Free Republic

KYIV, Ukraine — The seven-foot-tall bronze statue of Ronald Reagan bursting through the Berlin Wall was supposed to be here by now, standing in one of the Ukrainian capital’s prominent public squares. The monument was the brainchild of Maryan Zablotskyy, who grew up venerating Reagan in Lviv in western Ukraine — as many did in the post-Soviet years. Zablotskyy founded the Ayn Rand Center Ukraine to promote the libertarian author and covered his office walls with posters of Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, with their quotes translated into Ukrainian. Now a member of his country’s parliament, Zablotskyy, 37, faces...

Since taking over Twitter, Elon Musk has shown a willingness, and sometimes a relish, to pick public fights with an array of targets, including advertisers, tech giants, employees and more. But over the weekend, Musk publicly attacked two figures, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Yoel Roth, Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, in ways that may resonate with far-right audiences and gin up user engagement — but are likely to deter wary advertisers from flocking back to the social network anytime soon. “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci,” Musk tweeted on Sunday, scoring points with both critics of the use of nonbinary...

The Gibsons have collected the over $36 million owed them. Sadly, David Gibson and “Grandpa” Allyn Gibson did not live to see this day. By stretching out the appeals Oberlin College waited them out, but the rest of the family survives. We wish the Gibson family well.

The legal battle over a Florida law that restricts classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation is pitting red states against blue states. Republican attorneys general of 14 states last week sought approval to file a brief supporting Florida in a fight about the new law. That came after Democratic attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia this summer filed a brief supporting the bill’s challengers...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Small arms, ATGMs, MANPADS, loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles, trailers and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When the...

Democrats are deeply concerned about impending Republican investigations into Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, according to recent reports. The White House has been preparing for the onslaught of probes that House GOP lawmakers intend to launch when they take over the lower chamber next year. But the Hunter Biden issue, in particular, seems to be a serious source of concern on the left, and Democrats have been engaged in multiple strategy sessions to determine the best course of action to fend off the inevitable attacks that will ensue when the investigations uncover certain details. A Washington Post report suggested that...

Video reports from El Paso, Texas, indicate that a record-setting large group of more than 1,000 migrants crossed the border overnight from Mexico. Border Patrol agents reportedly have more than 5,000 in custody with nowhere to place new migrant arrivals. A video tweeted by @PSAFLIVE Monday morning reveals a steady stream of migrants crossing the border from Mexico into El Paso. The group of more than 1,000 migrants who crossed overnight is understood to be one of the largest-ever single migrant crossing events in U.S. history.

Many public-health elites still won’t admit it was a mistake for the West to adopt Beijing’s strategy. China’s zero-Covid policies have recently come under criticism from public-health leaders—including those at the World Health Organization—who once held them up as a model for the West. “China’s success rests largely with a strong administrative system that it can mobilise in times of threat, combined with the ready agreement of the Chinese people to obey stringent public health procedures,” the Lancet editorialized on March 7, 2020. Western countries, it added, “must abandon their fears of the negative short-term public and economic consequences that...

(Daily readings from the USCCB)Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Luke 1:30–31p> Today we celebrate five successive apparitions of our Blessed Mother to Juan Diego, who was an Indian convert to the faith. Early in the morning of December 9, 1531, Juan was traveling to the town of Tlatelolco where he intended to attend a catechism class and the holy Mass. However, on his way, as he passed by the Tepeyac...

The party will be over for big businesses that push “woke” agendas once the Grand Old Party takes over the House next month, insiders told The Post. Long viewed as the party of big business, fed-up Republicans will now lead committees and have subpoena power as they seek to punish investment firms that prioritize the environment over fossil fuels, as well as trying to rein in China’s outsized influence on the US economy, according to several sources interviewed by The Post. “There is frustration with specific issues like woke capitalism but it’s also the case that the GOP sees Wall...

As the 2022 soccer World Cup finally ends over in the Gulf state of Qatar, it brings to a conclusion three weeks of not only sporting action but also, much less entertainingly, an entire stadium’s worth of colossal moral grandstanding. ... First to score a PR open goal were the Australians, whose playing squad appeared in a video to claim there were certain “universal values that should define football” (as non-Americans call “soccer”). Indeed so: playing by the rules, displaying sportsmanship, rarely punching the referee in the face. But one of the newest most inherent values of the sport is...

