Free Republic

The Supreme Court’s announcement on Thursday that it will hear Moore v. Harper, a case that could concentrate an unprecedented amount of power in gerrymandered state legislatures, should alarm anyone who cares about democracy. The case is perhaps the gravest threat to American democracy since the January 6 attack. It seeks to reinstate gerrymandered congressional maps that were struck down by North Carolina’s highest court because they “subordinated traditional neutral redistricting criteria in favor of extreme partisan advantage” for the Republican Party. The plaintiffs argue that the state supreme court didn’t have the authority to strike these maps down, and...

Russia’s energy giant Gazprom on Thursday lost more than a quarter of its market value after the state-owned company decided not to pay out dividends. “The shareholders have resolved that in the current situation it is not opportune to pay out dividends based on the results of 2021,” Famil Sadygov, deputy chairman of Gazprom, said in a statement. “At the moment, Gazprom prioritizes the implementation of its investment program, including gas infrastructure expansion in the regions of the Russian Federation, and the preparations for the coming winter period. In addition, we undoubtedly must be ready to meet our obligations to...

President Joe Biden said he would back killing the filibuster to pass federal abortion legislation and blasted the Supreme Court's 'outrageous' repealing of Roe v. Wade during a press conference in Madrid on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the end of a NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, he condemned the ruling and its impact. 'America is better positioned to lead the world than we ever have been,' he said. 'But one thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to...

A pair of lawsuits that for years has plagued Virginia’s largest school system with allegations that it ignored students’ accusations of sex assaults are back in front of federal judges. One of the lawsuits includes allegations of horrific abuse suffered by a student at a Fairfax County middle school and was the basis for a 2014 federal investigation. ... The middle schooler filed an amended complaint earlier this month after the school board’s efforts to block her suit were rejected. Her ordeal began in October 2011, according to the lawsuit, when she was a seventh grader at Rachel Carson Middle...

Leading Biden officials outlined their methods to keep pushing the administration’s climate agenda if the Supreme Court limits the powers of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday. The Supreme Court is likely to weaken the Biden administration’s efforts to limit carbon dioxide emissions in West Virginia v. EPA, with several of the justices having probed the extent of EPA’s authority in oral arguments. President Joe Biden’s senior officials remain confident in their ability to advance the administration’s aggressive environmental agenda by using the Clean Air Act and other government powers. During a panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival, EPA...

On Thursday, OPEC+ — the international oil cartel effectively led by Saudi Arabia – held a meeting via video conference where the group decided not to further increase oil production from its previously announced plans. The group will meet again August 3. Biden's comments come as gas prices hover near record highs in the U.S., with the average price of a gallon topping $5 nationally for first time ever earlier this month. President Biden said Thursday he would not ask Saudi Arabia individually to increase its oil production on his forthcoming visit to the Kingdom, but would instead encourage all...

In China, Speeding Toward the Future By Bill Gates| January 12, 2011 I travelled to China for the first time in 1990 on Microsoft business and have been back many times since. One very memorable trip was in 1995 with Melinda, my father and Warren Buffett. We rode the trains and traveled around as tourists for several weeks—it was an incredible trip and a lot of fun. My recent trip was unique and especially exciting, as I had the opportunity to do work that spans my various interests. I met with our team at Microsoft Research Asia, where I saw...

World leaders at the Group of 7 summit in Germany signaled they will turn back to fossil fuels despite their commitments to a green energy transition thanks to the ongoing energy crisis. The war in Ukraine is heavily restricting fuel imports, with Russia cutting off European access to the Nord Stream pipeline and the US imposing a fuel embargo on Putin. As a result, the U.S. and European countries are abandoning their climate agenda to return to fossil fuels. Amid skyrocketing fuel prices, the Biden administration has been forced to abandon certain planks of its climate agenda. Biden called for...

