than $500,000 to mostly Democratic causes and served in 2016 as one of California's Electoral College members -- was convicted of two counts of distribution of controlled substances resulting in death. Prosecutors allege that Buck caused the deaths as a result of his "fetish" for injecting men...

As the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation comes under scrutiny over its purchase of a $5.8 million Los Angeles mansion, co-founder Patrisse Cullors blasted standard financial disclosure forms as “triggering” and “unsafe.” “It is such a trip to hear the term ‘990,’” Cullors said during an event Friday, according to the Washington Examiner. She was referring to IRS Form 990, which charities are required to file every year to disclose their financial activities. SNIP “This is, like, deeply unsafe. This is literally being weaponized against us, against the people we work with,” Cullors said, seeming to allege that people...

Democrats warn it's time to wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to the upcoming midterm election as the White House defended its messaging strategy amid sagging approval ratings for President Joe Biden. Six months out from the election that will determine which party controls Congress, Democrats are facing an increasingly nightmare scenario that involves the war in Ukraine, high prices for food and gas, immigration problems at the Southern border and the remains covid pandemic. It has them worried they will lose control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate in November.

A woman who has transformed herself with extensive plastic surgery said she would be 'working in McDonald's' if it wasn't for her 'Barbie' looks. Jazmyn Forrest, 24, who lives in Sydney, has spent $53,000 (£30,00) on multiple breast augmentations, $44,000 (£25,000) on liposuction and at least $8,800 (£5,000) on regular Botox and lip fillers in the last six years. Many of the procedures have been paid for by her sugar daddy, a 'sweet and private' man who allows her to live a 'six-figure lifestyle' She said she 'feels sad for normal people her age' who have to work because it's...

Russia has moved its warships away from the Ukrainian coast, a United States defence official said today, after a double missile strike is believed to slammed into the navy's Black Sea flagship and caused it to 'start sinking'. In a sign the Kremlin may be withdrawing its naval forces out of missile range, the senior official said that Moscow's vessels are now 80 nautical miles from the coast after the Moskva - a Soviet-era Slava class guided missile cruiser - was 'seriously damaged' overnight by a fire and explosion. Russia's Defence Ministry attempted to downplay the damage to the warship,...

Supreme Court doesn’t pass bills Joy Behar has no idea how the 3 branches of government works, thinks the Supreme Court passes bills: "The Supreme Court is poised to pass a bill contradicting New York City State laws." pic.twitter.com/Cf3lSvZKoN — TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 13, 2022

Another court – the third – now has ruled that Joe Biden's demand inserted into one of the many COVID-19 relief programs instituted by the federal government that states cannot cut their citizens' taxes while accepting the help cannot stand. "All federal courts to have reached the merits to date have held that Congress cannot use its spending power to intrude upon the states’ sovereignty and dictate to them that they may not cut state taxes, even indirectly," explained Peggy Little, senior litigation counsel for the New Civil Liberties Alliance. "These courts have fulfilled their duty to enforce the Constitution...

As Russia’s invasion hits Ukraine’s production of wheat, corn and other major exports, Cindy McCain, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, warned on Monday that millions in the Middle East and Africa could soon be on the brink of famine. “Putin’s war is forcing us to take from the hungry to feed the starving,” McCain said Monday on C-SPAN. “Rising prices force hard decisions to cut rations in some of the most desperate humanitarian crises in the world, including Afghanistan and Yemen.” The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates as many as 13 million...

The Western-led freeze on half of Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves after its invasion came as shock to Moscow -- and an unwelcome surprise to Beijing. The move underscored a brutal truth for China, the world's largest holder of foreign reserves: One day, its international assets could be a tempting target, too. Despite previous U.S. sanctions on dozens of Chinese corporations including Huawei and ZTE, Chinese policy advisers never believed Washington would go so far as to weaponize the entire world's financial system. However, that thinking has changed. In the space of a month the United States went from...

Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged Thursday he is “not sure” he’ll actually be able to buy Twitter, hours after he revealed a $43 billion offer... ....Asked by TED’s Chris Anderson if there was a “Plan B” if his current offer were rejected, Musk said, “there is.”

What Covid Crimes Will Victims Not Forgive?History has altered course. Lockdowns saw the belittling of whole populations by a neo-feudal elite, while that elite, with astonishing frequency, was stoutly defended by those same belittled populations. Monocultural autocracies allied with powerful corporate barons have now emerged within Western governing institutions, yielding a system that approximates Benito Mussolini’s concept of fascism.The struggle against this darkness will surely take many years. Who and what will keep that struggle alive? What hurt will fuel the fight, keeping the fires of resentment burning, and what hurt – real as it may have been – will...

Elon Musk’s Big Move on TwitterAs you undoubtedly have heard, Elon Musk – ever the rebel – has offered to buy the whole of Twitter for more than $43 billion. He says that the offer is final. No negotiation. If it is rejected, he will likely sell his 10% stake. I’m personally excited about the prospect because so many of my friends have been canceled by the platform. I’ve seen the way this has affected their lives. Yes, they move on eventually but the platform has become poorer in their absence. The range of opinion is more narrow and the...

Dollar stores across the United States and Canada are selling products that contain a large number of toxic chemicals, including children’s toys, according to a new study published on April 12. The study was conducted by the consumer advocacy group, Campaign for Healthier Solutions, and focused on all of the leading dollar store retailers in the United States and Canada: Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Five Below, and 99 Cents Only Stores. It found that more than half of the items purchased by researchers at the stores contained one or more chemicals of concern. At the start of 2021,...

A stunning sight at Buffalo's Naval Park at Canalside Thursday morning. The USS The Sullivans is taking on water. "If you look at the stern of the ship, where it normally reads, The Sullivans, it now reads The Sull," said WBEN's Tim Wenger at the Naval Park. "The rest of the name has disappeared under the water." The World War II era destroyer is listing to its starboard, or right, side. The stern is further into the water than the bow (or front of the ship). The gangway that leads onto the ship from the pier is laying in the...

Today, the US Treasury 10-year yield exploded upwards by over 12 basis points. With it, the 30-year mortgage yield is above 5%. And MBA Mortgage Purchase Applications are actually increasing. Today’s bond market summary shows the 10-year Treasury yield up 12.7 basis points. Its the same all over the western world. Asia? Not so much. Fear of further Fed fireballs coming from removal of the monetary punchbowl.

BEIJING -- China on Thursday said it would reject “any pressure or coercion” over its relationship with Russia, in response to a call from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for Beijing to use its “special relationship with Russia” to persuade Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian defended China’s position on the war, saying it had “made considerable efforts to de-escalate the situation, defuse the crisis and rebuild peace." “China is playing a constructive role in the Ukraine issue," Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing. “We oppose unfounded accusations and suspicions against China, nor...