Free Republic

A fascinating new report in Nikkei Asia has unearthed and detailed the findings of an elite Chinese state-linked think tank which reports directly to the People's Liberation Army. Nikkei in the context of examining the timing and motives behind China's 12-point peace plan said that Chinese military experts are predicting the Russia-Ukraine war will end this summer.To review, the 12-point plan urged implementation of a ceasefire and the resumption of negotiations toward a permanent peaceful settlement, and was unveiled on the one-year Feb.24 anniversary of the war. But the Nikkei report asserts there's specific rationale driving Beijing: "The reason for...

A defendant in the Proud Boys trial over Jan. 6, 2021, charges moved March 9 to dismiss the case, after some footage from the day of the breach was shown for the first time.Protesters speak to U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)Dominic Pezzola is one of the Proud Boys members on trial for obstruction of an official proceeding and other charges. The newly disclosed footage, shown on Fox News this week, “is plainly exculpatory,” Pezzola’s lawyers said in the new motion.“It establishes that the Senate...

In the aftermath of explosive new January 6 footage revealed by Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson, there have been false claims made by Biden officials that police officers were killed by protesters during the Capitol riots. Attorney General Merrick Garland in particular misrepresented the incident and implied that five police officers died due to the January 6 incident. “I think all Americans saw what happened on January 6th, and most of it saw, most of us saw it, as it was happening,” Garland said. “It was a violent attack on a fundamental tenant of American democracy. That power is...

Treatment is scarce for functional neurological disorder (FND), which requires a multidisciplinary approach. A special report aims to show clinicians and institutions around the world what is needed to establish effective community treatment programs. Functional neurological disorder, formerly called conversion disorder, involves the process whereby stress, the social environment, or early experience affects the body's biological systems. The embedding culminates in stress-system activation or dysregulation and aberrant changes in neural network function. Patients with FND have neurologic symptoms such as limb weakness, tremors, gait difficulties, seizures, or cognitive problems that are not explained by traditional neurological disorders. As many as...

No Labels, a group that could shake up the 2024 presidential race with a bipartisan “unity ticket,” secured access to the ballot Friday in Oregon, at least the third state to approve its application to become a political party. No Labels says it is seeking ballot access in many states and will use it to run a Republican and Democrat for president and vice president “if the two parties select unreasonably divisive presidential nominees.” The group’s leaders have not publicly named specific candidates. The push has spooked Democrats and anti-Donald Trump Republicans, who worry a No Labels candidate would tip...

For two years, the videos from the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol were under the control of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif). Only a small fraction of the 41,000 hours of video were ever shown to the American people. The claim that the events at the Capitol constituted a "violent and deadly insurrection" was endlessly repeated by members of Pelosi's hand-picked special committee and the majority of the mass media outlets. The new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) initiated a policy aimed at full disclosure of the rest of the videos. On Monday, March 6, the first small...

A Mexican cartel turned over five of its members and a written apology for the kidnapping and murder of American citizens. Four Americans crossed into Mexico from Brownsville, Texas last Friday. Their rented vehicle came under gunfire and they were taken by a faction of the Gulf cartel. Two of the Americans, Zindell Brown, and Shaeed Woodard, died. Eric Williams has a serious leg injury, and the lone woman, Latavia McGee. was left physically unharmed. The Americans traveled from South Carolina, though the rented vehicle had North Carolina license plates. A fifth American remained behind in Brownsville because she did...

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced Friday he will block a key Department of Interior (DOI) nominee from moving forward over her climate activism. Manchin noted that his decision — which effectively kills President Biden's nomination of Laura Daniel-Davis to serve as DOI's assistant secretary for land and minerals management — came in response to an internal agency memo that was leaked last week. The memo showed that Daniel-Davis, who holds a lower position at DOI, signed off on an explicit decision to prioritize climate policies over energy security. "Today, I...

Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville is blocking all of Biden’s military and civilian nominations to the Department of Defense until the Pentagon reverses its new policy to pay for travel costs for service members seeking an abortion. Tuberville called the Biden administration’s decision “shameful” and an attempt to use national security resources to promote a far-left agenda. “We believe our military and VA should be focused on national defense and veterans, not politics,” Tuberville said on the Senate floor. “Using our military and fake emergencies to make sure there are no limits on abortion is absolutely, positively shameful. It’s embarrassing to...

