Free Republic

The eu’s ban on Russian oil, agreed on May 31st, is off to an unpromising start. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the amount of its oil pumped into the bloc has been increasing. It rose by 14% between January and April, from 750,000 to 857,000 barrels per day, according to Argus Media, a publisher. The embargo applies only to seaborne crude and petroleum products, for now covering just 75% of imports from Russia. Oil supplied by pipeline to a handful of countries in central and eastern Europe is temporarily exempt—a concession to Hungary, which had been blocking the agreement....

BEIRUT — The U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria said Tuesday that they will turn to the government in Damascus for support should Turkey go ahead with its threat to launch a new incursion into the war-torn country. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, said after a meeting of its command that its priority is to reduce tension near the border with Turkey but also prepare for a long fight if Ankara carries out its threat. The announcement appears to be a message directed at the United States and meant to elicit pressure from Washington on Turkey’s President...

Liberal Democrats known as progressives have never commanded a political majority. Not even close, really. That’s why progressive candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren bombed in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, while the more centrist (at the time) Joe Biden won the Democratic nomination, then the presidency. The high point for progressives may have been the Green New Deal, which the newly elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York spearheaded in 2019 after her come-from-nowhere upset of a party stalwart. Democrats re-took control of the House that year, and the Green New Deal was a vision for sweeping,...

Francis Omits Islam From Nigerian MassacreVATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - Pope Francis and the Nigerian bishops are refusing to name Muslim Fulani herdsmen as the gunmen who slaughtered over 70 Catholics in St. Francis Xavier Church, Ondo, on Pentecost Sunday. The pontiff's second-in-command, Cdl. Pietro Parolin, told Bp. Jude Arogundade of Ondo in a telegram sent Monday that Francis was praying for "the conversion of those blinded by hatred and violence so that they will choose instead the path of peace and righteousness." Episcopal FudgeArogundade's office issued a public statement hours after the slaughter, calling the attackers "unknown gunmen" and stating...

ABC’s legal analyst Sunny Hostin said Wednesday on ABC’s “The View” that Republicans’ opposition to gun legislation after the recent mass shootings “need to find a conscience.” Guest co-host Lindsey Granger said, “I understand that the overall goal is let’s get AR-15s out of here, and we don’t want them on the table, but like Chris Murphy said yesterday, let’s not let perfect be the enemy of good.”

Joe Scarborough is at it again: getting fixated on a word or phrase, and repeating it ad nauseam. Joe might think he's being clever or impactful, but eventually, people become inured and bored by his endless repetition. We've documented sad Scarborough's verbal compulsions before, on everything from "bedbugs" to "toilets." Scarborough's Morning Joe hobby horse o' the day was "prairie dogs." In the first hour, the panel pronounced the term no fewer than 19 times. It came in the context of denouncing Sen John Thune (R-S.D.) and other Republicans who decline to ban "assault weapons" because they say their constituents...

A group of women gymnasts, including four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles, are suing the FBI for more than $1 billion for its failure to stop U.S. women’s team doctor Larry Nassar from sexually abusing them.

The Biden White House is attempting to deflect from the dire state of affairs — rampant inflation and ever-rising gas prices — as White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday claimed that the administration understands but asserted that the economy is “in a better place than it has been historically.” “We understand that people are feeling — feeling this. They are feeling the increase of prices, which — with food, in particular, right now, and gas. That is — that is something that we understand,” Jean-Pierre said during Tuesday’s press conference.

Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio defended his tweets about the upcoming congressional hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, saying he wants to know why there's not similar energy devoted to the "riots" in the summer of 2020 as there is to what he termed a "dustup" at the U.S. Capitol. Del Rio tweeted Monday in response to a tweet about upcoming hearings on the events of Jan. 6: "Would love to understand 'the whole story' about why the summer of riots, looting, burning and the destruction of personal property is never discussed but this is??? #CommonSense." Del...