Some data points: May 22 vs May 21 Cars: -96.7% (3,700 cars) Trucks: -39.3% ICE motors: -57% Pass. train wagons: -59.8% Freight wagons: -51.8% Fiberglass cables: -80.8% Fridges: -58.1% Washing machines: -59.2% AC electric motors: -49.9% Elevators: -34.7% Excavators: -60%

An overwhelming majority of Americans say the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction, including nearly 8 in 10 Democrats. 79% describe the Biden economy as “poor”. These numbers come from an AP-NORC poll. Gas prices are at record highs — double what they were when Trump left office. The middle class is being destroyed. Prices are up 17% from a year ago. VIDEOS AT LINK.............. On Friday morning Joe Biden was questioned on his devastating record and on an America that is going backward. In response to the criticism, Joe Biden lied. And Joe Biden blamed the US Supreme...

Young v. Hawaii - Carry ban NJ Rifle v Bruck - Magazine ban Duncan v Bonta - Magazine ban Bianchi v Frosh - "Assault Weapon" ban. All granted, vacated (lower court judgement reversed) and remanded for new proceedings in light of NYSRPA v. Bruen.

A detailed list of the destroyed and captured vehicles and equipment of both sides can be seen below. This list is constantly updated as additional footage becomes available

Researchers have discovered that an existing cancer drug could have potential as a treatment for muscular dystrophy. The researchers found that the drug—known as a colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitor—helped slow the progress of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice by increasing the resiliency of muscle fibers. "This is a class of drug that is already being used in clinical trials to treat rare forms of cancer," says Dr. Farshad Babaeijandaghi. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe genetic disorder that leads to progressive muscle weakness and degeneration. "While this is not a cure, it could significantly delay disease progression,...

The Supreme Court handed President Joe Biden a victory Thursday, ruling that he can shut down a Trump administration program designed to restrict immigration at the southern border. The court said in a 5-4 ruling that the Biden administration acted properly in seeking to end the "Remain in Mexico" policy, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols. It required people seeking asylum at the southern border, mainly from Central America, to wait in Mexico while their claims were decided.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has closed the gap significantly between himself and Donald Trump in a hypothetical matchup in 2024, bringing him within single digits of the former president. Among registered Republican voters, about 45% said they would vote for Trump compared to 36% who leaned toward DeSantis, according to the most recent YouGov/Yahoo News poll, a 9-point difference and the closest any challenger has ever gotten to the former president in a GOP primary poll. The most recent numbers tighten previous polls that showed DeSantis trailing by 16 points in February and 23 points the month before that.

The court's ruling prevents Biden from instituting the sort of sweeping emissions rules the EPA tried to implement under the Obama administration The case declares it unlawful for federal agencies to make 'major' decisions without clear authorization from Congress

TOKYO -- A guitar that once belonged to legendary rocker Randy Bachman, a former member of the Canadian rock band The Guess Who, that was stolen 45 years ago in Toronto while he was on tour has been found in Japan. The rock star is now in Tokyo to retrieve his lost love after a Japanese musician who had bought the guitar at a vintage shop agreed to give it back to its rightful owner.

He was the last of the 27 Marines and Navy servicemen who received Medals of Honor in the 36-day fight for the Japanese island. Hershel Williams, the last survivor among the 472 servicemen who were awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery in World War II and the oldest living recipient of the medal, died on Wednesday in Huntington, W.Va. He was 98. His death, at the Huntington Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was announced by the Woody Williams Foundation. Corporal Williams was lying prone on the black volcanic ash of Iwo Jima the morning of Feb. 23, 1945, when...

A very different view of the riots.

The following dispatch reached this City last night, and was published in the extra editions of the City papers: BALTIMORE AMERICAN OFFICE. BALTIMORE, Sunday, June 29 -- 9 P.M. I am writing for the American a de ailed account of events at White House, before Richmond and on the Peninsula, during the last four days including facts obtained from Washington, having been sent for by Special train to communicate with the President. If you desire it. I will send it to you. It will make four or five thousand words. We have the grandest military triumph over the enemy, and...