Free Republic

Air Force cadets are being told to address people in ways that “include all genders” — dropping the use of “boyfriend or girlfriend” and even “mom and dad.” Diversity and inclusion (D&I) training at the Air Force Academy in Colorado includes instruction on how to “use inclusive language,” according to documents shared by Fox News Digital. “Use words that include all genders,” the training material tells cadets, warning them to “ask” people what they “call themselves” rather than assuming. Instead of saying “you guys,” cadets are told to use gender-neutral terms like “team,” “squaddies,” “folks” and even “y’all.” “Some families...

Friends, in today’s Gospel, we see Herod interested in and perplexed by Jesus. Political rulers don’t come across well in the New Testament. In Luke’s Christmas account, Caesar Augustus is compared very unfavorably to the Christ child. And in Matthew’s account that child is hunted down by the desperate Herod. Later, Herod’s son persecutes John the Baptist and Jesus himself. More to it, the Jewish authorities are seen in all of the Gospels as corrupt. And Pontius Pilate is a typical Roman governor: efficient, concerned for order, brutal. Like the other rulers of the time, he perceives Jesus, quite correctly,...

There is "absolutely no sign" that Russia wants to reach a deal with Ukraine, and it could not be trusted even if one was on offer, Boris Johnson has told the Commons.

Yesterday morning, Swedes woke up to news of a kind that has become all-too familiar: During the night, powerful bombs exploded at apartment buildings in two different towns in southern Sweden. One person was severely injured in Åstorp, where a witness told the press: “People screamed and cried. It felt so unreal.” A resident told Radio Sweden that his 7-year-old had come running into his bedroom screaming, as the blast made their apartment shake. ... Since 2018, there have been almost 500 bombings—yes, bombings—in what is known as one of the most stable societies in the world. There’s not just...

New photos and videos show Hunter Biden's wild and debauched parties at a luxury Malibu AirBnB. In the videos Hunter is seen riding across the lawn on a bicycle, stripping naked and sliding down a waterslide into the $4,140-per-night property's pool. Other pictures show him having group sex and entertaining hookers in his luxury rental's hot tub in 2018.

Tesla is recalling more than 1 million vehicles over concerns with automatic systems for car windows that can pinch a driver or passenger and cause injury when closing. In a letter to Tesla, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed the company’s notice that it is recalling the Tesla Model 3 for the years 2017 to 2022, the Tesla Model Y for 2020-2021 and the 2021-2022 Model S and Model X vehicles. In those models, the automatic reversal system for windows does not adequately detect an obstruction, such as a person’s arm or hand, and can continue to roll...

Anyone else getting tired of the Russia-Ukraine spam?

More than 1,300 people were detained across Russia on Wednesday for participating in nationwide anti-war protests – with some directly conscripted into the military, according to a monitoring group, after leader Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of citizens for his faltering invasion of Ukraine. Images and videos show police cracking down on demonstrators in multiple cities, with footage showing several protesters at a demonstration in central Moscow being carried away by the police and authorities in St. Petersburg attempting to contain a crowd chanting “no mobilization” outside Isakiivskiy Cathedral. Police detained the protesters across 38 cities in Russia on...

US District Judge Ronnie Abrams rejected Cooper’s claim on Wednesday that she was defamed when ex-employer Franklin Templeton, a holding company, axed her one day after the viral altercation in Central Park. Cooper claimed that Franklin Templeton and its chief executive Jenny Johnson perpetuated her image as a “privileged white female ‘Karen’” by making public statements about firing her after conducting an investigation into the incident. In May 2020, Cooper went viral after video showed her yelling at birder Christian Cooper and calling the police to claim an “African American man” was “threatening” her while she was walking her dog...

The Russian deputy foreign minister on Thursday said Moscow will take seriously any sign from the US regarding improvement in relations. "We will take the slightest sign of readiness to move towards improving very seriously, whether it's public signals, whether it's some actions, but so far, unfortunately, the trend and the tendency are opposite," Sergey Ryabkov told a news conference in Moscow.

Germany is nationalizing Uniper, its biggest importer of natural gas, as part of an €8 billion ($7.9 billion) plan to prevent an energy shortage this winter. Europe has been hit by soaring natural gas and electricity prices as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its throttling of gas supplies. The German government will hold around 99% of Uniper after injecting new capital and buying out its Finnish parent company Fortum (FOJCF), German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told journalists in Berlin on Wednesday. Uniper provides 40% of the country's gas supply and is crucial for large companies and private...

