Free Republic

CHICAGO -- A 3-year-old girl is among at least 63 people shot, nine fatally, in weekend shootings across Chicago, police said. The girl was one of at least five minors shot in Chicago over weekend and 20 minors shot overall in the past week. "It's like you get immune to it; it's a way of life now," one person said. She was a passenger in the back seat of a vehicle about 11 p.m. in the 4200-block of West Cermak Road when gunfire shattered the back window and grazed her head, according to Chicago police. She was taken to Stroger...

Windfall profits made by fossil fuel companies should be taxed to pay for climate damage, according to the UN Secretary General. Antonio Guterres told the General Assembly that polluters should pay for the impact of climate-related events. Having recently seen the devastating flooding in Pakistan for himself, Mr Guterres is now doubling down on the need for the rich world to urgently address the demands of the poor. And there's little doubt whom he believes is responsible for the world's climate emergency. "The fossil fuel industry is feasting on hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and windfall profits while...

(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden said in an interview that aired Sunday that the “pandemic is over,” but neither COVID-19 cases nor pandemic-related relief efforts have entirely disappeared. Biden made the remarks during an interview on “60 Minutes,” but as of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic.

While much attention has been paid to Donald Trump’s continuing fixation on denying the results of the 2020 presidential election and the possibility of a repeat in 2024, a more immediate threat to democracy is looming: an alarming number of Republicans across the country are now gearing up to cast doubt on the outcome of the midterm elections this November. The New York Times reports that “six Republican nominees for governor and the Senate in key midterm states … would not commit to accepting the November outcome.” Five others refused to answer the question. The Washington Post found a similar...

Switzerland’s environment minister is facing backlash after recommending that people shower together in an effort to cut energy consumption this winter and fend off power cuts. Simonetta Sommaruga, 62, suggested that people “turn off the computer when you don’t need it, or turn off lights, or shower together” as part of her measures promoting a 15 percent reduction in energy consumption, The Times of London reported. Her suggestions were in response to questions on the government’s campaign by readers of Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten, according to the report. Authorities in Switzerland, which imports 75 percent of its gas from Germany,...

JUST IN - Russia's Putin and Defense Minister Shoigu are expected to address the nation tonight, according to Kremlin pool reporters.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has expanded his lead over his Democratic challenger, Stacey Abrams, to 8 percentage points in the Peach State’s gubernatorial race, according to a new poll. Half of likely Georgia voters in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released on Tuesday said they would support Kemp, while 42 percent said they backed Abrams.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — County clerks in Oregon are inundated with public records requests stemming from “the big lie” that the 2020 election was stolen, even while they’re already busy preparing for the November election, the secretary of state said Monday. Secretary of State Shemia Fagan has been visiting Oregon’s 36 counties to speak with county clerks and other elections officials, and said she’s seen the strain imposed by the avalanche of requests, from populous counties around Portland to Lake County, in southern Oregon near the California border, with only 5,590 registered voters. “In recent weeks, we’ve seen an influx...

(Reuters) - After a quiet start to the season, Hurricane Fiona slammed into Puerto Rico and then battered the Dominican Republic, leaving more than 1 million people without running water or power. While scientists haven't yet determined whether climate change influenced Fiona's strength or behavior, there's strong evidence that these devastating storms are getting worse. Here's why. IS CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTING HURRICANES? Yes, climate change is making hurricanes wetter, windier and altogether more intense. There is also evidence that it is causing storms to travel more slowly, meaning they can dump more water in one place. If it weren't for...

Tuesday on FNC’s “Fox & Friends,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) criticized the investigation and the media for how both were handling the Hunter Biden laptop saga. Graham called for the investigation to follow the standard for former President Donald Trump when he was accused of colluding with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. “I believe that you should have somebody looking at Hunter Biden other than a Delaware prosecutor,” he said. “We’re having a prosecutor in the guy’s home state. The prosecutor is a fine fellow, but can you imagine what the left would do if I suggested we...

