Free Republic

Fewer Americans are willing to back Biden’s costly response to Russian aggression as domestic problems heighten because they don’t have confidence in his ability to handle the war in Ukraine. A new poll from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that just 21 percent of Americans say they have “a great deal of confidence” in Biden to properly address the war in Eastern Europe. At least 39 percent, however, say they have “hardly any” confidence in the Democrat, whose approval rating hit an all-time low of 39 percent this week. Overall, 54 percent of...

Scientists have demonstrated normal brain aging is accelerated by approximately 26% in people with progressive type 2 diabetes compared to individuals without the disease. The authors evaluated the relationship between typical brain aging and that seen in type 2 diabetes, and observed that type 2 diabetes follows a similar pattern of neurodegeneration as aging, but one that progresses faster. One implication of this is that even typical brain aging may reflect changes in the brain's regulation of glucose by insulin. The results further suggest that by the time type 2 diabetes is formally diagnosed, there may already be significant structural...

Walmart has apologized for its controversial “Juneteenth” ice cream as pictures began to circulate over the weekend, and it plans to remove items “as appropriate” in response to the backlash. Pictures of Great Value’s Juneteenth “celebration edition” ice cream began to circulate across social media over the weekend. President Biden signed a bill last year establishing Juneteenth National Independence Day, commemorating the end of slavery.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) declared Tuesday on MSNBC’s “José Díaz-Balart Reports” that to mark the upcoming anniversary of George Floyd’s death, President Joe Biden will issue an executive order aimed at policing practices. Díaz-Balart said, “Congressman, tomorrow, as you know, will mark two years since George Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer put his knee on Floyd’s neck. His death led to calls for police reform. But Bipartisan talks have fallen apart. Is there any hope of anything coming out of this soon?”

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has imposed a new state of emergency in the country, citing the challenges posed by the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine. Hungary is already under a state of emergency, linked to the COVID pandemic, which is due to expire next Tuesday. “The world is on the verge of an economic crisis. Hungary must stay out of this war and protect the financial security of its families,” the nationalist leader says on Facebook, in comments that raise fresh concerns about the restriction of rights. “This requires room for maneuver and immediate action. The government, exercising its right...

In November 2021, the suspect revealed to the FBI insider the plot to assassinate Bush and asked the confidential source if he knew how to “obtain replica or fraudulent police and/or FBI identifications and badges” to help carry out the killing, and whether it was possible to smuggle the plotters out of the country the same way they came in after their mission was complete, according to the warrant. The alleged smuggler said he also wanted to find and assassinate a former Iraqi general who helped Americans during the war and whom he believed was living under a fictitious identity...

A man affiliated with ISIS is under arrest for his participation in an alleged plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush. "An Iraqi citizen living in Columbus, Ohio, has been charged federally with an immigration crime and with aiding and abetting a plot to murder former United States President George W. Bush," the Justice Department said in a press release on Tuesday. The statement added that Shihab originally came to the United States in September 2020 on a visitor visa and filed for asylum in March 2021 which is pending review.

In the pantheon of video game mascots, few figures are as iconic as Master Chief from the “Halo” series. Donning his famous green armored spacesuit, he ventured into hostile worlds, taking down the Covenant, an alien race intent on conquering the universe and accessing the ring worlds, or “haloes,” left over by another more ancient alien race, the Forerunners. It was only a matter of time before idea-starved Hollywood adapted the popular series to TV or film. Already they have made movies for other popular video game franchises, such as “Super Mario,” “Resident Evil,” “Mortal Kombat,” “World of Warcraft,” “Tomb...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was spotted at Mass in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, where she did receive Holy Communion. The California Democrat, whose hometown San Francisco archbishop banned her from taking part in the sacrament as a result of her abortion stance, attended the 9 a.m. Mass at Holy Trinity in the Georgetown neighborhood, according to Politico.Cardinal Wilton Gregory of the Archdiocese of Washington has not publicly commented on whether the Speaker can receive the Eucharist.

Laying Siege to the Institutions Why conservatives must go on the offensive against the elite-supported, toxic ideologies undermining American lifeThe following is adapted from a speech delivered at Hillsdale College on April 5, 2022, during a two-week teaching residency there as a Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Journalism.Why do I say that we need to lay siege to our institutions? Because of what has happened to our institutions since the 1960s.The 1960s saw the rise of new and radical ideologies in America that now seem commonplace—ideologies based on ideas like identity politics and cultural revolution. There is a direct...