Former President Trump and two of his adult children are scheduled to sit for depositions on July 15 in a probe by the attorney general of New York into Trump’s business dealings, according to a court filing Wednesday. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and lawyers for Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump reached an agreement that will allow the former president time to appeal if he wishes to. The Trumps have until Monday to ask the state’s Court of Appeals to hear the case.

The Democrats should be held accountable for last night’s attempt on the life of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Most notably, of course, Chuck Schumer issued a fatwa against Kavanaugh and Justice Neil Gorsuch, which last night’s would-be assassin apparently attempted to execute. -snip- The truth is that Biden and Democrats are directly responsible for this assassination attempt, excusing and encouraging activists for weeks to target justices and their families at their homes: May 5: Press Secretary Jen Psaki refused to condemn activists posting the justices’ home addresses online. May 6: Psaki refused to say if Biden “has a view” on activists...

No political movement is a monolith. Political movements have their own sub-sects and factions within them. Libertarianism has been no exception to this rule. One variety of libertarianism that stands out is paleolibertarianism. The paleolibertarian strand of libertarianism fuses traditional cultural values and philosophical values with the standard libertarian antipathy of government intervention into private affairs.

Joy Behar told her co-hosts Wednesday on ABC’s “The View” that Republicans voted against a recent domestic terrorism bill because they were “their voters.” Discussing a congressional hearing on domestic terrorism, co-host Whoopi Goldberg said, “It is up to us. You are going to make a decision when you go vote about who you’re putting in, who you want to take action where we need action taken. It’s up to us because they will only do what we tell them to do. So in your heart, will they take to heart what this man has said? It’s up to y’all?...

A Wisconsin school district dropped a sexual harassment investigation into three students, who allegedly used the wrong pronouns when addressing a nonbinary classmate. Kiel School District announced on Thursday that it 'closed' the case against Braden Rabidoux, 13, and two other male students, after launching an investigation a potential Title IX violation. Title IX prohibits sexual harassment or sex-based discrimination at schools and universities that receive federal funding.

A Christian pregnancy center in Buffalo, New York was firebombed on Tuesday, in the latest attack on a pro-life facility in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting the court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. Fire tore through the offices of Compass Care located on Eggert Road in Buffalo, on Tuesday night at 2:30 a.m. The message 'Jane was here,' was scrawled across the building's exterior.

Frustrated Democrats on Wednesday slammed President Joe Biden for responding to multiple crises “flatfooted.” Members of Biden’s own party are irritated as the president has been caught off guard by multiple crises all at once. Some have argued the crises are so damaging that Biden is losing control of public perception.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — A Bonita Springs man cashed in his top prize-winning scratch-off ticket worth $25 million from the Florida lottery. George Demetriades claimed his $25 million prize at the Lottery’s Fort Myers District Office on May 11. Demetriades bought his 500x THE CASH scratch-off ticket from the Circle K located at 10460 Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs. The retailer will also receive a $50,000 bonus commission for selling Demetriades the Scratch-Off ticket. This $25 million prize is the largest ever offered on a Florida scratch-off game, according to the Florida lottery.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) released a campaign ad Wednesday in which he portrayed himself as athletically inferior to his opponent, football legend Herschel Walker, but more equipped to serve as senator. Warnock’s ad will appear on television and features the Georgia Democrat running on a track as he says, “If the race between me and my opponent were out here, I can understand why you might choose him.”

AOC blames Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania & Ohio for gun violence plaguing New York City: "There's no discussion about gun violence in Chicago without talking about Indiana." pic.twitter.com/5F29heupHN— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 8, 2022

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Pinellas County woman accused of driving under the influence performed “multiple ballet and Irish folk dance moves” during a roadside field sobriety test, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said Amy Harrington, 38, of Madeira Beach, rear-ended another vehicle approximately 1 mile from her home on April 27. When deputies arrived, they noted Harrington as showing several signs of impairment including bloodshot, watery, and glassy eyes as well as dilated pupils. ‘It’s just one of those situations where you think you know someone’: Lauderdale County sheriff reflects on inmate escape When deputies...