Free Republic

The United States for several months has been sending private communications to Moscow warning Russia’s leadership of the grave consequences that would follow the use of a nuclear weapon, according to U.S. officials, who said the messages underscore what President Biden and his aides have articulated publicly. The Biden administration generally has decided to keep warnings about the consequences of a nuclear strike deliberately vague, so the Kremlin worries about how Washington might respond, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive deliberations. The attempt by the White House to cultivate what’s known in the nuclear...

While China has been relentlessly pursuing self-reliance when it comes to raw materials -- especially strategic ones such as titanium, tungsten and cobalt, which are used in the defense industry -- the US for the past several decades has been selling off huge chunks of the strategic minerals stockpile to the extent that the National Defense Stockpile is reportedly reaching insolvency. By comparison, China, as of 2020, was the world's third-largest exporter of titanium, while the US was the number one destination for the Chinese titanium exports. It is China's growing influence in Africa, especially through its Belt and Road...

Joe Biden, 79, faced yet another public embarrassment Wednesday evening when he appeared to get lost while walking off stage following his remarks at the Global Fund Conference. As applause ensued, the U.S. president began walking off the stage before abruptly stopping in his tracks and looking around with an appearance of confusion on his face. He then seemed to ask people on the ground how to get off stage and did a few stuttering steps. Texas Senator Ted Cruz called the scene 'terrifying,' on Twitter, with his communications adviser Steve Guest adding in own own tweet: 'Joe Biden is...

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot fired back at the CEO of McDonald’s after he highlighted the difficulty rising crime in the city has caused for his business, telling him he needs to "educate himself" on the matter. "I think what would have been helpful is for the McDonald's CEO to educate himself before he spoke," the Chicago Democrat said during a media availability on Tuesday. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski warned in a speech at the Economic Club of Chicago luncheon last week that it was time to "face facts" and acknowledge that companies have been leaving the city over the past...

Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” against Ukraine hit a turning point Wednesday—but not the kind the Kremlin wanted. Instead, the Russian leader may have inadvertently put the final nail in the coffin of his decades-long reign with his bombshell announcement that hundreds of thousands of citizens will be called up to face likely death in the war next door. Advertisement While Putin’s most loyal allies rallied around the leader with calls for unity and defense officials bent over backward to provide dubious assurances to the general public, ordinary Russians rushed for the exits and took to the streets. Airline tickets...

“Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way” (Proverbs 23:17-18).

A prominent Egyptologist has boldly claimed to have solved one archaeology’s greatest mysteries: the location of Queen Nefertiti’s mummified remains. Zahi Hawass, the previous Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs in Egypt, is part of the Egypt-led team that undertook a high-profile excavation in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings that allegedly uncovered amulets once owned by King Tut. The team announced last December that they had also unearthed several unnamed mummies, one of which Hawass believes is the famed ruler. “We already have DNA from the 18th dynasty mummies, from Akhenaten to Amenhotep II or III, and there are two...

On this date in 1468, Charles de Melun (French link) was executed at Andelys by Louis XI on a trumped-up treason charge. The execution stemmed from a civil war fought by crown against nobles struggling to preserve their feudal rights — and specifically, a 1465 battle won by the nobles’ intrepid standard-bearer Charles the Bold. Louis was grumpy at his governor of Paris for not relieving him in time, and when the wheel of courtly politics turned sufficiently, that incident supplied enough suspicion to destroy Melun. Hear now of Melun from The History of the Bastile, and of Its Principal...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended another public official from office, this time Jose Angel Martinez, Miami-Dade County Commissioner-District 11, after he was arrested Aug. 30. Martinez was arrested “for felony charges of unlawful compensation for official behavior … and conspiracy to commit unlawful compensation,” in violation of state statutes, which are second and third degree felonies, the governor’s office said. DeSantis’s communications director issued a statement saying, “it is in the best interest of the residents of Miami-Dade County that Martinez be immediately suspended from the public office that he holds” and that his replacement would be appointed in...

Summons delivered to eligible men at midnight. Schoolteachers pressed into handing out draft notices. Men given an hour to pack their things and appear at draft centres. Women sobbing as they sent their husbands and sons off to fight in Russia’s war in Ukraine. The first full day of Russia’s first mobilisation since the second world war produced emotional showdowns at draft centres and even signs of protest, while it appears Russia could be considering far more than the 300,000 new conscripts claimed by the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu. One woman in a small village in the Zakamensky region of...