Better known for its roast beef, the chain is adding a hamburger to its menu for the first time in its nearly 60-year history. Arby's announced Monday it's adding the "Wagyu Steakhouse Burger," which costs $5.99, as a limited-time offering beginning Monday through July 31. Fast-food chains are constantly competing for customers' dollars and attention, and specialty offerings are a way to attract new customers and maintain existing ones. That's important for Arby's, which has 3,400 U.S. restaurants, according to industry research firm Technomic. That's a substantially smaller footprint compared to other chains, like McDonald's (roughly 14,000 locations). As...

Americans are becoming less supportive of punishing Russia for launching its invasion of Ukraine if it comes at the expense of the U.S. economy, a sign of rising anxiety over inflation and other challenges, according to a new poll.The shifts in opinion reflect how rising prices are biting into American households — surging costs for gas, groceries, and other commodities have strained budgets for millions of people — and perhaps limiting their willingness to support Ukraine financially. That may be a troubling sign for President Joe Biden, who on Saturday approved an additional $40 billion in funding to help Ukraine

A top Russian air force commander has reportedly been killed in the Ukraine war, delivering another blow to Vladimir Putin's invasion. Information about the reported shooting down of retired Russian Air Force Major General Kanamat Botashev was confirmed to BBC Russian by three of his former subordinates. On Sunday, May 22, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said a Russian Sukhoi (SU-25) attack aircraft was shot down over the Luhansk region and that the pilot did not have time to eject.

TheHill.com STATE WATCH New York cancels history Regents exam following Buffalo shooting BY MONIQUE BEALS - 05/24/22 2:05 PM ET SHARE TWEET ... MORE The New York State Education Department announced on Tuesday that it would cancel a statewide standardized exam on U.S. history and government for high school students following the mass shooting in Buffalo. “Our experts determined that there is content on the new Regents Examination in U.S. History & Government (Framework) that has the potential to compound student trauma caused by the violence in Buffalo, which created an unexpected and unintended context for the planned assessment,” the...

The precept of honoring one’s parents is a force throughout one’s entire life. One is never free from this obligation.The precept of honoring one’s parents is a force throughout one’s entire life. One is never free from this obligation. This is an adapted excerpt from “Conservatism: A Rediscovery“Honor is one of the central ideas in a conservative political theory. I do not mean any particular code of honor, such as that which was accepted among English gentlemen two hundred years ago. Rather, I want to understand honor as a general phenomenon appearing across all human societies. In examining it, we...

Gardners beware -- the invasive Amynthas agrestis, also known as the Asian jumping worm, could be wiggling around a garden near you. These worms are known for their insatiable appetite and ability to jump a foot in the air. Yes, you read that right. "True to their name, they jump and thrash immediately when handled, behaving more like a threatened snake than a worm, sometimes even breaking and shedding their tail when caught," said the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in a report. As if that's not disconcerting enough, the worms "are extremely active, aggressive, and have voracious...

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- A blue-ribbon Army commission has recommended new names for nine Army bases named after Confederate leaders, including Fort Bragg, which will be recommended as being renamed Fort Liberty, according to a U.S. official Tuesday. Later Tuesday, the Army Naming Commission is expected to formally disclose its recommended names for the bases named after Confederate generals. Last year, Congress passed legislation that required the renaming of U.S. military installations named after Confederate leaders by 2023.

Law enforcement from the border region are responding to an active shooter call at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. At least one 911 call was placed from within Robb Elementary School. Border Patrol agents, BORTAC special response team, and Texas Highway Patrol troopers are on the scene to assist local first responders. The situation unfolded at approximately 11:50 local time when shots were initially heard in the vicinity of the elementary campus.

A food insecurity expert said the world has only about 10 weeks of wheat supplies left in storage amid the conflict in Ukraine and as India has moved to bar exports of wheat in recent weeks. Sara Menker, the CEO of agriculture analytics firm Gro Intelligence, told the United Nations Security Council that the Russia–Ukraine war “simply added fuel to a fire that was long burning,” saying that it is not the primary cause of the wheat shortage. Ukraine and Russia both produce close to about a third of the world’s wheat. “I want to start by explicitly saying that...

I support the Quad as an initiative to contain Chinese totalitarianism. But using The Quad as a place to discuss human rights in Afghanistan or to extend the scope of the war in Ukraine does not look like good strategy to me. New Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was right to make attendance at the Tokyo meeting a high priority, but when he gets home he faces serious human rights questions which he cannot ignore if he wants to truly defend freedom from all of its enemies in Australia. Likewise Joe Biden is not consistently defending freedom in America. Leftist...