Multiple Central Florida men have pleaded guilty to being involved in a drug trafficking operation, “Titan Fall,” the U.S. Department of Justice said. A total of 13 men were charged in August with two indictments for being involved in the operation. Members Carlos Alberto Roman, 56; Kenneth Angel Vera, 31; and James Richards Howell, 37, have all pleaded guilty, according to the DOJ. The DOJ said that Roman supplied fentanyl and cocaine to Howell and Vera for resale, and regularly communicated with them. Roman was arrested at his home with 19 firearms, six silencers, three flash-bang grenades, and thousands of...

ndian and Chinese soldiers clashed in the border area of Tawang region in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, according to official sources. A source told PTI that at least six Indian soldiers were injured, who are being treated in Guwahati. Following the clash, Indian and Chinese forces have disengaged from the site and Indian and Chinese regional military commanders have held a flag meeting to restore peace in the area, according to military sources.

Senator-elect John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) were included in The New York Time’s list of the 93 most stylish people of the year. The diverse list for 2022’s most fashionable includes a typical host of celebrities — from Kim Kardashian to Beyoncé and Harry Styles — but also some less likely candidates. Fetterman was featured on the list next to a photo of him wearing his traditional uniform: a sweatshirt, shorts and a pair of sneakers. The Times commented that Fetterman would bring the workwear clothing brand Carhartt to Capitol Hill. Pressley was celebrated both for her...

Former University of Central Florida (UCF) football player and Massachusetts native Jake Hescock died suddenly on Tuesday, according to his family. Hescock, 25, collapsed while jogging in Boston last week, his cousin Lisa Walz Mlynarczyk wrote on a Facebook group dedicated to him. According to reports, Hescock suffered from cardiac arrest. “He was given CPR and has been on life support ever since. We were told last night that the damage to his brain from the lack of oxygen is severe,” she wrote. A passerby found him and provided CPR, and was taken to the hospital. “A Good Samaritan found...

For months now, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been aggressively using his executive power to deny transgender medical care for two of society’s most vulnerable groups—children and the poor. In that, he has been far from alone, as Republicans across the country lean into an ugly backlash against the trans community and the science that supports it. Along the way, DeSantis has been employing a power grab some fear will be adopted by other Republican governors—with disastrous results. As part of DeSantis’ ongoing MAGA crusade against progressives, his administration is simultaneously using different state agencies to cut off what is...

A friend of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and two other women were shot dead Sunday when a man opened fire at a Rome coffee shop. The women were holding a board meeting for their condominium in Rome’s Fidene district when the 57-year-old gunman stormed in and opened fire, according to Italian authorities. The suspect was overpowered and detained by other residents at the meeting. Arriving police arrested the man. “He came into the room, closed the door and shouted, ‘I’ll kill you all’ and then started to shoot,” one witness said, according to Italian news agency Ansa. The suspect...

People are dying in Australia and the country can’t seem to figure out why. According to a release by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 128,797 deaths in the country by August 31, and that is a huge number for Australia. How big? Well, while the mortality rate reportedly typically fluctuates by just about 1-to-2 percent each year, this number marks an increase of about 18,671 deaths and a 17-percent rise above the historical national average.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said she has identified one of the "massive" reasons Republicans significantly underperformed in last month's midterm elections. McDaniel said a "massive amount" of ticket-splitting was one of the top factors that led to GOP losses in some key races this election cycle despite winning in other races on the same ballot, speaking with John Catsimatidis on Cats Roundtable on the radio station WABC 77 on Sunday. "Ticket-splitting was everywhere. We won eight races statewide in Georgia, but then Warnock wins the runoff. Ron Johnson wins in Wisconsin, but Evers holds the governorship," McDaniel said....

U.S. aid to Ukraine totals $68 billion, and the White House has just asked Congress for another $37.7 billion. In the spring, the new Congress will consider aid in the context of the administration’s proposed FY 2024 budget. With these decisions ahead, it is worth reviewing how much aid there has been, what that aid does, and what the administration is requesting. Such a review turns up some surprises and will help clarify discussions about future aid packages.Q1: How much aid has there been?A1: Congress has passed three aid packages. The first in March ($13.6 billion) was tacked onto the...