The Happiest Place on Earth is becoming rather expensive — which has some parents getting creative on how to cut costs. A TikTok of a woman who disguised an elementary school-age child as a baby to avoid paying the admission price at Disney World has sparked a debate on whether it’s wrong or genius. The video shows a group waiting on line to purchase tickets for the park with a baby-appropriate stroller.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent threat to use nuclear weapons will not staunch U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson said Thursday. “In terms of the statements or the announcements coming out of Russia, it does not affect the commitment to continue working closely with our international partners and our allies on providing Ukraine with the support that it needs in their fight to defend their country,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters.

Jill Drehmer claims to have cracked the code to financial freedom. The year was 2015, the place an upstate New York grocery store, where the 36-year-old mom of two discovered that federal assistance no longer covered her kids’ favorite cereal. A revelation ensued: “I thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way to make some extra income — something.’” As fate would have it, Drehmer found that something in LuLaRoe, a multilevel marketing company that today is riddled with controversy. The California-based brand peddles women’s clothing to a loyal fan base. Its pièce de résistance are buttery soft leggings covered...

Another apocalyptic conspiracy theory is going around on TikTok — but there’s a simple answer to it. The online panic started when a video of Friedrich Merz, a German politician, posted to Twitter saying, “Dear Colleagues…September 24, 2022, will be remembered by all of us as a day which we will say, ‘I remember exactly where I was.’ “ The remark sparked several conspiracy theories of things going wrong that day, including that a big solar flare would hit the earth and create tropical cyclones resulting in mass destruction, according to Middle East Mashable.

Presidents can declassify documents on a whim, even just by "thinking about it," former President Donald Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Wednesday. Trump appeared on Hannity's show to discuss the ongoing federal investigation into classified documents found in Trump's Mar-a-Lago home during an FBI raid. "Is there a process? What was your process to declassify?" Hannity asked. "There doesn't have to be a process, as I understand it," Trump responded. "You know, different people say different things, but as I understand it there doesn't have to be." "If you're the president of the United States you can declassify...

During an interview with ABC News on Thursday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky repeatedly refused to say whether she agrees with President Joe Biden’s assessment that the coronavirus pandemic is over. Host Terry Moran asked, “Dr. Walensky, what was your reaction when you heard President Biden say the pandemic is over, and what do you think of that?” Walensky responded, “You know, here’s what I can tell you, we’re in a different place. Schools are open and businesses are open. We have a lot of population immunity out there right now. We have a lot of protection from vaccination already....

Pierce County Superior Court has charged a 21-year-old man with felony cyber harassment for revealing the identity of an undercover Tacoma police detective on Instagram, according to the Tacoma News Tribune. The Gee and Ursula Show asks whether First Amendment protections to the freedom of speech should exempt the accused from charges. After spotting the officer at a street racing event, the 21-year-old man allegedly exposed the detective’s face, vehicle, and license plate. The two had a previous connection: the officer testified against the defendant in a DUI and reckless driving case the year before. “I’m sorry, undercover detective, that...

After an hour of pumping irons at the gym, you might be keen to flex your muscles for the gram. Just don't do it at Anytime Fitness Choa Chu Kang Centre though, after it allegedly bans their members from posing there. In a TikTok video shared on Sept 13, Dorlisa Leong, who goes by the username Endoraphin, said that she had found out about the alleged ban that was imposed at the gym along Choa Chu Kang Ave 4. While admitting that "she doesn't really care" about openly showing off her physique since it's too awkward for her, the 23-year-old...

A judge said the sentence should not be seen in any way as deprecating the experiences of his victim.A trusted imam who raped a young schoolgirl in a mosque has been given an absolute discharge due to his dementia. Khandaker Mohammed Rahman pushed the child into a washroom and attacked her, and then went on to sexually assault her on further occasions when she attended the religious and cultural centre by touching her breasts and bum. However, the 67-year-old former religious leader is now suffering from vascular dementia and significant cognitive impairment. Passing the unusual sentence on the pensioner, the...

Popular with weight lifters, this dairy-heavy diet has been around for decades and is now making the rounds on Twitter.In Too Afraid to Ask, we’re answering all the food-related questions you’d rather not have loitering in the search history of your corporate laptop. Today: What in the world is GOMAD? The gallon of milk a day (GOMAD) diet is just what it sounds like: a diet that involves drinking a gallon of milk a day. Seems nauseating, sure, but as one viral Twitter thread recently reminded us, it’s what plenty of fitness bros do for the gains. “Never felt better...