Free Republic

John Bolton casually admitted in an interview on Tuesday that he has helped planned coups abroad. Afterward, Sen. Rand Paul said that blocking Bolton from becoming secretary of state in 2016 was one of his “proudest moments.” Paul told Politico in November 2016, “I’ll do whatever it takes to stop someone like John Bolton being secretary of state. He’s opposed to everything Donald Trump ran on: that the Iraq war was a mistake, regime change made us less safe in the Middle East, including in Iraq.” Less safe indeed. Bolton’s foreign policy impulse toward any country is usually to bomb...

TEN WAYS TO BE PERFECTLY MISERABLE 1. Think about yourself 2. Talk about yourself 3. Use "I" as often as possible 4. Expect to be appreciated 5. Be suspicious 6. Be sensitive to slights 7. Never forgive 8. Trust no one but yourself 9. Do as little as possible for others 10. Always consider "What is in it for me"?

After an Idaho Republican primary election subverted by Democrat cross-over voting, a new rule proposed by the GOP sets to limit the subversive practice, kicking liberal voters to the curb. Democrats on social media claim Republicans are “terrified” of fair and free elections. This comes just after a contentious primary election filled with Democrats switching to Republican and voting for the ‘least conservative’ candidates. It has been alleged that close to 20,000 Democrats made the switch. Democrats — as well as the Republicans they help elect — remain the only camp against the measure, which will now make its way...

An Antonov cargo plane operated by a Ukraine-based airline crashed Saturday near the city of Kavala in northern Greece, authorities said. snip Locals reported seeing a fireball and a plume of smoke. The explosions have sparked speculation among locals and some Greek media the plane was carrying explosives. State broadcaster ERT reported that army explosive experts were en route to the site, located on farmland close to two villages that are part of the Paggaio municipality.

Why would a country undermine phonics? One of the most startling queries I ever received came from a teacher in Israel. Here is the entire communication: I watched some of your youtube videos with thirst and feel the frustration that I feel when I tutor private elementary students, who come without any clue as to how to read English, as if for 5-6 years all they had done was filling workbooks and learning word lists. Older students keep telling me their teachers insist on guessing from texts and looking for clues when words are unknown, and they fear to use...

In an unprecedented action, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to craft a proposed measure, aimed for the November ballot, that would give the board the ability to remove Sheriff Alex Villanueva and future elected sheriffs from office. Lawyers for the county were tasked with writing a charter amendment that would go before county voters on Nov. 8. If their measure receives a majority of votes cast, the board would be granted the power to remove an elected county sheriff for the first time in its history. Removing a sheriff would take a vote of four...

In this era of severe worker shortages and unprecedented mobility, employees are demanding great quality of life in the state where they work.Half of business executives surveyed agree it is important to do business in states with inclusive laws.CNBC’s annual America’s Top State for Business study considers multiple measures of the quality of life, health and inclusion.[snip]Our Life, Health and Inclusion category considers factors such as crime rates, environmental quality, and health care. For the first time in 2022, we also consider the availability of childcare, which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found is a major obstacle for parents seeking...

The University of Pennsylvania has been blasted for nominating controversial transgender swimmer Lia Thomas for a top student sports' award. UPenn has named Thomas, 22, as one of two students it has nominated for the National College Athletics' Association's Woman (NCAA) of the Year Award. The college's other nominee is Russian tennis player Luliia Bryzgalova. Each school is allowed two nominations as long as one of the athletes is an international student or a person of color and both must be graduating. The winner will be announced at an NCAA event in San Antonio, Texas, in January 2023. Thomas, 22,...

A transgender inmate who impregnated two women while incarcerated at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women has been moved to a new facility, according to the Department of Corrections. Demi Minor, 27, was transferred to Garden State Youth Correctional Facility, a prison for young adult offenders in Burlington County, last month, Dan Sperrazza, a Department of Corrections spokesman, said. He said the DOC moved Minor to the vulnerable unit at the facility and that she is currently the only woman prisoner on the site. Sperrazza said he could not comment on the DOC’s specific housing actions in Minor’s case because...

For half a century, Takeo Nakajo has been catching katsuo, or skipjack tuna - indispensable in Japanese cuisine whether eaten raw, dried or used as a base for the broth. Read the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite. But he and other fishermen in Kure, in Kochi prefecture in southwest Japan, have seen something worrying in the past two years - an unprecedented number of unusually fatty katsuo. While heavier katsuo means more money, locals and experts say it indicates climate change and a risk for katsuo numbers already under threat due to growing demand...

