Free Republic

If the reader might bear with me for a moment, I’d like to tell you all a mystery story. There was once a country that was having an election. Going into this election, one party - the party in power - was unpopular, trailing in the polls, and led by a president with abysmal approval ratings and who is widely understood to be senile. This party’s policies had resulted in widespread economic damage to the nation, creating rates of inflation unseen for forty years, doubling gas prices, and harming the broad middle of the country financially. Further, this same party...

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Tuesday that her agency had “no basis” to investigate the finances of Twitter following calls from Democrats, including President Joe Biden, to investigate the company or owner Elon Musk over its connections with the Saudi Arabian royal family. Yellen’s comments come less than a week after Biden told reporters at a Nov. 9 press conference that Musk’s connection to the Saudis, who gained a roughly 4% stake in Twitter after investing roughly $1.9 billion into the mogul’s $44 billion acquisition of the platform, was “worth being looked at.” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut previously...

A newly passed resolution demanding Russia pay reparations for the war in Ukraine threatens the existence of the United Nations, according to a top Kremlin official. "It looks like the beginning of the United Nations agony as a key international institution for reconciliation," Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, who held the presidency for a term, wrote on social media. "The end will be painful for the entire international community. We will do without such a ‘united nations’ organization." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the U.N. General Assembly’s support for “establishing an international mechanism for compensation for damage” as...

The monastery sits on Siniyah Island, which shields the Khor al-Beida marshlands in Umm al-Quwain, an emirate some 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Dubai along the coast of the Persian Gulf. The island, whose name means “flashing lights” likely due to the effect of the white-hot sun overhead, has a series of sandbars coming off of it like crooked fingers. On one, to the island’s northeast, archaeologists discovered the monastery. Carbon dating of samples found in the monastery’s foundation date between 534 and 656. Islam’s Prophet Muhammad was born around 570 and died in 632 after conquering Mecca in...

Two people have been hospitalized and are in critical condition following a stabbing incident at a Target in downtown Los Angeles. A little before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, a man who appeared to be homeless walked into the Target store, grabbed a butcher knife from a shelf, and began stabbing people, police said. A 9-year-old boy and a woman in her mid-20s were injured during the attack. Before the attack, the suspect told the young boy he was going to stab and kill him, according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore. The boy tried to leave the area when...

Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign Tuesday night, heavy with the odor of a man fighting the last war. But politics is all about matching the man to the moment. Trump’s moment was six years ago. The nation’s voters have moved on, and if early signs are any indication, Republican primary voters are ready to consider doing so as well. The 2022 midterms were about as decisive a failure for Trump as it was possible for them to be. Consider, as one item of evidence, the exit polls. Exit polls are not perfect; even though they should have the...

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FBI Director Chris Wray refused to say Tuesday whether FBI sources had dressed as Trump supporters and entered the U.S. Capitol ahead of protesters on January 6, 2021. Wray testified in front of the House Homeland Security Committee alongside Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid. During the hearing, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins (R) questioned Wray on the extent of the FBI’s involvement in the January 6 riot. “Did the FBI have confidential human sources embedded within the January 6 protesters on January 6 2021?” the Louisiana congressman asked. Confidential human sources are not FBI...

Former first daughter Ivanka Trump said late Tuesday that she would play no part in her father’s 2024 presidential campaign, one day after The Post reported the former commander-in-chief had pleaded with her to be on stage with him when he announced his run. “I love my father very much. This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics,” Ivanka, 41, said in a statement. “While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do...

Polish President Andrzej Duda said the missile that killed two people in eastern Poland on Tuesday was likely fired by Ukrainian forces defending against a wave of Russian missile strikes, and that the incident appeared to be an accident. “There is no indication that this was an intentional attack on Poland. Most likely, it was a Russian-made S-300 rocket,” Duda said in a tweet Wednesday. He later told a press conference that there was a “high chance” it was an air defense missile from the Ukrainian side and likely had fallen on Polish territory in “an accident” while intercepting incoming...

President Biden met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday at the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, where the two leaders recommitted their support for Ukraine. The White House said the leaders “discussed Russia’s barbaric missile strikes in Ukraine and underscored their governments’ strong support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.”