An initial maintenance inspection suggests an issue with a hydraulic pump on the aircraft, which had 256 passengers on board for the flight, United Airlines said. Sparks flew off the plane as it climbed after takeoff, according to a video posted online that purports to show the flight. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what happened with Flight 149, which departed Newark airport late Wednesday night, then declared an emergency. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft had been headed to Sao Paulo, Brazil, before returning to Newark, the FAA said. The hydraulic system on the Boeing 777 runs key systems, such as...

Executives from the country’s six largest banks testified before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday for its annual oversight to discuss issues including climate change and fossil fuels. Far-left Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-D) asked all the bank executives if they have a policy against funding new oil and gas products. Tlaib erupted after JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon humiliated her with his highly concise and on-point response. “Absolutely not and that would be the road to Hell for America,” Dimon replied. In response, Rashida Tlaib launched an attack on the bank and urged customers to close their JP...

Russia will use its largest and most-powerful nukes to defend the territory it occupies in Ukraine, a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin has insisted today. Dmitry Medvedev, who served as a stand-in for Putin from 2008 to 2012, vowed the territories will become part of Russia when referendums are held this week - after which 'any Russian weapons' will be used to defend them. That includes 'strategic nuclear weapons' such as Putin's giant new Sarmat missile, Medvedev said, and 'weapons based on new principles' - likely a reference to hypersonic technology that the Kremlin claims is invulnerable to air defences.

Muslim American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was slammed by House Democrats on Wednesday for claiming that supporting “Israel’s apartheid government” is incompatible with “progressive values.” “I want you all to know that among progressives, it’s become clear that you cannot claim to hold progressive values, yet back Israel’s apartheid government, and we will continue to push back and not accept that you are progressive except for Palestine,” Tlaib said during an online forum organized by “American Muslims for Palestine” and “Americans for Justice in Palestine Action.”

Desperate Russian wives threaten to break their husbands' BONES so they are unfit to join war as thousands of men scramble to flee country with airports crammed and huge traffic jams after conscripts are given 'four hours to pack and leave' Men of fighting age racing to flee Russia amid fears of being conscripted Huge queues formed at the borders with Mongolia, Finland and Georgia Travellers were interrogated at airports before they were allowed to leave Thousands of desperate Russians are scrambling to flee the country to dodge Putin's mobilisation, as miles-long queues form to escape into border countries. Men...

The Senate on Wednesday ratified an international treaty that mandates nations to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to protect the earth’s ozone layer, which will impose new standards that will raise the costs of air conditioning and refrigeration. A group of 50 Senate Democrats and 19 Republicans voted to pass the Kigali Amendment to the 1987 United Nations (UN) Montreal Protocol. The amendment, which 27 Republicans voted to oppose, will limit the production and use of HFCs, man-made chemicals that are primarily used for cooling and refrigeration, by 85% over 15 years, which could substantially increase consumer and business costs in...

Bombshell allegations by FBI Special Agent Steve Friend contained in a whistleblower complaint filed late Wednesday with the Department of Justice inspector general reveal a politicized Washington, DC, FBI field office cooking the books to exaggerate the threat of domestic terrorism, and ­using an “overzealous” January 6 ­investigation to harass conservative Americans and violate their constitutional rights. Friend, 37, a respected 12-year veteran of the FBI and a SWAT team member, was suspended Monday, stripped of his gun and badge, and escorted out of the FBI field office in Daytona Beach, Fla., after complaining to his supervisors about the violations....

Rather than continue to fight this losing and expensive battle, Trump should pivot to the midterms and take his case to the public. ============================================================ The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals dashed former President Donald Trump’s hopes that his attorneys could review the 100 documents marked classified that the FBI seized during a raid of his Mar-a-Lago home. Wednesday’s decision by the federal appellate court came just one day after the special master indicated no such review would take place absent evidence that Trump had declassified those documents. While Trump could still seek intervention by the Supreme Court, given the special...

The Biden administration issued an executive order calling for biotechnology that can “predictably program biology in the same way in which we write software and program computers,” a transhumanist practice, in service of human “health.”As an example of such biotechnology, Executive Order 14081 included by implication the COVID-19 mRNA injections, citing the COVID-19 “pandemic” as demonstrating “the vital role of biotechnology … in developing and producing life-saving … vaccines that protect Americans and the world.”The mRNA jabs are an example of what has been described as “the most prominent area of biotechnology”: The “production” of ostensibly “therapeutic proteins and other...