Critics heaped scorn upon a clip showing Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg excitedly talking about the prospect of "most Americans" switching to electric vehicles due to high gas prices. During the short clip, which was taken from a Thursday interview between the government official and radio show BigBoyTV, Buttigieg discussed how the U.S. government is looking to cut the cost of electric vehicles so that more Americans will buy them and get out of paying so much for gas. All smiles, Buttigieg claimed, "We’re for cutting the cost of electric vehicles, because when you have an electric vehicle then...

Gaffe-prone President Biden evoked winces from his entourage Saturday as he spoke of the “selfishness” of American troops on the final day of his trip to the Middle East. “For the first time since 9/11, an American President is visiting this region without American troops being engaged in combat — in a combat mission in the region,” Biden said during a speech to the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “We’ll always honor the bravery and selfishness — selflessness of the — and sacrifices of the Americans who served, including my son, Major Beau Biden, who...

In the middle of his campaign for reelection, Senator Ron Wyden may find himself defending the River Democracy Act, the subject of a lawsuit. Senator Wyden introduced S. 192, known as the “River Democracy Act” with Senator Jeff Merkley. The legislation designated nearly 4,700 miles of rivers, streams, creeks, gulches, draws and unnamed tributaries in Oregon as “wild and scenic.” On June 22, 2022, Western Resources Legal Center filed a Civil Right - Freedom Of Information Act lawsuit against United States Department of Agriculture. Federal land managers are being accused of failing to release documents about the controversial River Democracy...

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of murdered Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, called President Biden's planned visit to Saudi Arabia "heartbreaking" and "disappointing." Driving the news: Biden, who once vowed to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah," is set to meet with the crown prince on Friday, a move that Cengiz described as "a huge backing down" in an AP interview. "It’s heartbreaking and disappointing. And Biden will lose his moral authority by putting oil and expediency over principles and values," Cengiz said. Cengiz also said that Biden should urge Saudi Arabia, which she said is a "terrible ally," to embrace a...

Dear XXXX: Ohio offers convenient ways to vote in 2022. I have enclosed an Absentee Ballot application already filled out with your name and address. Voting by mail is EASY. Just sign, date, and complete the application. Drop it in the mail and you will receive a ballot from your county board of elections that you can complete and return without ever leaving your home. No waiting time. 69% of voters nationwide cast their ballots before Election Day in 2020. Join them in 2022 by returning this application to vote by mail. This report provides you with a helpful summary...

Explanation: South is up in this dramatic telescopic view of the lunar terminator and the Moon's rugged southern highlands. The lunar landscape was captured on July 7 with the moon at its first quarter phase. The Sun shines at a low angle from the right as dawn comes to the region's young and old craters Tycho and Clavius. About 100 million years young, Tycho is the sharp-walled 85 kilometer diameter crater below and left of center. Its 2 kilometer tall central peak and far crater wall reflect bright sunlight, Its smooth floor lies in dark shadow. Debris ejected during the...

German energy giant Uniper has been forced to tap into its emergency supplies before the winter season after Russia's Gazprom shut off natural gas deliveries to the country.According to a Financial Times report, the Düsseldorf-based company, which is Europe's biggest buyer of Russian gas, said that beginning earlier this week it's been taking gas from storage units amid dwindling supplies.The company has had to lean on its emergency winter supplies to meet contractual obligations to its customers, per the report, as it hasn't received any supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline which is undergoing maintenance through July 21.Germany has...

A judge in Tennessee has temporarily barred two federal agencies from enforcing directives issued by President Joe Biden’s administration that extended protections for LGBTQ people in schools and workplaces. U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley Jr. in an order on Friday ruled for the 20 state attorneys general who sued last August claiming the Biden administration directives infringe on states’ right to enact laws that, for example, prevent students from participating in sports based on their gender identity or requiring schools and businesses to provide bathrooms and showers to accommodate transgender people. Atchley, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2020, agreed...

Sometimes you speed read a BBC article that you see on Twitter and don’t think much of it but then something in it stands out. This was exactly the case when I read about the Uber Files and how a $90m-a-year lobbying and public relations effort recruited friendly politicians to help in its campaign to disrupt Europe's taxi industry. “Uber Files: Massive leak reveals how top politicians secretly helped Uber” https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62057321 You are about to read what the MSM won’t tell you. It’s just a case of joining up the dots and being a critical thinker rather than a conspiracy...

San Francisco’s no-nonsense new district attorney is cleaning house — as she reportedly laid off 15 staffers inherited from her booted, woke predecessor. The firings Friday by Brooke Jenkins come nearly two weeks after she was appointed district attorney by Mayor London Breed following the recall of her much-maligned predecessor Chesa Boudin, according to SFGATE.com. “Today, I made difficult, but important changes to my management team and staff that will help advance my vision to restore a sense of safety in San Francisco by holding serious and repeat offenders accountable and implementing smart criminal justice reforms,” Jenkins said in a...