Free Republic

Nearly every adult ICU bed in Oregon is occupied, driven by an uptick in respiratory viruses. Portland-area hospitals are operating at a “crisis” level for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The dire picture has prompted state health officials to implore people to slap their masks on, once again, to protect against a triple threat of covid, flu and RSV as people travel and gather indoors this holiday season. But like nearly every community confronting a third pandemic winter, the entreaty is just that — a plea. Not a mandate. Health officials in a state that was among...

China sent 39 aircraft and three warships on military drills toward Taiwan on Thursday in a show of force against the self-governing democratic island nation. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said officials detected the aircraft and vessels around 6 a.m. and were closely monitoring the military drills. Thirty of the Chinese aircraft crossed over the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the ministry added in a Twitter post. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the name for China’s forces, sent various warplanes in a southwest direction toward the southeastern region of the island before doubling back. The PLA has recently conducted...

A month after the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deflected any suggestion she or her staff could have influenced the security that failed that day when the Capitol building was breached. "I have no power over the Capitol Police," she declared. Two years later, that claim is directly challenged by contemporaneous text and email messages made public by five House Republicans showing her staff had direct contact with the officials who planned the security and even edited some of the plans and notifications in the fateful days before tragedy struck. The revelations, released Wednesday in a...

“‘. . . finding one pearl of great value’” (Matthew 13:46). Job’s ancient description of humanity’s relentless quest for wealth sounds amazingly up-to-date: Man puts an end to darkness, and to the farthest limit he searches out the rock in gloom and deep shadow. He sinks a shaft far from habitation, forgotten by the foot; they hang and swing to and fro far from men . . . Its rocks are the source of sapphires, and its dust contains gold. . . . He hews out channels through the rocks, and his eye sees anything precious. (Job 28:3–4, 6, 10)...

Let’s talk about the word “unrelenting.” It means undiminished in intensity or effort, unyielding, uncompromising, incapable of being changed or persuaded by arguments. Unrelenting, constant, sustained, never-ending — what a marvelous description of God’s love! Nothing can hinder or diminish his loving pursuit of both sinners and saints. The Psalmist put it perfectly: “You have hedged me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me…Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there” (Psalm...

In June, the PGA Tour suspended golfers who joined the LIV Golf series, but the latter are allowed to play in the three U.S. majors outside of the PGA Championship — the U.S. Open, the Open Championship and the Masters — because those tournaments are not governed by the PGA Tour and have their own organizational and operating bodies. “Our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April,” Fred Ridley, Chairperson of Augusta National Golf Club, said in a statement. “Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those...

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Thursday morning that he’s reached an agreement with colleagues on amendments to the 4,155-page omnibus so the Senate can pass the bill later in the day and give the House a chance to act Friday. And it looks like his savior may be independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), who on Thursday introduced an amendment to increase border funding and resources for border communities and extend the Title 42 health policy that expedites the deportation of migrants seeking asylum in the United States. Sinema’s amendment could give political cover to centrist Democrats to vote...

Majority of students opposed to bringing conservative speakers on campus, report found.. College students at America’s largest 203 colleges continue to censor themselves inside and outside of the classroom, a national survey of 45,000 students concluded. Students play a significant role in censoring free speech on campus, but colleges can enforce policies that protect it, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s third annual College Free Speech Rankings, released in September, for the 2022-23 school year. Adam Goldstein, FIRE’s vice president of research, told The College Fix in an email on December 16 that the wider culture has...

I didn't see a link to the Kari Lake vs Maricopa/Arizona trial day 2, so posting links for people... RSBS on rumble RSBN on rumbleViva Frei This is the channel of a one of the lawyers that was following the rittenhouse trial. He's not able to be there in chat and commentary today, he reported yesterday. others azfamily cbs512 news

The National Football League announced Thursday its Sunday Ticket subscription package would go to Google’s YouTube TV starting next season, marking the league’s second media rights deal with a streaming service. YouTube TV will pay roughly $2 billion a year for the residential rights of the Sunday Ticket package, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal runs for seven years, one of the people said. The agreement will elevate YouTube’s profile in the competitive streaming space. At the start of the 2023-24 season, Sunday Ticket will be available two ways: as an add-on package on YouTube TV and...