More than 9,000 California residents were under evacuation orders Friday as a new atmospheric river brought heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, swelling rivers and creeks and flooding several major highways during the morning commute. In Santa Cruz County, a creek bloated by rain destroyed a portion of Main Street in Soquel, a town of 10,000 people, isolating several neighborhoods.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has a novel idea as his administration continues to deal with thousands of migrants and illegal aliens being sent to the Big Apple: He wants residents to pay for at least some of them to attend college.That’s right.The money that the Empire State takes from its residents will go toward educating migrants seeking asylum, if Mayor Adams gets his way.The New York Post reported:Adams plans to provide as many as 100 migrants with 12 months of classes, room and board in upstate Sullivan County — and the project could continue indefinitely, The Post has...

Just hours from now Dutch farmers will rally against climate change cow gas rules in the capital city of The Hague. Dutch authorities putting obstacles in the way of the protest... White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemning "hateful and dangerous" attacks on LGBTQ people... In the South Pacific the outgoing President of Micronesia calling for the cutting of ties with China... In the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan there's been a cutoff of Armenian natural gas... Record levels of sexual assault allegations at US military academies last year... French political intrigue. There talk of a motion of censure... The...

Vinyl albums outsold CDs last year for the first time since 1987, according to the Recording Industry Association of America's year-end report released Thursday. It marked the 16th consecutive year of growth in vinyl, with 41 million albums sold — compared to 33 million CDs. Streaming is still the biggest driver of the music industry's growth, making up 84% of recorded-music revenue, but physical music formats saw a remarkable resurgence in the past couple of years. The pandemic led to a spike in demand for vinyl records, driven largely by younger buyers. Vinyl has become a major part of artists'...

It hasn’t been a good day for the banking industry. As our Senior Editor Joe Cunningham reported, Silicon Valley Bank was taken over by bank regulators. The 16th largest bank in the nation, and once a darling of tech industry, its downfall could be directly connected to the woes, layoffs, and setbacks in that very industry.Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a financial institution that focused primarily on investing in tech start-ups, has been taken over and shut down by federal regulators in one of biggest financial failures in history, and the biggest since the Global Financial Crisis over a decade ago.The...

There is no way to avoid this moment. The formal letter of apology. From me. To Conservatives and to those who “put America first” everywhere. It’s tempting to sweep this confrontation with my own gullibility under the rug — to “move on” without ever acknowledging that I was duped, and that as a result I made mistakes in judgement, and that these mistakes, multiplied by the tens of thousands and millions on the part of people just like me, hurt millions of other people like you all, in existential ways.

One of Ukraine's firmest allies in NATO said Russia can continue its war in Ukraine with the same force for the next two years, according to Reuters.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Lithuanian intelligence chief Elegijus Paulavicius said that Russia's current resources would allow it to continue this level of warfare.He added: "How long Russia is be able to wage the war will also depend on the support for Russia's military from states such as Iran and North Korea."The assessment contrasts with the more optimistic picture given late last year at the Pentagon, which said that early 2023 would probably bring...

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) called for gender-neutral bathrooms in schools on Thursday, in response to a town hall question from a transgender Virginia teenager.“Look at me. I am a transgender man,” Niko, a 17-year-old from Arlington, Va., said at a CNN town hall. “Do you really think that the girls in my high school would feel comfortable sharing a restroom with me?”Youngkin, who issued a series of restrictive guidelines to Virginia schools last fall related to transgender students, said on Thursday that it was important to accommodate students. “That’s why I have said many, many times, we just need...

A Pentecostal pastor and media are questioning Pope Francis’ criticism of laws criminalizing homosexualityCatholic leaders in Pakistan are explaining the Church’s position on homosexuals and human dignity after a Pakistani protestant leader’s intemperate remarks on Pope Francis’ criticism of laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust.” “Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” the pope reportedly said during an interview with The Associated Press in January adding that God loves all his children just as they are. He further called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) people into the church. However,...

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he is in favour of primary school children being taught about transgender issues. His comments come as catholic primary schools have told the Government that their pupils should not be taught about transgender issues. Speaking in Waterford, Mr Varadkar said it makes sense to teach children about the world around them. He said transgender people exist and have always existed. The Fine Gael leader said he would defer to Minister for Education Norma Foley and her officials on the question of whether parental consent should be sought in advance. In a letter to Minister for...

Paris, France, Mar 7, 2023 / 14:00 pm Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, whose spire and roof were destroyed by an April 15, 2019, fire, is expected be rebuilt within the five-year deadline set by the French government. As confirmed by the head of the construction site, French Army Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, in an interview with the Associated Press, the faithful and tourists should have access to the site again by the end of 2024. Reconstruction work only began some 24 months after the tragic incident occurred, with the first phase consisting of cleaning and securing the site, involving more...