Former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Tuesday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that his old boss, former President Donald Trump is the only Republican who can’t win the 2024 general election. After Trump announced his candidacy, Cooper asked, “Do you think this is good for the Republican Party?” Mulvaney said, “No, I don’t. Because I think he’s the only Republican who could lose. If he wins in 2024, now he’s the candidate. He is the likely Republican nominee. Can he be beaten head-to-head by Ron Desantis or Tim Scott? Sure. But it’s not going to be...

The Bible In Paintings ~ Encouragement for Appreciating and Applying God's Word ~ JESUS SELECTS HIS FIRST DISCIPLES ֎ Featuring 1 Mosaic, 20 Paintings and 3 Windows ֎ J O H N CHAPTER 1 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”...

The Left dominates the institutions. It is not possible right now to take back those sources of power. The Right must attack them instead. Like dogs to their vomit, the conservative chattering class returned to its worst instincts in the aftermath of the midterms. Apologies to my fellow commentators, but Ron DeSantis should not run for president in 2024. Donald Trump’s “divisiveness” is not the problem. And, no, screaming louder about the culture war won’t save the country. The same people who have always, deep down, despised Trump simply cannot resist the latest opportunity to pull out their knives and...

It’s interesting that every sin in the Bible is a relational sin, even the Ten Commandments. The first four deal with our relationship with God: “Have no other gods before me. Don’t take my name in vain.” The other six address our relationships with other people. Throughout scripture, every sin that’s mentioned — greed, pride, lust, anger, strife — is relational. When we don’t understand and follow the ways God wants us to view our relationships with him and others, we know something is missing. There is a hollowness, a separation from God, because sin is following our own ideas...

A RUSSIAN commander closely involved in Vladimir Putin's war effort has been found shot dead at his office. Colonel Vadim Boyko, 44, who had been involved in the mobilisation campaign, reportedly had “multiple bullet wounds”. Colonel Vadim Boyko was found with 'multiple bullet wounds' He was deputy head of the prestigious Makarov Pacific Higher Naval School in Vladivostok. It was reported he came to work, entered his office, and soon afterwards five shots were heard. Another officer heard the shots and then rushed to find Boyko - only to find his corpse. Russian reporting initially said it was "suicide" -...

Street interviews with Gen Z Voters VIDEOS AT LINK.............. Nationally, almost one in three voters were independents. In Pennsylvania, independents favored John Fetterman by 18 points, and he won by by 4.5. Raphael Warnock won independents by 28 points, and he beat Herschel by 1 point. In Arizona, Mark Kelly won independents by 31 points, and he beat masters by 5. Gen Z 18 to 29 voted D +28 and a huge number are registered as independents. Gen Z voted for John Fetterman by a 46 point margin. The state of Michigan an Abortion referendum on the ballot and turnout...

“‘You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight’” (Matthew 11:25–26). An infant is completely dependent on others for everything he or she needs. A baby has no resources of its own to draw upon for help. The same Greek word (for “infants”) is used of those who can’t eat solid food (1 Cor. 3:1; Heb. 5:13). It is also used of those who can’t speak (1 Cor. 13:11) and of those who are helpless (Eph. 4:14). To such spiritual babes, those who...

Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake seemed to suggest that fraud cost her the election after the race was called for her Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs Monday night. “Arizonans know BS when they see it,” Lake tweeted after the outcome was declared by multiple outlets, implying that she was not yet ready to concede. Hobbs secured 50.4 percent — a total of 1,266,922 votes — to Lake’s 49.6 percent — a total of 1,247,428 votes — with 98 percent of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press. The race was called almost a week after Election Day as many...

There is no important area of left-right difference in which the Left does not call for shutting down dissent. In a recent Fireside Chat—my weekly podcast for PragerU, half of which is dedicated to my taking questions from (mostly) young people around the world — a young man in his 20s asked how he was supposed to figure out who is telling the truth and who isn’t. He was undoubtedly speaking for millions of his peers. Given the opposing positions one encounters on almost every issue, how is one supposed to figure out which position is right, and which one...