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...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Thursday morning announced an agreement to advance the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill before Christmas weekend. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Democrats have been working to pass the omnibus bill before a self-imposed deadline of Thursday to avoid a shutdown at midnight on Friday. But negotiations become sticky after Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) Title 42 amendment threw a wrench in the Senate process. As a result, many critics of the deal were hopeful Congress would be forced to pass a short-term spending resolution (CR) to keep the government open, pending a continued standoff between...

FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT Luke 1:46–56,BR. Friends, in today’s Gospel, we hear the Magnificat—Mary’s great hymn of praise to Yahweh.The hymn commences with the simple declaration, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” Mary announces here that her whole being is ordered to the glorification of God. Her ego wants nothing for itself; it wants only to be an occasion for giving honor to God. But since God needs nothing, whatever glory Mary gives to him returns to her benefit, so that she is magnified in the very act of magnifying him. In giving herself away fully to God,...

Do I detect a trend in the US Leading Economic Indicator data? The Conference Board’s US Leading Economic Indicator was released this morning and it wasn’t pleasant. The US Leading Index was down -1% MoM in November. On a year-over-year basis, it is down -4.5% YoY as The Fed withdraws its massive monetary stimulus. The good news … for military contractors … is that Biden and Congress have given Ukraine’s Zelenskyy ANOTHER $47 BILLION.

Four significant problems are plaguing boys as they seek to navigate the perilous journey to manhood: They are unguided, ungrounded, unappreciated and, too often, uninspired. Boys in particular, lacking positive male role models, wonder what it means to be a man. They are largely unguided in this effort, as 89% of elementary-level teachers are female, and nearly 21% of boys live in a home without a father present. While these moms are performing a herculean task as a single parent, there is no question that both boys and girls do much better in a home with two parents. While girls...

Actor Tim Robbins did not star in “The Matrix.” Still, it seems someone slipped the leftist Hollywood star the red pill. Robbins, whom no one would ever confuse for a MAGA Republican, seemed remorseful for initial support for draconian COVID-19 policies during a recent interview with British comedian Russell Brand...

Leftist billionaire George Soros apparently kept himself very busy last year by funneling millions into groups and causes spreading anti-police hatred across the country. Fox News Digital reporter Joe Schoffstall reported Dec. 21 that Soros’ Open Society Foundations “dropped at least $35 million into anti-police groups and initiatives in 2021,” according to reviewed tax forms. Overhauling the American criminal justice system is a “high priority” for Soros, wrote Schoffstall. Soros’ millions went toward “groups that back defunding police, hubs used by progressive activists aiming to dismantle law enforcement, and even funding databases to track donations to police department foundations and...

2022 was the worst year for the stock market since the financial crisis, fueled by a combination of rising interest rates, economic worries, war in Ukraine, inflation, and other factors. As of Dec. 20, the S&P 500 was down by more than 19% for the year. However, with the year coming to a close, what should we expect for next year? While nobody has a crystal ball, here are a couple of my predictions for the stock market in 2023 and why I believe each one is likely. 1. The stock market will have an excellent year My bold prediction...

Russia’s government spokesmen and diplomats responded scathingly to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s brief visit to Washington, DC, on Wednesday, mocking it as a “Hollywood-style trip” and claiming it confirmed America’s resolve to engage in a “proxy war” with Moscow. Zelensky arrived in D.C. as lawmakers mull over an end-of-year omnibus spending bill that would grant his government $45 billion in humanitarian and weapons aid, potentially bringing the total American taxpayers’ dollars spent on Ukraine this year to upwards of $110 billion. While some Republicans have questioned the wisdom of such an expense, Zelensky was greeted warmly in Congress on Wednesday...

Just tried to turn on War Room, it's no longer on the ROKU channel list. What happened?