President Joe Biden plans Friday to host Elton John at the White House, in his latest attempt to seek unity and healing through music. The White House announced the concert with the British music legend would “celebrate the unifying and healing power of music” and commend Sir Elton’s work as well as honor teachers, nurses, frontline workers, mental health advocates, students, and “LGBTQ+ advocates.”

Erick Adame on the news as a meteorologist, Erick Adame 2020 Reel (Screenshot/Public/YouTube/ErickAdame2020ReelUpdate) Two-time Emmy nominee Erick Adame took to Instagram to notify fans that he was fired after his employer discovered he appeared on an adult webcam site and took part in openly gay content. “I have recently been terminated from my job as the meteorologist at Spectrum News NYI1 in NYC. I am taking this opportunity to share my truth rather than let others control the narrative of my life,” Adame wrote on his Instagram page Monday. “Despite being a public figure and being on television in the...

It Ends as it Began: As a Political PloyThe current US president finally said it during a 60 Minutes interview: “The pandemic is over.” Though obviously true by the classical definition, Biden’s comment seemed almost accidental, said as an echoed response to a direct question. Consider, however, that many times as many people die from Covid daily in the US (300-400) than when the US first announced the outrageous lockdowns of March 16, 2020. In those days, deaths were approaching 50 per day, mostly in New York. It will very likely get worse over the winter months. Instead of today’s...

Stop the presses, the President of the United States gave an interview! That, in and of itself, shouldn’t be newsworthy, but when you’re dealing with an insulated moron who hasn’t given an interview in the gestation period of a human being it is a bit of news. And when that interview is with the vaunted 60 Minutes, it is important. Or at least it used to be. Much like Meet the Press dined out for years on the job Tim Russert did – getting credit for being a place for “tough” interviews based on his reputation while subsequent hosts slobbered...

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - The sleepy Tanzanian port of Mtwara mainly dealt in cashew nuts until late last year. Now it bustles with vessels loading up with coal, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine drives a worldwide race for the polluting fuel. Tanzania traditionally exports thermal coal only to neighbouring countries in east Africa; sending it further afield was out of the question, as it required trucking the material more than 600 km from mines in its southwest to Mtwara, the nearest Indian Ocean port. Europe's crippling energy crisis has changed all that. Prices for thermal coal, used to generate...

During his show from London Monday night just hours after Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest, CNN host Don Lemon brought up the issue of slavery and colonialism reparations during an interview with a British expert. In the exchange, Lemon explained why some believe slavery reparations are necessary but may have been shocked about who his guest said should be paying the bill. "You have those who are asking for reparations for colonialism and they're wondering, you know, $100 billion, $24 billion here, there, $500 million there. Some people want to be paid back and members of the public...

Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola after a case of the relatively rare Sudan strain was confirmed in the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. The WHO’s Africa office said in a statement the case was confirmed after testing a sample from a 24-year-old man in the country’s Mubende district. Ugandan health authorities investigated six suspicious deaths in the district this month. The country’s health ministry said the 24-year-old patient died after displaying symptoms. “There are currently eight suspected cases who are receiving care in a health facility,” WHO Africa said, adding that it is helping Uganda’s...

A photo of longtime "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak with Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has surfaced, and people on Twitter are fuming. The picture, apparently captured earlier this month, went viral on Twitter after it was re-shared by a Twitter account described as "exposing right-wing extremism and other threats to democracy." One user wrote, "Pictured: Pat Sajak and Vanna Whitesupremacist," referencing Sajak's "Wheel of Fortune" co-host, Vanna White, while another tweeted, "Pat Sajak has always been a far-right lunatic I’m not surprised at all." Additionally, members of academia and a former political candidate for office offered their take...

Republicans in Georgia’s top midterms races have an edge over their Democrat opponents, according to a poll published Tuesday. The poll, conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and University of Georgia Survey Research Center, found Republican Herschel Walker leading incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) by two points, 46 percent to 44 percent. Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver received three percent, and seven percent of respondents said they were undecided.